How does a person know what their body type is?

L

likes2bfit

Cathlete
How can I tell if I'm an endomorph, ectomorph or mesomorph, and what is the best way to design a work out based.

I am 5'2" have VERY muscular legs, fairly fit arms and shoulders, and @ 41 have a little belly fat that haunts me. I weigh 133lbs. and work out 6 days/week. 3 strength days and 4 cardio sessions per week. I use Pure Strength, Body Max, Step Heat and a treadmill & bike.
 
Dear Likes 2 Be Fit....

Cute call sign!
Below is a copy/paste of an article I found on the web re: body types and exercise. There are books available (check out Amazon.com) on this topic.
Good Luck!
Lynn Finn
********


<<Foot.com News and Info

Choose an Exercise That Suits Your Body Type

Exercise can do wonders to get rid of unwanted pounds and tone up flabby muscles. But it can't turn a short, stocky person into a tall, willowy reed, or a slightly built person into a brawny bruiser. However, your body type may make you better suited to some activities than to others.
Most people fall into one of three categories: endomorphs, mesomorphs, or ectomorphs, based on their overall build, distribution of body fat, muscle tone, and height. (Some people show characteristics of more than one type.)

Endomorphs may be described as: Chubby, round, or soft looking. Broader at the hips than at the shoulders. Small-boned. Not very muscular. Carrying a higher-than-average amount of body fat.

Endomorphs are poor candidates for jogging or any activity that calls for high impact with the ground. They're good candidates for low-impact or nonimpact activities like biking, walking, or swimming, which minimize strain on the body frame.

Mesomorphs are usually described as: Big-boned, with a strong, muscular physique. Broad-shouldered, with a narrow waist. Rugged looking.

Mesomorphs are good candidates for walking, and short-distance running (like 5-kilometer races) but not marathons, martial arts, or sports requiring balance, power, and agility (like power lifting, tennis, or boardsailing).

Ectomorphs are usually described as: Tall, with a long, slender neck. Having narrow shoulders, chests, and hips. Relatively long limbed. Having small wrists and ankles. Having little body fat. Having difficulty developing powerful muscles.

Ectomorphs are poor candidates for swimming (since they have so little body fat for buoyancy) and sprinting. They're good candidates for jogging, skipping rope, basketball, tennis and other racquet sports, and cross-country skiing.

SOURCE: HealthyLife® on Fitness (Southfield, Mich.: American Institute for Preventive Medicine, 1987).
 
Found the following on the internet:

Ectomorph, Mesomorph
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Different Training Needed for Different
Body Types

By Lori Braun
I am a Mesomorph

It is important for you to stick to the
basics until you get to know how your
body responds to weight training.
People do not respond the same
exact way to training and what works
for one type will not necessarily work
for another. One method of
categorizing body types recognizes
three different physical types and
it is called "somatotypes".

The ectomorph: short upper body, long arms and legs, long
narrow feet and hands, and very little fat storage. This body type
has a narrow chest and narrow shoulders and long, thin muscles.

The mesomorph: large chest, long torso, solid muscle structure

The endomorph: short musculature, round face, short neck ,
wide hips, and heavy fat storage.

No one is totally one type but a combination of all three types.
Any body type can be developed with the correct training and
nutrition however people with different body types will need to
approach their training with different objectives, even though they
may all have the same goals.

Ectomorph Training
The ectomorph's first objective is gaining weight and muscle
mass. Strength and endurance will need to be developed and
muscle mass develops very slowly. Stay with the basic exercises
and include power moves that build maximum mass. Do an entire
training workout, but take longer rest periods if you need to.
Take in more calories than you are accustomed to and use
weight-gaining and protein drinks to supplement your food intake.
Try not to expend to many calories by keeping cardio to a
minimum saving them for muscle building.

Mesomorph Training
The mesomorph will find it easy to build muscle mass but will
have to include a variety of exercises in their program so that the
muscles develop proportionately and shapely rather than bulky. A
combination of heavy power moves and a variety of shaping
exercises and a more varied for better quality, proportion and
symmetry of the physique. Long workouts and short rest time.
The mesomorphic type responds well to training so super-long
sessions are not needed. A balanced diet with a good amount of
protein and maintain an even calorie level all time.

Endomorph Training
The endomorph will not have much difficulty building muscle but
will have to be concerned with losing fat weight and be careful not
to gain the weight back. High-set, high-repetition training with
short rest periods to burn off as much fat as possible. Additional
aerobic exercise for calorie consumption. A low-calorie diet that
contains the necessary nutritional balance with the minimum
amount of protein, carbohydrates and fats. Make sure that you
are getting the right amount of vitamins and mineral supplements
the body needs.

Hope this helps.

Greybird
 
RE: If I had a dollar for every time I was told I

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Feb-25-02 AT 07:13AM (Est)[/font][p] was "big boned", I'd be rich. I am quite sure that I am a classic mesomorph and you (likes2befit) sound like one too. There are of course combinations but I don't think everyone is necessarily that (a combination I mean).

Kim
 
Thanks soo much for the article! I've printed it, and decided I am a mesomorph with a little too much body fat at present! I will check out other sources to see about the most efective excersise rotations for each. :)
 
Thanks christi. :)
My resaults seemed to conflict with the posts from above. But I have more info now than when I started :)
 
You guys are such an educated crowd!!!!

