Getting in shape and living a healthy lifestyle is a goal for many people. However, most generic workout plans fail to deliver results. Why? Because they are not tailored to your unique body type!
Trying to cram your body into a one-size-fits-all fitness routine is a recipe for frustration and failure. To really see results in the gym, you need to train smart – and that means designing your workouts around your body shape.
According to celebrity trainer Joe Smith, “Most people waste months or even years doing ineffective workouts before realizing they need to customize their training for their body type.” This delay leads to lost time, motivation, and subpar results.
The truth is, ectomorphs, mesomorphs and endomorphs all require very different training, nutrition and lifestyle strategies. As Joe explains, “An endomorph trying to train like a mesomorph is only going to get injured – while an ectomorph doing an endomorph’s workout will barely break a sweat and see zero muscle growth.”
Fortunately, creating a tailored 6 day workout plan for your unique body shape is simple when you know what to focus on. Let’s cover how to identify your body type and choose the best exercises that will radically transform your physique in just 6 days a week.
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Determine Your Body Type
The first step is getting clear on what body type category you fall under. This will dictate the types of workouts and nutrition strategies best suited for you. There are three main somatotypes:
Ectomorph Body Type Workout
Ectomorphs are characterized by lean, delicate frames with fast metabolisms. Typical traits include:
- Thin with little body fat
- Lean and lanky limbs
- Fast metabolism
- Difficulty building muscle
- Low body fat
As a natural ectomorph, your primary training goals are to build muscle and strength while maximizing calorie intake.
The best workout activities for ectomorphs involve:
- Heavy compound lifts with lower reps to increase strength
- High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) to burn calories
- Plyometric exercises like box jumps to build explosive power
With your naturally fast metabolism, the priority is increasing overall calorie intake, especially post-workout carbs and protein to feed muscle growth.
By focusing your training on heavy weights, HIIT cardio, and plyometrics – while massively increasing your food intake – you can sport a ripped and muscular physique.
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Mesomorph
Mesomorphs are predisposed to developing muscle and strength thanks to their athletic frames and naturally muscular composition. Typical traits include:
- Rectangular, V-shaped athletic build
- Broad shoulders and narrow waist
- Respond quickly to exercise
- Build muscle easily
- Athletic capability
As a mesomorph, your training will revolve around developing additional muscle mass and power.
The best exercises for mesomorphs include:
- Heavy weight training with lower reps
- Sprints and explosive cardio
- Challenging sports like swimming, MMA, soccer
Your main nutritional focus should be getting enough protein to support your rapid muscle growth and recovery between intense training sessions.
Putting your natural strength and shape advantages to work via heavy lifting, sprinting, and sports training will take your physique to new heights.
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Endomorph
Endomorphs have curvier frames that predispose them to storing fat while making muscle gains challenging. Typical traits include:
- Curvy, soft frame with higher body fat
- Proportionally shorter limbs
- Pear body shape
- Prone to weight gain
- Slow metabolism
As a natural endomorph, your training will focus on maximizing fat burning while slowly improving muscle tone.
The best endomorph exercises include:
- Low intensity steady state cardio
- Light weights with higher reps
- Full body circuit routines
Diet-wise, endomorphs do best on a low glycemic diet focused on healthy fats, high protein, and low carb vegetables. This nutrient profile keeps insulin levels stable so you can lose body fat without ravenous hunger or cravings.
With the right mix of metabolism-boosting cardio, muscle toning circuits, and fat-burning nutrition, you can show off a tight and toned endomorph physique.
6 Day Workout Routine By Body Type
Now that you know your specific body type, let’s outline the perfect 6 day training split customized for ectomorphs, mesomorphs, and endomorphs.
Ectomorph 6 Day Workout Routine
As an ectomorph, your primary goal is to add slabs of new muscle to your lean frame. This requires a high volume training approach with plenty of heavy compound lifts, calorie-torching HIIT cardio, and explosive plyometrics.
Day 1: Full Body
- Deadlifts 5×5
- Bench Press 5×5
- Pull Ups 3×10
- Overhead Shoulder Press 3×10
- Bodyweight Squats 4×15
- Plank 3x60s
- HIIT Sprints 10x30s/30s rest
Day 2: Upper Body
- Bent Over Rows 5×5
- Incline Bench Press 3×10
- Lateral Raises 3×15
- Overhead Triceps Extensions 4×12
- Dumbbell Curls 3×10
- Diamond Push Ups 3×15
Day 3: Lower Body
- Squats 5×5
- Romanian Deadlifts 3×10
- Calf Raises 5×15
- Leg Extensions 3×12
- Box Jumps 5×5
- Lunge Jumps 3×8 each leg
Day 4: Active Recovery
- 30 min walk
- Light yoga
- Foam Rolling
Day 5: Full Body Circuit
- Circuit with minimal rest:
- Push Ups x10
- KB Swings x15
- Bodyweight Squats x20
- Plank x30s
- Burpees x5
- Rest 1 minute
- Repeat circuit 3-5 rounds
Day 6: HIIT Cardio
- 10x30s bike sprints
- 5x60s rowing intervals
- 10x20s battle ropes
- 5x30s heavy bag intervals
This training plan allows you to stimulate maximum muscle growth through heavy compound lifts done for low reps to increase strength. The metabolic stress of HIIT cardio and plyometrics will help you burn calories to keep body fat low.
