Knowing Your Body Type is Crucial and Here’s Why

Do you struggle to lose weight, or find it difficult to put on muscle, no matter how much time you spend in the gym? The answer may lie in understanding your body type. There are three main body types that most people fit into. For today’s post, I’ll be focusing on these main three and will share one of my secret weapons with you, Stay Gracious Beauty.

Knowing your body type can be helpful if you have been trying to achieve fitness, strength, or weight loss goals less successfully than you’d like to be. The knowledge can allow you personalize your diet and workouts to suit your specific needs — to work WITH your body instead of against it, allowing you to achieve better results. It also can empower you to dress according to your body type so you can look and feel your best. This is where secret weapon Stay Gracious Beauty comes in. This is a brand I absolutely trust and want everyone to use. Their passion is making the most of what each of us already has to work with.

Below you’ll find the three basic body types and a breakdown of each type.

Ectomorph
An ectomorph is a somatotype characterized by a lean, thin build. Typically, ectomorph bodies have a high metabolic rate, meaning they burn calories at a quicker rate than others. This makes it difficult to both add muscle mass and gain weight from fat. Ectomorphs tend to have small joints and longer limbs—or at least the appearance of such from being so lean.

Body composition: Little fat and muscle compared to the other body types.
Metabolism: Fast metabolism and are more resistant to weight gain (fat or muscle). Ectomorphs can look slim, but may carry unhealthy levels body fat.
Sporting Strengths: Tend to excel in endurance sports.
Body shape: Small frame and joints, with long limbs and long, thin muscles. Slender and lanky, with a more linear body shape.

Mesomorph
Mesomorphs have a sturdier bone structure than ectomorphs, and that tends to be perfect for supporting lean muscle mass, which is why many bodybuilders have this somatotype. Someone with a mesomorph body type may be described as “athletic” looking. It’s easy for them to both gain and lose weight, especially muscle weight; however, because of this, they have to be more careful about what they eat as it could easily tip the scale from strong to soft.

Body composition: Gain muscle mass with ease and can have low body fat, resulting in high muscle definition.
Metabolism: Efficient metabolism. Can gain and lose weight easily.
Sporting Strengths: Predominance of fast-twitch muscle fibers. Athletic, strong, agile, and fast. Excel at explosive sports that require power and speed.
Body shape: Medium frame and joints, thick muscles, and tend to have a more rectangular, compact body shape.

Endomorph
Endomorph body types tend to lean on the softer side. Weight from fat is easily gained, and not as easily lost. This build is typically shorter, with shorter limbs as well. But just because us endomorphs are soft doesn’t mean we aren’t strong! Endomorphs are naturally strong and have a great ability to gain muscle—it’s just harder to reveal, because losing the weight from fat is a bit more of a challenge.

Body composition: Gain weight more easily and find it more difficult to lose weight. Because of this, endomorphs are more likely to be overweight. Able gain muscle relatively easily.
Metabolism: Slower metabolism than the other body types.
Sporting Strengths: Excel in sports requiring strength and power, as well as middle-distance or moderate-intensity activities.
Body shape: Medium-to-large frame and joints, tapered limbs, and tend to be very shapely.

Knowing my body type was so crucial in changing my habits as far as training, eating, etc. It also had me taking a long, hard look at how I was dressing. A few of the services that Stay Gracious Beauty offers are body type consultations, closet edits, and personal shopping for your body type. I am using them to redo my closet during my next move, and also give them my full stamp of approval, so go check out their website!

XOXO,
Heather