I am a endomorph, all the way. I am going to follow this advice for a month, and see how it goes. It says more steady state cardio in the IVillage.com page, plus no kickboxing!!!!! OUCH!! It also tells me lighter weights, faster reps, Power Hour here I come!!!!!! I have very little Cathe aerobic tapes. I have Rythmatic Step, although I have only *tried* it twice. I hate to say it, I do have some of the Firm, do you think I should mix them in too?? This website is the best, I love it here!!! Thanks!!!!
Lori
 
RE: You guys are such an educated crowd!!!!

I'm not sure how much stock I would put into advice given from a body type quiz comprised of 4 questions. Especially when it tells me to avoid tricep kickbacks and extensions - no way!
 
RE: You guys are such an educated crowd!!!!

Maybe that's because it's not what I wanted to hear, but I still have gotten good results in the past doing exercises they just advised me against. Oh well - everyone is different. ;-)
 
I Agree!!!!!

I don't agree with everything it said, but I will try some higher reps with lower weights for awhile and see what that does for me. For my body type it said no squats, or lunges. I will use lighter weights, but not stop doing them!!!
 
I have always had so much trouble applying these ideas. I think that I am two, can that be possible?

I am like a mesomorph is that I am "Big-boned, with a strong, muscular physique. Broad-shouldered, with a narrow waist. Rugged looking." But I am like an ectomorph int hat I am "Tall, with a long, slender neck. Relatively long limbed. Having difficulty developing powerful muscles."


I don't think that I have "narrow shoulders, chests, and hips or "small wrists and ankles and little body fat." I am not certain that I am rugged looking either, come to think of it! I am really a general mix of the two!

So how do I apply these ideas? Ahh! :)
 
Hi Timber99,
You and I sound like twins!! I have the exact same build as you - tall (6ft) broad shoulders, muscular build, but long limbs with a very generous covering of fat!!
I think you've hitthe nail on the head in that most people are a blend of 2 bodytypes. I think our bodytype would be "endo/mesomorph", in that we are slightly bigger through the top or bottom half of our bodies. I am fairly equally proportioned, but would say that my shoulders are broader than my hips when I am in shape and at a good weight.
In applying your bodytype to the type of exercising you should do, I can only say to do what feels right for you and what you enjoy. Personally I am not a runner and when I have tried running in the past it has been really uncomfortable. However, I love Step and Kickbox, which apparently I'm not supposed to do based on my bodytype.
I think your own body will give you a good gage of what is comfortable and what is not.

Kaz.
 
Kaz,

I also have a tough time with running (although sometimes I break into a good run while walking with the doggies!) and LOVE step and kickboxing! My trouble is building muscle - can't seem to get passed where I am and have "visible" muscle without flexing. I have tried many things and am still trying but it seems hopeless :(

Christine
 
Christine,
I know what you mean - although I have a "muscular" build, I too find it quite difficult to get that "cut" look. I get good tone, but those tight, hard muscles seem to elude me. Mind you, I am relatively new to strength/weight training, so perhaps it's a case of time. My arms are very long - the distance from my shoulder to my elbow is long, as is from my elbow to my wrist. Perhaps this is why we can't make those tight muscles?? Generally speaking, men tend to have shorter biceps, triceps and forearms, which is one of the reasons they can build those impressive muscles when they weight train.
No disrespect at all to Cathe, I think she looks amazing and in fitting with her body-type, but I don't actually want achieve muscles like her. I'd personally rather have a lean, toned look with some decent muscle definition? Does that make sense?
I must admit, I have been seeing good results from using the CTX upper body training 2 x per week, and hope to start an S&H rotation shortly, so maybe this will help.
Have you tried S&H and if so, has it made any difference? If not, perhaps we just have to bow to genetics on this one!?
Kaz.
 
I am looking for a Cathe-type body, but I just don't think that I can achieve that with my body type! Can a very tall woman (6 feet) get that type of definition? Keep in mind that I have been at the weights for about a year and a half, heavy lifting for about 6 months. I have an our or a bit more per day to workout and cannot spare more. Maybe if I could, I would get those results, dunno!

Yes, I have S&H and I love that series. I am getting Pure Strength after I receive my tax refund! You use the S&H with shorter rotation cycles to break through plateaus but you use PS more often. I think that might help me out, but not sure. I am willing to try anything! I also use Firm tapes and do gym cardio (step class) at least once but sometimes twice per week.

Are we bound to a certain body development due to our genetics, I wonder? Maybe Cathe will chime in or we could post separately.
 
Hi Timber99,
I think genetics will always play an essential role in the ability to build (or not) muscle. However, if you look at someone like Keli Roberts (who I believe is quite tall and has longer limbs) she has great muscle definition. Then again, she works out for a living so it's safe to say that she probably works out much more than we have the time for. I don't necessarily think it's about working out MORE, but rather working out WISELY. Have you thought about maybe doing more strength/weight work and keeping cardio to a minimum? Whilst it's important to work the heart cardiovascularly, maybe doing more weight work will give you the results you want? Perhaps you could do strength work 4-5 times per week (working each body part three times) and cardio 2-3 times per week and see what happens? Just make sure you don't work the same body parts on consecutive days, and eat enough to fuel your workouts. I think there was a thread somewhere on this Forum about how doing too much cardio can limit your ability to build muscle.
I think posting a specific question to Cathe about this subject would be a great idea. We may also get the benefit of answers/advice from our fellow Forum friends.
Kaz.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top