A Workout Plan for Your Body Type: "Hard to Lose Weight"
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.
"Hard to Lose Weight": The Endomorph
This is a challenging body type to have if you're looking to "lean down" and get a traditional cultural fit shape. But I think ALL body type are incredibly (incredibly) beautiful and amazing, especially when they are their own fit shape. Sometimes the challenge as a trainer is helping the client see this too, while helping them reach their fitness & nutrition goals.
Sisters In Shape Additional Notes for Endomorphs:
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 approach with take with an endomorph's nutrition is consistency.
This body-type tends to have dieted the most over the course of her life, and so unwinding a restrictive diet mentality is our primary goal. We think long-term consistency is only possible when it's flexible. So we teach our clients flexible healthy eating, for all of their life circumstances. Day-to-day, social settings, weekends, holidays, stressful times...you know all of life!
A key aspect is learning portions without measuring/weighing/tracking your food. Our coaches may get the client to submit a photo food diary to check her food choices and check portion size. Get FREE 5-DAY Meal Guide with portion sizes here!
We disagree with the graphic above, in that weight training isn't mentioned as a good technique for this body type. Endless cardio is not the way to a sustainable fit body. Lean muscle revs metabolism, tones the body, and we find increases confidence waaaay more than loads of cardio.
It's worth noting on the nutrition-side, that most often we have to reverse diet endomorph clients. Her serial dieting has her base level calories too low for her size, which keeps her metabolism sluggish (and scale stalled). By slowly reversing her calories back up to a healthy maintenance level, not only does her body respond with weight loss, the overall process allows for sustainable nutrition.
A common goal we find with an endomorph is her desire to lean down her physique. We like blending strength + cardio in the same workout to keep her heart rate up while she's lifting weights.
Therefore a typical endomorph client would have a workout program that is focussed on sweat-worthy lifting + cardio.
Day 1: Hybrid Workout #1 + 20 min HIIT
Day 2: 45 minute cardio + core
Day 3: Hybrid Workout #2 + 20 min HIIT
Day 4: 45 min cardio + core
Day 5: Hybrid Workout #3 + 20 min HIIT
Give this FULL BODY HYBRID WORKOUT a try if you're an endomorph looking to lean out and firm up.
Applying these techniques, here's a recent SiS transformation of a mesomorph client. This busy mom of 3, works full-time and also a student finally just decided to make herself a priority and quit telling herself limiting excuses.
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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