i just started looking into the different bodytypes and i was wondering how much a diet and workout plan should varry according to body type. obviously if your close to a show then prep is going to be different for different bodytype. but, how much does it actually affect someone who is just training to stay lean and fit?

I personally think its pretty important. An endomorph is not going to do as well as me on carbs. They will bloat, get fatter easier, and may even appear sluggish.

An ectomorph can handle carbs well, and needs lots of calories. They should diet slowly to lean out or risk lots of muscle loss. Endos lose slow, but they also hold onto muscle well.

Mesomorphs, true mesomorphs look good on any plan, low carb, higher carb, etc. Most are a mixture though. But, in any event mesos can usually take in higher protein and carbs than even an ecto and make use of them. But, very few are pure mesos.

Most of us are a mixture of the two.

I usually baseline people with similar macros breakdowns if I have the time, then either pull carbs, increase fats, increase protein, it just depends on how they react. But, true endos I might start them on 50/30/20 right away, and include HIIT cardio immediately.

Does this help you.

ya that helps alot. as for me i lean towards being a meso. i have tried low to moderate carb diets and moderate to high fat and protein as well. most combinations work alright. i was just curious how much some body types actually vary

There are 3 Morphs: Ecto, Meso and Endo.

Ecto = outward, usally long limb = Load up on protein UMP

Meso = middle or inbetween = stay disicplined = Super Pak

Endo = inward, large inner organs (large torso) = 7-Keto and GH Factor

Each person will have a dominate type but
will have more or less percentage of the other type as well.

A person could be dominate Ecto with 20%
Meso and so on Ad infinitum which is influenced
by the gene pool from which you were spawned from.

The most important is to understand which
you are dominate and diet/train from that point of reference.

Ecto needs lots of calories and heavy lifting.

Meso can do mix both but don't over do it
with either extreme.

Endo needs high reps and lots of cardio.

quote:

Originally posted by Jtheo:
I personally think its pretty important. An endomorph is not going to do as well as me on carbs. They will bloat, get fatter easier, and may even appear sluggish.

An ectomorph can handle carbs well, and needs lots of calories. They should diet slowly to lean out or risk lots of muscle loss. Endos lose slow, but they also hold onto muscle well.

Mesomorphs, true mesomorphs look good on any plan, low carb, higher carb, etc. Most are a mixture though. But, in any event mesos can usually take in higher protein and carbs than even an ecto and make use of them. But, very few are pure mesos.

Most of us are a mixture of the two.

I usually baseline people with similar macros breakdowns if I have the time, then either pull carbs, increase fats, increase protein, it just depends on how they react. But, true endos I might start them on 50/30/20 right away, and include HIIT cardio immediately.

Does this help you.

Are there "general" guidlines as to what each bodytype should take? And how do those number change when it's a bulk and cut?

i think i am meso. my body changes pretty quick either way just has to be on point with nutrition.

quote:

Originally posted by JoeDaniels:
i think i am meso. my body changes pretty quick either way just has to be on point with nutrition.

I'm not an expert by any stretch BUT i'd probably bet money your dominant body type is meso

Yes, Joe you are that 1% of the population
that is a true 100% Mesomorph and done
well for yourself.

The rest of us "Less Than Super Humans" have to
trick our bodies into thinking it's want to be a Mesomorph.

but all of a sudden my body has held more fat after sthese shows in my midsection. i used to hold all in my butt and thigh. i think it may be from all the stress of this and worrying about clients all the time.
my arms looks ecto to me.

I can barely see my abs Joe, How about you? Can't say I am digging the fat gain but its necessary to make the lean gains in the off season. Still have the "Guns" though. Just covering up the midsection these days, "Fat girl in a tiny tank." LOL.

quote:

Originally posted by AF Chiq:
Can't say I am digging the fat gain but its necessary to make the lean gains in the off season.

Make sure not to get carried away with fat gain in the offseason. Fat gain does not help muscle gain. To truely improve from year to year the biggest factor is staying lean in the offseason. Once you get beyond a certain fat %, any muscle gain after that will be lost to get ready for your next show. Joe and I were talking about this the other night. When he started to truely improve over time and keep the gains was when he began staying lean through the entire offseason. This is the benchmark of our programs in the Beverly newsletter, blueprints, workbooks etc. Lean gain without the fat has been the hallmark of the Beverly program for many years.

The Beverly Team

very true plus it keeps you motivated!

quote:

Originally posted by SWade:

quote:

Originally posted by AF Chiq:
Can't say I am digging the fat gain but its necessary to make the lean gains in the off season.

Make sure not to get carried away with fat gain in the offseason. Fat gain does not help muscle gain. To truely improve from year to year the biggest factor is staying lean in the offseason. Once you get beyond a certain fat %, any muscle gain after that will be lost to get ready for your next show. Joe and I were talking about this the other night. When he started to truely improve over time and keep the gains was when he began staying lean through the entire offseason. This is the benchmark of our programs in the Beverly newsletter, blueprints, workbooks etc. Lean gain without the fat has been the hallmark of the Beverly program for many years.

The Beverly Team

Very good poinst Steven, and Robbi knows this. To her 10% in the offseason was fat. On a female that is still VERY lean and she gained around 8 lbs LBM for a bigger her this year.

Im sure she is under 10% still and feels fat.

Her issue is realizing 10-13% for a female bodybuilder is fine and some fat gain is necessary to build muscle. She cant maintain 5-7% as a female AND build muscle naturally.

quote:

Originally posted by SWade:

quote:

Originally posted by AF Chiq:
Can't say I am digging the fat gain but its necessary to make the lean gains in the off season.

