WEEK SIXTY :: How Can One Overcome Genetic Disadvantages?

[the_fake_webmaster]

* Note: How can I win? Answer all questions in the order that they are asked.
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TOPIC: How Can One Overcome Genetic Disadvantages?

For the week of: Jan 19th - Jan 25th
Wednesday @ Midnight Is The Final Cut (Mountain Time, US & Canada).

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Not everyone is born with a bodybuilder’s genetics. Many people have to combat very tough genetic disadvantages.

What is the difference between an ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph’s diet, way of training, and supplementation?

Bonus Questions: Which body type do you have? What are some of your genetic advantages? Disadvantages?

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Don't discuss any other topic in this section. ONLY discuss the question above.

The best response will get $75 in credit to use in our online store! The other good responses will be used in an article on the main Bodybuilding.com site, with the poster's forum name listed by it. Become famous!

Thanks,
Will
Webmaster
Bodybuilding.com

[SixDollarBurger]

roids, jk jk jk. :D

[macombhustla]

First I will start off with an explanation of the diffrent bodytypes, the advantages and disadvantages, and how to overcome them.

The ectomorph- An extomorph is usually someone that is thinner than most, with little body fat and also little muscle mass, and has a very hard time packing on weight. These traits as with most genetics run in your family, yet there are allways some exceptions. My workout partner at the gym is an ectomorph and within the last year has been able to pack on some serious mass, with a split schedule consisting of chest and tris on mon, legs on wed. bi's back and shoulders, on fri, with low reps for about five sets. He eats about 3000 calories a day for a 40,40,20 protien,carb,fat ratio, and also takes creatine, ON protien shakes, and NO-explode. This has helped him greatly and has produced massive gains, and if you are i ectomorph i suggest you follow these guidelines, although for your caloric intake i suggest you take in what you do now, adding about 200 calories a week until you are satisfied.

Mesomorph-One that is born "naturally perfect" with a low body fat percentage and also a high level of muscle. These individuals have the ability to gain muscle rather quickly without gaining much fat. Heavy training will result in both strenth and definition in a mesomorph. Mesomorphs can also eat tons of food, and skip gym sessions only to gain no fat at all. So my plan for all of you out there born with perfect bodys would be to hit the weights hard. With a split schedule including working out 3 days a week with a 5x5 system. I also reccomend that you take creatine ethel ester, and protien shakes on workout days to maxamise results. As far as eating you should eat as much as you can every day, but as long as your eating clean, which means no junk food, cut soda's, and no fast food.

Endomorph-The soft, larger framed people such as myself, who can gain muscle easily, but also gain fat rather easily. Fat loss is also much harder than with the mesomorph and ectomorph. What i would reccomond to these people of larger statue would be to first bulk up for a couple months, before you start to cut that fat away. The reason you should do this is because it will be alot harder for you to start lifting harder weight one you have less fat on, because muscle is made easier when you have more fat on your body. This in term will make it easier for you to cut the weight off because you will have a higher metabolism. I suggest you get a split schedule from the Bodybuilding.com database that fits your lifestyle and goals you would like to obtain. Since you are looking to also define I would keep your repetitions above 8 per set. After you are happy with the muscle you have earned i suggest you start doing about 30 minutes of low-intensity cardio either on a treadmill, ellyptical, or track every day along with your weight training. As for diet, you should eat clean and have a calorie deficit of about 300 calories from your normal diet.

Diffrences-As you can allready tell the diffrences in the three body types are quite clear. The ability to lose fat easily are represented by both ectomorphs and mesomorphs, while endomorphs have quite a hard time losing fat. The ability to gain muscle easily is shown by both mesomorphs, and endomorhs. Although the endomorphs can easily gain muscle, they can also add fat quite easily also, when the mesomorph and endomorph is able to eat pretty much whatever they want and not have a rise in body fat percentage.

Bonus question- I myself am an endomorph, and up until last year I had never toutched a weight or for that matter any peice of equiptment you would ever find in a gym. Never ran much or did much activity of any kind aside from playing basketball. I started bulking at first last year when I started a weight training class in high school, and at this point I was 275 pounds standing 6'4 at the age of 17. Having never toutched a weight and not being born with a bodybuilder body type (mesomorph) I was very weak, for an example my bench press was at 135 x 10 x 3, squat's 135 x 10 x 3, and deads 200 x 8 x 3. Withing the first couple weeks of working out I started becoming obsessed with gaining the type of body that I had allways dreamed about. So I started browsing around on BB.com and got myself a diet and workout plan. At the end of 3 months of my first bulk I was benching 185 x 10 x 3, squats 225x10x3, deads 300 x 8 x 3, and weighed in at 5 pounds less that when I started my bulk at 275. For the next 4 months i ran on the ellyptical for 30 minutes a day, burning about 450 calories per day, and kept my weight training schedule so not to lose my hard earned muscle. As of now I weigh 190 pounds and am every bit as strong if not stronger than I was at 275 pounds, thanks to proper diet, training, and dedication, and Bodybuilding.com

[ride_the_lightning2]

It is true, not everybody is gifted with the genetics of the arnolds and the ronnies. there are so many body types that many may say that even attempting to define them is inproper, however, it is commonly accepted in the bodybuilding fraternity that all people are either ectomorphs, mesomorphs or endomorphs. ectomorphs are the skinny kids that get picked on, endomorphs are the heavier kids that get picked on and mesomorphs are generally the kids that win all the medals and school carnivals (and all the chicks). that is for the layman. In more scientific terms, an ectomorph is naturally skinny with not much fat or muscle but in extreames VERY visible bones. They generally have a low body fat percentage and are "weak" looking. Endomorphs on the other hand have too much fat. There metabolism is far higher and it may at times seem that no matter how much they diet they put on weight. mesomorphs are *generally* athletic, lean and musclular. HOWEVER, it is wrong to say that all mesomorphs are bodybuilders. Most athlets other than your sumo wrestlers and your long distance runners are to some degree mesomorphs but are by no means bodybuilders! the aquisition of an award winning bodybuilders physique requires more then genetics it takes pain, suffering and they joy that while you endure these two things you are bettering yourself.
ECTOMORPHS: There are huge differences in the diet, training and supplementation for mesomorphs, endomorphs and ectomorphs. Firstly ectomorphs. I believe personnally (and i must emphasise this word PERSONALLY) that in most instances the rep/set workout should be the same for all three classifications of people as far as training goes. however ectomorphs will generally have to start off with a much lower weight and work there way up. as for diet, they will need more of every thing... more protein, more fat, more carbs. dont binge, but clean bulk. rather then straight protein supplements they may require a weight gainer so that even before they gain muscle they have some fat so they look a little less...rediculous.
Endomorphs: as far as training goes, endomorphs will probably be weaker to start with as well, also a lot of time should be invested in cardio to loose bf%. as far as diet goes eat less sugar and fat, increase protein and complex carbs and make sure evry now and then you eat something "bad" so that you do not one day snap and start binging THIS IS IMPORTANT.
MESOMORPHS: will walk in to the gym and lift half there body waight and show off to there friends but in so many cases loose muscle because all they do is bench bench bench and curl curl curl evri day as much as they can. i have shocking news for you friends. this will release the hormone cortisol and will eat away at your muscles. because mesomorphs are often so cocky because they are naturally fit, they will not research and with the loss of muscle train harder big mistake. As far as mesomorphs go supplements may include low fat protein powders and creatien for those who are more advanced. ALL PEOPLE SHOULD TAKE MULTIVITIMINS AND ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS. try to cut down fat intake because although you may have a good metabolism now, this wont last forever and bad habits stick into old age. this is why the fit kids so often hav fat parents DONT TAKE IT FOR GRANTED.
Bonus question: I am ectomorph all the way. i lost all the swimming carnivals and athletics meats, never participated in sport, was always sick on football days etc. i admit it. but i at least did not have to worry about fat loss when i started at the gym. i am not gifted with genetics i admit, but i am gifted with the intelligence to research evrything that i do and therefore have used this site more often then you could believe. I did however waste a llot of my time starting out. i did full body workouts on two day spllits and did not bench heavy enough or dead/squat at all. now i am cured. i have done my research and i am in good shape. i am an ectomorph in a mesomorphs body and proud of it. i weigh 70 kilograms and six foot, but this is good as i have a bf% of about 4.5% all year round being ectomorph. I now bench my body weight, squat my body weight, deadlift my body weight and due to the advice of bb.com nearly EAT my body weight evry day haha but i am now making excellent gains of approximately 1 kilogram a week lean body mass and im proud of it. my split is as follows: monday- legs tuesday-arms wednesday-back thursday traps and forearms friday shoulders saturday chest sunday abs. i ride my bike the 14 kilometer journy to and from the gym 6 days a week constituting my cardio, eat one protein bar and 4 shakes a day, and other then that eat very heallthy. i have NO set plan of cheat meals sometimes i go a month without any icecream etc because i can then take my girlfriend to a resturaunt and order what i want and not feel guilty maybe two nites in a row because i know it does not happen often. i do not do the whole tuna/chicken/oats diet. I JUST EAT HEALTHY i dont build to be a freak poser i just want to look good for myself and to be and inspiration to others and i feel that if i have a realistic diet that is somewhere between cutting and bulking, i never have to do either and will therefore be able to maintain good eating habits my whole life.

