WHAT IS YOUR BODY TYPE?

Before going to start your training and nutrition regimen, it’s important for you to understand what is your body type? The three basic human body types are the endomorph, the mesomorph, and the ectomorph. Knowing your body type will be going to help you in the long run. You can acquire the correct workout plan and diet plan for your body type, and by doing so you’ll be going to set your realistic and attainable goals.

Is it an ectomorph, mesomorph or endomorph?

body types

ECTOMORPH

Ectomorph can easily be spotted by their body structure. They’re simply skinny and thin. Ectomorphs usually have small joint and lean muscles.

SOME TRAITS OF AN ECTOMORPH:

Small body frame and bone structure.
Flat chest
Small Joints
Long arms and limbs
Fast metabolism
Difficulty in gaining weight
Difficulty in building muscles

Mesomorph

Mesomorph is the most desired body type and can also be said as ‘genetically gifted’ body. They naturally have a lean, compact and strong body.

SOME TRAITS OF MESOMORPH:

Muscular body
Naturally lean
Strong body type
Shoulders are wider than hips
Gain muscles easily
Natural born athletic body

Endomorph

Endomorph can easily be figured out due to their body type. Endomorphs have a naturally chubby, round and soft physique. They have wide bone structure also have a high level of body fat. Endomorphs have a high amount of fat in their body as compared to muscles.

SOME TRAITS OF AN ENDOMORPH:

Chubby body
Round and soft physique
Wide bone structure
High level of body fat
High fat-to-muscle ratio
Gain weight easily
Difficulty in losing weight

According to your ectomorph, endomorph or mesomorph body type, your training program should be arranged according to the diet program you have planned. In other words, create a calorie surplus in a weight-gain training program, or create a calorie deficit in a weight-loss training program and lose weight.

Endomorphs have a high amount of fat in their body as compared to muscles. They always have to struggle with their weight, as gaining weight is always easy for them but losing weight tends to become difficult to them as compared to other body types. Endomorphs have a slow metabolic rate in comparison with ectomorph and mesomorph. Endomorphs usually have narrow shoulders and wider hips, and carry any excess weight in the lower abdomen, hips, and thighs. It’s often challenging for them to lose weight but with the right diet and training approach, it can be done. Aim for a nutrient distribution close to 30 percent carbs, 35 percent protein and 35 percent fat.

FITNESS GOALS

Endomorphs typically have a difficult time losing fat with diet alone, so a well-rounded fitness program is a must for those with an endomorph body type. Exercise is essential to boosting metabolism and must include both weight and cardio training. In general, endomorphs must commit to a lifelong program without overtraining. Building muscle comes easily for endomorphs; however, a slower metabolism and extra body fat make it much harder for endomorphs to stay lean.

CARDIO

Exercise is an important part of any weight loss plan, especially for people with an endomorph body type. Exercising helps increase metabolism and reduce fat. Cardiovascular exercises such as running can burn calories and help create a calorie deficit. This means that someone is using more calories than they are consuming and potentially burning excess fat.

You can burn calories easily by jogging lightly or even just walking briskly on a treadmill every single day. The ultimate endomorph workout is one that keeps you engaged in an activity for a longer period of time – you can build up your stamina by starting slow, gradually working your way up to a more involved workout plan.

Every successful weight loss plan should incorporate physical activity such as cardio and strength training, regardless of your body type. The idea is that increasing the amount you exercise helps burn calories.

WEIGHT TRAINING

Maintaining or building lean muscle mass and losing body fat, while also revving up metabolism, is the focus during weight-training sessions. Developing more active muscle tissue will help increase resting metabolic rate and encourage the body to burn more fat for fuel.

Strength training or weight training is also essential for weight loss. Adding weight training to your exercise regimen may increase your lean muscle mass and improve your metabolic rate (how fast you burn calories), especially when combined with cardio or aerobic exercise. By integrating these types of physical activity with lowering your caloric intake, you have a higher chance of losing weight

BODYBUILDING – STRATEGY

In order to achieve muscle growth (hypertrophy), bodybuilders focus in three main lines of action:

Weight training
Nutrition
Adequate rest

The type of weight training done by bodybuilders is meant to create microscopic tears in the muscle, forcing the body to repair the muscles and expand the storage capacity. The repairs cause the muscles to grow, a process known as hypertrophy. Combining a suitable workout with a high-protein diet and plenty of rest in off-times will ensure effective results.

