Most people have combinations of the three body types. For example, some have an upper body that is ectomorphic and a lower body that is endomorphic, resulting in a slim upper body and a more fat-prone lower body, creating a pear shape. Sometimes the variation is not as clear-cut as having one body type for the upper body and another for the lower.
Height has little to do with body type, despite the fact that people tend to think of skinny people (ectomorphs) as tall and heavy-set people (endomorphs) as short.
| Ectomorph | Mesomorph | Endomorph |
|
Skinny, linear/ ruler appearance
|
Naturally lean
|
Smooth, round body
|
|
Lightly muscled
|
Naturally muscular
|
Gains muscle easily, but tends to be underdeveloped
|
|
Small joints/ boned
|
Medium to large size joints/ bones
|
Medium to large joints/ bones
|
|
Low body fat (without exercising or following low calorie diets)
|
Naturally strong
|
High levels of body fat (may be overweight)
|
|
Small shoulders, chest and buttocks
|
Broad/ square shoulders
|
Small shoulders, high waist and large hips creating a pear-shaped physique
|
|
Long arms and legs
|
Body fat evenly distributed
|
Difficult to keep lost body fat off
|
|
Difficulty gaining weight
|
Losing fat is easy
|
Slow metabolic rate
|
|
Fast & efficient metabolism
|
Efficient metabolism
|
Attacks of tiredness/ fatigue
|
|
Hyperactive
|
Gaining muscle easy
|
Lose weight slowly
|
|
Difficulty gaining muscle
|
Responds quickly to exercise |
DETERMINE BODY TYPE
Perhaps it was immediately obvious which body group you fell into. But, if it wasn’t think about how you react to food and exercise.
1. METABOLISM
Do you gain weight quickly if you eat the wrong foods or after going on a lazy holiday? If you lose this weight rapidly after a change in diet or some exercise, you are probably a mesomorph. If you struggle to lose these extra pounds, then you exhibit endomorphic features. If you don’t put on any weight, you most likely are an ectomorph.
2. EATING HABITS
Compare your eating habits with your appearance. If you consume a large amount of calories and are still thin, you are probably an ectomorph. If you eat a small number of calories and still appear thin and healthy you are probably a mesomorph. If you consume few calories and still appears heavy you are probably an endomorph.
3. SIZE OF JOINTS/ BONES
To determine whether you are small, medium or larger boned/ jointed, encircle your wrist with your thumb and middle finger. If your middle finger overlaps your thumb, then you are small boned/ jointed (ectomorph). If your middle finger and thumb just touch, you have medium sized bones/ joints (mesomorph). If your finger and thumb do not touch then you are larger boned/ jointed (endomorph).
4. THINK BACK!
To help determine your body type, think back to your adolescence, a time before age (metabolism slows as you get older, making you more prone to weight gain) and lifestyle transformed your body into what it is today.
5. PICTURES
Look at some images of the various body types here and see if you identify with any of the body types.
ONE LAST THING …
Everyone has the potential to develop a great shape – regardless of his or her dominant body type. Losing inches, especially off your problem areas, can be accomplished through proper exercise and eating habits. If you are a large-framed person, though you will never be willowy, you can be slender and fit, wear a size 8 with room to spare and look super sexy in a bikini. However, it is futile for a person with strong mesomorph or endomorph characteristics to aim to be willowy like an ectomorph, this will only lead to disappointment and ill health. Even if this target thinness were reached, it probably would not look good, could be difficult in the extreme to maintain and would continue to have adverse effects on the body.
Do the right cardiovascular exercise for your body type to improve your body and get the results you want. Also, ectomorph workouts, mesomorph and endomorphs need to train differently when it comes to resistance training.