[mivi320]

How Can One Overcome Genetic Disadvantages?

Intro

At some point or another, you more than likely met someone with amazing genetics for bodybuilding. Broad shoulders, striated pectoral muscles, ripped arms, they had had the whole package.

For the most part, these genetic freaks don't meticulously watch their diets, come nowhere near training with gut wrenching intensity, and even party into the wee hours of the morning frequently - failing to get enough sleep. But somehow, these genetic marvels manage to look amazing 365 days of the year.

Too bad these genetic marvels are very rare. Most recreational bodybuilders and weightlifters tend to have average genetics, and must work harder than the weightlifter with "god like genetics" to get that dream physique.

In order to be successful in bodybuilding, it is imperative to recognize your strong points and weaknesses - always focusing on improving the weaknesses and maintaining the strong points. Doing so will create a complete, symmetrical, well proportioned physique!

Different Body Types

A simple solution to overcoming genetic disadvantages is to know your body type. There are three basic body types: Mesomorph, Ectomorphs, and Endomorphs.

Believe it or not, training and eating accordingly to your body type will enable you to overcome genetic disadvantages and be successful in the sport of bodybuilding.

Mesomorphs

Mesomorphs are typically prone to excellent gains in muscle mass. Mesomorphs are generally fit and have an athletic appearance, but should obviously train and diet to maximize gains in muscle mass.

How should a Mesomorph train?

Due to the fact that mesomorphs are extremely "gifted," they can typically train harder, longer, and more intensely without overtraining than their counterparts.

Training with moderate to heavy weights with short rest periods would be very optimal for a Mesomorph, as moderate to heavy workloads with shorter rest periods tend to induce the most hypertrophy.

Although Mesomorphs can train longer than Ectomorphs and Endomorphs, training over 75 minutes in one workout would simply be too much, and ultimately lead to overtraining.

What should a Mesomorph's diet be like?

Mesopmorphs can get away with eating some not so "bodybuilding friendly" foods occasionally, but for maximum muscle gains Mesomorphs should eat a protein rich diet - chock full of wholesome foods.

Mesomorphs have a special genetic make up which allows them to splurge or eat an excess of calories and not gain an ounce of adipose tissue. In fact, Mesomorphs should regularly plan "refeeds" where a surplus of food is eaten - as this will allow for some new gains in lean body mass (LBM) and can even result in the loss of some fat tissue, due to their enhanced leptin sensitivity.

Enhanced leptin signalling leads to increased energy expenditure, greater thermogenesis, and lipolysis (burning of fat) increased insulin sensitivity, and great retention of muscle mass!

In short, by "refeeding" on a surplus of wholesome calories, leptin signaling is increased. This results in the accumulation of more lean body mass (LBM) and an overall decrease in fat tissue! Whoever said gaining muscle and losing fat simultaneously isn't possible?

What should a Mesomorph's supplementation be like?

For Mesomorph's to fully maximize their potential, effective (yet basic) supplementation is vital. Since Mesomorphs are predisposed to generating new lean body mass and losing fat tissue easily, advanced supplementation is not needed. The "basics" will suffice:


Whey Protein


Whey protein is an important part in a bodybuilder's arsenal of supplements. Not only is it convenient, but it also has a high concentration of BCAA, is absorbed by the muscles quickly, and even improves your immune system!

My favorite whey protein powder is Primaforce Substance WPI because of it's high quality ingredients and delicious taste! The juicy watermelon flavor is unreal, and reminds me of candy!


Creatine


Creatine is also important for bodybuilders, as it improves strength, muscle fullness, and increases energy production in muscle cells.

My favorite creatine product is Higher Power Micronized Creatine, as it is a basic creatine product that will guarantee amazing gains in strength and muscle fullness!


Multivitamin


Multivitamins are also important for bodybuilders, as even the smallest deficiency in a particular vitamin or mineral can hinder your performance.

My favorite multivitamin is NOW Adam Multivitamin, as it contains all the essential vitamins and minerals plus Saw Palmetto, Ginkgo, and ZMA!

Ectomorphs

Ectomorphs have a very hard time acquring new muscle mass, and are typically classified as "hard gainers." Small muscles, low body fat, lankiness, long legs and arms, and narrow shoulders are all characteristics of an Ectomorph.

How should an Ectomorph train?

Ectomorphs will respond best to training that focuses on heavy weights and low reps. Max-OT is a great program for Ectomorphs to build a good base frame - as it focuses on increasing not only size, but strength as well. Max-OT focuses on training in the 4-6 rep range, low total volume, and 2-3 minutes rest between sets which in turn allows the individual to train very intensely!

Unlike Mesomorphs, Ectomorphs should train no longer than 45-60 minutes in a given workout - as this will most likely lead to overtraining. Ectomorphs don't have a special genetic make up like Mesomorphs do that allow them to train for a longer period of time.

Due to the fact that Ectomorphs already have a low body fat percentage, cardiovascular training is completely out of the picture. Ectomorphs should have a main focus on gaining as much lean body mass as possible, and excessive cardiovascular training is simply setting one's self up for failure.

[mivi320]

What should an Ectomorph's diet be like?

Ectomorphs should eat a diet rich in overall calories (preferably 700-800 calories over maintenance) as their metabolisms are extremely fast. A protein rich diet is very crucial for Ectomorphs to progress in this sport. Calorie dense foods such as peanut butter, oatmeal, olive oil, steak, eggs, and milk should all be incorporated into an Ectomorph's diet for optimal results!

It is also imperative for Ectomorphs to eat very frequently - preferably a meal every 2 hours. This will create an anabolic environment and guarantee the muscle cells have enough nutrients to properly rebuild and grow!

What should an Ectomorph's supplementation be like?

Ectomorphs should obviously stick with the "basics" which were discussed previously (whey protein, creatine, multivitamin). Although there is no supplement for a proper diet, dedication, and proper recovery, Ectomorphs will benefit from more "advanced" supplements to aid in the building of new muscle mass!

These "advanced" supplements include:


Nitric Oxide Products


Nitric Oxide increases blood flow to the muscles which will deliver more nutrients to muscles, thus increasing the size of the muscle when subject to stress (training). Nitric Oxide also enhances recovery - allowing you to recovery more quickly from your workouts!

My favorite Nitric Oxide product is a tie between Contolled Labs White Blood and BSN NO-Explode, which won "Muscle builder of the year" and "Nitric Oxide product of the year" in Bodybuilding.com's supplement awards!


Weight Gainer


Due to the fact that Ectomorphs require a large surplus of calories, they may find it extremely difficult to eat 6-7 meals daily. That is where weight gainers come into play. Weight gainers allow the individual to get in ample amount of calories without the bloat or stomach distress!

My favorite weight gainer by far is CytoSport Gainer as it is full of calories (620 calories per serving) and rich in protein! Plus, the flavor selection is tremendous with flavors varying from Banana Creme to Rocky Road!


BCAA products


BCAA (branched chain amino acids) play a key role in maintaining and building muscle tissue. They are easily absorbed by the body and are basically the building blocks of protein! BCAA also improves recovery and enhances endurance drastically!

