Having a lean body type is something many people strive for. Even so, a lot of people think being lean is synonymous with being skinny. It is a popular scenario in the mass media. You will often see images of people with body types that are usually referred to as “skinny”.
And for many people, a flat stomach and being in shape mean healthy living. But is it as simple as that? Many people are unaware of the skinny vs. lean body difference. That’s why they don’t know if they have a healthy body or an unhealthy one.
But what do people actually mean when they say skinny? In this article, you will discover the skinny vs. lean body differences and if it’s a healthy body to strive for. Continue reading to learn more about the ectomorph body type.
Contents
Before we jump right into it, let’s first discuss what the different body types are.
People have always regarded a small body as either “skinny” or “lean”. But, technically speaking, these two are not synonymous at all. The skinny vs lean comparison depends on a person’s overall body composition. That means just because someone has a thin body doesn’t mean they are lean.
In fact, many skinny people have a much higher percentage of body fat than you might expect. This applies to people who take part in a lot of aerobic activities without doing any strength training.
If you want to know your natural body type, there’s a way to do it objectively. These body types, or somatotypes, are tied to different factors, such as:
Understanding your body type is important for your health. It’s important to know whether the body type is Endomorph or Mesomorph or Ectomorph. These will determine what and how much you should eat to stay healthy.
Women with endomorph body types are those with curvy or full-figure. On the other hand, men of this type are those with stocky, doughy, or round bodies. That’s because people with this body type have a medium-to-large bone structure and more body fat than other types.
Endomorphs often have wide hips and small shoulders, and they carry extra weight in other parts of their bodies. This includes their thighs, hips, and lower belly. Losing weight for people with this body type is often difficult, but achievable. They just need to have an appropriate diet and exercise regimen.
Mesomorphs are naturally muscular people with average-sized bodies, broader shoulders, small waists, powerful arms and legs, and low levels of body fat.
Mesomorph body types often require a higher calorie intake since muscle takes more calories to sustain. They also need more protein than the other body types do since they are built to create muscle. Mesomorphs can quickly achieve their ideal weight since they can easily gain or lose weight with the right diet and exercise.
Ectomorphs are the skinny body types that people have in mind. They often have long legs and arms, narrow hips and shoulders, and tiny joints. They also have little body fat and small amounts of muscle mass.
People with an ectomorph body have a high metabolism, which causes them to burn calories quickly. But, no matter how they eat, ectomorphs have trouble gaining weight or muscle. They may not be as fit as someone with a mesomorph body type. But they should still enjoy good health if their food intake is in check.
Ectomorphs may have a slim body. But this does not always imply that they have a healthy body fat percentage. Some ectomorphs may have a normal body mass index (BMI). Even so, unhealthy levels of body fat, visceral belly fat, and less muscle mass can be present.
You can refer to it as normal-weight obesity or “skinny fat.” As a result, ectomorphs, like the other two body types, should also measure their body fat. You can find out how much you would weigh if you didn’t have any body fat by using a lean body mass calculator. It’s useful for keeping track of your gains.
When you combine all of these factors, you get the classic “hard gainer.” Ectomorph characteristics include:
But having these characteristics does not mean you can’t see amazing results from your training. Sure, you may not have won the genetic lottery like others who have a lean body. Even so, you can still make significant progress.
You’ll have to put in more effort and adjust your diet and training to your specific body. That is, what works for someone with superior genetics might not work for you. We’ll go over some diet and training tips to help with your nutrition and exercise program.
Read Also: Easy Ways to Simplify Your Doctor’s Appointments
Proper training is only part of the solution to muscle building. But you must also supplement your hard training with nutritious food. Let’s begin by looking at five common impediments to ectomorphs’ lean muscle gains.
Ectomorphs have fast metabolisms. This means they burn a lot of calories throughout the day. To gain weight, you must consume more calories than your body breaks down each day. Consuming more total calories will put your body into an energy surplus, thereby promoting muscle building.
You may believe that you already eat a lot. But, if you’re having trouble adding lean muscle, you’re not getting enough calories. If you’re the archetypical ectomorph, you have a very low appetite.
This means you don’t get hungry very often. To make matters worse, most ectomorphs reach satiety faster. This fact makes consuming enough calories to assist muscle building even more challenging.
A common roadblock for ‘clean eaters’, low-carb (LCHF), or keto diet followers is the lack of calories. LCHF can be a great way to lose weight healthily if you’re overweight. But it’s not the best way to create the caloric excess required if you aim to have lean muscles. If you’re an ectomorph, try doing lean bulk instead.
If you want to gain the most weight, aim for 1.6 g/kg of protein daily. It is critical to hit your daily protein target and distribute it to trigger muscle protein synthesis. Inadequate protein prevents your body’s muscle-building mechanisms from being efficient.
If you don’t crave protein or find that high-protein meals fill you up, try drinking a protein shake for a lean body. Protein shakes provide a lot of protein while being light on the stomach. This is ideal for the typical ectomorph if you are not a fan of whole foods.
Ectomorphs with a higher body fat percentage wish to lose fat while gaining muscle. Ectomorphs who are low in fat and muscle tend to want to gain weight—both fat and muscle. But ectomorphs also have a disadvantage when it comes to muscle building and body sculpting.
Every ectomorph desires a healthy, lean, and strong body. A dedicated health and wellness program can help you achieve a lean body. So, you should sign up for a weight-training program at the nearest gym to you.
A diet high in carbohydrates and calories is ideal for an ectomorph. Carbohydrates should account for 50 to 60% of total calories, with 25% protein and 25% fat. Here are some suggestions to help you with your diet:
All in all, there’s no one perfect body type. Every body type has its beauty and flaws. What you need to think about is how to stay healthy. When it comes to diet and training, it’s important to select what works best for you.
Give yourself time. It may take months of hard work and dedication to see physical results that you’re happy with. Hard work, after all, is important when it comes to health and wellness.