Make sure not to get carried away with fat gain in the offseason. Fat gain does not help muscle gain. To truely improve from year to year the biggest factor is staying lean in the offseason. Once you get beyond a certain fat %, any muscle gain after that will be lost to get ready for your next show. Joe and I were talking about this the other night. When he started to truely improve over time and keep the gains was when he began staying lean through the entire offseason. This is the benchmark of our programs in the Beverly newsletter, blueprints, workbooks etc. Lean gain without the fat has been the hallmark of the Beverly program for many years.

The Beverly Team

So why would you lose muscle if your body fat is higher when dieting for a show. I understand staying lean is better and you dont have to diet longer, but why is that true? Wouldn't you just have to diet longer and take your time getting the fat off so you don't lose any muscle. Making sure you diet is on point. Just curious, if someone could elaborate on that more.

so what would you say that certain fat % is ? what should be the limit? personally i feel like a pig at 11% so i refuse to go above that. i try to stay at 10% while i gain but it varies a little week to week. is that to high for a man?

quote:

Originally posted by LidLicker:
so what would you say that certain fat % is ? what should be the limit? personally i feel like a pig at 11% so i refuse to go above that. i try to stay at 10% while i gain but it varies a little week to week. is that to high for a man?

It will vary from person to person. I like to stay around 16-17 lbs of total bodyfat, whatever % that is on me at the time. If I can flex and still see abs Im okay.

well that makes me feel a little better considering how respected you are jtheo. i like to call it a "flex-pack"lol. but seriously, if i couldn't see my abs when i flexed i'd likely freak completely out. the sad part is i carry the majority of my fat on my middle, which means the abs are the first to go and the last to come back.

quote:

Originally posted by Jared Linton:

quote:

Originally posted by SWade:

quote:

Originally posted by AF Chiq:
Can't say I am digging the fat gain but its necessary to make the lean gains in the off season.

Make sure not to get carried away with fat gain in the offseason. Fat gain does not help muscle gain. To truely improve from year to year the biggest factor is staying lean in the offseason. Once you get beyond a certain fat %, any muscle gain after that will be lost to get ready for your next show. Joe and I were talking about this the other night. When he started to truely improve over time and keep the gains was when he began staying lean through the entire offseason. This is the benchmark of our programs in the Beverly newsletter, blueprints, workbooks etc. Lean gain without the fat has been the hallmark of the Beverly program for many years.

The Beverly Team

So why would you lose muscle if your body fat is higher when dieting for a show. I understand staying lean is better and you dont have to diet longer, but why is that true? Wouldn't you just have to diet longer and take your time getting the fat off so you don't lose any muscle. Making sure you diet is on point. Just curious, if someone could elaborate on that more.

Jared, because people dont give themselves enough time. People just say Im gonna diet 12 weeks without looking at how much fat they are carrying. That then forces the hand of their trainer or nutritionist to turn up the pressure resulting in muscle loss.

One of the reasons I went with 20 weeks. Gives all the time in the worls to actually gain muscle and evaluate your progress and lose fat REALLY slowly. I was also a bit plump but had a H*LL of an offseason.

Jason, the point being made was not only for Robbie. We assumed that she was already aware of this, she seems to have a good handle on what she’s doing. But, you’d be surprised at how many competitors are not aware of this though. Re-confirmation of the point was more for the many that view the board vs. the few that post.

Jared, that’s a good question. The best way to understand this is to first visualize your muscle and fat as two competing magnets that attract the calories you eat. When you have very little fat in relation to your muscle, most of what you eat will go to more muscle. (this bodybuilding Utopia allows lot’s of freedom in the type of diet you follow!) Once fat gets too high in relation to the amount of muscle you have, much of the calories you eat will go to more fat. And yes, this also means big guys or gals with tons of muscle can usually get away with a little more. For natural athletes 10% bodyfat seems to be the magic number.
The bodyfat range Jason gave is a good guideline too, because percentage of fat is influenced largely by your bodyweight. You want to keep pounds of fat below 20. If you get over that, just do a cutting phase for a few weeks to keep things in check.

If you stay leaner than that pretty much any gains you make will also be realized next time onstage. When precontest dieting, eventually what’s currently working will slow and adjustments need to be made (carb cuts, calorie cuts, etc.) If there’s too much to lose, you will simply have to diet too hard for too long and most likely be back at square one.

We’ve observed this for decades with competitors and knowing to avoid this pitfall is a huge advantage for any competitor or even recreational lifters who want to improve just as much. It’s an endless list of people we’ve helped that looked the same at every show for years until finally they started staying lean in the offseason. And on the topic of this thread these same people would now appear to be a mesomorph to any observer, where as a few years ago they would never have been mistaken for one.

The Beverly Team

quote:

Originally posted by SWade:
But, you’d be surprised at how many competitors are not aware of this though. Re-confirmation of the point was more for the many that view the board vs. the few that post.

I think this is actually a great point that many(including myself) probably tend to forget. (Or is it just me because I'm new to the Bev boards??) There are so many people that read these boards but don't post (and not just the Bev boards, but discussion boards in general), and I can only imagine there's a large population of those readers that are very new to this world of bodybuilding and nutrition. So even though most of the people that actually post tend to have a vast amount of knowledge, it's a good exercise for the "posters" to remind themselves of the broader reading audience.

Of course this still needs to be a place where more advanced topics can be discussed - but great to touch on the basics where we can.