Make sure you are eating enough calories, especially protein, to support muscle recovery and hypertrophy. Time to grow!
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Mesomorph 6 Day Workout Routine
As a mesomorph, packing on muscle comes easily – so your focus is on progressive overload to keep forcing strength and size gains over time. Combine heavy lifts with athletic conditioning for a complete muscle building plan.
Day 1: Upper Body
- Bench Press 4×6
- Bent Over Row 4×6
- Overhead Press 3×8
- Lat Pulldowns 3×10
- Triceps Pushdowns 3×12
- Bicep Curls 3×10
Day 2: Lower Body
- Squats 4×6
- Deadlifts 3×6
- Leg Press 3×8
- Hamstring Curls 3×10
- Calf Raises 5×15
Day 3: HIIT Cardio
- 10x30s bike sprints
- 5x60s rowing intervals
- 10x20s battle ropes
- 5x30s heavy bag
Day 4: Active Recovery
- 30 min walk
- Light yoga
- Foam rolling
Day 5: Full Body
- Bench Press 3×10
- Pull Ups 3×8
- Goblet Squats 3×12
- Kettlebell Swings 3×15
- Push Ups 3×15
- Plank 3x60s
Day 6: Sports Practice
- Sport-specific drills
- Sprints, agility work
- Skills practice
This mesomorph plan allows you to keep gaining strength and size through heavy compound lifts with lower reps. Metabolic conditioning and sports practice will build your athleticism. Make sure to refuel with protein and carbs to recover maximally.
Endomorph 6 Day Workout Routine
As an endomorph, your main focus is ramping up fat burning through a combination of low-intensity steady state cardio and total body circuit training. Lifting lighter weights with higher reps will help tone muscle while improving conditioning.
Day 1: HIIT Cardio
- 10x30s bike sprints
- 5x60s rowing intervals
- 10x20s battle ropes
- 5x30s heavy bag
Day 2: Full Body Circuit
- Circuit with 30s rest between:
- Jumping Jacks x20
- Bodyweight Squats x15
- Push Ups x10
- KB Swing x15
- Mountain Climbers x15 each leg
- Repeat for 5 rounds
Day 3: Lower Body
- Goblet Squats 3×15
- Leg Press 3×15
- Leg Extensions 3×12
- Lying Leg Curls 3×12
- Seated Calf Raises 5×15
Day 4: Upper Body
- Chest Press 3×12
- Lat Pulldowns 3×12
- Shoulder Press 3×12
- Bicep Curls 3×15
- Triceps Extensions 3×15
Day 5: Active Recovery
- 30 min walk
- Light yoga
- Foam rolling
Day 6: HIIT Cardio
- 10x30s bike sprints
- 5x60s rowing intervals
- 10x20s battle ropes
- 5x30s heavy bag
This endomorph plan leans heavily on fat-scorching cardio intervals along with total body circuits to crank up your metabolism. Light weights at higher reps will tone and define muscle while improving conditioning.
Make sure your nutrition supports fat loss with a focus on protein, healthy fats and low glycemic carbs. Now go torch that fat!
Customize for Your Goals
While the above plans are tailored to each body type, you may want to make slight adjustments based on your specific goals:
Additional Cardio for Fat Loss
If your priority is dropping body fat, you can add in extra HIIT cardio sessions:
- For ectomorphs – add 2 additional HIIT days
- For mesomorphs – add 1-2 extra HIIT days
- For endomorphs – add HIIT 2 more times per week
HIIT will create the calorie deficit needed for fat loss without sacrificing hard-earned muscle mass.
More Heavy Lifting for Muscle Gain
Trying to bulk up and build maximum muscle size? Ectomorphs and mesomorphs should:
- Increase weight on big compound lifts each session
- Add sets and reduce rest time between sets
- Use advanced techniques like drop sets, supersets, etc.
- Increase calorie intake, especially protein, to support growth
This progressive overload will shock your muscles and stimulate further hypertrophy.
