So I took a test on bodybuilding that helps us identify which is our most likely somatotype… and I came out with mesotype. Which I found quite interesting.
But let’s start with a bit of an overview… There are three somatotypes: ectomorph, mesomorph and an endomorph:
- Ecto: smaller bone structures and thinner limbs. Fast metabolic rate and high carb tolerance
- Meso: medium sized bone structure and athletic body. Mesomorphs tend to be testosterone and growth hormone dominant. This profile leads to a predisposition for muscle gain and the maintenance of a lower body fat. Naturally built and has the tendency to gain weight easy but can also lose weight fairly easy.
- Endo: have a larger bone structure with higher amounts of total body mass and fat mass. They tend to be insulin dominant. This profile leads to a greater propensity for energy storage, including both lean mass and fat mass. This can also mean a lower carbohydrate tolerance.
I had originally considered myself to be an endomorph – it makes the most sense when you consider my physique… I hold a lot of weight around my front and lower back (aka love handles). But perhaps that’s more down to my lackluster diet, rather than my body type… since a lot of the tests I’ve taken are pushing me towards meso.
Articles that I’ve been reading do highlight the fact that a person’s natural phenotype and genetic makeup is different to someone who’s generally overweight due to years of sedentary lifestyle and overeating.
And there are a couple of reasons that meso fits… first, based on my last mass gain cycle, I can gain very quickly. Sure, it wasn’t all lean mass, but I grew fast. And I grew large. I was surprised at the changes.
So meso fits… now, going into a bit more of the research, here’s what I’m learning about mesomorphs in comparison to the other types…
- Strength training can be done more often and for longer sessions then would be good for an Ectomorph, but you must still be careful not to overdo it. You should train with moderate to heavy weighs and at a moderate pace, not resting too long between sets.
- Stick to a good healthy diet to keep you lean and muscular, and watch for any slow creeping fat gains.
- Engage in and enjoy aerobic activities, sports, etc. but do not overdo.
So – I can work longer and harder at the gym, and it’ll benefit me. Diet is hugely important… but as to what makes up that diet – well, this is interesting. Given that I’m a medium on the carb tolerance scale (medium to low I’d say, given my previous history of eating habits), Precision Nutrition recommends a split like: 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein, and 30% fat. For an endo, the split’s: 25% carbs, 35% protein, and 40% fat.
Comparing that to what I’m on right now – actually, it’s not far off!!! I’m about 25-30% fat, 25-30% carbs, 40-50% protein. And I know that this diet is really working out for me – from a weight loss perspective.
On a sidenote, I wanted to talk about how each somatotype links to a personality type. KHeper is a site that explains this quite concisely and clearly… I won’t copy all of the text here… but here are the two that I considered to relate directly to me:
- Endomorph: tolerant, emotionally even, sociable, good humored, relaxed, need for affection
- Mesomorph: adventurous, desire for power and dominance, courageous, assertive, bold, competitive, love of risk and chance
It’s interesting. When I first read through personality descriptions, I didn’t think I had anything in common with the mesomorph, but the more I look at it (and speak with my friends), they can see that in me. I don’t consider myself particularly adventurous or courageous… but if you think about what I’ve done, the holidays I go on, and how I approach life, I guess it applies. It’s interesting.
Insulin and how it relates to the somatotypes
Here’s the basic foundation: in order for a cell to acquire nutrients to use in energy production, the nutrients must be transported across the cell’s membrane. The hormone insulin is used to activate the transportation of nutrients into cells and is considered the storage hormone.
What always confused me was this idea of insulin spiking storage – I associate storage with fat… but it also includes nutrients in muscles, where the storage is needed more than in fat.
When insulin is secreted, the breakdown of stored nutrients is turned off and the storage of nutrients is turned on.
What’s important to remember is that over time, consistently elevated blood glucose levels can lead to cells becoming insensitive to insulin or insulin resistant, meaning more insulin must be secreted to return blood glucose levels to normal and therefore fat oxidization is blunted longer.
Something else that is really interesting – resistance training (amongst other forms of exercise) has been shown to increase the GLUT-4 translocation on skeletal muscle in the absence of insulin, meaning after you lift weights, you do not need insulin for your muscle to uptake glucose. That’s interesting. However, they do point out that insulin will certainly enhance the anabolic response of a meal post workout – but that we should avoid slamming 100g of dextrose (which is pure glucose) to activate that insulin response.
Note: all the above information on insulin is taking from the article – ‘Bulking for Endomorphs’ from Precision Nutrition. It’s a members only e-book, so can’t post a link. Muhahahaha.
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-body-type-eating
http://www.kheper.net/topics/typology/somatotypes.html
Tells me that I’m closest to a meso.