Many popular fitness programs, including the ebook Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle, claim that a major factor affecting how you will respond to any exercise program is your body type. If you’re working out with a specific fitness goal in mind, should you use your body type to choose exercises, decide how much effort to exert in each exercise, and anticipate how fast it will take you to see results? Below, we discuss the three body type classifications sometimes referred to by fitness experts, tell you how to figure out which body type you have, and describe what is known about how body type may be used to make smarter workout and diet choices.
Where Did the Body Type Theory Come From?
The idea that all bodies can be classified into one of three categories, or somatypes, originated with American psychologist William Herbert Sheldon, who proposed that human personality traits correlate to certain physiological traits. Sheldon’s theory in turn built on more ancient ideas about human physiology, psychology, and spirituality. The three major body types as Sheldon defined them are ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph, and he proposed that a person’s temperament could be predicted by looking at that person’s body type. Although Sheldon attempted to prove through various personality tests and research studies a definitive correlation between body type and personality type, he was unable to support his theory statistically. His psychological theories remained popular throughout the 1950s but today are generally considered simplistic and outdated.
Despite the limited value of Sheldon’s somatype theory to predict human temperament, his observation that the body generally falls into one of three categories based on musculature, fat composition, and bone structure continues to have value as it relates to exercise physiology. What you should know is that your body type may be changed slightly or a great deal by changing your diet and exercise program, and your current body type may determine what aspects of your exercise plan will be more challenging than others.
So what are the body types?
Ectomorphs, often referred to as “slim” or “skinny,” are characterized by their slight build, delicate bone structure, and difficulty gaining weight. Mesomorphs tend to have an athletic build with wide shoulders and narrow waist and easily gain lean muscle mass during exercise. Endomorphs have a stocky build, tend to have wide waist and hips, and gain and store weight easily as fat. If your body type doesn’t fall obviously into one of these categories, use this quick 12-question quiz to help you decide which body type describes you best.
Diet and Exercise for Ectomorphs
The biggest fitness challenge for most ectomorphs is maintaining a healthy weight, so if you’re an ectomorph your workouts should focus on building lean muscle mass. In general, a challenging strength training program supported by a healthy diet designed to support muscle growth should be your central focus. Aerobic exercise will still be important for you to maintaining overall good health, but you should be careful not to over-exert yourself during aerobic exercise, as this could raise your base metabolic rate and make it hard for you to maintain a healthy weight.
Diet and Exercise for Mesomorphs
Mesomorphs are blessed with the physiological ability to shed fat and build muscle easily, so your biggest challenge if you’re a mesomorph will probably be maintaining the motivation to work out and eat healthily over the long term. If you don’t stick to a healthy diet and exercise plan as a mesomorph, you can still fall out of shape quickly.
Diet and Exercise for Endomorphs
Most endomorphs will be interested in losing fat weight due to their tendency to add and store fat. If your an endomorph interested in losing weight, you will need to pursue an exercise program with a high level of aerobic exercise combined with a strength training program that builds your lean muscle mass. Because high-intensity workouts will be important to endomorph exercise plans, be sure to choose supportive workout clothing (such as the right sports bra) and appropriate footwear to stay comfortable and reduce the risk of injury. A wholesome diet with sufficient nutrients and calories to give you energy will be important, but in many cases endomorphs will need to carefully monitor calorie consumption in order to lose fat.
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