More About The Ectomorph, Endomorph, Mesomorph – Part 1

Have you noticed that some people are naturally stronger than others or that some tend to put on more fat quickly? Bodybuilders have known for some time that different body types will respond differently to both training and nutrition. It was American psychologist, William Sheldon, who spent his life observing the different variety in the human form. From his work many have discerned three different basic types of bodies: the ectomorph, the mesomorph, and the endomorph.

Dr. Sheldon’s theories were very popular through the 1950s and influence such theorists as Dr. Maslow, Huxley and Robert de Ropp. Today many scientists believe these theories are outdated and have found a description of the somatic types against the present-day paradigm. But, interestingly, these body types also are of significant assistance to fitness trainers and bodybuilders who must determine appropriate ways of helping individuals to gain muscle mass or lose weight.

The individual who has an ectomorphic physique is typically very thin with a slight build and small joints. Often these individuals have long thin limbs and the shoulders tend to be thinner as well. These people find it very hard to gain weight. They often have a very fast metabolism that burns up calories very quickly and they must eat a huge amount of calories in order to gain and sometimes just to maintain their weight.

Typical traits of an individual who has an ectomorphic body shape are small and delicate bone structure with a flat chest, small shoulders and lean muscle mass. They have a linear physique which means that they appear longer than they really are because of the length of the limbs and the lack of muscle mass. These are not naturally powerful people and often have to work very hard to gain any amount of muscle strength.