What Does it Take to Build Muscle? Body Types and Their Effects

Many men who want to build muscle just assume that it works the same way for everyone. They head dutifully to the gym, do what they see everyone else doing, and then suffer disappointment when they still look almost exactly the same months later - even as they watch others in the gym get bigger and stronger over the same time period. If this has happened to you, what you need to understand is the effect of body type on your efforts to build muscle - because all bodies are not created equal! 

To begin understanding the effects of body type on your efforts to build muscle, it is important to recognize that there are three main types and they each respond better to different types of training. These three are the endomorph, the mesomorph, and the ectomorph. Once you understand the effects of body type on your efforts to build muscle, and identify your own, your efforts can be more effectively tailored to your needs - and you can actually achieve your muscle building goals.

The first body type is the endomorph. Putting on weight is easy for the mesomorph due to a genetically slower metabolism, large bones, and natural strength. If you are a mesomorph, the effects of body type on your efforts to build muscle are easy to understand: you gain weight easily, and you can gain muscle with ease as well. The only drawback to being a natural mesomorph is that you are also more susceptible to gaining fat tissue, so you will need to lose the fat to reveal the muscle you build.

If you are a mesomorph, however, the effects of body type on your efforts to build muscle are more favorable. Mesomorphs are blessed with genetics that tend to give them more naturally muscular physiques. Their waists are smaller, hips narrower, and body fat levels are low as well. Their wide shoulders give them the appearance of natural athletes, and in truth they usually are. As a mesomorph, the effects of body type on your efforts to build muscle will be nothing but positive as you will find it easy to pack on lean muscle in a relatively short period of time.

And then there are the ectomorphs. If you fit in this category, the effects of body type on your efforts to build muscle will be dramatic. Your thin frame and lack of natural muscle mass will mean that it takes much longer for you to pack on the muscle. In fact, your high metabolism will make it difficult to gain weight of any kind.

Fortunately, genetics are but one part of the overall picture. If you weight train with regularity, and eat properly - including one and a half to two grams of protein per pound of body weight, and get the appropriate rest, you can overcome the effects of body type on your efforts to build muscle somewhat. Obviously, your genes define an upper limit for your muscular potential, but you should never be discouraged into believing that they will prevent you from achieving progress. Even the scrawniest ectomorph can pack lean muscle onto his frame, given sufficient time and adherence to a sound training and dietary regimen.