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Target Lagging Muscle Groups
Do you have a particular body part that is overpowering or underdeveloped compared to the rest of your physique?
- Add isolation exercises targeting weak areas
- Increase volume on lagging muscles by adding sets
- Reduce volume on overpowering muscles
- Use advanced techniques like drop sets, supersets, etc.
This will help bring your physique into balance.
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Allow For Adequate Rest and Recovery
Don’t discount the value of rest and recovery, especially if you are training hard and heavy.
- Take rest days seriously – no intense activity
- Get 8-9 hours sleep per night
- Eat in a calorie surplus if bulking
- Consider deload weeks every 6-8 weeks
This allows your body to fully regenerate and adapt so you can hit the gym fresh.
BODY RECOMPOSITION: how I am losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time
The great thing about a 6 day split is it naturally incorporates both training days and rest days. This will help you recover optimally from both heavy strength work and intense metabolic conditioning.
Conclusion
There you have it – a fully customized 6 day workout plan tailored specifically for ectomorphs, mesomorphs and endomorphs. Now you can finally get out of that one-size-fits-all routine and start training in alignment with your unique body type.
The result? Faster results and a fitness routine you can stick with consistently because you will see and feel the changes in your body.
No more wasting time with ineffective workouts. No more confusion about why you aren’t seeing the results you want. With a dialed-in body type specific routine, you will be burning fat and building muscle in no time.
So take the time to properly identify your somatotype. Design your training split accordingly. Fuel your body the way it needs. Do this, and you will be shocked at the transformation you see in the mirror.
Ready to put this 6 day workout plan into action? Let me know if you need help customizing it further or have any other questions! The first step is identifying your body type. From there, we can build your perfect fat burning, muscle building fitness routine.
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FAQs
Still have some questions about body type training and customizing your own 6 day workout routine? Here are answers to some frequently asked questions:
Q: What if I don’t know my body type?
A: If you aren’t sure whether you are an ectomorph, mesomorph or endomorph, there are a few easy ways to determine your somatotype:
- Look at your bone structure – thin and delicate bones point to ectomorph, thick/large bones indicate endomorph. Mesomorphs tend to be somewhere in between.
- Examine where you store body fat. Endomorphs store fat evenly, ectomorphs store little fat at all, while mesomorphs typically store fat in the midsection if overweight.
- Consider your response to training. How quickly do you build muscle or gain strength when you start a program? Mesomorphs respond very quickly.
You can also consult with a personal trainer or use our body type calculator online to get a definitive assessment.
Q: How often should I do HIIT workouts?
A: A good rule of thumb is 2-3 HIIT sessions per week maximum. Any more than that, and it becomes difficult to recover fully between workouts. Make sure to alternate HIIT days with strength training or active recovery.
Q: Is it bad to only focus on certain muscle groups?
A: It’s generally best to train all the major muscle groups of the body – chest, back, shoulders, legs, etc. However, you may spend extra time on your arms, shoulders or other lagging groups to bring them up to par with the rest of your body. Just don’t completely neglect the other muscle groups.
Q: How much cardio should I do for fat loss?
A: Aim for 150-300 minutes of cardio per week for fat loss. This can be steady state or intervals. Track your results over 4-6 and then adjust up or down. Make sure you are also lifting weights 2-3x per week to maintain muscle mass while dieting.
Q: What if I want to gain muscle but lose fat?
A: The key is being in a calorie deficit to lose fat, but eating enough protein (0.8 – 1g per lb of bodyweight) to build muscle. Also, lift heavy weights and do metabolic conditioning like HIIT cardio. It’s a slower process but you can see results in 6-12 weeks.
Q: How long before I see results from this routine?
A: Most people see initial results like increased energy, better endurance, etc within 2-4 weeks. More noticeable changes in muscle gain or fat loss typically take 6-12 weeks as long as your nutrition supports your goals. Take monthly photos to track changes.
Q: Can I do other exercises if I get bored?
A: Yes, feel free to substitute new exercises in the same muscle group. So for example, instead of barbell squats you can try front squats, sumo squats, dumbbell squats etc. This keeps things fresh while still working the same muscles.
Q: How important is diet if I want to get in shape?
A: Diet is just as important as training, if not more! You can’t out-train a bad diet. Make sure your nutrition supports your goals, whether that be muscle gain via a calorie surplus or fat loss through a moderate calorie deficit.
Hopefully these tips help answer any lingering questions! Let me know if you need help with your diet, training, or customizing your routine further. Ready to finally get into shape? Let’s do it!
After working at a a leading weight loss brand for over 8 years she decides to start her own expert blog where she reviews the market's top beauty , health & wellness products and helps clients make the right choice for their needs.
