Understand your Somatotype

A theory developed in the 1940s by 'W.H. Sheldon' to classify human physical types dictates there are three main body compositions determined predominantly by genetics.

•    Ectomorph (usually thin, naturally resemble a long distance runner).
•    Endomorph (generally larger frame with difficulty shifting fat).
•    Mesomorph (often both quick and powerful, builds lean muscle quite easily).

Now this is purely a theory, something you may decide to trial.  Often our bodies will consist a combination of, or even all.  We may also alter the ratios on a long-term basis based on our lifestyles, exercise regime, nutrition, etc. but in general, the theory suggests we can narrow the source towards one somatotype and therefore make small adjustments to our macros accordingly. This allows us to tune our bodies on a biological level correlating to body composition and so enhance the capability of reaching our goal's.

Keep in mind, the ultimate goal is to understand our OWN body for optimal tweaking.

Ectomorphs: Usually respond well to diets high in carbohydrates (due to an increased tolerance) and protein but low in fat.

Endomorphs: High protein and fat but low carbohydrate is key as energy derived from carbohydrates tends to be more likely stored as fat than utilised.

Mesomorphs: Unfortunately for the rest of us they tend to have a small genetic advantage physically, so a balanced ratio of calories with moderately distributed quantities of protein, fats and carbohydrates generally works.


Is it as simple as this?  I don't think so as there's also other factors to consider such as calorie intake, macros, adherence, stress, etc.  How can we do this? Hire a Personal Trainer (shameless plug), educate yourself, trial and error (there's always an element of this, even with Personal Training as everyone is different, we can just greatly narrow the margins and options due to experience).

Some professionals in the health & fitness industry believe macronutrient ratios are more indicative of the client's/athlete's global origin and crop naturally available to their ancestry.

In summary, I believe it's better to be educated as some theories will eventually be proven, others not.  In the mean time, it provides a potential tool for the toolbox.

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Email: alex@ampersonaltraining.net

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Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA)

Nutrition has been a subject debated for many years and will be for more to come, but it seems only recently is the average gym goer gradually beginning to comprehend the importance of it. Let me explain...

We need to take a step back and look at this from an evolutionary stand-point. The Industrial Revolution was a clear catalyst for this, as before this era we survived mainly as farmers and hunters sourcing natural and organically reared sources of nutrition.

During the Industrial Revolution labourers were supplied with fat, sugars and refined flour in order to sustain simplicity via energy driven foods. However, this caused a decline in health and stunt in growth/human development. Protein was introduced, and therefore muscle synthesis occurred, but sickness continued due to a lack of vitamins and minerals... the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) was born.

Unfortunately, the RDA was based on an average majority for the healthy population, but if there's one point we should realise now more than ever is that everyone is different, and as quoted by Lucretius in the 1st century BC, "What is good for one man may be bitter poison to others". In short there is no generic diet and reality dictates the RDA contains very little relevance to individual requirements, especially in today's society of chemicals, illnesses and 24/7 lifestyle.

Let's take vitamin C (aids the immune system) as an example, the requirements for a smoker vs non-smoker vary significantly. For a smoker to maintain the same blood level of vitamin C as a non-smoker they require more than 200mg a day, this equates to approximately four times the RDA. This number then increases substantially for heavy drinkers.
These are just two basic examples to take into account, there are actually so many variables in the forms of lifestyle, pollutants, activity factor, genetics, etc. so a standard base dose just isn't sufficient for the average human being, mainly because there is no average.

So what's the answer?
Aim to consume an abundance of fruit and vegetables, oily fish and unprocessed lean protein sources as part of a balanced diet; what's the old saying? "Everything in moderation" - if sticking to an 80/20 rule (whole nutritious/less 'healthy') will likely enhance adherence.

Learn to listen to your own body, we can do this by cutting back to basics and gradually introducing whole food sources, similiar to the method used for determining your body's response to FODMAP foods (more on this in another post). If we react unfavourably over the next few days it's a simple process of elimination.

 

More often than not we convince ourselves of our body being within a close to optimum state of performance due to accustoming to a regular cycle of feelings which we consider to be 'normal'. In reality for many, the state of our mind and body is not normal and we are far from an optimum state. Ignorance is bliss, but also extremely hazardous to health as we then fail to notice potentially underlying issues until experiencing a more pronounced affect, of which we then hope for a miraculous solution which is rarely the outcome.

It's not as hard as it sounds to alter all this, small changes account for a lot when maintained and most of you will feel the difference, whether it be more regulated energy source, less bloating, reduced anxiety or so on.

It all begins with the basic choices we make today.

Website: https://ampersonaltraining.net/

Email: alex@ampersonaltraining.net

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How much sleep do we need?

Most of us don't get enough quality down time, but if we knew the importance, especially to those who are stuck in plateau or train for progression we may re-think our strategies...

Research conducted to quantify the difference between men that slept 8 hours and those who only slept 4, concluded morning testosterone levels in those sleeping longer to be more than double that of the reduced sleep group.

As we may know testosterone is highly anabolic (muscle building) and therefore strongly increases the path for increased size and strength.

But don't only think this is aimed at men (not just because females have testosterone too).  Sleep is where the real magic happens. During stages 3-4 of deep sleep (Non-REM) our body conducts the most repair where our muscle tissues will heal from the damage inflicted on them during exercise and grow stronger to support these future stresses.  This development in muscle combined with reduced fat is what many will define as 'tone'.

As muscle development is all about our bodies ability to build muscle outweighing the breakdown of muscle, you may consider supplementing with a slow and/or slow + fast release protein source taken before bed to make the most of this process.

Website: https://ampersonaltraining.net/

Email: alex@ampersonaltraining.net

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