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How To Build Muscle Based On Your Body Type

By Jeff Anderson
HealthLife.com Contributor
Updated: June 12, 2008
Ever wonder why some guys can train in the gym day after day, month after month, year after year, suck down raw eggs and protein powder and pop every bodybuilding supplement pill they can get their hands on...and BARELY see any progress?!

And what about the guy who seems to go to the gym, just look at the weights, follow it up with a diet of Twinkies and cheesecake and somehow add an inch to his biceps in the process?

Frustrating, right?

While bodybuilding magazines and "guru's" would love for you to believe that building muscle is as simple as "performing this exercise for this many reps", it's actually a very PERSONAL process and YOUR bodybuilding results will depend on many factors...including the body you were born with!

Here's what I mean...

I don't have to refer you back to 9th grade Biology class to remind you that not everybody is built with the same "body type".

Whether you were called "scrawny" or "big boned", "skinny" or "fat", or you were blessed with the body of a Greek God, everyone has a body that has inherent "gifts" and "limitations" when it comes to bodybuilding and building muscle.
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Therefore, following the exact same diet and doing the exact same exercises can yield entirely different results for each person based upon their specific body type.

But building up muscle mass and achieving an ideal body for bodybuilding is actually quite easy...as long as the understand these differences, what YOUR specific "body type" is...and how to diet and exercise accordingly.

BODYBUILDING BY "BODY TYPE"

There are three basic "body types" that all people fall into, based mostly on the body that they were born with.

These three classifications are called the "Ectomorph", the "Mesomorph", and the "Endomorph".

An ectomorph body is characterized by a thin, delicate stature, and men in this category usually have trouble gaining weight and muscle mass.

A mesomorph body is one that has no trouble gaining or losing weight, and adding muscle mass for men with this body type is usually easy.

Endomorph bodies are typically large, soft, and round, and men in this class will usually have trouble losing weight and slimming down their stature.

By following a bodybuilding program that focuses on specific physical and dietary guidelines based upon your body type, men of all three classes can easily achieve lean muscle growth, enhanced fat burning...and the body of their dreams.

Here are some powerful training and nutrition tips for each body type to help you achieve your goals:

ECTOMORPH BODYBUILDING TIPS:

Men with an ectomorph body should follow certain exercise routines in order that focus primarily on "mass bulding" while avoiding their body's natural desire to stay thin.

As any "skinny guy" knows, that's not an easy task!

To maximize your mass building efforts, activities other than weight lifting and strength training should be avoided, since they will only burn calories and make it harder to gain muscle mass.

All energy should be focused on weight training exercises, and for the ectomorph, more is NOT necessarily better.

Ecto's can quickly find themselves "overtrained" and their body will struggle with keeping up with an intense training session that outpaces your ability to recover and grow new muscle.

Stick with heavy weights for about 6-8 repetitions using compound exercises and rest for 2 to 3 days between training in order to allow their body to recuperate between training sessions.

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