The scoop on this body type, how you should exercise, and the mesomorph diet you should follow to reach your fitness goals faster and easier.
Most people who want to achieve a fitness goal, such as weight loss, know that they will have to exercise regularly and modify the way they eat if they want to change the way their body looks.
What you may not know is your body type may affect your ability to achieve your goals.
We are all born with an inherited body type. Back in the 1940s, a scientist named William Sheldon determined there are three categories someone falls into based on bone structure and body composition.
- Endomorphs
- Mesomorphs
- Ectomorphs
Of course, genetics isn’t the only thing that contributes to the shape of your body. Your lifestyle, gender, age, and even hormones are also factors. But Sheldon determined in his research that body types are mainly inherited.
This means there are some things you can’t change, such as your skeletal structure and how your body distributes fat.
That said, you do have some control of how much fat and muscle your frame carries, which means that once you have determined which category your body best fits into, it is possible to change the shape of your body.
It just takes strategy.
We discussed the ENDOMORPH body type last week. You can check that out HERE. We will dive into the ECTOMORPH body type next week.
Today we are focusing on all things MESOMORPH — how to know if this is your body type, how you should exercise, and the best mesomorph diet plan that will work best for your genetics instead of against them!
WHAT IS A MESOMORPH BODY TYPE?
The mesomorph body type is often seen as the “ideal” body type because they have a more ideal muscle-to-fat ratio, can develop muscles easily, are typically not overweight or underweight, and have a natural tendency to stay fit.
Here are few other known characteristics of the mesomorph body type:
- Wide shoulders & narrow waist
- Naturally athletic looking
- Symmetrical
- Responds well to weight training
- Naturally stronger
- Stores fat evenly across the body
- Lose weight easily, but also can gain weight quickly
- Medium frame
- Smaller joints
- Round muscle bellies
While this body type may be ideal on paper, mesomorphs can gain excess body fat quickly if sedentary and stay in a caloric surplus.
This means that most mesomorphs still need to watch their calorie intake and/or stay active to avoid gaining excess fat.
You can see the best calorie range and macro breakdown for the mesomorph body type by using the macro calculator in the V Shred app for iOS or Android.
WHAT TYPE OF DIET IS BEST FOR A MESOMORPH BODY TYPE
As with any body type, the best diet for a mesomorph will depend on their specific health or fitness goals. That said, the calorie needs of people with a mesomorph body type tend to be slightly higher than those with other body types.
Congrats, this means you can typically get away with eating more calories to be used as fuel instead of being stored as fat.
But don’t get too excited. This does not mean that mesomorphs can eat whatever they want in excess and get away with it forever.
Even though mesomorphs tend to develop muscle easily and have lower body fat levels, they are prone to gain weight quickly. If weight loss is your goal, keeping your calories in check is still essential even as a mesomorph.
Mesomorphs tend to respond best to a well-balanced diet with relatively equal parts protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Some mesomorphs also react well to a higher protein diet.
The good news for mesomorphs is that your body will respond well to fueling it with whatever healthy foods you prefer and may be able to bounce back from being overweight more quickly than other body types.
What supplements a mesomorph chooses to take boils down to their goals. Here are some supplement suggestions any mesomorphs could benefit from no matter if their goal is to lose weight, build muscle, or maintain.
- BCAAS to help aid in post workout recovery
- A pre-workout to help make the most out of every rep
- Digestive enzymes to help process food more efficiently
- Protein to help hit a higher protein intake
THE BEST TYPE OF EXERCISE FOR AN MESOMORPH BODY TYPE
A combination of weight training and cardio usually works best for mesomorphs. But if you are a mesomorph and your goal is fat loss, you might want to consider prioritizing cardio. Our preferred method of cardio for most body types, including mesomorphs, is HIIT (high intensity interval training) due to its ability to help boost your metabolism and get better results in less time. However, a few 30-minute moderate-intensity steady-state cardio sessions per week is also a good option for mesomorphs.
Things such as …
- Going on a jog
- Swimming
- Cycling
- Hiking
As a mesomorph, the weight training style you choose to do isn’t as important since this body type typically builds muscles easier than other body types.
Depending on your preferences and lifestyle, a mesomorph can train one muscle group per day, do full-body circuits, or even split your routine into upper– and lower-body days.
Another good option for mesomorphs is to pair weight-lifting with plyometrics (jump training.) This will give you both muscle-building and fat-burning benefits in one session!
We utilize this style of jump training in our 30-day MOVE at-home workout program! If you have issues jumping, there are always modifications like the ones in this no jumping plyometric workout.
ARE YOU AN MESOMORPH?
Mesomorphs are generally pretty easy to spot. Even if they carry some excess body fat, they typically naturally have a muscular/athletic structure.
If you tend to gain weight equally across your body, put on muscle with little effort, and respond well to a diet as long as your calories are in check — you are most likely a mesomorph!
Even if you have some of the more obvious characteristics of a mesomorph, it can still be hard to determine if this is your body type, especially since mesomorphs can gain weight rapidly if calories aren’t in check.
If you are questioning if you are a mesomorph, you can try taking our FREE BODY TYPE QUIZ. It’s only a few questions; you get your results instantly and will even be given free tips for the ideal workout style and diet for your lifestyle and goals!
You can take it HERE!
WHAT IF YOU AREN’T AN MESOMORPH?!
After you take our body type quiz, if you discover you are an ENDOMORPH (the most common body type) – you should check out the article we wrote about this body type! It will tell you everything you need to know! You can read it HERE!
If the quiz tells you that you are an ECTOMORPH, come back next week, we will dive into all the traits of this third body type and how you can eat and train to see the best results!