Put Your Body in the Spotlight: Part Two Endomorph

You are an endomorph if you have these typical characteristics:

• Stocky build
• Wider body
• Stores fuel (both muscle and fat) in the lower half of their bodies
• Has more muscle as well but usually, this comes with more fat
• Has the best strength advantage out of the three different body types but may find it difficult to stay lean
• Slow metabolism

Generally, if you have trouble shifting weight, the chances are you’re an endomorph.

Endomorphs are adept at storing fuel, with muscle and fat concentrated in the lower body. As a result, it is the hardest body type to have in terms of managing weight and overall fitness. In order to get a more balanced physique, you should focus on developing your shoulders and stripping away excess fat from your lower body. A low to medium intensity cardiovascular plan will help you shift fat, as will eating 1,750 calories a day (depending on body size).

What might be going wrong

Firstly, there is no point spending hours on a treadmill. Long, slow, steady-state cardiovascular training is not going to bring you the results you want. Just as localised fat burning won't work either.

What you should be doing

For the best results, endomorphs should train their overall body and not just focus on one area. With fat burning holding most of the focus, aerobic exercise should be included within a training regime. However, weight training is best as you not only burn calories during the workout, but also after your final set; up to 3 days following.

Combining hypertrophy (muscle-building) training with conditioning training for 4 days a week, alongside intense aerobic training focusing on interval training such as HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), to help shock the body to burn fat.

What’s more, the calories you eat during the recovery period will help your muscles grow rather than fuelling your gut.

Nutrition

Nutritionally, endomorphs benefit from having a low carbohydrate eating regime, but one that still includes oats and brown rice. This should be complimented by a high protein and fibre intake. Nutrients such as green tea and spinach will help with the body's fat burning process, and eating will have to be more strict than the other body types.

In general, the eating plan will need to be stricter than other body types. Endomorphs should eat fewer carbohydrates, avoiding carbohydrates like white bread, and an increased protein intake.

Endomorphs who are sub-15% body fat should aim for 2.5g carbohydrates, 3.5g protein and 1.3g fat per kg of bodyweight on training days. On rest days, reduce the carbohydrates to 2g. Being more susceptible to gain fat on a high carbohydrate intake, it is advisable to start low and increase only if your progress for results slows or stops.

Supplements

Having a healthy balanced eating plan is the best way to get the calories and nutrition needed. Taking fibre or fish oil supplements can look after your digestion, bowels and have a positive effect on insulin sensitivity.

The Endomorph Cheat Sheet

Do

• Train with intensity
• Watch your carb intake
• Build your shoulders

Don’t

• Do endless crunches
• Jog for hours
• Drink sports drinks

What else?

Stress levels can cause endomorphs to keep fat around their midsection. Ensuring you get enough beauty sleep as well as avoiding overtraining to ensure the body recovers properly.

Also avoid sports drinks as they are full of carbohydrates and spike blood sugar through the roof, and avoid alcohol.

However, it is not all negative. Evolutionarily speaking, endomorphs are a badass as when food is scarce, natural selection favours humans with fat-storing metabolisms. Some experts even suggest that heredity factors could account for as much as 70% of body mass index (BMI).

As an endomorph, you need to find the right training regime with a healthy eating plan and manage your stress. It can be quite challenging to do all three as it really is about creating a lifestyle.

If you struggle, or have any questions, then I would love to hear from you.