My favorite BCAA product is SciVation Xtend, as it contains BCAA plus Citrulline Malate and Glutamine - which work hand and hand in improving recovery and building muscle!


Creatine Ethyl Ester (CEE)


Creatine Ethyl Ester (CEE) is s creatine monohydrate with an ester attached. It is more easily absorbed by the body than creatine monohydrate, which allows for better results.

My favorite CEE product is by far SNS Creatine E2, as it has superior absorption and bioavailability. Expect a large gain in muscle mass, strength, and increased recovery while taking this product!

Endomorphs

Endomorphs are typically inclined to carrying more body fat than their counterparts. Endomorphs generally have a wide, yet strong bone type - which is very beneficial in the sport of bodybuilding!

How should an Endomorph train?

Endomorphs should focus on increasing their metabolism through their training. A routine that focuses on circuit training, drop sets, supersets, and tri-sets are all great training tactics that will increase the Endomorph's metabolism. Short rest periods (45-60 seconds) with moderate weights will increase the heart rate, resulting in a greater breakdown of fat tissue!

Cardiovascular training is very important for Endomorphs, as they are prone to storing and carrying excess body fat. By implementing cardio into your regimen, expect an increase in metabolism, a greater feeling of well being, an increase in fat reduction, and increased endurance!

What should an Endomorph's diet be like?

Endomorphs should eat several small meals (6-8 meals) throughout the day, which will rev up the metabolism and prevent fat storage. Sticking to a diet rich in protein and consisting of a moderate amount of carbohydrates and protein will retain muscle mass, and allow for the burning of adipose tissue.

What should an Endomorph's supplementation be like?

Since Endomorphs carry a bit of extra body fat, the use of fat burners and non stimulant fat loss products is recommended. Whey protein, creatine, multivitamins, and BCAA products are also recommended as they will allow for muscle retention!

The best fat loss products for Endomorphs:


Sesamin products


Sesamin decreases fat mass and has several effects on fatty acid oxidation and adipogenic gene expression. It is a potent nutrient partitioning agent, as it prevents the storage of fat tissue.

Avant Labs SesaThin is my favorite sesamin product, as it contains the most sesamin per serving (500mg) than any other sesamin product!


Green Tea


Not only does green tea have anti-oxidant properties, but it also has several fat burning properties as well! Endomorphs will benefit tremendously from green tea products as it increases energy expenditure, decreases appetite, and allows for maximum fat burning!

My favorite green tea product by far is Primaforce Lean Green, as it contains ontaining over 90% polyphenols, 70% catechins and 50% EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), unlike any other green tea product!

Which body type do you have?

I have a Mesomorph body type, as I can easily gain muscle mass yet lose fat rather quickly. I have always had good posture, an athletic build, and have been very symmetrical - all characteristics of a mesomorphic build.

What are some of your genetic advantages? Disadvantages?

All the men in my family have had a barrel chests and barnyard backs, and I am very thankful for that gene as it is clearly my genetic advantage. My front deltoids are also another one of my big genetic advantages, as all the men in my family had boulder shoulders as well.

My genetic disadvantage is my whole lower body. All the men in my family had massive upper bodies, but sticks for legs.

It's weird because my lower body is my strongpoint in terms of strength, but when it comes to muscle mass, my lower body is actually quite sad. But that’s not going to stop me from pushing myself in the squat rack on leg day, as blaming genetics is the easy way out!

Anything is possible through hard work, dedication, and will power.

Live to the fullest,

Mike

[RippedJordanian]

Please find my article attached

[LatissimusDorsi]

I liked urs. It was more optimistic about overcoming genetics rather than the 'this is what u've got' approach. :)

[RippedJordanian]

Mine or mini?

[ho_124]

i wish i could write this one cuz i suggested it but i have too many assignments from school

[Up The Twig]

Read books by Stuart McRobert.
Follow guidelines.
Become big.

[anaiya]

Intro:
First of all I'd like to say that to overcome what is called a genetic disadvantage you must defeat it mentally. How do you do that? It is important that you recognize that just because a certain trait or genetic disadvantage runs in your family doesn't mean that you are condemned to whatever this maybe. It's all about overcoming any obstacle mentally. If you can succeed at doing this you will be able to defeat it physically. We are human beings that are in constant evolution. There will always be one to break any "vicious" cycle that may run in a family. I encourage you to be the one to put an end to this and make a difference for all those who will come after you.

Body types:
We all know that there are three basic body types: ectomorph, mesomoprh & endomorph.

Ectomorphs:
Ecto Body - are what I like to call naturally athletic. The common traits within this group are long & narrow muscles. Long & narrow limbs. They develop muscle slowly & have trouble gaining weight. Their bodies tend to burn off calories fairly quick.

Ecto Nutrition - It has been recommended for those who have this body type to consume fairly large amounts of calories because their bodies normally incinerate calories. As known, 5 - 6 meals a day are recommended but with a slightly higher number of calories. According to nutritionist C. Antonaccio, woman with this type of body should consume about 2,400 calories a day if they are active. As for the men sorry guys I'm not sure of the recommended calorie intake for men. But I can infer that it be higher than the recommended amount for woman since men naturally posess more muscle than women.

Ecto supplementation - I can not abark on this area because I do not have extensive knowledge on supplementation. But proper vitamins & mineral supplementation is a must for all.

Ecto training - Cardio: High tension cardio is recommended for this body type. Such as inclined jogging, steppers, inclined treadmill, etc. Strength: High reps (20 +) & moderate to heavy weights are recommended.

Mesomorphs:
Meso body - are naturally muscular. They have a tendency to pack on muscle quickly & proporcionately. Most of their strength is found in the upper body which larger than their lower body.

Meso Nutrition - People with this body should eat a balanced diet with lesser fat. Fat can be put on by this type of body so it is recommended that carbs be controled & fat intake be low. 5 to 6 meals with a lower range of calories than ectomorph. Do not pick between meals as this body type can pack on weight.

Meso Supplementation - Again I will go with proper vitamins & minerals.

Meso Training - Cardio: Moderate to high tension with high speed.
Strength: Moderate weights with high reps.

Endomorphs:
Endo body - this type of body has the common traits of: short neck, round face, wide waist girth & more body fat. The positive thing (yes there is hope for those who have this body type!) is that it is able to gain muscle fairly easily with proper diet & training.

Endo nutrition - Avoid sweets, simple carbs & fat. Fat intake should be a minimum, carbs should be controled. Try to eat complex carbs moderately & very complex carbs (fiber). 5 to 6 small portioned meals a day. Aviod picking & carbs after 6 pm. If you're really hungry & must eat late at night it is recommended that you eat protein. Stay away from carbs late at night! This body type will immediately store them as fat if they are not used quickly!

Endo supplementation - Proper vitamins & minerals.

Endo training - Focus on keeping fat away. Cardio is very important for this body as it stimulates the burning of fat & your metabolism which is important because this body packs on fat quickly. Speed in cardio is highly recommended as it will keep the metabolism elevated which will aid in the fat burning process. Strength: Moderate to high reps with low to moderate weights. Remember speed is important for this type of body.

These are the basic body types but there are what I call combo bodies. These are hourglass figures (mixture of meso & endo), pears (mixture of ecto & endo) etc. You can find more info about these body types at www.bodybuilding.com & you can also find tests which will help you discover which body type you have.

As always water is vital for all bodies as our bodies are composed mostly of water.

Bonus question: Which body type do you have? Advantages, disadvantages?
I have an hourglass figure which is a mixture of meso & endo. My upper body is slightly heavier, as is common with this body, but is balanced off with my hips. Disadvantages include: the gain of weight & fat very quickly. Advantages: I can gain muscle fairly quickly so not all is lost! Obesity is a factor in my family but I have not sucumbed to it. I have battled with my weight but have made my health & fitness a priority in my life which is what I use to battle any "genetic disadvantage" that I might have. I have decided to be the one to break the cycle. Cardio I have found to be my best weapon as it boosts my metabolism & helps me burn fat quickly. I eat 5 to 6 small meals a day. I don't really have a diet. It's more of a no diet diet. Why? Because I am a full time college student & single mom. I can't afford any special diets. I try to substitute for healthy versions. Ex. low-fat diary, whole grains, etc. Portion is very important! Yes it is not a crime to eat ice cream once in a blue moon but don't over do it. If the box says eat one then eat one! And fo rthe record: Just because certain foods are healthy or low fat does not mean that you can over eat. They still have calories. It only takes 3,500 calories to put on a pound!