HOW MUCH WEIGHT SHOULD I LIFT TO GAIN MUSCLE?

For hypertrophy, 3 to 6 sets of 6 to 12 repetitions per exercise with a moderate load (60% to 85% of one-rep max) is ideal. More advanced individuals looking to further develop muscle mass can perform 3 to 6 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions at 70% to 85% of one-rep max.

Beginners are advised to start with light weights and focus on proper technique. Building a strong foundation and gradually progressing in weight and intensity will help you safely and effectively achieve your muscle gain goals.

Your one rep max (1RM) is the maximum amount of weight that you can lift to complete one repetition.

HOW MANY SETS AND REPS SHOULD I DO?

Different training organizations, such as the American Council on Exercise (ACE) or the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), have slightly different models for each training goal. But they follow the same general guidelines.

Training Goal	Sets	Reps	Rest Period	Intensity / Weight
General fitness	1-3	12-15	30 to 90 seconds	Varies
Endurance	2-4	12-20	Up to 30 seconds	<67% of 1RM
Hypertrophy	3-6	6-12	30 to 90 seconds	60% to 85% of 1RM
Muscle strength	2-6	<6	2 to 5 minutes	>85% of 1RM
Power: Single rep	3-5	1-2	2 to 5 minutes	80%–90% of 1RM
Muscle Power	3-6	1-3	2 to 5 minutes	30%–60% of RM

Three important variables of hypertrophy training are volume, intensity, and frequency. Volume refers to the number of muscles worked, exercises, sets, and reps during a single session. Intensity refers to the amount of work required to achieve the training and is proportional to the mass of the weights being lifted. Frequency refers to how many workout sessions are performed per week. On average, it takes two days for muscles to recover. A training frequency of two or three times per week has greater effect on muscle size than once per week, whereas training volume has more effect on muscle strength than training frequency.

RECOMMENDED VOLUME, INTENSITY, FREQUENCY, SET AND REP RANGE FOR HYPERTROPHY.

Intensity: 60-85% of 1 rep max
Volume: 3-6 sets per exercise / 6-12 repetitions per set
Between reps: 30-90 seconds rest
Frequency: 2 to 3 days per week of training has been effective in increasing musclehypertrophy. Higher frequencies may be used to fully maximize hypertrophy.

If you are doing weight training for the first time, the volume and intensity are kept low, the priority is to aim to do the exercises right.

HOW MANY DAYS A WEEK SHOULD I WORKOUT?

To get the expected results, it is important to train smart, but also to give your body a chance to recover properly. Proper recovery includes, among other things, a suitable diet and enough recovery time to give the body time to adapt to the muscular work to which it is subjected, as well as to improve your condition after each session.

FOR MUSCLE GAIN

Research findings support the notion that working muscle groups twice a week leads to more substantial gains in both muscle size and strength compared to training them only once a week. As a result, incorporating a minimum of two weekly sessions for the same muscle group could be a strategic approach to maximize your training outcomes.

For the same muscle group, 48 hours of recovery between sessions is usually sufficient. Remember that muscles are damaged during training and develop during rest. You can train 7 days a week, but you can’t work the same muscle group. For example; If you work the chest on Monday, the legs on Tuesday, and the shoulders on Wednesday, you will have enough rest time for the next chest workout.

BODYBUILDING: EXERCISE SELECTION

1. COMPOUND EXERCISES

Compound exercises involve multiple joint movements and engage several muscle groups simultaneously. These exercises are known for their efficiency in building overall strength and muscle mass. Compound exercises are highly recommended for beginners because they provide a strong foundation by developing functional strength and enhancing overall muscle coordination. They also burn more calories due to the involvement of multiple muscle groups.

Examples:

Squats: Work the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, lower back, and core.
Bench Press: Targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps.
Deadlift: Engages the legs, lower back, upper back, and grip.

2. ISOLATION EXERCISES

Isolation exercises focus on a single muscle group, typically by moving only one joint. They are used to target specific muscles and enhance their size, shape, and definition.

