BDC #19 - Somatotypes: Understand it better for a better diet

Are you under a heavy diet or a heavy muscles train? Do you feel like your progress is extremely slow compare to the others? OR... are you actually envious towards those people who seems can't get anybody weight, no matter how many food they swallowed? OR for those who are to skinny, are you yearning for some tones on your muscles? 

Before we continue, look at this picture

 

The picture above should give a crude idea about what we are going to discuss about. It's telling about Somatotype. It is a system, developed by W.H. Sheldon (c.1940), to classified the body types in to three extremes. The name of the types in somatotype are referred to the three common name of the germ layers; ecto, meso, and endo. By adding the word -morph, as derived from morphology, there we get our three somatotype.

Sheldon evaluated the degree a body type was present on a 1 to 7 scale where 1 is the minimum and 7 is the maximum.

All people is made up of the three extreme body types; so we are all part endomorph, part mesomorph and part ectomorph. Using a score of one to seven, we can grade our bodies on each of the extreme body types. e.g. two, six, three means: two (low endomorphy); six (high mesomorphy); three (low ectomorphy). In this way, we can compare our body type with that of other people. This method of body typing is known as somatotyping - height is not taken into consideration.

But, what is the real benefit of knowing and understanding our somatotype? Based on Sheldon, there is no such a word of not-athletic enough. We can do some sports, build our bodies to the fittest, as long as we understand our body. By understanding this somatotype, we can optimize our work out to gain the best balance of muscles and fat (oh yeah...we DO still need some fat). And also, we can find the best sport for us by taking advantage of body type. What I mean is like, are you seriously thinking of taking body building as your career when you are actually the skinny-type? 

So, what are they actually? Let's take a look. (thanks a lot to this link) 

Endomorph

Endomorph (7-1-1) A pear shaped body A rounded head Wide hips and shoulders Wider front to back rather than side to side. A lot of fat on the body, upper arms and thighs

An endomorphic individual typically has short arms and legs and a large amount of mass on their frame. Their mass usually hinder their ability to compete in sports requiring high levels of agility or speed and perform sustained weight bearing aerobic activities such as running (though of course there are some exceptions). Sports of pure strength, like power lifting, are perfect for an endomorph. They can gain weight easily and lose condition quickly if training stops.

Sports Benefits

• Size benefits sports such as rugby where bulk is useful, provided it can be moved powerfully
• Tend to have large lung capacity which can make them suited to sports such as rowing
• They definitely can increase muscle mass much more easily than ectomorphs

Mesomorph

Mesomorph (1-7-1) A wedge shaped body A cubical head Wide broad shoulders Muscled arms and legs Narrow hips Narrow from front to back rather than side to side. A minimum amount of fat

A mesomorphic individual usually excels in strength, agility, and speed. Their medium structure and height, along with their tendency to gain muscle and strength easily makes them a strong candidate for a top athlete in nearly any sport (OK, I hear some jealous booo). They can sustain low body fat levels and find it easy to lose and gain weight.

Sports Benefits

• Respond well to cardiovascular and resistance training
• Can sustain low body fat levels
• All muscle groups can be used to derive positive training adoption
• Dependent on the sports' needs they can easily gain or lose weight

Ectomorph

Ectomorph (1-1-7) A high forehead Receding chin Narrow shoulders and hips A narrow chest and abdomen Thin arms and legs Little muscle and fat

A predominantly, ectomorphic individual is long, slender and thin; and therefore power and strength sports are perhaps not suitable as their slight build leaves them highly susceptible to injuries. While they can easily get lean and hard, their lack of musculature severely limits their chances in sports requiring body mass. Ectomorphs usually dominate endurance sports and gymnastics (though some skinny friends I know are not that flexible). They can archive low levels of body fat which can be detrimental to health. BEWARE for females in endurance sports, it can result in a cessation of periods and iron deficiency.

Sports Benefits

• Light frame makes them suited for aerobic activity like gymnastics
• Smaller body surface area also enhances their suitability for endurance activity
• Their body is better at thermo-regulation, important in endurance based sports

SO, what is your somatotype? Is it match with your favorite sports?