Conclusion:
I encourage everyone to do as much research as you can. My philosophy in life is to learn as much as you can. Even if you have not been "blessed" genetically you can still make a difference & change things for yourself. I for one am not genetically "blessed" & have to work harder to stay in shape. But don't complain, do something about it which is exactly what I have decided to do. Do not let your genetics dictate your life. Make a difference for yourself, most of the battle is in your mind. If you can battle with your mind (negative thoughts,hopelessness, etc.) then you have won the war over any genetic disadvantage.

[reflexions]

How Can One Overcome
Genetic Disadvantages?

How many of us has spent our whole lives training like a trogon, eating like a horse, & spending money & time like a mad man on supplements?

Who loves it when your walking down the street in the summers sun, all ‘pumped’ up, your upper chest bulging out the top of your vest, your traps are like rising bread, your delts are tied in with your ‘guns’, with veins like rope, exploding beneath the skin, thinking the world is your oyster? Why shouldn’t you? You’ve devoted your life to iron!

If this sounds like you, don’t you hate it when your strolling down the street, & you look across the road, & there are street urchins, drinking alcohol & smoking dope. The thing that confuses you the most, is how comes some of these people have ridiculously wide shoulders, topped of with quiet thick muscle mass?

Still confused?

Believe it or not, there is a reason.

The Ectomorph:

Characterized by a short upper body, long arms & legs, long & narrow feet & hands, & very little fat storage; narrowness in the chest & shoulders, with generally long, thin muscle. Tend to be described as a more apollonian physiques (that’s if they have any muscle mass at all).

The Mesomorph:

Large barrel chest, long thick torso, solid muscle structure, & potent strength. These physiques tend to be more Herculean!

The Endomorph:

Soft musculature, round face, short neck, wide hips, & heavy fat storage.

Everyone & everybody are unique. You might have spent hours a day serving at the gym, struggling to build your 18” guns through the most intense & sometimes painful preacher curls, but some people can build 20” upper arms buy just lifting a brick! Think yourself lucky thou, there are people in position, lifting longer than you that the only time they have seen 15” arms is when they visit teen bodybuilding.com.

We can not choose our genetics, we are born with what we are born with. However, we can try our hardest to become the best we can. Can you believe Arnold Scwazenegger was once a young skinny ecto? Even the 6ft 5 incredible hulk, Lou Ferrigno did not display any signs of a Mr Universe! A porky Dave Drapper displayed the classic endo genetics, but when competition came, he displayed terrific muscle hardness along with low body fat. Then there are the lucky ones, the meso’s, bodybuilders like Tom Platz & the late Mike Mentzer both noted for their huge muscle mass & awesome physical power, they were pure mesomorph!

I will now discuss the difference between an ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph’s diet & training.

Ectomorph

Starting with the ectomorph diet. Their first objective is putting weight on, (preferably pure muscle mass) so the key to growth is calories. The ecto wont have enough strength to be able to engage himself in long gut wrenching workouts.
So the ecto would have to literally force feed them selves, with foods high in quality calories, (protein, unsaturated fats, & carbohydrates). This is to ensure there’s enough fuel for their workouts, & to grow the muscle.

Their weight training workouts should include strictly heavy basic compound movements, that builds maximum mass & strength. So stick to heavy bench pressing, squatting, shoulder pressing. In my opinion there is only one exercise that I would recommend everyone does, & that’s the DEAD LIFT. The dead lift will thicken just about every muscle group in the body. Stick to power movements, these will build a strong muscular base!

Remember in order to grow, eat, eat & eat! Have a high in protein, quality carbs (not in the form of sugar) & unsaturated fat meal every 2-3 hours of the day. Weigh yourself weekly & increase caloric intake according to your bodyweight, you should be aiming to put on about a pound a week.

Also remember your trying to put weight on, so ditch the treadmill & and other energy expanding cardio. These will only rob your muscles of the calories they needs to grow. Stick to just purely pumping iron.

Endomorph

Theoretically, endomorphs don’t have much problems building muscle, but along side building muscle, they should be concerned with loosing fat as well. Then once they get lean, trying to stay lean.

Their weight training workouts are quiet similar to the ectomorph. They should stick to the heavy compound movements, because believe it or not a set heavy squats with 450lbs for 5-6 reps, will build more muscle & burn more calories than a set of squats with 400lbs for 15 reps. Again stick to compound exercises, heavy squats will build more muscle than leg extensions.

Keep an eye on your diet. Weather you want to strip the body fat off first, you will want to lower your caloric intake gradually every week, aiming to loose roughly 1lb - 2lbs maximum. Any more weight, & the chance of it being lean body mass is very high. However no matter what people say it is possible to build muscle & loose fat at the same time. You can do this by manipulating your diet. The way I found works best is keep your carbs high in the morning, & gradually decrease them through out the day. Between 4 & 6 p.m, you should stop your intake of carbs completely for the remainder of the day (unless post workout, when simple carbs are vital for growth & recovery). Keep your healthy fats at a reasonable amount per meal. Fats are important because when carbs cause an insulin spike, testosterone & growth hormone are suppressed (although insulin, in itself is powerful, due to its ability to drive nutrients into the muscle). Fats actually boost production of other anabolic hormone such as testosterone & growth hormone. Testosterone is responsible for the growth of the skeletal muscles & growth hormone among other anabolic effects, is responsible for recovery & fat loss. Lastly protein is what builds the muscle, it is the only micro-nutrient that contains nitrogen, so keep your protein high for the positive nitrogen balance. So by balancing your micro nutrients you can reap the benefits of an ‘anabolic’ environment.

Additional aerobic exercise, such a skipping or going for a jog, will burn up additional calories. Although I personally think weight training is the best way to burn calories, it does not burn fat, only glycogen. So by continually doing any aerobic activity for at least 20 minutes, (this is due to after 20 minutes the body signals fat to be used as energy) you will be burning up the additional calories.

Mesomorph

The lucky ones. The mesomorph, is what I would describe as “people can build 20” upper arms buy just lifting a brick!”. The mesomorph finds it so easy to build muscle mass, that they can go as heavy as they wont, as a light as they need. They need to include a variety of exercise in their routine. As they built their slabs of muscles, relatively quick, they will need to sculpt & detail the muscles.

So I would recommend still doing compound movements, but mostly isolation exercises. This would include peck-deck flyers for the chest, leg extensions for the thighs, & so on.

As mesomorphs gain muscle with ease, they don’t really need to worry about how long they rest between sets.

Still keep a good balanced diet, eat relatively high amount of protein, carbs & fats, still. Carry on balancing out the micro-nutrients, you will only gain more for it.

As for cardio, keep it a healthy minimum of 2, 20 minute sessions a week, this way any fat that you might have (which is unlikely) you will burn of anyway.

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Now, I will get started on supplements. Notice how I didn’t write each individual supplement, for each body type. The reason I didn’t is because we have all got something in common. We all want to bulk up, whilst staying lean! Below is a list of supplements. They are a must have!

Multi-vitamin/minerals - this should contain all the essential vitamins along with minerals. In addition it would be a good idea to too add extra vitamins, antioxidants & especially chromium, alpha lipic acid, & green tea, along side your multi vit/min. They would include, coq10, Korean ginseng, ginko bilobo, milk thistle, saw palmetto etc.

Essential fatty acids - these include epa fish oil, flaxseed oil, evening primrose, borage oil (excellent source of GLA) etc. These are the heart healthy fats good for heart & circulation. That’s not just it. No! These fatty acids can promote fat loss over muscle gain buy increasing protein synthesis, & boosting hormonal production. It is also a good way of increasing caloric intake, without the fear of putting on unwanted fat, remember 1 gram of fat contains 9 kcal’s.

Whey protein - no introduction here. Whey protein has the highest values of branched chain amino acids (bcaa), that get to work almost straight away. It is the best post-workout supplement due to how fast the muscles absorb it. It has also been shown to keep blood testosterone levels high.