Examples:

Bicep Curl: Isolates the biceps.
Tricep Pushdown: Targets the triceps.
Dumbbell Fly: Focuses on the chest.
Leg Curl: Isolates the hamstrings.
Leg Extension: Targets the quadriceps.

For example, if you are designing a workout routine consisting of 3 exercises, you can do 2 exercises as compound and 1 exercise as isolation.

Bench Press 3×10
Incline Bench Press 3×10
Dumbbell Fly 3×12

The truth is, they both have a time and a place, and we would recommend incorporating both into your workout plan to see maximum results.

THE FOUR ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF A GOOD WORKOUT PLAN ARE:

While there’s a wide variety of activities you could include in your workout plan, based on your own preference, goals and fitness level, there are four main types of physical activity to include in a well-rounded workout plan. You don’t necessarily have to do each of them each day, but they should each be incorporated regularly.

To make it easier on yourself to stick to a new training plan, there are a few important scheduling tips to follow:

“Cardio” exercise raises your heart rate and breathing to improve the function of your heart, lungs and circulatory system. Cardio can be a steady-state, low- to moderate-intensity exercise, or intervals of high intensity. It just needs to tax the large muscle groups strenuously enough and long enough to get you breathing heavily—which means you’re challenging your heart and lungs.

Cardio exercise doesn’t have to take place in a gym. Many activities in our daily lives can provide cardio exercise, like taking the stairs, raking leaves or shoveling snow. Aim for at least 2-3 cardio workouts per week—a 10-15-minute high-intensity workout or an hourlong low-intensity activity.

Example cardio activities: running, jogging, hiking, cycling, swimming, circuit training, HIIT, dancing, stair climbing, shoveling snow, raking leaves, playing sports like soccer, basketball, or hockey

Strength training helps build muscle, improve muscular strength and endurance, and is important in metabolism. It also helps to reduce injury from other activities and keep your skeletal system healthy as you age. Strength training exercises can be accomplished with simply your bodyweight, or can involve free weights, machines or resistance bands.

Flexibility & mobility First, a couple definitions: flexibility is the ability of a muscle to stretch and mobility is the ability of a joint to move freely through its range of motion. Both are important parts of overall fitness, and both should be incorporated into your fitness routine.

WARMING UP AND STRETCHING Warm-up helps prepare your body for aerobic activity. Because the main purpose of warming is to prepare your whole body for training. With a proper warm up exercise and stretching routine the elasticity and flexibility of the tendons and ligaments are increased. Warm-up and stretching is an activity that does not take much time, even a 5-10 minute warming routine will help you avoid injury.

Dynamic stretching consists of active movements. It is usually done before a workout to help warm up your muscles and increase your heart rate. Move slowly, stop and repeat, dig a little deeper each time and improve your range of motion. Pre-workout dynamic stretching improves circulation, prepares your muscles for movement, and temporarily increases your range of motion.

Static stretching, more commonly done at the end of a workout when your muscles are warm, is when stretches are held in place for a certain period of time, not moving. Static stretching is the most effective form of stretching for loosening up your muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons, while also improving flexibility and range of motion. Static stretching requires you to move a muscle to the end of its range of motion and maintain this position for 20 to 45 seconds. Repeat this 2 to 3 times each.

Example flexibility & mobility activities: foam rolling, stretching, yoga, mobility exercises.

Recovery

The final important element of your workout plan is rest. As muscles are broken down, they need time to heal and repair—which is how they grow stronger. You can still be active while recovering, though. Just aim for low-intensity activities you could easily talk while doing, such as walking, hiking, or light stretching.

How often do you aim to be active? Choose how many days per week you’d like to be active. While five days a week is certainly ideal, it’s also fine if you don’t want to have a formal workout schedule to follow each day of the week—maybe you’d like to choose four or five days per week of structured activities. Taking all of these factors into account, plan out a basic weekly workout schedule that works for you.

WHAT MUSCLE GROUPS SHOULD I WORK OUT TOGETHER?

The primary benefit of splitting different muscle groups onto different days is your ability to give each muscle more rest. Some muscle groups make good pairs to work out together. These are generally muscles or muscle groups that work with each other. A person can work these groups one day, then move onto another muscle group the next day.

