I used to be a typical instafit girl – I loved double tap-tap-tapping on images of diet plans, commenting #goals on the editorial images of fitness junkies, and making mood-boards out of online fitness plans that my Instagram gurus swear by. Every day on my way to work armed with low-fat Starbucks, I would google keep a new workout plan, and after work I would try implementing it. Even though the plans sometimes worked, I was never satisfied because I still never looked exactly like the girls on Instagram, or the magazines, or even in the gym. It was working, but never at the same pace. Never at the same time.
“I wish I looked like her” and “I wish I had her body” were the thoughts I had when I saw these fitspo page girls with hourglass figures, and I often found myself googling ways to lose weight quick between green teas and chai lattes.
One day, in conversation with my first personal trainer, I was introduced to the concept of body morphs –the genetic juice that makes up what your body personality is when it comes to weight gain, or loss. Knowing what your body type is helps you find the exact route to success you need to reach your ultimate fitness goals, and if no single body type, no single coffee is the same as the other, no single regime works quite as well as another.
Want to know how to reach your goals with targeted effort? Read on to know your own body type, how to work with it, and how to maximize gains with it:
1. Ectomorph, a.k.a the Skinny Latte: The ectomorph is the petite kind: you are an ectomorph if you have a thin build, narrow hips and small joints to match. You may hit the gym hard-core, but you will always find it difficult to gain adequate muscle mass. For you, cardio is not a requirement – calories are never an issue with a skinny latte. Take to resistance training and core-based workouts to strengthen stringy muscles and build upon a narrow frame.
2. Mesomorph, a.k.a the Tall Latte: A typically medium build characterized by wide clavicles with medium-sized joints and a narrow waist, the mesomorph is a frame most easy to maintain, as it doesn’t go on any extremes of the spectrum of body types. Being personally of this build, I have found it sufficiently easier to lose or put on weight than my Ectomorph and Endomorph buddies, and with the right diet and exercise, I tend to develop muscle tone with just as much ease. If you’re a tall latte, combine some resistance training with endurance training to up your stamina and keep your body fat percentage in check.
3. Endomorph, a.k.a. the Caramel Latte: The endomorph is typically a blocky body type that finds it easiest to bulk up –whether in fat percentage or muscle tone. Typically born with a thicker rib-cage, and wide, thicker joints, the Endomorph has a sluggish metabolic rate, making it hard to shed excess fat if needed. My caramel latte friends, you do have to work twice as hard as the other two categories to lose weight, but fret not! Core and endurance training along with some resistance training as often as 4-6 times a week, to ensure you stay in shape.
At A-Tone, we work together to ensure that you reach your goals at the right pace, in the right way. Enjoy the instafit diaries of your favorite gurus, but ensure you find a regime that suits your own fabulous, delicious self!