Melatonin - this is great for any one who suffers from sleep disorders. Remember no sleep, no muscle & more body fat.

Glutamine - this amino acid is the most abundant amino in the body. It works similar to creatine, in the sense that its cell volumizing effects in the muscle. It almost works like an antioxidant, by boosting immune system. It is also great for post workout, to repair damaged tissue. My favourite thing about glutamine is that it boosts growth hormone levels with a little as 2 grams.

Here’s a list that can build muscle & loose fat simultaneously:

CLA (Conjugated linoleum acid) - cla is a fatty acid, its ability to build muscle whilst dramatically reducing body fat have been well documented. Take about 5 grams a day for fat loss, & about 7 grams for muscle gains. A well worth investment!

Acetyl - L-carnitine - this is a great for anyone who wants to bulk up, whilst keeping away the fat. It works by using fat for energy. The ‘acetyl’ version, I would say is a better version of the standard l carnitine. Plus it’s a great testosterone booster.
Flavones (methoxy & ipriflavone) - these powerful non-hormonal flavones work by increasing protein synthesis. They are also well noted for fat loss. Try also stacking with edysterone for incredible gains.

I’m now going to present a list of hardcore product. These should be cycled between 4-6weeks on 2 weeks off:

Creatine - at the top of my list, for a good reason, this is defiantly a performance enhancer. Creatine will add on a 15lbs in one coarse, by increasing the cell volume inside the muscle, its also great for recovery during sets, by increasing a.t.p.

ZMA (Zinc Magnesium aspatate, with vit b6) - ZMA is possible the most popularist supplement on the market today. Its ability to boost testosterone levels, growth hormone & insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) are astonishing, along with the relaxant & sleeping aid effect of magnesium.

Tribulus terrestris - a plant sterol that manages to increase the production of the Leutinizing hormone (LH). In turn this will boost testosterone levels from a different pathway.

Anti aromatises blockers - these work with testosterone, by keeping the anabolic hormone high, it does it by blocking estrogens, & turning any testosterone product into ‘super testosterone products’.

Gaba (Gamma Aminobutyric Acid) - its probably the most potent growth hormone booster on the market. It ability to metabolise body fat is quiet astonishing, whilst adding slabs of muscle on as well, hence the growth hormone as ‘master hormone’.

Deer antler velvet - can rev up your igf-1 levels. Igf-1 is a powerful muscle builder & fat loss agent, its ability to shuttle nutrients into the muscle are potent.

Myostatin blocker - this is what will break any plateau, the ability to knock out a protein that determines how big we get, is big itself. This will take any ecto’s gains to a whole new level, imagine what it could do for a mesomorph.

It doesn’t matter what body type you are, these supplements have been proven to work. So say good bye to your ecto/endo days, & welcome to a world where everyone is mesomorph. Remember train all you want, but without proper nutrition strategies, you may never see your goals! The above stack is potent! By activating all the bodies anabolic hormones, you are creating a powerful anabolic environment, with DRUG LIKE EFFECTS.

What type of body type do I have?

I am naturally endo-mesomorph, my ability to gain mass & strength are good. If im not careful I can put fat on, but with good diet techniques, Im in good shape.

I would say my advantage is my strength. My ability to pull a weight is incredible, I would say that I owe my back development, to my strength.

My disadvantages is my pushing strength, this is what I blame my chest development on. My chest is currently my weak point, but fingers crossed in a few months in can bring it up to the rest of my physique by using training techniques, such as forced reps, negative reps, rest-pause training, partial reps & static reps. I strongly recommend these techniques to anybody.

Now to ansew the question, 'How Can One Overcome Genetic Disadvantages?'

One thing to remember, something that Mike Mentzer quoted. “The mind is the body’s most powerful tool, where the mind goes the body will follow”. If you keep this in mind, you too will in turn see your goals. Remember its mind over matter. It doesn’t matter what body type you are, think of it as an inspiration, a challenge to become better, your own champion. If building muscle is what you want, through hard work & dedication, you will get it!

Remember anything is possible if you put your mind to it!

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How Can One Overcome Genetic Disadvantages?

Intro
Like any sport some people are just naturally more gifted than others. It’s not that that they have been training hard it’s just that they have the genetics to do that sport very well. People who aren’t naturally gifted in something usually have to practice harder because they don’t have the genetics like some people do to make it come naturally. The same thing is for bodybuilding, there are some people who could eat pizza and burgers everyday and still gain some freaky mass and be ripped. There are also some people who just remain skinny no matter what they eat or how much they train or some just gain fat like you wouldn’t believe and end up with hardly any muscle definition. As you might have heard there are three classes of body types which are the Mesomorph, Ectomorph and the Endomorph. In short the Ectomorph doesn’t put on muscle very easily and fat either and is therefore skinny, the Endomorph puts on fat easily but also muscle as well. The one that everyone wishes they were is the Mesomorph, which is like the best of both worlds who puts on muscle easier and gains just a little bit of fat. However no one is exactly one body type, there are mixes, for example you can be a little bit of a Mesomorph and an Ectomorph. So you have to find out what kind of body type you are in order to maximize your diet and training. Unless you are a pure Mesomorph with Godlike genetics, you will have disadvantages stacked against you, and you will have to tweak your diet, training and maybe even your supplementation to overcome these challenges. Remember just because you’re an Ectomorph doesn’t mean you will never be muscular and just because you’re an Endomorph doesn’t mean you won’t be a fat slob your whole life. If you use that as an excuse well then of course you will remain skinny or fat, because if you think about it, if you train hard and diet well its not possible that you won’t gain anything unless your one of those people who quit after a month or two because they aren’t seeing amazing results. One of the most important things in overcoming your genetic disadvantages is sticking with something over a long period of time which doesn’t mean on and off for a few months.


What is the difference between an ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph’s diet, way of training, and supplementation?

Ectomorph

General
An Ectomorph is a kind of body type that will generally have a tough time gaining weight whether it be muscle of fat. Most of them are thin and have little muscle giving them a frail appearance. Ectomorph’s are also not very athletic and don’t have as much stamina as a Mesomorph, but with training that will change. When we think of Ectomorph we usually think to the extreme and we have all seen that really small guy who just eats junk all day and all night but doesn’t gain a pound and looks like skin and bones. However, that’s not the case with every Ectomorph, there are certain degrees, for example if someone eats junk over a long period of time they will gain fat but just not as much. One key fact with the Ectomorph is that it muscular growth is slower and fat gain is very minimal. This means your gains will be cleaner since the body of an Ectomorph metabolizes everything very fast so fat gain is minimal. So if your afraid you won’t gain muscle if your training you will, because what do you think your body uses all the nutrients in your body for? Do you think it just leaves your muscle damaged? No your body builds your muscles back stronger and bigger because it is under stress and needs to adapt to it, so therefore you will gain muscle if you stick to training and dieting. It’s not like your muscles are staying the same, it just needs longer to build. Just like how someone who is not gifted at basketball needs to train harder to beat someone who is gifted at basketball.

