The three main female body types and how to target your workout to maximize benefits and results without frustration or unrealistic expectations.
Make no bones about it–to be your healthiest, fittest and looking and feeling your best you need to exercise–in some form or fashion.
What you are training for will, to a large degree, determine your exercise program.
Every program no matter the goal or sport must have an element of strength training and metabolic conditioning.
We throw into the equation flexibility and mobility work to maintain joint health, range of motion, and stress reduction. These basic components present will make any person/athlete better prepared for their activities of daily living or sport.
Sounds simple, doesn’t it?
Yes, until we throw individual genetics into the mix; we come in many shapes and sizes and a one size fits all exercise program doesn’t work.
Sport specificity aside with the goal of most people being general physical preparedness (fitness), genetics will favor heavily in the mix.
3 Female Body Types
Just like with nutritional protocols, different people require varying amounts of calories and macronutrients and certain body types respond better to varying volumes and intensities of exercise.
The ECTOMORPH Body Type – The Cardio Queen
We all know someone like them; they can eat whatever they want and never seem to gain a pound.
Typically tall, thin, and longer limbed, “ectos” are often referred to as ‘hardgainers’.
They struggle to put weight on and have an even harder time putting on and maintaining muscle mass. They’re not genetically predisposed to it.
In order to overcome nature, they must load up–at the gym and in the kitchen.
The Plan
- Go heavy with the weights using low reps. Use free weights resting 2-5 min between sets and allow 48 hours between workouts for recovery.
- Limit conditioning. Ectos have high metabolisms so they need to limit cardio to infrequent, shorter duration sessions.
- Diet: Eat–a LOT and often. If they don’t, they will not gain muscle. Quality foods with adequate protein making sure to add in enough of both the right types of carbohydrates and healthy fats to raise calorie consumption
The ENDOMORPH Body Type –The Hearty Girl
Sturdy heavy-set types that have soft, stocky bodies and sluggish metabolisms may feel like they got the short straw.
Gaining weight is not a problem but losing fat is challenging. Endos must make a conscious, concerted effort to do the things their bodies should be doing for them. They need to go hard, fast, and often in the gym paying strict attention to nutrition.
The Plan
- Rev up the engine. Their slow metabolism needs a major boost. For the weights lift in the 10-12 range with moderate weight and little rest between sets. Throw in short, hard bursts of cardio to crank it into gear.
- Superset. That means exercises done back to back or circuit fashion with a reduced recovery time. CrossFit is excellent for this.
- Diet: you need more healthy fats than any other body type and very LITTLE carbohydrates. The higher fat will help to push out the unwanted body fat and the reduced carbohydrates will help you effectively go from a sugar burner to a fat burner. Portions matter.
The MESOPORH Body Type –The Natural Athlete
Mesos are lucky, they hit the genetic lotto. They add muscle with relative ease and gain or lose weight without much effort. Typically they have longer torsos, shorter limbs and tend to be strong athletic types. They are bursting with energy and tend to do well in explosive sports that require power and speed
The Plan
- For the weights, mesos should stick with compound movements that work multiple muscle groups such as deadlifts, chins, presses, and squats. These moves exploit their natural strength.
- Crank it up. They can also handle a higher volume of both weight and conditioning sessions. They can hit the gym with 4 weight training sessions and about 3 met cons each week for max results.
- Diet: Mesos should eat reasonable portions of protein, adequate healthy fat and carbs aren’t really an issue. But stick to the right ones for health reasons.
While some people will find they are a ‘classic’ type many people are a combo of either ecto/meso or meso/endo. We won’t find any ecto/endos.
While we can’t change the basic body type we were born with by implementing these training/nutrition tips you can optimize your body type and ultimately reach your fitness goals.
More Information
I eat a diet high in greens, berries, milk kefir, & drink a lot of lemon water (along with coconut oil, almonds, & other healthy fats) & I was wondering, do you mean very little of ALL carbs or just bad carbs for the endomorph?
I wouldn’t recommend “bad” carbs for any body type. The endo usually does best with a lower amount of “ALL” carbs or mainly those from non starchy vegetables and some fruit (berries are an excellent choice).
Is Endomorphic the only body type that can be out of shape? It would seem that there are out of shape people in all three body types, your article might be more helpful if you had pics and descriptions of those people as well.
Any body type can be out of shape. I didn’t design the pictures but thought the same thing. Ectos usually will have that skinny fat appearance and mesos will look similar to an out of shape endo only less rounded and usually more muscular.
This makes total sense now, looking at the pictures and reading the descriptions I thought I was an Ecto but I am definitely overweight so thought I couldn’t be an ecto. But I have the skinny fat appearance. I hate buying clothes because I no longer fit in the regualr sizes but the large sizes fit all wrong, my arms are too thin and either the bottom of the shirt fits nicely but the top part is too big or the top is just right and the bottom is way too tight. With pants I’m all legs and they are too thin. The pants fit around my belly but are so baggy in the legs or they fit my legs and I can’t button them up.
