Exercise for Your Body Type

Practically all forms of exercise are beneficial to normal, healthy people, but you can get even better results from your efforts by choosing the right form of exercise for your body type.

We're Not All Created Equal

Let's not kid ourselves; we're genetically predisposed to look a certain way and to respond a certain way to what we eat and what we do. Some people are tall while others will never be NBA material. Some are blessed with a fine-tuned metabolism that allows them to eat like kings without ever getting fat. On the flip side, many others can pump iron like maniacs without ever seeming to beef up those skinny arms. That's life; all you can do is accept it and make the best with the cards you're dealt. Now, the good news is that you can do a lot to tweak your training so as to get the best bang for your buck.

Determining the Right Exercise for Your Body Type

There are two basic body types: ectomorphs and endomorphs. Ectomorphs are naturally thin, with high metabolisms and have as much trouble gaining fat as they have gaining muscle. Endomorphs are the other way around, having an easy time gaining pounds but fighting an uphill battle when trying to lose them. There's a middle ground, too -- mesomorphs -- which is a blessed kind that gets the best of both worlds; muscle comes easy, fat tends to stay off. Since you're reading this article, odds are you belong to one of the former categories.

Ectomorphs

Since your metabolism is already in overdrive, you want to go easy on the cardiovascular training. That doesn't mean skipping it -- you still have to take care of that heart of yours -- but rather avoid the kind of long-term, low-intensity exercise people usually do to lose weight. Instead, aim for more intense training that toes the line of anaerobic exercise (i.e. you start feeling lactic acid in the muscles) while still giving your heart and lungs a good jolt.

For example, instead of engaging in an hour of light jogging, do half an hour of interval training. By mixing in 30-second all-out sprints every couple minutes, especially on the uphills, you trigger a boost of natural hormones that encourages muscle growth. Sure, calories are burned and your metabolism is temporarily hiked, but you get the job done (stimulating the cardiovascular system) in less time while tilting the hormonal environment in your favor. Look at the physique of marathon runners vs. sprinters for real-life case studies of how this works.

This applies to weight training as well. Don't diddle around with tiny weights for 20-30 reps. Learn the basic compound movements (squats, deadlifts, bench press, military press, etc.) and use weights you can do 8-10 strict reps with. Since ectomorphs tend to be a bit on the scrawny side to begin with, especially if you're tall, it's important to learn the form correctly to avoid injury. But once you have it down pat, you have everything to gain by opting for the heavier weights.

Endomorphs

The best exercise for your body type obviously involves more calorie burning activities. That means more cardio, but don't forget to hit the weights, too. In terms of balance, do two cardio workouts for every one weight training session, while the ectomorph should do the reverse -- two weight training workouts for every one cardio blast.

However, both ectomorphs and endomorphs benefit from going for the moderate-to-heavy weights in the gym. The very same hormones that trigger muscle building (released when lifting weights) also have strong anti-fat properties, making it a double-whammy of good news for everyone. With a few exceptions, such as dumbbell lateral raises and neck curls, don't use weights so light that you can do more than 12 strict reps in a row. Remember to use proper form though -- consult a local personal trainer if you need help. Good luck!

• Pictures of People Exercising
• Women Fitness Models
• Male Fitness Model

• Breast Lifting Exercise
• Contour Abs
• Naked Exercise
• Naked Pilates
• Hula Hoop Exercises

• Exercise and Lifting Weights
• Stretching Routines
• Naked Exercise
• Body Fat Percentage Chart
• Sample Exercise for Hypertension