A Workout Plan for Your Body Type: "Pear" or "Hourglass"
As I was browsing Pinterest for gallery wall inspirations to more attractively display our family photos, I saw these body type fitness graphics (no surprise my Pinterest feed is filled with fitness and nutrition pins), and the graphics caught my eye.
I liked it because too few fitness programs take into consideration a women's body type. So I read each body type graphic carefully and wanted to share them with you (with additional commentary) as they have a number of consistent concepts to how we train women at Sisters In Shape.
"Pear" or "Hourglass": The Mesomorph
This is the most common body type we see at Sisters In Shape (and we've worked with hundreds of women). While mesomorphs in the graphic are described as "athletic look", most mesomorphs don't feel like "an athlete body type" when they start. The better way to describe this body type is: doesn't have a really hard time losing or gaining weight, pear shape or hourglass shape, and metabolism is average (not fast or slow).
Sisters In Shape Additional Notes for Mesomorphs:
Real results come when you line up nutrition + workouts. So we must talk about nutrition for this body type to make the workouts the "most effective". The most typical nutrition approach we take with mesomorphs is helping her to eat more consistently in balance (calories + macros).
We tweak her calorie intake, which for a mesomorph could mean eating a bit less or eating a bit more. It's amazing what happens to a mesomorph who has been under-eating or slightly over-eating & then her SiS trainer makes seemingly small tweaks (coupled with smart exercise). Most frequently, she is under-eating protein and so together with her trainer, we brainstorm ways to incorporate more protein throughout her busy day. Starting right at breakfast with an easy greek yogurt bowl, a protein-packed smoothie, or yummy protein oatmeal. Get FREE 5-Day Meal Guide here!
A common goal we find with an mesomorph is her desire to fine tune the shape of her physique. She often describes "I'm looking to lean out my legs" or "I want to firm up my arms". This is achieved by adding lean muscle the area and achieving some fat loss.
Honestly creating these unique to the woman's body and goals (and busy life schedule) is one of the most fun parts of being an online coach...it allows me to be creative like clay in the hands of a potter. It also feels like a fun puzzle to figure out!
Therefore a typical mesomorph client would have a workout program that is focussed on the areas being fine tuned:
Example for Mesomorph with "I want to lean out legs" as goal...
Day 1: Leg day #1 (strength focus) + 20 min HIIT
Day 2: Back/Biceps + 30 minutes incline walking
Day 3: Shoulders/Tricpes + core
Day 4: Leg day #2 (high reps, plyos, resistance) + 20 min HIIT
Day 5: 45 minutes of incline walking + core
Give this BAND + BALL BOOTY WORKOUT a try if you're an mesomorph looking to lean out her legs, and create a nice bum ;)
Applying these techniques, here's a SiS transformation of a mesomorph client, trained by SiS Coach Erica Willick. Notice in the "after" photo she certainly would describe her body type now as "athletic look" but that wasn't how she described her body type at the start of her journey.
Graphic Sources: Carla Sottovia, PhD, personal trainer and director of fitness and personal training education at the Cooper Fitness Center in Dallas, Texas, and Jacque Crockford CSCS, exercise physiologist with the American Council on Exercise. Illustration by David Wyffels
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