Seventy-five years ago, a psychologist named William Sheldon developed a visual method of categorizing the human physique based on fundamental elements called somatotypes. Even though much of his theories are subjective, we still use this “body type” categorization today.

Personally, I think it is interesting to read about but doesn’t necessarily 100% apply to making gains in the gym. I take it about as seriously as I do reading my horoscope. I LOVE reading my horoscope! It’s entertaining, partly true, but sometimes makes no sense at all. I try really hard to make it apply to me, but I know doesn’t define me or have the final say (thank goodness).

So let’s break it all down.

Ectomorph

You are skinny, tall, have narrow shoulders and hips and a fast metabolism. You’ve been trying to make gains in the gym but get very frustrated after quick results that seem to always turn into a plateau.

It’s not hard for you to master big, compound exercises such as the pull-up or weighted dips, because you don’t weigh a lot and it’s easy to carry and lift your bodyweight. After a few weeks of lifting and dialing in your nutrition, everyone notices your progress, because you lose fat easily making that lean muscle pop. But little do they know that you are frustrated inside, because you just can’t get those muscles to grow more!

Mesomorph

You are gifted and everyone attributes your incredible physique to “good genetics.” You love athletics, and it is fairly easy for you to pack on muscle and burn fat once you put your mind to it. If you’re not careful with your diet, though, you can pack on fat just as much as you can pack on muscle. Consistency in the gym and kitchen together is everything for you to maintain that impressive physique.

You love lifting and feel like a beast in the gym during a great workout, but when you really kill it in the gym working an individual muscle groups, you can get SO sore that it takes you 4-5 days sometimes to recover.

Initial gains come fast and easily, but once you’ve built a lot of muscle, you will most likely hang out there for a long, long time maintaining what you’ve built. It’s a plateau, but not a bad one, because you built a beautiful physique. You love the weights and want to know what you can do to keep making progress or else find happiness in the ongoing maintenance.

Endomorph

You have ALL the gains – muscle AND fat. You love the gym and love lifting, but always feel like you’re in your “bulking season.” Your biggest leap in the beginning of a program is the incredible strength gains you feel. What I love about this is that endomorphs seem to transform on the inside first, before they reach the outside transformation. I wish more women would get to experience this! Sometimes we get so caught up in the physical details and our appearance that we forget how important the inner transformation is to maintaining the outside physique. If we could only all experience the confidence that comes with feeling strong and beautiful on the inside, we wouldn’t care so much about what the outside looks like because we’re enjoying the inner strength so much!
Okay, so now that you’ve read your physique horoscope, below are some actual tips that can help you combat some of your “body type” issues.

For my training tips unique to each body type,

Click Here!