body types??
SpaghettiHead
Registered Users Posts: 1,510
Do any of you sculpt your workout depending on your "body type?" I was reading about this yesterday, and it looks like it might be a little difficult to truly determine your body type. I mean sure, it's easy to say "I'm a pear, or an hourglass" but it looked to me like some of the characteristics overlapped.
Especially when you compare pear and hourglass shapes, and mesomorphs and endomorphs....
So how do you truly determine which category you fall under?
Especially when you compare pear and hourglass shapes, and mesomorphs and endomorphs....
So how do you truly determine which category you fall under?
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That's where I have problems too LA....I'm only 5'2" and I *think* I'm an hourglass...but not sure. I gain weight evenly everywhere when I do...except in the chest area...I'm always small there. But when I am fit, my waist is small, but I still have bigger legs....not huge hips, but hips. I wish I could just submit my pic somewhere and they could say..."You're THIS...do THIS."
I gain everywhere too, but I notice it most in my upper body because I already have a large chest for my size. My hips aren't wide, but my butt sticks out toward the back enough for my chest and "low hip" measure to be about the same. This is true, even when I'm heavier, but my cup size stays the same, which means my back fat is growing with my butt! Blah. It's all very confusing.
Anyway, I'm fairly happy at my current size/weight, but it does bother me that my weight is at the top of the "healthy" scale. I know it doesn't matter as long as I am actually healthy and such, but it still bothers me.
Yeah, the whole "100 pounds at 5feet" thing is bull. At my absolute thinnest adult weight, I was 117. That is just about 10lbs lighter than I am right now and with a lot less muscle.
I was really confused for awhile until I found the info about the figure 8 type - that has been consistent even when I was underweight and it's consistent now, maybe 3-4 pounds over what I'd like to be, now past menopause.
As far as training different body types, that has to do more with how much fat a particular body type naturally carries, and how much muscle they can build. Some people have natural muscle tone - they're the ones who look great such that one asks what workout they do for their arms and they say nothing really, they've always been like that, and someone else REALLY has to work extremely hard and keep to a very strict diet, do intense cardio to get any degree of muscle built and defined. Same with body types and right diets. The truth of the matter is that people respond differently to foods, so "one size does NOT fit all" as far as what diet one should go on, whatever one's goal.
But safe to say, that nearly anyone can benefit from a well-balanced weight-training program with basic compound exercises, some cardio and core/balance training, and clean up their diet in general if they haven't already done so. This combo is half the battle right there for a lot of people and a major accomplishment if they can do that. Worry about "what body type" later on, to tweak things.
Hope any of this sheds light here!
You're me!
Or
I'm you! - whatever, I need to follow any weight loss, exercise program you do. Lol
Seriously though, everything you said is me exactly. Down to our smallest, and current weight - except I run a good 2 lbs above you, and I have 2 inches on you, so that works.
My thinnest was 119. That was also probably my unhealthiest. I ate like never, got barely any sleep, took diet pills, drank a lot, etc, bad stuff. Which shows how hard it is to keep me at that weight.
I'm about 130 now and incredibly unhappy that I have 5 - 8 lbs more than I'd like - which is actually a lot on my frame.
I consider myself an 'apple' but that one is rarely used so I often have to settle for 'large chested'. I gain most weight in my back, arms chest and stomach. My upper body is very much a 'problem area'. Out of all exercises, yoga did the best for toning that area. I don't know why I don't do it more often.
Using my iphone. Expect typos.
She will send you an email everyday with tips. When you create an account you can choose your body type (she explains them) and then it will tell you what you need to do to get to your goal weight...or something like that.
This is where more questions come in to play for me....when I was younger I could build muscle like crazy...at the drop of a hat. But now that I'm older...I'm not sure. I'm thin enough, but soft. Ugh. I definitely want/need to build more muscle right now...it's wondering which types and in what way (weight training) I should do it to maximize my result. I have a friend who used to weight train on a regular basis...and saw nothing....but as soon as she went to a trainer, and they taught her another way to do it....she saw things changing. (I have no idea what he did differently) I'm worried about wasting time I guess.
I find that I get bored easily with weigh training and found the results meager at best, which is why I tried yoga. It really firmed up, not only arms and core, which I somewhat expected, but also my back, which I've never felt on myself before. Despite having lost no weight, I no longer have that little bulgey area around my bra strap on my back. It's pretty great!
Last year before my school schedule got so nutso I was doing three days a week of pilates and elliptical. No weights at all. I could tell some definite firming...but I didn't get to stick with it long enough to see if I was building muscle or not...
How did yoga do with legs LA? My legs are what I'd like to work on the most.
Oh I definitely see a difference in my legs. Much nicer shape and more firm, especially in the backs of the thighs. It depends on the type of class you take, but I recommend power yoga to anyone who will listen to me.
Power Yoga! I've never heard of such! sounds.....POWERFUL!
making a note to check it out...wondering if there are "at home" power yoga dvds.....must look into.
I just now got a callanetics dvd and have tried it once...it seemed easy overall but I'm giving it a chance. Another member here swears by it.
It is powerful. When I took my first class, I literally wasn't sure I would be able to get in my car and drive home. (I did, but I was glad my ride home was short!) My muscles were just so exhausted. I've been doing it for 4ish months now and feel great after each class.
As for a DVD, I've only ever done it in a class, but there are lots of them out there. This one gets pretty good reviews: Power Yoga Total Body Workout DVD with Rodney Yee - Gaiam
Oooh, thanks for the rec!
We have P90X at home, and I think I actually have a Jillian Michaels dvd at home somewhere too...my problem is I'm old and my knees are crap! gah! But I've heard really great things about P90X.
I was doing Zumba the other day and my knees hurt really bad, I had to sit down for a little bit.... lol And I'm not old....neither are you! Or at least you don't look old!