Bodybuilder Body Types: Find Yours & Optimize Your Gains

Bodybuilder body types are typically classed into three different groups. These are ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph. You’ve probably heard of them and some of their characteristics. However, you’re probably not aware of the impact they may have. 

While they don’t determine your whole life cycle, they can directly influence how you look and respond to different inputs. In this article, we’re going to take a look at the three different bodybuilding body types (somatotypes), how to know which one you are, and what you can do about it. 

Bodybuilder Types

The classification of somatotypes is based on work by American psychologist William Sheldon. When developing this theory, he proposed three body types: ectomorphs, mesomorphs, and endomorphs.

Ectomorph

Ectomorphs tend to have a tall, slender frame with a little muscle definition. They struggle to gain muscle mass and weight, even when their dietary intake is high. If you can eat just about anything but don’t gain weight, you’re probably an ectomorph. 

These are some of the common characteristics of ectomorphs:

• Difficulty gaining weight.
• Lean and thin with little muscle mass.
• Narrow shoulders and hips.
• Small joints and long limbs. 
• High metabolism.

How To Train As An Ectomorph

Having a fast metabolism and long, slender limbs makes it hard for ectomorphs to gain size and muscle mass. Therefore, your workouts should revolve around hypertrophy and strength training. Consider following a strength training program to get the most out of each of your strength-based sessions. 

Less importance can be placed on your cardiorespiratory training. However, you should still perform some weekly sessions to get the health benefits. Overdoing your cardio exercise means more calories burned and a harder time putting on weight and muscle.

To maximize muscle growth, aim to train each muscle at least two times per week. Sets and repetition ranges should be 3–4 sets of 8–12 repetitions for hypertrophy and 3–5 sets of 1–5 reps for strength. These should follow the suggested loading recommendations. 

Aim to take longer breaks between sets and exercises of 2–3 minutes to maximize your performance. In terms of recovery, aim for at least seven hours of sleep per night. Focus on implementing progressive overload and exercises that engage multiple muscle groups such as deadlifts, squats, and bench presses. 

How To Eat As An Ectomorph

The main dietary focus as an ectomorph should be on consuming more calories than you burn. Aim to eat nutrient-dense, high-calorie foods:

• Protein: Chicken, fish, beef, turkey, eggs, and nuts.
• Whole Grains: Whole wheat bread, brown rice, oats, quinoa, and whole grain granola.
• Dairy: Yogurt and whole milk.
• Fruits: Apples, bananas, oranges, berries, and avocados.
• Vegetables: Sweet potatoes, beans, broccoli, and spinach.

Your protein intake should be between 0.6–0.9 grams per pound of body weight per day. This provides sufficient protein to support the process of muscle protein synthesis when resistance training. 

Consuming liquid calories may help to boost your calorie intake without making you feel too full. Good examples include milk, milk alternatives, and calorie-rich smoothies.

Supplements such as mass-gainers and protein shakes 1–2 times a day can be another great way to increase your intake.

Mesomorph

Mesomorph bodybuilders are people who have a naturally muscular, athletic body type. They have a narrow waist with broad shoulders, giving them a V-shape appearance. 

Mesomorphs can easily gain or lose body weight depending on their training and dietary intake. This often gives them a high muscle-to-fat ratio. Because of this, the high proportion of muscle mass makes mesomorphs the ideal body type for muscle hypertrophy when bodybuilding.

These are some of the common characteristics of a mesomorph:

• Naturally lean and muscular with an athletic build.
• A narrow waist and wide shoulders give a V-shape appearance.
• Even body fat distribution with well-defined muscles.
• Normal or fast metabolism.

How To Train As A Mesomorph

Being a mesomorph means you have more freedom when choosing your exercise. This may involve whole-body or split-body bodybuilding routines like an upper-lower or bro split. You could even try Samson Dauda’s workout routine if you’re looking to train like a Mr. Olympia champion. 

Your training routines may focus on strength and hypertrophy training with a larger proportion of cardiovascular exercise. Again, look to prioritize compound exercises while mixing in some isolation-type training. 

Getting sufficient training volume should also be your main focus. Aim to train each muscle group at least two times per week. As high-intensity performance is less of a concern, you can take shorter rest periods of 60–90 seconds between sets.

Each training session should focus on building on the solid physical foundations you already have. Like ectomorphs, use progressive overload as your main training principle. As you’ll likely have a much better foundation, sport-specific training may also be used.

Adequate rest and recovery are still needed to build muscle mass and promote good health. Aim to take at least 48 hours of rest between working the same muscle groups. 

How To Eat As A Mesomorph

Mesomorphs should still follow the fundamental dietary principles by prioritizing adequate calorie and protein intakes. Eat a balanced diet full of nutrient-dense, whole foods. Here are some examples:

• Protein: Chicken, fish, beef, turkey, eggs, and nuts.
• Whole Grains: Whole wheat bread, brown rice, oats, quinoa, and whole grain granola.
• Dairy: Yogurt and whole milk.
• Fruits: Apples, bananas, oranges, berries, and avocados.
• Vegetables: Sweet potatoes, beans, broccoli, and spinach.

Supplements can be used alongside a well-organized dietary intake where needed. These may include protein powder, caffeine, creatine, and beta-alanine. Ensure your daily water intake is at least 2.9 liters for males and 2.2 liters for females.

