Your body and its characteristics are largely determined by your genetics. This is the reason why some people may have difficulty losing weight and others have difficulty gaining weight. In order to understand why her body acts a certain way, she needed to learn more about her body type. Doing so will help you determine the best way to achieve your goals for a healthier body.

Most people can be classified into three categories of body types. Each body type has its own unique characteristics and genes have a lot to do with it.

THE ECTOMORPH: “Ecto” refers to the skinny/thin body type. People with this body type are usually the ones who have the hardest time gaining weight. They can eat whatever they want and as much as they want without gaining a pound. People with this body type are naturally thin and have been throughout their lives.

Ectomorphs are the most fragile of the three body types. They have long, thin limbs with small, thin bones and joints along with very little fat and muscle mass.

Ectomorphs are also known as “weight gainers” as they have the most difficulty of the three body types in gaining weight. This is due to their bodies’ incredibly high metabolic rate. That’s why they can eat whatever they want without gaining a single pound. This is good if you’re not trying to gain weight, but for most ectomorphs that’s not their goal.

Ectomorphs have a harder time gaining muscle and this can become very frustrating. I know because I’m an ectomorph. All my childhood I had been very skinny. Actually, when I started college I was about 5’11” and weighed 127 pounds. So when I decided to start exercising and gaining muscle, it was an extremely difficult and frustrating task. I had to eat constantly (and still do) and a lot to put on weight. Eventually though, with patience and hard work, I have been able to put on quite a bit of muscle.

As an ectomorph, you just have to remember to eat consistently, maintain a good exercise routine, and most importantly, be patient in order to achieve your goal of your ideal body type.

Key Features: Skinny, lean, frail, fast metabolism, hard to gain weight.

Famous Ectomorphs: Kiera Knightly, Johnny Depp, Paris Hilton, Bruce Lee.

THE ENDOMORPH: “Endo” refers to the large/heavy body type. People with this body type have an easier time gaining weight and a harder time losing weight. Their bodies are naturally inclined to store more fat, which makes losing fat incredibly difficult for them.

Most endomorphs have most of their weight concentrated in the center of their body, giving them a round appearance. Also due to their weight, they take on the appearance of being stocky and can be described as having pear-shaped bodies.

Endomorphs can literally eat a fraction of a minute of what ectomorphs eat and still gain weight. This can become extremely frustrating when trying to lose weight. Endomorphs have a difficult time losing weight due to their extremely slow metabolism rate and are essentially the complete opposite of ectomorphs.

If you are an endomorph, you will have to be patient just like ectomorphs to achieve your weight loss goals. A consistent, healthy diet of small meals along with regular exercise should help you achieve your ideal body type. But as in all goals, discipline and routine are the keys to success.

Key Features: Big, big boned, slow metabolism, easy winners.

Famous Endomorphs: Jack Black, Queen Latifah, Cedric the Entertainer, Kirstie Alley.

THE MESOMORPH: “Meso” refers to the strong/muscular body type. People with this body type can consider themselves lucky. Basically, they are a combination of all the good traits of ectomorphs and endomorphs without any of the bad traits. Unlike ectomorphs, they can easily gain muscle mass, and unlike endomorphs, they have no problem losing weight. They essentially have the ideal muscular and athletic body type that ectomorphs and endomorphs envy.

Mesomorphs have well-built bodies with well-defined muscles and strong bones. They are wide in their pectoral regions and narrow in the abdominal regions.

Mesomorphs do not need special routines to gain or lose weight. As long as they maintain a healthy lifestyle with a combination of weight training and cardio, they can achieve the body they want.

Key Features: Hard body, well defined, muscular, strong features.

Famous mesomorphs: Lebron James, Halle Berry, Anna Kournikova, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Most people do not strictly have one of these three body types, but rather a combination of two or all three. Your body type is determined by your genes, and your goal in trying to determine your body type is to use that information to figure out the best workout routines for you. You can’t change your genes, but you can change your body. All it takes is hard work, determination and discipline and then anything is possible. So get out there and make it happen!!!