Trying to lose weight? Understand your body type first

There are three different ‘somatotypes’ – but which one are you? And what is the best way to eat and exercise for each type? Jack Rear reports

It is a sad truth that not all bodies are created equal. There are those who grow tall and lean, while others are short and squat. Some struggle to gain weight while others have a harder time losing it. Some pile on muscle after lifting a few weights, others remain thin no matter what they do.

Between 1940 and 1942, researcher William Herbert Sheldon conducted research which led him to believe all humans fit into one of three “somatotypes”. This, he said, would explain these differences.

Endomorphs tended to be shorter, stockier, and more prone to weight gain. Mesomorphs were those with an even weight distribution and narrow waists, who gained muscle easily. Finally, ectomorphs were those who were tall and skinny, with long limbs, but who were naturally leaner, according to Sheldon’s research.

While the precise measurements for what constitutes each somatotype does have slight variations between men and women (mostly to account for wider average hip size among women) everyone will fit somewhere into the somatotyping model. And although many of Sheldon’s more outlandish theories have been dismissed (he thought that your body type could identify psychological traits) the body shapes he identified have become a popular shorthand for explaining the genetic and physical traits which make up our bodies.

How to identify your body type

A glance in the mirror is often all it takes to identify your body.

Ectomorphic traits include being tall and lean with narrow hips, chests, and shoulders. You will tend to have longer limbs if you tend towards ectomorphism. The good news for ectomorphs is that they tend to have higher metabolisms and burn fat more quickly, finding it harder to gain weight in the first place. However, that can also make it much more challenging for them to increase muscle, so ectomorphs hoping to work towards a sculpted physique may struggle.

For people who are prone to mesomorphism, the body has a natural muscularity. They have narrow hips but broader shoulders and chests. Mesomorphic people tend to sit somewhere in the middle. They find it the easiest to grow muscle, but if they don’t maintain healthy lifestyle choices they can gain fat too.

Finally, endomorphic people have a naturally wider frame, though they tend to be shorter. Wider hips and narrower shoulders tend to be associated with endomorphic people. Endomorphs have a propensity for gaining fat and find it harder to lose it, but can also gain muscle and become immensely strong with the right training.

Can you have multiple body types?

“The most important thing to note is that everyone is a bit of all of them,” explains Prof Gavin Sandercock from the school of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences at Essex University. “There are extremes, but broadly, most people will fit somewhere between each of the somatotypes, with elements of all three of them.”

A sumo wrestler, for example, might be described as meso-endomorphic in that they tend to be squatter and fatter than the average person, but also need to be muscular. In contrast, the purest example of ectomorphy might be a female catwalk model who is very tall and thin, but even she will tend to have some muscle, putting her slightly towards the meso-ectomorphic range.

Somatotypes are usually plotted on a triangle with endomorphic, mesomorphic, and ectomorphic at each corner. The vast majority of people sit around the centre of the triangle, usually leaning slightly closer to ectomorphic or endomorphic. However, those with a lot of fitness and sports training lean towards the mesomorphic end.

Is your body type set for life?

“We all have a genetic potential for how much we can grow – height being the obvious example,” says Prof Sandercock. “If you’re well-fed in puberty, most people will reach their maximum potential for height. It’s the same for muscle or fat. Some people’s genetics mean they have a higher ceiling for the amount of muscle they can build, or the amount of fat they can lay down.”

In essence, those who have a higher ceiling for muscle growth we could describe as genetically mesomorphic. Those whose propensity for laying down fat is higher would be genetically endomorphic. And those who are genetically taller are naturally ectomorphic.

“For someone who is genetically mesomorphic, they will find it easier to make gains at the gym,” explains Prof Sandercock. “If you have 50kg of muscle mass, and your genetic ceiling is 100kg, you’ll find it easier to gain another 20kg, compared to someone who’s genetic ceiling is 70kg.”

However, even if you incline towards ectomorphy, if you eat unhealthy foods and do nothing all day “you will still gain body fat,” says Prof Sandercock. “You might not gain as much fat as someone who leans towards endomorphy, but you can still become obese.”

This process is somatotype migration. It’s possible for all of us to change our degrees of endomorphy, mesomorphy, and ectomorphy to at least some degree. “Alright, so you probably can’t become too much more ectomorphic because height is entirely genetic, but a lot of these traits can be moved,” says Professor Sandercock.

“Ultimately, knowing your body type is useful for managing expectations and setting targets. If you know where you are currently, and you know what body type you’d like to have, it can help direct your focus when exercising.”

It can be freeing to know your body type. If you’re naturally endomorphic, you will probably never have the gazelle-like frame of a catwalk model like Kate Moss, so why hold yourself to her standards? Why not look instead at the way another endomorph like Adele has transformed her fitness and health?