Genetics. You can be blessed with damn good ones, or be damned by them. In the gym, you see some lucky souls who do little more than lift a few weights every couple of days and build a tight, toned physique. On the other hand, some less-fortunate folks have made working out almost a religion . . . and are looking as though they're considering a change in faith. Even though all successful athletes have to work very hard to achieve their greatness, most - if not all - start off ahead of the pack thanks to a very generous gene pool. Well, you can continue to lament your bad luck (after, of course, you tell mom that you'd have preferred she marry someone like, say, Michael Jordan or even Arnold) or you can buckle down and make the best of what you've got.

Every woman has a genetic blueprint that dictates what type of body she has. But don't be fooled into believing that what you see in the mirror can't be manipulated and molded into something more. By carefully dialing in certain training variables based on your bodytype, you can enhance your workout program and speed your progress in the gym. The bottom line is that an overweight woman who wants to drop significant bodyfat and still build muscle shouldn't be doing the same type of resistance-training program as one who's stick-thin and looking to fill out her frame.

Bodytypes can roughly be divided into three basic categories: ectomorph, endomorph and mesomorph. An ectomorph is naturally lean with a fast metabolism. While this bodytype tends not to gain fat easily, muscle is also hard to come by. An endomorph, on the other hand, tends to gain weight rapidly and has a tough time losing bodyfat. Other characteristics typically include a large bone structure and a slower metabolism. Lastly, a mesomorph has a relatively easy time building muscle and keeping bodyfat to a desirable level. A person with this bodytype sometimes makes looking good look almost effortless.

The skinny chick: The Ectomorph
While a lot of women might say they wouldn't mind being in this situation, the truth is that those who have difficulty gaining - and maintaining - weight don't like to constantly hear about how skinny they are. "I get sick of it," complains my sister, Sherri, who drops weight quickly, particularly if she skips a few workouts. She struggles to put on muscle, training diligently and eating several times a day. After years of subscribing to the philosophy that if a little is good, more must be better, she finally listened to me when I told her she was overtraining. Ectomorphs simply can't be in the gym six days a week, training each bodypart twice

The best way for an ectomorph to build and shape her muscles is to lift heavy and train each bodypart once a week, getting plenty of rest between workouts, and refrain from doing too many exercises and sets per bodypart. "If really pressed, I'd have to say that I fall in the ecto-mesomorph category," admits fitness icon Minna Lessig, who believes that every woman is actually a combination of all three bodytypes to some degree. "I say this because my musculature is prominent yet lean. When I was a fitness competitor, what worked for me was lifting heavy weights for low reps. I chose compound exercises that helped put overall size on my body."

IFBB pro Lovena Stamatiou-Tuley agrees that staying in the low-rep range is a good idea, and suggests cutting the intensity and frequency of your cardio to speed progress. "You don't want to burn that muscle you're building," she notes. "Lift heavy weight and rest longer between sets."

Ectomorph Bodytype Workout
The ectomorph is typically thin with low levels of muscle as well as bodyfat. If your metabolism is fast, and you have trouble putting on weight, use this program to muscle up.