Endomorph

Endomorph bodybuilders tend to be naturally thick and heavy with a round body shape. They’re often described as having a pear-shaped or apple-shaped figure. Pear-shaped endomorphs have wide hips and thighs. Apple-shaped endomorphs carry most of their weight in their midsection. 

The slow metabolism of endomorphs means they burn far fewer calories compared to the other body types. Because of this, weight loss is more challenging, and weight gain tends to be easier. However, while endomorphs may be naturally predisposed to being bigger, they can still lose weight and build muscle mass with the right training plan and dietary intake. 

These are some of the common characteristics of endomorphs:

• Higher body fat percentage.
• Naturally chubby or fat with a round appearance. 
• Narrow shoulders and wide hips.
• Naturally slow metabolism.

How To Train As A Endomorph

Endomorph bodybuilders have a naturally slow metabolism. Therefore, their training should focus on losing weight while building or preserving muscle mass. 

Most of your training should focus on high-intensity cardio and resistance training. In terms of hypertrophy vs. strength training, this can be based on your exercise goals and needs. Both training methods will help to increase your metabolism and build muscle mass to burn calories. 

With your cardiovascular training, start with low-intensity exercise and build up slowly. This should be at least 3–4 times a week for 30 minutes. Examples include treadmill walking and cycling.

High-intensity exercise can then form the bulk of your training once this is safely implemented. Great examples include circuit training and Tabata workouts. 

As an endomorph, you should focus on the same fundamental training principles as the other two body types. Use compound movements while implementing the progressive overload principle. However, try to implement higher volume training with shorter rest periods. 

Mix in a higher proportion of cardiovascular exercise to keep your weight under control. This helps to burn more calories and see some of the many well-known exercise benefits. 

How To Eat As A Endomorph

Endomorphs should focus on building lean muscle while losing fat. This counteracts the typically slow metabolism and excess weight gain. 

Aim for a diet high in protein and lower in calories. The same protein intake stated above can be used at the higher intake range. Smaller amounts of fats and carbohydrates can be tailored to your exercise and dietary preferences. 

Aim for whole, unprocessed foods in smaller amounts than the other two body types. Focus on high volumes of foods that contain fewer calories to combat cravings such as the ones listed below. 

• Protein: Chicken, fish, turkey, and eggs.
• Whole Grains: Whole wheat bread, brown rice, and quinoa.
• Dairy: Yogurt and whole milk.
• Fruits: Apples, bananas, oranges, and berries.
• Vegetables: Sweet potatoes, beans, broccoli, and spinach.

If excess calories are needed, a small calorie surplus should be used. Supplements such as weight gainers and liquid smoothies should be avoided if possible. 

Combination Of Body Types

In most cases, someone rarely fits into one of the specific body builder types. More often than not, most people tend to fall in a range. This means they will have a dominant body type mixed with certain traits of another. 

The Heath-Carter method is based on a hybrid classification system. It rates you on each body type, giving you a score of 1–7 for each somatotype. 

For example, if you’re tall and muscular but don’t gain much fat, you would be classed as an ecto-mesomorph. This would give you an example score of 1-7-7.

If you tend to hold both fat and muscle but find it hard to lose weight, you would be classed as an endo-mesomorph. This would give you an example score of 7-7-1. 

Ecto-Mesomorph

Ecto-mesomorphs possess most of the qualities associated with the ectomorph and mesomorph body types. In most cases, this would be seen as a desirable hybrid combination. An exception would be if you want to compete in strength and power sports where extra weight is needed. 

These people tend to have a fast metabolism meaning they are lean and easily gain weight. At the same time, they have a good amount of muscle which gives them an athletic-like appearance. 

This body type would be considered the ideal hybrid for bodybuilding. People in this category can gain muscle with relative ease without packing on too much excess fat. In the off-season, they can prioritize gaining quality lean muscle. 

Endo-Mesomorph

Endo-mesomorphs possess most of the qualities associated with endomorphs and mesomorphs. This might be seen as an ideal hybrid body type for strength and power sports. 

In these, weight and size may put you at a distinct advantage. For example, a forward running through players in rugby. 

These people tend to gain weight easily and have a naturally muscular build. However, they’re also highly prone to gaining excess body fat, giving them a mixture of both types. 

Because of this, endo-mesomorphs have no issue gaining muscle and size. However, they may find losing body fat and getting ripped much more challenging when looking to lose weight. This can make it much harder and often longer if dieting down for a bodybuilding competition. 

Does Your Body Type Matter?

While your body type can give you insights into your natural potential as a bodybuilder, it isn’t a perfect measure. 

For example, being an ectomorph means you find it harder to pack on muscle and weight. Therefore, you need to focus more on eating more calories and compound training. On the flip side, endomorphs find it much easier to pack on weight. Therefore, they need to be more aware of the foods they’re eating. 

An important thing to note is that people can change their body composition over time through diet and exercise. Your somatotype may predispose you to be a hard gainer or naturally carry more fat. However, this just means that certain considerations need to be made. Your long-term dietary intake and training play much larger roles when correctly implemented.

Conclusion

The concept of somatotypes and the three main body types has been around for years. It’s good to have an understanding of where you fit. However, it’s important to note that it’s not a scientifically proven classification system. 

While your genetics may have dealt you a certain hand, you have the power and ability to control your destiny. With the right training and nutrition, you can transform your body into the physique that you’ve always wanted. Make the right decisions based on our guidance above while adopting a strong work ethic following the fundamental scientific principles.

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