DWhite2741
New Member
I was curious if anyone knew what body type they predominantly are and I was curious if I could get some opinions or a way to figure out what type I am.
What Bodytype Are You?
- Thread starter DWhite2741
- Start date
he is a small amount of info
on your somatotype.
i put myself in between a meso and an ecto(before i started training).
* Ectomorphic body type is characterized by long arms and legs and a short upper body, high forehead, slighty narrow shoulders, and supposedly have a higher proportion of nervous tissue. They also have long and thin muscles. Ectomorphs usually have a very low fat storage; therefore they are usually referred to as slim, Ectomorphs are also subject to more changeable moods due to the lack of body sugars to regulate the hormones, they are also considered weaker and less desirable compared to meso or endomorphs who are gentically more like to provide healthier offspring. Famous ectomorphs include Christina Aguilera, Johnny Depp, and Kate Moss, footballer Peter Crouch and swimmer Michael Phelps.
* Mesomorphic body type is characterized by a high rate of muscle growth and a higher proportion of muscular tissue. They have large bones, solid torso combined with low fat levels. It is also noted that they have wide shoulders with a narrow waist. Famous mesomorphs include Mariah Carey, Oprah Winfrey, and Bruce Willis.
* Endomorphic body type is characterized by an increased amount of fat storage, due to having a larger number of fat cells than the average person, as well as higher proportion of digestive tissue. They have a wide waist and a large bone structure. Famous endomorphs include Sarah Michelle Gellar (pear), Catherine Zeta-Jones (apple), and Jack Black (apple)
on your somatotype.
i put myself in between a meso and an ecto(before i started training).
* Ectomorphic body type is characterized by long arms and legs and a short upper body, high forehead, slighty narrow shoulders, and supposedly have a higher proportion of nervous tissue. They also have long and thin muscles. Ectomorphs usually have a very low fat storage; therefore they are usually referred to as slim, Ectomorphs are also subject to more changeable moods due to the lack of body sugars to regulate the hormones, they are also considered weaker and less desirable compared to meso or endomorphs who are gentically more like to provide healthier offspring. Famous ectomorphs include Christina Aguilera, Johnny Depp, and Kate Moss, footballer Peter Crouch and swimmer Michael Phelps.
* Mesomorphic body type is characterized by a high rate of muscle growth and a higher proportion of muscular tissue. They have large bones, solid torso combined with low fat levels. It is also noted that they have wide shoulders with a narrow waist. Famous mesomorphs include Mariah Carey, Oprah Winfrey, and Bruce Willis.
* Endomorphic body type is characterized by an increased amount of fat storage, due to having a larger number of fat cells than the average person, as well as higher proportion of digestive tissue. They have a wide waist and a large bone structure. Famous endomorphs include Sarah Michelle Gellar (pear), Catherine Zeta-Jones (apple), and Jack Black (apple)
I
imported_etothepii
Guest
Body Typing is BS, IMO. If anything, some people are genetically predisposed to gain weight easier or harder than others. Throw in a number of environmental factors, and you have the appearance of distinct body types.
<div>
(etothepii @ Dec. 10 2007,09:49)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Body Typing is BS, IMO. If anything, some people are genetically predisposed to gain weight easier or harder than others. Throw in a number of environmental factors, and you have the appearance of distinct body types.</div>
True, but that genetic predisposition comes out to some body type. The BS is the targeting dieting based on body type (or even blood type).
(etothepii @ Dec. 10 2007,09:49)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Body Typing is BS, IMO. If anything, some people are genetically predisposed to gain weight easier or harder than others. Throw in a number of environmental factors, and you have the appearance of distinct body types.</div>
True, but that genetic predisposition comes out to some body type. The BS is the targeting dieting based on body type (or even blood type).
QuantumPositron
New Member
Body typing, or somatyping as it is formally called, actually comes from psychology. A psychologists by the name of William Sheldon attempted to assess people's "temperments" based on the structure of their bodies back in the 1940's. The idea has been largely rejected since then, though the three classifications of ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph are still used. In my view they are a valid way to describe a person's body shape and to a limited extent their propensity for muscular development. A person's somatype can be altered with changes in age and body composition, namely fat to muscle ratio. The wikipedia article on the topic states that a mesomorph may resemble an endomorph as he/she ages with a decline in muscle and increase in fat. Likewise an endomorph may resemble an ecto or mesomorph if he loses large amounts of body fat through starvation or dieting and exercise.
