Hmm....mesomorph, endomorph, ectomorph?? Could you tell us more about these body types, Phil?? I know; we can look that up, but.....it's so much more fun hearing about things from you...
Thank you, Anne!
While people will of course all have individual variations they are grouped by pshysiologists into three main "body types" - ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph.
I know it isn't politically correct, but I've always seen them as "skinny, regular and fat".
It's also how my teacher had shown me how to remember them:
"ecto"="e-c"="emaciated";
"meso"="muscular";
"endo"=endocrine gland ("My thyroid is under-active!")
Traits of an Ectomorph:
- Small “delicate” frame and bone structure
- Flat chest
- Small shoulders
- Thin
- Lean muscle mass
- Finds it hard to gain weight
- Fast metabolism
Traits of a Mesomorph:
- Athletic
- Generally hard body
- Well defined muscles
- Rectangular shaped body
- Strong
- Gains muscle easily
- Gains fat more easily than ectomorphs
Traits of an Endomorph:
- Soft and round body
- Gains muscle and fat very easily
- Is generally short
- "Stocky" build
- Round physique
- Finds it hard to lose fat
- Slow metabolism
- Muscles not so well defined
Mesomorphs have a seemingly easy time at pursuits such as weightlifting. They see the fastest gains and are usually the ones you see wearing the winner's medals at bodybuilding contests.
Of course there will be exceptions, but you cannot change your somatotype - you can only learn what works for it and what does not. There will also be what appear to be "mixes" - for example, for many years I thought I was a mesomorph with endomorphic tendencies ("muscular and athletic with a tendency to get fat easily"), but I was simply indulging in wishful thinking. I'm just an endomorph who knows how to train my body for maximum results, so in appearance I can almost equal a natural mesomorph, but when I STOP training I quickly revert to being a chubster. Most people can look at me right now and swear that I'm in "great shape" (6', 205 lbs.), but that's just the luck of the draw - the way I carry my muscle and fat "looks" better than the next guy. But I can FEEL that I'm out of shape.
From my mid-teens until I was married (28 years old) my "fighting weight" was 180-185 lbs. and I had no trouble staying at that level, even when I ate like a pig (and all the wrong things to boot). But that was a combination of working-out hard every day and youthful metabolism. Once I was married and was fed a diet rich in fats (think German/Polish cooking) and cut way back on my workouts I quickly blossomed to 200-205 lbs., where I've been ever since. Were I a true mesomorph my weight would have gone back down by now; alas, I'm a natural-born chunker (not excessive, certainly not anywhere near morbidly obese, just enough really for ME to feel and notice) and won't lose that weight unless and until I decide to change both my diet and my exercise schedule.