Training
Training for an Ectomorph should be done hard and heavy but in a controlled rate. Your training should be watched very closely because like I said above Ectomorph’s usually aren’t athletic and if your just starting and you go hard and heavy you will probably just overtrain. We all see it in the gyms we go to, those super small guys thinking about gaining mass and go hard and heavy on their first day but just quit a week or two later because they burnout and it’s too stressful for them. Trust me this happens all the time and you don’t want it to happen to you. If you’re a small guy wanting to train you have to do a introductory program to introduce you to weights or I can guarantee if you just start lifting heavy you will burnout mentally, physically, and overtrain. After you have been introduced into weights for at least month and a half to two months and have gotten your stamina up you can start going heavy and gradually get more intense. I’m sure half of the people who read this wont listen and just go and burn themselves out but remember this is the most important part of starting to lift.
Once you have done your introduction to weights and are ready to start heavy here’s what your training should look like
- Workouts should first of all be one hour or less or you will run a high risk of overtraining if you go over one hour.
- You shouldn’t do to many sets per body part in hopes of gaining muscle faster, one of the first problems is that you might overtrain. In terms of sets per body part there is something called the point of diminishing returns. Basically this means that after the first few sets you will get good benefits out of them. But if you keep doing more you will get less benefit for each set you do. So basically for something like arms, chest, back, legs, and shoulders you won’t want to go over 12 sets, and even 12 sets is pushing it. A better set range is about 9 sets which is basically the point where sets after that become diminishing in return.
- Now that you have the number of sets your doing you have to choose your exercises. Choosing exercises that work all the parts of a bodypart is essential. For example if you only work two heads of the tricep or chest it wont develop as well and you will have to spend more time trying to bring that lagging part up to par. And since muscular gains come slower, it will just back everything up. Basically you want three sets per exercise so if you have nine sets you will have three exercises. Having different exercises is important because one exercise might work different parts of a specific muscle for optimal growth. Also if you do one exercise for nine sets you muscles will just adapt to that exercise and gains won’t come as fast.
- Repetition range should be at from 6-12 reps to promote muscular growth (Hypertrophy). Going over twelve reps will just mean your doing endurance training and you won’t gain that much muscle at all (There are some exceptions but few) and going under six reps means you will be training for maximal strength meaning very little muscular gain. The point isn’t to be a power lifter or an endurance runner so stick at 6-12 repetitions.
- Rest between sets should be from 30 seconds to 1 minute which is actually the rest time in between sets for hypertrophy. To prove this quickly a power lifter rests from 2-3 minutes just to prevent muscular gain. Plus resting too long will just push your workout over one hour.
- Use compound exercises – These are the muscle builders that will promote hypertrophy more than isolation exercises. So basically the bulk of your exercises should be compound exercises. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have isolation exercises, because for some parts there are no good compound exercises like biceps. One arm rows aren’t going to give you freaky mass on your biceps. The three best compound movements are the deadlift, squat, and the bench press. Of course the variations of these are almost just as good except for maybe the deadlift because there are only like 2-3 variations.
- You might want to try some advanced techniques for stressing the muscle even more, but again you have to be very careful to use them in moderation so that you don’t overtrain. Some techniques you should try is rest pause training, drop sets, super sets, burns, forced reps and cheating. I’m not going to go into the details but don’t use these on every single set or you will burn out for sure, and don’t jump into these right off the bat.

Diet
Diet is essential for an Ectomorph to grow. If you don’t pay attention to your diet I can almost guarantee you will hardly gain any weight. The main goal of this diet is to gain some muscle. A bulking diet should be used to put on as much muscle as possible. And since Ectomorph’s metabolize things very fast they can eat above their calorie maintenance level by a lot. The traditional 500 over the level shouldn’t be used. As a matter of fact going even 1000 calories over the maintenance level wouldn’t hurt. This is where you have to gauge how much of an Ectomorph you are. If you are pure Ectomorph then you should eat 1000 calories over your maintenance level. But if you are moderately an Ectomorph around 750 wouldn’t hurt. All these calories will be used to repair and make your muscles grow rather than gain fat since an Ectomorph’s body metabolizes everything very fast. Now that we now how much to eat there are other things you should know like:
- Meal frequency: Meals should be eaten every 1 hour and thirty minutes to two hours. Keeping a constant flow of nutrients in the body is essential for gaining mass because if your body has nothing to build muscle with then you won’t go anywhere. You should be eating at least six meals a day to ensure your getting enough nutrients for your body to grow.

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- Protein, carb, and fat ratios – You should be eating just a little more protein than usual but it’s not essential that you do. A good protein, carb and fat ratio is 40% protein, 40% carbs, and %20 fats in terms of percentage of calories. Remember you can alter this if you want to suit your own needs. A deficiency of any of these will result in your body not being in an anabolic state and therefore your muscle building ability will be impaired.
- Eat slow absorbing things: Eating slow absorbing carbs and proteins is important to gaining muscle. First of all fat gain isn’t the issue so I’m not even going to touch base on it, but aside from that eating fast absorbing carbs and protein all the time will leave your body depleted of nutrients since an Ectomorph metabolizes things fast. Slow absorbing things will stay inside the small intestine longer for long lasting absorption. If you just eat whey and simple sugars then your body will use it so fast and have nothing to build muscle with.

Supplementation
First of all I want to stress supplementation does help but too many people think it’s more important than diet. Basically if you have time to eat your six natural nutritious meals you should only be taking at the max 2-3 supplements. A lot of people will probably be like “Your crazy” but it’s true, you want to stay as natural as possible. All these man made things aren’t as nutritious as natural products. You never want to rely on supplements because chances are if its man made its not good for you. In one of Daniel Gastelu’s seminars he said “If man made it, don’t eat it”, which is very true. You shouldn’t focus your time on supplements to take because compared to diet, its nothing.

1. Whey protein
- This is a good supplement for after a workout since your body needs nutrients fast to stop muscle breakdown and promote muscle synthesis. Taking fast absorbing whey protein ensures that your body will get the nutrients it needs fast in order to maximize muscle growth. You don’t want to take this during the day however because it’s fast absorbing and will be metabolized in about 30-45 minutes leaving your body nothing to build muscle with.
- My number one choice would obviously be Optimum 100% whey protein hands down. It’s the best because it has additional things like BCAA.

2. Creatine
- Creatine is something that you might want to consider which helps increase lean muscle mass. This is something you should take 15 minutes before your workout and put in your post workout shake. Another thing that people like to take is Nitric Oxide but it kills brain cells so I wouldn’t use it.
- I would choose a creatine like higher power because some of the BSN products have nitric oxide and it kills brain cells. So if you buy a creatine make sure its not a stack with nitric oxide unless you want to take the risk.

3. Weight Gainer, MRP’s, and bars
- These are something that will just help you get your calories in. Only use this if you’re an on the go person who is very busy. If you have time you should always go natural over man made. These man made things aren’t very nutritious like natural products such as vegetables, fruits and oats. Also people sometimes become dependant on weight gainers, MRP’s and bars which is something you never want to do. These thing’s should be eaten in moderation because it will do your body more harm than good since they aren’t nearly as good as real food, many people eat way to many bars and MRP’s and weight gainer.
- The best MRP for me would EAS Myoplex Deluxe (New Formula). It has slow absorbing carbs and protein so it doesn’t spike insulin and leave your body depleted of nutrients fast. It also has a ton of vitamins and minerals which come in handy. The best bar for gaining mass would probably be PBL Pure Omega 3 Protein Bar. This has no sugar alcohol’s as far as I can see and it has omega 3 along with it. It has a good 20 grams of protein and slow absorbing carbs so you stay in an anabolic state. I don’t know much about weight gainers but if I were to choose one right now I would probably choose Prolab 2 N large or Cytosport’s Cytogainer. I have heard from some people Prolab 2 N large is a good supplement but I have never used it.
-Although I haven't tried this, I strongly beleive and will eventually try mixing grinded oats with VPX Micellean MRP (since it is high in fibre and contains a good protein blend)


Endomorph

General
An Endomorph is basically someone who has trouble losing fat but gains fat and muscle easily. They are characterized by flabby and rounded muscles and have a mushy look to them. Basically Endomorph’s biggest challenge is dropping the weight. Once that has been accomplished with a careful diet the fat can be kept off and the muscle will come at a steady pace. Don’t think of an Endomorph as a lard machine that just puts on fat 24/7 for no reason, the only thing is that if you give your body a reason to gain fat then it will. So if you eat fatty meals and too much over your calorie maintenance level, then you will gain fat. The good news for an endomorph is that they have wide powerful frames under all that fat and can gain muscle easily, the only thing that has to be watched is the fat.