It is my contention that muscle and bodyfat levels do not a somatype make. Examine the skeletal structure of the person observed. A mesomorph will have narrow hip bones and wide shoulders due to collarbone and ribcage size. An endomorph will have wide hip bones and shoulders of the same width. An ectomorph will have average to narrow hip bones with similar shoulder width though most notable ectomorphs have small bones, especially in the arms. Classically speaking, the endo has the largest bone size, the ecto the smallest, and the meso somewhere in between. A classic mesomorph trait is a torso to leg length ratio of 1. That is, if your upper body is as long as your lower body, or if it looks like you have short legs when you stand up straight, you have a meso trait.
Ability to develop muscle and strength is somewhat related, though not completely. In my own experience I knew a guy in high school who was short and slender, but remarkably strong. His bone size said ectomorph, but his shoulder to waist ratio was high. He had a muscular physique though he didn't work out. He did gymnastics as a kid. Interpret that any number of ways. The super heavy weight Oly lifters are usually endomorphic. The large bone structure and especially the large hips provides the ability to handle heavy loads. Olympic male sprinters are usually ecto/meso hybrids. They are tall and slender making them aerodynamic. Most notably they have very narrow hips. But they are also well muscled. Female Olympic sprinters have no hip to waist ratio to speak of. This trait makes them more aerodynamic, and as you can see it makes a difference.
There are many factors that dictate size and strength. Bone structure is just one of them. Other factors include muscle fiber density, muscle attachment lengths, fiber composition, natural androgen levels, etc.
Somatypes are a point of reference.
Some individuals will fit neatly into one category. Many individuals do not and are somewhere between two of the classical types. To get an idea look at your skeleton first. Look at your bone size, your waist to hip ratio, and your torso versus leg length. Consider your natural muscle levels and propensity to gain body fat second.
Before I moved away from Charleston I hung out with an ex-marine. He was built like a tank. He had 18 inch arms easy, even without lifting, very thick shoulders, and his torso actually looked longer than his legs. I asked him once if he'd ever lifted weights, because being a weightlifter myself I recognized he had the talent for it. I'll never forget his response:
"Dude, when I was in the marine core I worked out once for like 6 months. All of my friends said I made them sick 'cause they had been at it for years and still didn't look like I did. I quit after a while. I wasn't really into it."
I about died.
To answer your question DWhite, I am a classic ectomorph of about 6 foot 5. If I straighten my posture some more I will get to be about 6'6. My ability to gain muscle looks to be about average, though my slender musculature puts my potential relatively low. The upside is that dieting is not necessary for me. Definition is forthcoming. The muscle I do gain looks more than it is because of my bone size. And my height forces people's eyes to move around in order to scope me out, adding to the illusion of size.
I am working on a T-shirt concept:
"I am not a bean pole. Are you a puff ball?"
It is my contention that muscle and bodyfat levels do not a somatype make. Examine the skeletal structure of the person observed. A mesomorph will have narrow hip bones and wide shoulders due to collarbone and ribcage size. An endomorph will have wide hip bones and shoulders of the same width. An ectomorph will have average to narrow hip bones with similar shoulder width though most notable ectomorphs have small bones, especially in the arms. Classically speaking, the endo has the largest bone size, the ecto the smallest, and the meso somewhere in between. A classic mesomorph trait is a torso to leg length ratio of 1. That is, if your upper body is as long as your lower body, or if it looks like you have short legs when you stand up straight, you have a meso trait.
