Diet Fundamentals: Know Your Body (Part 2)

Continued from 'Diet Fundamentals: Know Your Body (Part 2)...

Mesomorph Training

The mesomorph will find it relatively easy to build muscle mass, but will have to be certain to include a sufficient variety of exercises in his program so that the muscles develop proportionately and well shaped rather than just thick and bulky. Therefore, for the mesomorph, the following recommendations are applicable:

1. An emphasis on quality, detail, and isolation training, along with the basic mass and power exercises. You build muscle easily, so you can begin working on shape and separation right from the beginning.


2. Mesomorphs gain so easily that they don't have to worry much about conserving energy or over-training. A standard workout of 16 to 20 sets per body part is fine, and you can train with as much or as little rest between sets as suits you.
   
3. A balanced diet with plenty of protein which maintains a calories level that keeps your physique within 10 to 15 pounds of your ideal weight all year long. No bulking up 30 or 40 pounds and then having to drop all of that useless weight for a specific sporting event or competition.

Endomorph Training

Generally, the endomorph will not have too much difficulty building muscle, but will have to be concerned with losing fat weight and then being very careful with diet so as not to gain that weight back. Therefore, for the endomorph, the following recommendations are applicable:

1. A higher proportion of high-set, high-repetition training (no lower than the 10 to 12 rep range), with very short rest periods so as to burn off as much fat as possible. Doing a few extra sets of a few extra exercises while you are trying to get lean is a good idea.


2. Additional aerobic exercise such as bicycle riding, running, jump-rope, or some other calorie-consuming activity. Training in the gym burns calories, but not as much as cardio exercise done on a continuous basis for 30-45 minutes or more at a time.


3. A low-calorie diet that contains the necessary nutritional balance. Not zero anything, but the minimum amount of protein, carbs, and fats, with vitamin and mineral supplements to be certain the body is not being deprived of any essential nutrients.

Although we have previously discussed BCA (Body Composition Analysis), one interesting point is worth mentioning. In tests conducted at IFBB and NPC contests, using a variety of methods, it was shown that the bigger the bodybuilder the higher the fat percentage when the competitor is really ripped. So a massive bodybuilder might be ripped at 12% body fat, while a lightweight amateur might look great at 7-8% body fat.

Why is this? Because what we traditionally think of as fat is not the only fat in your body. There is also intramuscular fat, which is the fat in the muscle itself. So if a really big body builder continues to diet past a certain point he is likely to just shrink rather than getting more cut-up. So while BCA is useful, don't forget to use the mirror or photographs to keep track of how you look. For those like me who have aspirations to compete in body building and fitness contests, always remember that the judges don't take BCA into consideration during a contest. They go on what they see - and you need to do the same thing.

Age and Body Fat

Many teenagers, especially the ectomorphic and ecto-mesomorphic ones, have such fast metabolisms that they can seemingly eat anything, even high-fat and sugar junk food, without getting fat. These are the ones who benefit from "weight-gainer" products. However, even these individuals will likely see some changes in their bodies as they get older. In fact, studies have shown that the adult metabolism tends to slow down by about 10 calories per day per year after the age of 30. This may not seem like much, but it does account for why many individuals of 40 and older find themselves gaining weight even though they have made no change in their exercise and diet habits.

The slowing of the metabolism with age is not an insurmountable obstacle. It just means watching your diet a little more closely, and doing an extra 10 minutes a day or so of cardiovascular training. However, one factor that contributes to a slowing metabolism with age is slow, gradual loss of muscle tissue. So if you continue to train hard and keep your muscles big and strong, this tendency to get fatter as you get older will be much less of a problem for you.