Understanding Your Body type : The Theory of Somatotyping

In the 1930s, and 1940s, Dr. William H. Sheldon, a professor from Harvard, became engrossed with the study of human body types. As a psychologist, it was Sheldon's primary intention to discover how body types were related to temperaments such as introversion and extroversion. As a part of his extensive research on the subject, which included studying over 4000 photographs and interviewing hundreds of people, Sheldon developed a classification system for body types known as somatotyping. Sheldon identified three basic body types: endomorphs, mesomorphs and ectomorphs. Endomorphs are the "fat retainers." Characterized by roundness, excess body fat and large joints ("big bones"), endomorphs often have great difficulty in losing body fat. Mesomorphs are the "genetically gifted." They are lean, muscular and naturally athletic. Mesomorphs lose fat and gain muscle with ease. Ectomorphs are the lean, skinny types. They are usually very thin and bony, with fast metabolisms and extremely low body fat.

Rating body types

Although there are three basic categories, pure body types are very rare. Few people are 100% of one body type and 0% of another. Usually there is a mix of two or even all three types. However, most people will tend to gravitate towards one type predominantly.
In order to more accurately classify people, Sheldon developed a 7-point scale to determine the degree to which each person held attributes of each body type. The first number ranks the endomorph component; the second number the mesomorph, and the third the ectomorph. For example, an extreme endomorph would score 7-1-1:Endomorph 7

Mesomorph 1 Ectomorph 1

A pure mesomorph such as a world champion bodybuilder who gains muscle easily and was lean and muscular before ever touching a weight might score 1-7-1:Endomorph 1
Mesomorph 7 Ectomorph 1

Combination body types

Combination body types are more common than pure body types. For example, someone who gains muscle easily, but who also tends to gain fat along with the muscle is an endomorphic mesomorph (endo-mesomorph). This body type is typical of football linemen, heavyweight wrestlers, shot-putters and many bodybuilders. This is the type of person with high levels of muscle, but the muscle is often covered with a layer of fat. Someone with this body type might score 5-6-1:

Endomorph 5 Mesomorph 6 Ectomorph 1

Another example is the ectomorphic mesomorph (ecto-mesomorph). This is the type of person without an ounce of fat and with some fairly substantial muscle development on a tall and linear frame. 

Basketball players often have ecto-mesomorph body types. An ecto-meso (think Michael Jordan) might score 1-4-5:

Endomorph 1Mesomorph 4Ectomorph 5

Because the lines between body types are obviously quite blurry and somewhat arbitrarily chosen, the question is, how do you know which is your predominant type? Let's take a closer look at the characteristics of each somatotype to better help you classify yourself.

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