However, everyone is different so which muscle groups to train together should be based on your personal outcomes and how you feel. For example, if you’re training on a weekly schedule and have one chest and arm day per week, your chest and arm have seven days to recover between sessions.

If you’re a beginner, sticking to those six basic muscle groups is enough to build a great workout routine that can help you improve your fitness.

BODYBUILDING TRAINING METHODS!

These training methods are high-intensity bodybuilding training techniques that rapidly increase muscle hypertrophy that will propel you further when your training routines become inefficient. The purpose of these sets is that you fatigue the target muscle group through a variety of rep and weight ranges, forcing your muscles to adapt and grow

PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD

What is Progressive Overload; It is a working principle that involves gradually increasing the weight of your exercise over time so that you can continuously gain muscle, strength and endurance. It’s the gradual increase in strength by adding small weight plates every training session.

When you do intense weight training, your muscle fibers are subject to injury or stress. When your muscles are damaged in this way, satellite cells outside the muscle fibers come into play. The repair process involves rejoining the torn muscle fibers and introducing new proteins into each muscle cell. They try to repair the damage by bringing them together, as a result, they grow and strengthen the muscle fiber against this weight resistance.

DROP SETS

The drop set is a training method in which you perform an exercise until you fail, then immediately reduce the weight load. In particular, Drop sets; Maximizes the intensity of work sets as a method for increasing the time target muscles are under tension and metabolic stress. Increasing the duration of the muscle under tension means that the muscle growth is encouraged more.

Example Drop set:

Set 1: Start with a heavy weight for 6-8 reps

Ready, set drop…

Set 2: Drop the weight by 20-30 percent, do 10-12 reps

SUPERSETS

In weight training or other trainings, the principle of performing two exercises in a row without rest is called a superset. It emphasizes hypertrophy increase as well as endurance as it can be extremely difficult not to have rest between sets. Supersets are a effective working principle preferred to shock muscles. The benefits of supersets are quite metabolically efficient.

For Example:

You can pair two exercises that work the same muscle group or two exercises that pair opposing muscle groups.

Chest Press and Chest Fly
Bench Press and Barbell Bent Over
Cable Curl and Pushdown
Pec deck fly and Rear Delt Machine Fly

TRI-SETS

Just like supersets, but this time you will do three different exercises in a row without rest. Sounds hard, right?

For Example:

Shoulder Tri-sets

1×8 Military Press
1×10 Dumbbell Laterar Raise
1×8 Dumbbell Front Raise

Chest Tri-sets

1×8 Bench Press
1×10 Dumbbell Fly
1×8 Incline Dumbbell Press

GIANT SETS

Unlike a tri-set, a giant set involves performing at least 4 exercises back-to-back for the same body part with only ten seconds rest in between sets. Giant sets are a high-intensity training technique.

For Example:

1×8 Barbell Bent Over
1×8 Lat Pulldown
1×8 Sated Cable Row
1×8 Dumbbell Row

PYRAMID SET

In weight training, it is a periodic training applied by the method of decreasing the number of reps as the weight level increases or increasing the number of reps as the weight level decreases. Pyramid sets are a very popular method applied in bodybuilding programs to increase muscle mass. The reason training is so popular is because it yields significant results. That’s why it continues to be used by many professional bodybuilders.

For Example:

Reverse Pyramid:

Set 1 – 50 lbs x 8 reps
Set 2 – 40 lbs x 10 reps
Set 3 – 30 lbs x 12 reps

Standart Pyramid:

Set 1 – 30 lbs x 12 reps
Set 2 – 40 lbs x 10 reps
Set 3 – 50 lbs x 8 reps

In summary, bodybuilding for beginners involves understanding your body type, designing a customized workout program, selecting appropriate exercises, and considering factors like sets, reps, and rest periods. Beginners should focus on progressive overload and exercise selection, including compound and isolation exercises. A balanced workout plan should encompass strength training, cardiovascular exercise, flexibility, and core work. Sports nutrition plays a crucial role, with an emphasis on protein intake for muscle growth. Advanced training methods like drop sets, supersets, tri-sets, giant sets, and pyramid sets can be incorporated as you progress.