Training
- Training for an Endomorph should be focused on dropping the pounds so cardio should be done. However if you have an Endomorph body type and have already dropped the pounds then cardio isn’t needed. But right now I’m assuming that all Endomorph’s right now are trying to drop the pounds which is true for most Endomorph’s since obesity rates in North America are sky rocketing. Training is optional when the main goal is trying to drop a lot of weight. The biggest thing is cardio and most of your training regimen will consist of cardio exercise. The thing with weight lifting is that there are too many rests and it can’t be done frequently enough to help you drop weight where as in cardio it can be done almost every day. I recommend you do some weight training so your body will get the benefits from it but mostly you should concentrate on cardio. And plus while cutting fat your muscle gains will be very little because its impossible to gain muscle and lose weight at the same time (Although there are some very rare exceptions). So basically you want to build up your cardio starting at about 3 times a week for 20-30 minute sessions. Ideally you want to bump it from 4-6 times a week for 30 minutes to 1 hour with the goal in mind to drop as much weight as possible. Remember gradual buildup is the key, you don’t want to jump into cardio too fast or you will burn out. If you decide to do weight lifting along with cardio then keep in mind you won’t be gaining any muscle. So it would be best if you did it about 3-4x a week and maybe even did circuit training to burn more calories. You can also lift weights while cutting away the fats to ease yourself into weights you will be ready to lift heavy when you cut away all that fat. Remember cardio is key for cutting, not weight lifting.
- If you’re an Endomorph who has already dropped the fat and your looking to gain some muscle you might want to try bulking with the 500 calories over your maintenance level rule. But I want to point out that this might not work for you because some Endomorphs can gain quite a bit of fat. So if your scared then go only 250 over so your gains will be cleaner. You have to assess how much fat you will gain and tweak your calorie needs according to that.

Diet
When combined with training diet is like 95% of losing weight. If you do not eat under your calorie maintenance level then you will never be able to drop the pounds. If you keep eating like crap while training then all that training will be in vain because you won’t shed an ounce. Basically you want to eat below your calorie maintenance level so your body has to burn fat to make up for the energy deficit. Now that you know how much you have to eat its time to concentrate on other aspects of your diet. When cutting you should also:
- Eat at least six meals a day. This might seem surprising but eating this many meals actually prevents fat gain because when you don’t feed your body frequently your body stores fat for protection against starvation.
- Drink water. Drinking water ensures your liver won’t have to help your kidneys pick up some slack resulting in slower metabolism and fat gain. It also helps transport the flow of nutrients and flush out waste.
- Eat less carbs. Now I want to be clear about this, when I say lower your carbs. I don’t mean go Atkins style and just eat one piece of bread for your carbs, I mean eat less carbs so that your body looks at your fat to burn for energy. If you go on Atkins you will yo-yo your fat and its very unhealthy for your body to gain and lose weight all the time. If you go Atkins style then you will probably have no energy to do your training, Atkins is for fat people who just sit in the office all day and hardly use any energy and that’s not going to be you.
- Eat more protein. Eating more protein ensures that your muscle won’t be burned for energy when your eating less carbs. Although you will have muscle loss when dropping the pounds, you want to keep as much muscle as you can so when you cut you have some muscle mass
- Get your essential fatty acids since omega 3-6-9 are the only ones your body cant synthesize. Eating a good amount of these have loads of benefits including fat loss
- Eat slow absorbing carbs unless after a workout or a cardio session. During the day in your meals if you eat fast absorbing carbs your insulin will spike and you will gain fat because your body stores glucose as fat if it has no other way of getting the blood sugar level down. And especially if you have a slow metabolism like many Endomorphs do, your body won’t metabolize the sugar fast at all which means you will gain a lot of fat if you keep spiking your insulin. Good sources of slow absorbing carbs are

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- Vegetables and fruits (Salads are good)
- Whole wheat bread, bagels, cereal that isn’t loaded with sugar, and whole wheat pasta (No white bread because it has low nutritional value)
- Sweet potatoes and white potatoes
- Brown rice (Not white rice, it has low nutritional value and spikes insulin)
- Oatmeal and grains

Supplements
Again like I said above supplements aren’t everything as some people believe. Probably everyone I go to school think that supplements are key in gaining muscle or whatever their goal may be and they eat fries and burgers. Supplements do help in the case of dropping fat but mainly its your diet and getting your calories under your maintenance level. If you don’t do that and eat unhealthy all the supplements in the world won’t help you drop pounds. And again I want to stress supplements should never be relied on or else it will do you more harm than good, natural foods have the best nutritional value.

1. Fat burners
- I have never used a fat burner and I don’t believe in using them but some people insist on using fat burners to help them lose fat. This would be good if you are looking for that extra bit to help you drop weight but again don’t rely on this and let your diet slip.
- If I were to choose a fat burner I would choose the most popular one right now which is Lipo 6. Again I don’t use fat burners so your going to have to make the decision yourself.

2. Omega 3-6-9 supplements and oils
- These are not only essential for its benefits but they also assist in burning fat. Most people have trouble getting their EFA'’ because not everyone can eat fish or foods with oils in them everyday, so this is a great alternative. Try to oils over capsules and pills.
- The number one oil hands down is total EFA oil which has omega 3-6-9 in oil form. That’s basically all the fats you need because all the other fats can be synthesized from that.


Mesomorph

General
A Mesomorph is like the best of both worlds from the Ectomorph and Endomorph. This body type builds muscle quickly and can also lose fat quickly and doesn’t gain as much fat but still does. This body type is muscular and athletic with broad shoulders and has a bold look to it. This is the body type everyone wishes they could be, but unfortunately few are this body type. Basically for a Mesomorph you have the advantage over dropping fat and gaining muscle which is why if you want to gain muscle bulking and cutting works so effectively. Since bulking does add some fat to a Mesomorph which is usually enough to be noticed, they have to cut it away and since they drop pounds faster it works good. This is where I want to point something out. All those rules like eating 500 calories over your maintenance level are aimed towards Mesomorphs. If you’re an Endomorph or an Ectomorph of course you have to tweak this. I want to stress that you have to determine what body type you are and decide how your diet plan and workout plan should be to suit your own needs. With a Mesomorph there really aren’t any challenges unless your not totally Mesomorph and are a blend of lets say an Ectomorph and a Mesomorph, which is where you have to alter your own program to suit your needs. But for a pure Mesomorph there aren’t many challenges at all if your plan is to gain muscle. Basically your genetic makeup suits bodybuilding very well and all you have to do is design a good workout program and diet plan to follow closely. Remember just because you’re a Mesomorph doesn’t mean you should pig out or you probably will gain fat because your not like an Ectomorph. It also means you can slack off because you believe you can build lots of muscle just by lifting on and off. And it doesn’t mean that you can build muscle like nothing, it still takes time like everything.

Training
Training should be hard and heavy since the Mesomorph’s body is made for that type of thing. But again if you’re a beginner and a Mesomorph and have had no experience with weights you will want to do a 1-2 month introductory program to get you aquatinted with weights because if you dive right in you probably will burnout mentally and physically. But if you are a Mesomorph and have already been lifting weights for a while there isn’t much else to do unless you don’t know what your doing. Basically I’m assuming that most people looking at this are looking to gain some muscle which is why your on BB.com. Basically if you’re a Mesomorph you want to go as hard and heavy as possible while being careful not to overtrain which a lot of people do because they think their God. Again you should be smart and apply all those rules like:
- Keep workouts under 1 hour
- 9-12 sets max per body part and less for parts like wrists, traps, and calves.
- Rest in between sets 30 seconds to 1 minute and 30 seconds
- Using a good training split
- Compound exercises
- Rep range between 6-12 for muscular growth
- Use advanced techniques like burns, drop sets, rest pause training, forced sets, strip sets, super sets, and cheating to exhaust your muscles even more for maximal gains.
Basically there isn’t much else to say because there isn’t really any specific thing you have to overcome unlike an Endomorph and Ectomorph but just be careful to overtrain, that’s probably the only thing that will stop you.

Diet
Again there isn’t really any major challenges you have to overcome like trying to gain muscle or drop fat because a Mesomorph does that relatively easily considering the person is putting a lot of effort and time into it. If your looking to gain muscle then you have to do bulking and since Mesomorphs gain muscle easy it should be no problem. I’m not going into detail about how to bulk but here are a few guidelines:
- Eat 6 meals a day or more, one meal every 1.5-2 hours
- Get a good protein-carb-fat ratio like 40%-40%-20% or however you want
- Get about 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight
- Drink lots of water
- Eat slow absorbing carbs
- Get 500 calories or more or less depending on how much fat you gain above your calorie maintenance level

Supplements
Basically your using supplements here to give you the extra boost in gaining muscle and again not relying on supplements like some people make the mistake of doing! You shouldn’t need to take any complicated supplements just the basic ones to give you a boost in your performance.

