Bespoke body training

They are both right and wrong at the same time. Most people think in a linear fashion, especially when it comes to getting results, and that way of thinking is applied to all aspects of life. Take choosing your desired career; you know what you want to do, for example you want to become a surgeon. You make sure you do well at school, you then go to medical school, you complete a residency program, and finally after many years of studying, exams and residency you get your surgeon's licence. It's hard work but it's pretty straightforward!

That way of thinking does not apply to health and fitness. Everyone is different in so many ways, from our physical appearances, to the way our body responds to movement, right down to how your body processes the foods you eat.

Let's start with the physical, outer body. There are three main body types;

Endomorph

•Blocky

•Thick rib cage

•Hips as wide (or wider) than clavicles

•Shorter limbs

Mesomorph

•Broad shoulders

•Narrow waist

•Long and round muscle bellies

Ectomorph

•Narrow hips and clavicles

•Thin build

•Stringy muscle bellies

•Long limbs

You can clearly see different types of physique when you look at people. If you were to take three people - one of each body type - and gave them all the same workout, would they get the same results? Definitely not! It's true that there are general rules to working out, such as certain rep volume, tempo, rest, etc, all of which will give results. However, depending on the body type, the individual in question will gain different levels of strength, or lose different amounts of weight.

Fast/Slow twitching muscles

So we looked at the body types, now lets look skin deep and in particular, at muscle fibre composition. There are two types of muscle fibre composition: Fast twitch and slow twitch.

Slow twitch muscles fibres are good for endurance activities like long distance running or cycling. These muscles can work for long periods of time without getting tired.

Fast twitch muscle fibres are good for rapid movements like jumping or sprinting. These muscles contract quickly, but tire quickly too because they consume lots of energy.

So if you give two people with different muscle fibres the same workout, again you will see different results. An athlete with slow twitching muscles would most likely see great results if they were trying to gain mass if they had a program with a low repetition range.

A simply way of seeing if you have fast or slow twitch muscles is a 'one repetition maximum' (1RM) test, which measures the amount of force generated in a muscle contraction. To do this you will need some free weights, some that you can lift using about 80pc of your strength.

Ensure you are rested and then perform as many repetitions (reps) as possible in one single attempt.

Less than seven reps means you have mainly fast twitch muscle fibres.

Between seven and 12 means you have an equal proportion of fibres.

More than 12 reps means you have mainly slow twitch fibres.

The Gut

Otherwise known as the 'second brain'. The way our body process the food we eat varies greatly. Everyone talks about metabolism: People say they have either a fast or slow metabolism. Your metabolism depends on how much you exercise, and in particular how much weight training you do, due to the energy required to workout and repair the muscles. So people with a higher muscle mass will burn more calories than people with less, because of the amount of energy required to use the muscles. This in turn means the more muscle you have the more food you need to eat.

If you have someone who had a muscle percentage of about 40pc (which is very high) and over the course of a year it dropped to below 30pc their metabolism would change accordingly.

Conclusion

A lot of people think that if a program works for them, then it will work for everyone. Hopefully after reading the above you know that everyone is different.

Most training methods will get you the results if they are properly designed programs, but expect that you may have to modify things slightly if you want to get the best results, like changing rep range, volume and/or sets.

So when you read the cover of a fitness magazine and you see something like 'gain 7lbs of pure muscle in 4 weeks with this program' or 'lose 4lbs in a week with this diet plan' STOP and think! Is this program/diet plan designed for me? Most likely not!

One of the best things to do is to get yourself a good personal trainer who will put you through different training styles and who can assess you while you workout. A personal trainer will not only be able to show you the best way to workout for your body type, but they'll also be there as a motivator; to encourage you and keep you on track. It's a small cost but will pay off in the long run.

Read more of Daniel's blog at get out & about fitness.