AN ENDOMORPH is a person with a naturally low metabolic rate is of a medium to large frame and is more prone to putting on fat weight (if you claim to just smell food and put on weight you are an endomorph) and therefore they need to watch their diets and exercise regularly to stay in shape.

AN ECTOMORPH is a small framed person with a naturally high metabolic rate in short these are the people everyone wishes would choke on their pastries as it just doesn’t show on them! But ectos being hard gainers, cannot gain muscle definition easily so you see no one has it all!

A MESOMORPH is naturally very strong, of medium to large frame, has well defined musculature and though they too require regular exercise to keep in shape (who doesn’t?!) they usually respond to exercise faster, than endomorphs.

Identify your type:
ECTOMORPH:
• Thin
• Flat chest
• Delicate build
• Young appearance
• Tall
• Stoop-shouldered
• Has trouble gaining muscle mass

MESOMORPH:
• Hard, muscular body
• Overly mature appearance
• Thick skin
• Upright posture
• Gains or loses weight easily
• Grows muscle quickly

ENDOMORPH
• Soft body
• Underdeveloped muscles
• Round shaped
• Over-developed digestive system
• Trouble losing weight
• Generally gains muscle easily

A person maybe a combination of body types, so to make things easier they can be further classified into 4 more categories:

HOURGLASS:
A very Indian shape to have, wherein the waist size is a lot lesser than the chest and hips, though the chest is slightly heavier than the hips. These are the people who look proportionate even if slightly overweight as their weight is equally distributed throughout the body, their upper and lower bodies have more strength than endurance, and though they do gain weight easily they also lose it as easily and proportionately.

Recommended Exercise:
Cardiovascular exercises: low impact aerobics, cycling at low to moderate tension and higher speed, brisk walking or the treadmill at maximum 3-4 incline but higher speed is recommended depending on your fitness level.

Strength training: stick to moderate to high repetitions* (12-15 reps*) and on and off even use rep combinations as high as 25 reps and low to moderate weights (concept will vary with time as you get fitter). A combination of both compound movements and isolations will prove effective. How much weight you lift is also dependant on how you want to look ultimately. This kind of a workout will help you get fitter, stronger and leaner.

RULER:
The waist chest and hips are in almost equal proportion and rulers gain weight more easily in the midsection, they do not bulk or add muscle mass easily however their weight loss is also almost equal throughout. They usually handle endurance exercises more easily than strength training.

Recommended Exercise:
Cardiovascular exercise: biking with high tension, walking on an incline treadmill or uphill, running, jogging, steppers or stair climbers with moderate resistance will all help in burning fat
effectively.

Strength training: higher repetitions* (20+ reps*), with moderate to heavy weights. Choose more basic and compound movements over isolations (chose isolations only as finishing exercise).

CONE:
As the name states, their upper body is much larger than the lower, the stomach normally protrudes and the arms and chest bulk easily though they are a lot slimmer hip downwards.

Recommended Exercise:
Cardiovascular exercise: cycling at moderate to high tension and brisk walking or treadmill at moderate incline (3-5) and high speed, avoid jogging at high tension.

Strength training: concentrate on lightweights and higher repetitions on the upper body and moderate to heavy weight and moderate repetitions (12-15) on the lower body. Choose compound movements for both upper and lower body as well as isolations.

SPOON:
The lower body is distinctly larger than the upper body, thick upper thighs, bulky inner thighs, outer thighs stick out (saddle bags) dense calves, thickset ankles, weak lower ab muscles and weak upper body.

Recommended Exercise:
Cardiovascular exercise: cycle at higher speed and lesser tension, brisk walking or walking at high speed on treadmill without incline. Avoid steppers/stair climbers, high impact aerobics as they will further add bulk to lower body.

Strength training: doing compound movements with moderate to heavy weights for the upper body, and both compound movements and isolations with high repetitions for the lower body is recommended.

5 exercise pointers for all body types:
• Always warm up before and cool down after exercise.
• Stretching and resting between sets is as important as exercise.
• Change your workout routine at least once in six weeks to prevent your muscles from getting too used to it.
• Once in a while exchange your body type workout with that of another body type for a short duration to shock your body.
• If muscle soreness persists for more than 72 hours post workout, see a doctor immediately.

While exercise is a must to stay in shape, exercise alone cannot bring you the results you want unless you watch your diet. Please note I have said “watch” not deny, starve, or guilt yourself about food! Dieting is about options not restrictions. It’s about realizing that there is something wrong with your lifestyle, which is not only affecting you physically and outwardly but also internally. So don’t “go on a diet,” teach yourself behavior modification and self-control, here’s how:

Gunter Schlierkamp at the 2001 Mr. Olympia Contest

Restaurant tips:
• When with friends, voice your opinion in choosing a restaurant and select one that offers a variety of food. This makes choosing healthy food easier.
• Ask plenty of questions if you are trying fare which you haven’t sampled before like:
o What’s the portion size?
o Besides the main entrée what’s on the side? (If its vegetables ask for a bigger portion.)
o How is the food prepared? Grilled/baked/broiled/stewed is a better option than fried.
o What kinds of sauces are used? If they are heavy ask for it to be served on the side so you can add it yourself not-so-liberally. If the dish contains cheese/cream will it taste bad without?
o Are substitutions possible? Like plain steamed vegetables instead of buttered? Baked potato instead of fried? Whole grain bread rather than processed.
• Start with a soup/salad and eat your starter slowly. It makes you feel fuller so when the main course arrives you won’t be tempted to wolf down everything that’s served to you.
• If ordering a high calorie dish becomes mandatory, share it with your companion so you eat only half the calories.

Eating at a buffet:
• Browse: before you start on the meal have a look around so you can mentally tick out your options.
• Think small: take a smaller plate, and after you’ve decided on the least damaging food items serve yourself a little of the bad stuff (heavy gravies/processed food/fried stuff/mithais etc) and loads of the good stuff (vegetables/whole grain foods/fruit platters/salads/soups)
• Satisfy that sweet tooth: notice the size of the dessertspoons it tells you something. Put a tiny little serving of that sinful looking mousse on your plate, take a small portion put it in your mouth and don’t swallow, allow it to melt first, two more spoons the same way and you are done. Psychologists say its only these first three swallows that count in the remaining we are only trying to relive that sensation of the earlier mouthful. It not only satisfies you but also sends a signal to your brain that the meal has ended.

For any questions or comments regarding this article, please contact Samreedhi Sharma at sizewise@rediffmail.com.