Ability to develop muscle and strength is somewhat related, though not completely. In my own experience I knew a guy in high school who was short and slender, but remarkably strong. His bone size said ectomorph, but his shoulder to waist ratio was high. He had a muscular physique though he didn't work out. He did gymnastics as a kid. Interpret that any number of ways. The super heavy weight Oly lifters are usually endomorphic. The large bone structure and especially the large hips provides the ability to handle heavy loads. Olympic male sprinters are usually ecto/meso hybrids. They are tall and slender making them aerodynamic. Most notably they have very narrow hips. But they are also well muscled. Female Olympic sprinters have no hip to waist ratio to speak of. This trait makes them more aerodynamic, and as you can see it makes a difference.
There are many factors that dictate size and strength. Bone structure is just one of them. Other factors include muscle fiber density, muscle attachment lengths, fiber composition, natural androgen levels, etc.
Somatypes are a point of reference.
Some individuals will fit neatly into one category. Many individuals do not and are somewhere between two of the classical types. To get an idea look at your skeleton first. Look at your bone size, your waist to hip ratio, and your torso versus leg length. Consider your natural muscle levels and propensity to gain body fat second.
Before I moved away from Charleston I hung out with an ex-marine. He was built like a tank. He had 18 inch arms easy, even without lifting, very thick shoulders, and his torso actually looked longer than his legs. I asked him once if he'd ever lifted weights, because being a weightlifter myself I recognized he had the talent for it. I'll never forget his response:
"Dude, when I was in the marine core I worked out once for like 6 months. All of my friends said I made them sick 'cause they had been at it for years and still didn't look like I did. I quit after a while. I wasn't really into it."
I about died.
To answer your question DWhite, I am a classic ectomorph of about 6 foot 5. If I straighten my posture some more I will get to be about 6'6. My ability to gain muscle looks to be about average, though my slender musculature puts my potential relatively low. The upside is that dieting is not necessary for me. Definition is forthcoming. The muscle I do gain looks more than it is because of my bone size. And my height forces people's eyes to move around in order to scope me out, adding to the illusion of size.
I am working on a T-shirt concept:
"I am not a bean pole. Are you a puff ball?"
DWhite2741
New Member
I dunno. I used to be skinny but then again my mother used to tell me before I even worked out that I had broad shoulders. I need to take a look in the mirror and see how my structure is to determine what body type I favor.
Determining what body type you are will not yield any useful information.
What you really need to know, and can only discover through experimentation, is how your body responds to over/underfeeding, training, etc. Some people put on fat easier than others, some lose it more easily, etc, etc, etc. Bodytyping will tell you none of this.
What you really need to know, and can only discover through experimentation, is how your body responds to over/underfeeding, training, etc. Some people put on fat easier than others, some lose it more easily, etc, etc, etc. Bodytyping will tell you none of this.
Sure it can reveal some very useful information, such as:
Endomorph: Stop eating so much food, tubby. Go get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked before you die of heart disease.
Ectomorph: Stop whining about everyone beating you up. Take some karate lessons or something. Try eating more than a sparrow once in a while.
Mesomorph: You don't have anything to whine about, so we don't want to hear it. "Ah, woe is me, I'm too naturally muscular. It's hard being me. Wah."
Endomorph: Stop eating so much food, tubby. Go get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked before you die of heart disease.
Ectomorph: Stop whining about everyone beating you up. Take some karate lessons or something. Try eating more than a sparrow once in a while.
Mesomorph: You don't have anything to whine about, so we don't want to hear it. "Ah, woe is me, I'm too naturally muscular. It's hard being me. Wah."
I
imported_etothepii
Guest
If one can change body type by exercise and diet (like I have), then there is no genetically determined body type.
The only really useful measuring rule would be if a large number of people were fed at what should be maintenance (for a person of equivalent height) for a long enough time and were only allowed to perform the same activities for the same amount of time. Would they look markedly similar or would genetic differences shine through? My guess is that aside from height and colour they would end up looking quite similar. If you then let them eat what they wanted to eat and do what they wanted to do you would see the more typical variation in body types but without any hard boundaries between them. I expect analysis would reveal a sort of bell curve type graph (normal distribution) of body sizes and fat to muscle ratio.
<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I used to be skinny but then again my mother used to tell me before I even worked out that I had broad shoulders.</div>
All mothers say that!
<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I used to be skinny but then again my mother used to tell me before I even worked out that I had broad shoulders.</div>
All mothers say that!