Also I am ALWAYS hungry and can eat meat like nobody else. But my downfall and why I’m sure I gain and keep weight is the large amount of sweets I eat. We plan to do GAPS which I was hoping would help with weightloss but now I also now how to exercise for my type since I’ve always done it wrong with heavy cardio.
What are “chins and presses”? Could you please expand on what these exercises are for the meso group?
Thanks!
A chin up is basically a “pull up” with an underhand grip. “Presses” refer to overhead pressing movements i.e. shoulder press (vertical) and bench presses (horizontal)
I have just started reading your blog. I do know lots about getting healthy. Ive come away from Croinic Fatique Immune Difficency and Fibromialga, do to improper life choice getting me unhealthy. Being sick and tired after all is just being unhealthy weather its genetic or self imposed.
The issue now is getting my body volume down. Since haveing knee replacement (@ 59 I ‘ve been more mobile. Growing up walking was my exercize. Knee caps would slide out of place and cause me to fall in other activities. So no sports other than softball till a ge 35. So now going on 66 with streaching and walking indoors and housework my exerzice.
I have that over weight endomorph. I want to go back to that in shape endomorph I was utill I hit forty! It wouldseem natural to go back to what did when young to stay in shape. But not that simple since the world has changed so much. ——
I grew up poor, so not alot of money, once a month there was a treat. A package of cookies, 1/2 gal of ice cream or soda to share 6 ways. Mom was single with 5 childrenad. All 5 healthy and lean growing up.
Played out doors no vidio games and tv usually sat morning cartoon. Mom had no car, we walked most places. Our big vacation was a day trip to the Como zoo. Mom us 5 and 3 of my cousins. Walking about 5 miles all in a row, what a sight and memory of good times !
HELP!!! ? At my age soon to be 66, limited exercize options , move, eat natural and organics foods, good fats , specifide nutrition from medical testing, only whole grains and wheatberries, no chemicale additives in food no procesed food ,plenty of protien rest and water detox tea , great helpmate, beleif in God and casting cares upon him.Why cant,t I shed those pounds ?????? I just went through 3 weeks of paying close attention to losing and gained 2 more lbs. Now@ 66 have 66 lb to lose to get to 166! a healthy weight for me. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kathy,
Try Callanetics, it pulls your body in fast. They have a new dvd out, called The Evolution. Don’t get the cardio. Also goggle South African Callnetics. Can download on computer for little money. This is a very soothing, elegant kind of movement, but highly effective in getting rid of inches.
Thanks for the info. I’m an endomorph… I will cut the cardio a bit and add more weights. 🙂 I love practical advice!
This is super helpful. I found out I am a mesomorph and I am flattered by what you said about “hitting the genetic lotto”. I have always wanted to be leggier–but it ain’t gonna happen! However it is great to know I gain muscle easily and how to take care of the body I have been given. Thank you.
Oh, by the way Sarah who commented above– you sound like you need to add some safe starches into your diet. (Those being sweet potato, white potato and white rice among others).
Thank you Paula & Sarah; this is helpful!
Funny thing, when I was young I was an “ecto” type. But now in middle age, inspirte of my tall frame and long limbs, I find myself in the “endo” category. Still basically the same structurally, but metabolically and body composition now, definitely more endo! I guess bearing children, and the mom-at-home/home schooling lifestyle have done that to me ;-{ in spite of seasonal gardening and barn chores!
I used to exercise like an endo even though I am an ecto/meso mix. My holistic MD told me 20 years ago to change my exercise as it was all wrong for my body type. I will forever be grateful! She really helped me get on the path of sensible movement that works for my metabolism and body shape.
if someone is 5’2 and 128 and want to lean out how do I know how much grams of fat , carbs and protein to get?
Depends on a lot of factors: age, genetics, activity level, current body composition and intake etc. . .
Paula , is there a book that you would recommend so i can educate myself?
Try The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson. It’s an excellent book, fairly simplified with both exercise and lifestyle tips.
great, thank you, i will check it out.
What are “3 met cons each week for max results” in the Mesomorph section? Is this interval training?
Thank you so much for such an informative article!
Yes, can be intervals of sprinting or other exercises done in a circuit–conditioning style.
I have found that I am a mesomorph and can gain muscle pretty easily lifting heavy weights. I am in the process of losing the winter weight, which is going really slow. I eat plenty of protein and fats, but I seem to be having issues with my carb intake. I get fatigue really easily on a low carb diet. Though in the last few days I’ve cut almost all fruit, because before I was overindulging in fruit when fatigued and I think it made it worse and causing spikes.
Sarah,
I am a mesomorph with my “winter coat” on too! I’m happy and healthy but plan to drop around 5-7 lb for the summer. Try adding in some “safe starches” like Julie suggested provided you are lifting heavy regularly and getting in some type of sprinting. My personal favorites are potatoes (sweet & white), plantains, yucca and almost any root or tuber. I like mine post wod and with dinner.
Some people do well with some fruit and others need to cut back more. Just play with it and see how you feel. To lose the “winter weight” I find I need to cut back on my overall intake. In the winter I tend to eat quite a bit more because it’s cold and my clothes cover more.