1. Whey protein
- Everyone uses this to help post recovery after a workout and it will give a Mesomorph the extra edge if he/she uses this after a workout.
- Again my number one choice is optimum 100% whey protein

2. Creatine
- This is just another basic supplement that will help you gain lean mass and give you more energy to spend on explosive movements. If you’re a careful person don’t pick a creatine with nitric oxide since it kills brain cells.
- My number one choice would probably be higher power creatine

3. EFA supplements
-All three groups can benefit from them.
- These are good in helping maintain good levels of hormones in particular testosterone which will help in muscle building. It also has loads of other benefits

4. Multi vitamin
- All three of the groups would benefit from this. Probably the best is Now Adam.


Bonus Questions: Which body type do you have? What are some of your genetic advantages? Disadvantages?
I wasn’t genetically born to have an advantage in bodybuilding. I am not completely ectomorph but i do lean towards the side of ectomorph. I have a body type that is somewhere between Ectomorph and Mesomorph. For example I’m not the biggest guy out there but I’am pretty athletic and I’m not super scrawny or have long lanky arms like a lot of Ectomorphs. I don’t have a huge problem in trying to gain muscle and I gain it at a medium rate not to fast or slow. Some of the advantages I have since I’m a little bit of an Ectomorph is that I don’t gain that much fat at all or virtually no fat at all. For example before I started getting serious about training and about my diet I used to eat horribly and unhealthy and I wouldn’t gain a pound. Even when everyone gained pounds over the Christmas I didn’t even gain a pound. But now that I don’t eat that way anymore I don’t really have to worry about my weight jumping up on me. Some of the disadvantages I have though are that I don’t gain muscle as fast as others. If I really wanted to be a bodybuilder my gains wouldn't be nearly close to half of the muscle Ronnie coleman has because my muscular gains come at a medium to slow rate but not extremely slow. Another disadvantage that I have is that I don’t have the most bold looking chest that some people have since my ancestors aren’t really that big at all. As a matter of fact, I’m probably the biggest and tallest of them all. But I do have somewhat muscular legs partly because my dad does too.

[acespade21]

How Can One Overcome Genetic Disadvantages?

Introduction

In general, there are three different "body types" so to speak. While everyone is a mix of all three, one is usually predominant over the others. Knowing which body type you have can help you to better establish and reach your individual goals. Let's look at the differences between the three types.

Which Body Types Are Which?

Mesomorph
Mesomorphs are often called "gifted" because their genetics allow them to rapidly gain muscle and lose fat. They have athletic builds that are usually symmetric, hard, and rectangular. They also have good posture. Famous Mesomorphs include Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler, etc.

What should a Mesomorph's Diet Be Like?

A mesomorph should be sure to get enough protein in their diet. Two grams of protein per kilogram of body mass is a good rule to go by. A mesomorph should eat lean protein from sources such as chicken, lean beef, fish, eggwhites, and protein powders. Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated fats are also important to help keep testosterone levels up. As for carbs, a mesomorph should eat low glycemic carbohydrates with the exception of immediately after a workout, when high glycemic carbs are a must.

What Should a Mesomorph's Training Be Like?

A Mesomorph should train explosively and with heavy weights. A high intensity is an important factor. This can be obtained by super sets, compound sets, drop sets, and giant sets. Proper rest, recovery, and variety keep the body guessing and lead to significant gains. As for cardiovascular exercise, a mesomorph should do 2-3 cardio sessions a week that last between 20 and 30 minutes. Interval training can also be added in to keep workouts from becoming too lengthy and boring. This will help keep a lean figure without losing important muscle mass.

What Should a Mesomorph's Supplementation Be Like?

A Mesomorph's supplementation can be the icing on the cake to help provide beneficial results. Protein Powders can help provide enough protein to reach the goal of getting 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body mass. Creatine is also another supplement that can increase strength, and size. Creatine Ethyl Ester products such as BSN's CellMass are very popular. Nitric Oxide products can help increase the size of blood vessels to speed up the absorption of nutrients beneficial to muscle gains. BSN Nitrix is such a product.

Ectomorph

Ectomorphs are known as "hard gainers." They are characterized by a low body fat %, long limbs, and small muscles. Small shoulders, a flat chest, and a "pencil-neck" characterize ectomorphs. Famous Ectomorphs include Kate Moss, Brad Pitt, and about 99% of all pro basketball players.

What Should An Ectomorph's Diet Be like?

An Ectomorph needs to eat complete, frequent, and healthy meals and snacks. Five to seven meals a day is optimal. Because Ectomorphs have a high metabolism, muscle gains can only be reached by getting a higher amount of calories.

What Should An Ectomorph's Training Be Like?

Training with heavy weights is usually optimal for ectomorphs. Doing so "deeply" stimulates the muscles and causes heavy gains in muscle mass. Including the three power lifts in this type of training is important. Also, taking 2-3 minute rests between sets is crucial because it helps your muscles recover between heavy sets.

What should An Ectomorph's Supplementation Be Like?

Due to an ectomorph's high metabolism problem, weight gainers can help increase one's caloric intake. Optimum nutrition's new Pro Weight Gainer is a good one. An ectomorph should also take creatine ethyl ester, which can help bring water into the muscles to provide for heavy gains in mass. Getting A multivitamin is also important to provide the proper vitamins and minerals to function properly. Universal Nutrition's Animal Pak is a great multi-v.

Endomorph

An endomorph is generally accompanied by a higher body fat %. These are the people that were picked on and called "tubby" as little kids. An endomorph generally has a round physique, a soft body, underdeveloped muscles, and short limbs. Endomorphs have a hard time losing fat, but gain muscle mass relatively easily. Famous Endomorphs include Roseanne, Jack Black, John Goodman, and Dr.Phil. Japanese sumo-wrestlers are perfect examples of endomorphs.

What Should an Endomorph's Diet Be Like?

Endomorphs, like everyone else, need to eat smaller, more frequent meals to keep metabolism high. 5-6 meals a day are sufficient. Meal replacement shakes and bars can help obtain these goals. Slimfast and South Beach Diet are both notable meal replacements.

What Should An Endomorph's Training Be Like?

While training, an endomorph should focus on increasing its metabolism. Circuit training, super sets, giant sets, compound sets, or other similar ways of training are effective. However, an endomorph needs to focus on using a lighter weight, but for more repetitions. This increases the fat burning process in the body. For endomorphs, cardio sesssions need to be longer and more often. Four to five sessions per week lasting 30-40 mins (including warm-ups and cool-downs) should be sufficient. Although sleep isn't considered training, it should an important part of an endomorph's lifestyle. Getting enough sleep (8-10 hours per night) has been shown to increase levels of leptin, a hormone that suppresses appetite, and decrease levels of cortisol, a hormone that causes fat gain and muscle loss.

What Should An Endomorph's Supplementation Be Like?

Besides getting an adequate amount of protein through protein powders (2 grams of protein per kilogram of body mass might be too much protein for an endomorph), Fat burners are great supplements to help endomorphs shed fat.
Products like Metabolic Thyrolean by Prolab and Guggulbolic by Syntrax are good examples. A simpler, cheaper substitute would be green tea extract, which has been shown to increase metabolism and stop dieters from regaining weight after going on a diet.

What Type of Build do You Have?

I have mostly an ectomorph body type. I'm tall (6'3") and have a hard time gaining weight. It's because of my body type that I've decided to take up weight lifting and try to get a bigger, stronger frame.

What Are some of your genetic advantages/disadvantages?

An an ectomorph, I naturally have a high metabolism and have a low body fat %. This is an advantage because I don't gain a lot of health-threatening fat. I also enjoy my height, as being tall has everyday advantages over being short.
However, I have a very hard time gaining muscle mass. This is a disadvantage because it stops me from having the build I want. I have been taking weight gainers and creatine ethyl ester to try and gain muscle mass, and they've helped a little.

[Joe55]

The conventional wisdom for hardgainers/ectomorphs is to consume more calories. I just wonder if this applies to "boomers."

I was always a scrawny kid. As I aged, though, and metabolism slowed, I started packing on weight in the middle. So, have my genetics changed? Have I suddenly become a mesomorph? Yes, de facto, but not genetically.

Since I've been serious about training and diet, my body is returning to its ol' ectomorph self. But, I'd really like some healthy bulk. I'm just afraid if I try, the "bulk" will once again be in the form of "middle age spread."