QuantumPositron
New Member
Body type is a function of skeletal structure. That doesn't change. Fat and muscle composition change. Hip width, wrist circumference, and clavicle width do not change.
Want to be an ectomorph? Starve yourself. Congratulations. Now you look emaciated too.
Oh wait. You still have thicker bones and wider hips. Guess you're an endo afterall.
Bone size and proportion are determined by genetic inheritance, just like the color of your eyes, hair, skin pigment, etc. Read the wikipedia article. The somatype categories are an archaic system of categorization leftover from a long defunct theory in psychology. They were not intended to convey information about response to exercise. Read the wikipedia article. Like Tot says, somatypes contain little valuable information. They are an interesting conversation piece and an easy way to sum up your physical traits if they happen to apply to you. Read the wikipedia article. Most importantly, stop worrying about it. Everyone looks better and feels better when they work out and eat right. Somatypes be damned.
DWhite,
If you are not yet 25 years old then your body is still growing. Your shoulders could get wider still. You could become naturally leaner. People's bodies do interesting things while they are growing. A childhood friend of mine was once short and obviously overweight. Last time I saw him he was 17 yrs old, 6 foot 1 and had a natural six pack. A friend of mine in college constantly had bruises on his shoulders because he kept running them into doorways and corners. He kept running them into things because they kept getting wider! He moaned about it all the time. His only form of athletics was video games. In some of his sophomore year photos he is skinnier than I am. Now he has a barrel chest and can bench 250 cold, and he doesn't work out.
If you're worried that you can't get enough muscle or can't lose enough fat because you may be this or that somatype then you're pounding yourself with false information. Like Tot says body types tell you very little about how you can change your body. And like I say, they're a defunct idea that had nothing to do with exercise to begin with.
If you want to see how big you can get then check out the HST size calculator on this site. Its scientific and its the best estimator we have.
Want to be an ectomorph? Starve yourself. Congratulations. Now you look emaciated too.
Oh wait. You still have thicker bones and wider hips. Guess you're an endo afterall.
Bone size and proportion are determined by genetic inheritance, just like the color of your eyes, hair, skin pigment, etc. Read the wikipedia article. The somatype categories are an archaic system of categorization leftover from a long defunct theory in psychology. They were not intended to convey information about response to exercise. Read the wikipedia article. Like Tot says, somatypes contain little valuable information. They are an interesting conversation piece and an easy way to sum up your physical traits if they happen to apply to you. Read the wikipedia article. Most importantly, stop worrying about it. Everyone looks better and feels better when they work out and eat right. Somatypes be damned.
DWhite,
If you are not yet 25 years old then your body is still growing. Your shoulders could get wider still. You could become naturally leaner. People's bodies do interesting things while they are growing. A childhood friend of mine was once short and obviously overweight. Last time I saw him he was 17 yrs old, 6 foot 1 and had a natural six pack. A friend of mine in college constantly had bruises on his shoulders because he kept running them into doorways and corners. He kept running them into things because they kept getting wider! He moaned about it all the time. His only form of athletics was video games. In some of his sophomore year photos he is skinnier than I am. Now he has a barrel chest and can bench 250 cold, and he doesn't work out.
If you're worried that you can't get enough muscle or can't lose enough fat because you may be this or that somatype then you're pounding yourself with false information. Like Tot says body types tell you very little about how you can change your body. And like I say, they're a defunct idea that had nothing to do with exercise to begin with.
If you want to see how big you can get then check out the HST size calculator on this site. Its scientific and its the best estimator we have.
Casey Butt has done a fair bit of research on potential size, based on data gleaned from an assortment of top, pre-steroid era bbers. You may or may not have the genetics to get as big as the bbers the calcs are based on, but at least you'll know what is theoretically possible without AAS. You might even be able to improve on the estimates if you have better genetics than Reg Park or Steve Reeves - not likely but I guess it's possible.
Max natural size calculator
Max natural size calculator
DWhite2741
New Member
Yeah I'm only 19. I would have to do measurements before I figure out my max size. If I managed to reach my supposed max size I could train like a powerlifter to lift heavier with the size I have already gained.