Ecto, Endo, & Mesomorphs: Training for Your Body Type
I tend to run and bike more when it’s warm and lift more when it’s cold. So a few winters back I set a broad goal to put on as much muscle mass as possible.
I was eating many thousands of calories a day, spending 5 days a week in the gym, limiting my cardio, and hitting the protein ceiling daily. My body was constantly hot, even on those below-freezing days, and I was getting plenty of eye rolls from my female coworkers when I tried to convince them that it’s tougher to eat food when you’re not hungry than to not eat when you are hungry.
I ended up gaining 13 pounds in a 4-month period but my body shed over half of that within weeks of returning to my regular diet. It was a constant battle of my brain telling my body to gain weight with the brain winning the battle for a short period and the body dominating the war.
Attempting to transition from an ectomorph to a mesomorph was an uphill battle and a worthwhile lesson for me, however, I stand alone as a sample size of one. For others, transitioning from one body type to the next is not only easy but it’s actually what our bodies prefer (see the picture of Ryan Hall in this article).
Today we’ll talk about why your body type isn’t (necessarily) your destiny, the evolutionary importance of different body types, and why you may not want to train just for your body type.
Source: greatestphysiques.com
Body Types: The Origin Story
William H. Sheldon was an American psychologist who developed the theory of body types in the 1940s. He was interested in the relationship between physique and personality and believed that there was a correlation between the two.
Sheldon studied thousands of photographs of nude individuals and classified them according to their body shape and structure. He observed that people's physical characteristics tended to be linked to certain personality traits and temperaments.
Sheldon's theory of body types was based on the idea that a person's physique was determined by their genetic makeup and could not be changed through exercise or diet. He identified three main body types: endomorphs, mesomorphs, and ectomorphs.
What Are The Body Types?
Ectomorph
Ectomorphs are individuals with a naturally lean and slender physique, characterized by narrow shoulders, hips, and a fast metabolism. They typically have a low percentage of body fat and a lower muscle mass. Ectomorphs may find it challenging to build muscle and gain weight, as their bodies burn calories at a faster rate. However, they can excel in endurance-based sports, such as long-distance running and cycling, due to their lean build and low body fat percentage.
The evolutionary advantage of ectomorphs is that their lean and efficient bodies were advantageous in primitive societies where food was scarce. Ectomorphs were able to survive on fewer calories and were less likely to suffer from health issues related to obesity. Additionally, their efficient bodies allowed them to cover long distances on foot, making them effective hunters and gatherers. However, their low muscle mass can also be a disadvantage in sports that require strength and power, as they may struggle to build and maintain muscle mass.
Athlete & Celeb Examples
Male: Steph Curry, Brad Pitt, Chris Hemsworth, Matthew McConaughey
Female: Allyson Felix, Taylor Swift, Gwyneth Paltrow, Keira Knightley
Mesomorph
Mesomorphs are individuals with a naturally muscular and athletic build. They tend to have broad shoulders, narrow waists, and low body fat. Mesomorphs are often described as being naturally strong and having well-defined musculature. They have the ability to gain muscle and lose fat easily, making them well-suited for activities like weightlifting, sprinting, and other power-based sports.
One of the key characteristics of mesomorphs is their ability to build muscle quickly. They have a higher level of testosterone, which allows them to add muscle mass easily. Mesomorphs also have a naturally low body fat percentage, which leads to well-visible and well-defined muscles. As a result, they are often sought after in sports based on strength, speed, and power such as soccer, basketball, and tennis.
The evolutionary advantage of mesomorphs lies in the fact that their muscular and athletic build was advantageous in primitive societies where physical strength and endurance were essential for survival. However, their greater muscle mass can also have disadvantages, such as a harder time with endurance-based activities and the need to consume more calories to maintain their muscle mass.
Athlete & Celeb Examples
Male: Usain Bolt, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Hugh Jackman, Michael Phelps
Female: Simone Biles, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez
Source: blog.mindvalley.com/body-types
Endomorph
Endomorphs are individuals with a naturally round and soft physique, characterized by a higher percentage of body fat and a tendency to store fat easily. They typically have a wider waist and hips, a slower metabolism, and a lower muscle mass. Endomorphs may find it more challenging to lose weight and maintain a lean physique, as their bodies naturally store more fat. However, they thrive in sports that require strength and power, such as wrestling, powerlifting, and football.
The evolutionary advantage of endomorphs is that their greater body fat percentage allowed them to withstand periods of food scarcity in the past. In primitive societies, it was common to experience periods of famine, and individuals who were able to store energy in the form of fat were more likely to survive. Endomorphs also have a natural advantage in strength-based sports due to their greater muscle mass. However, this advantage can also be a disadvantage in sports that require endurance, as the excess body fat can make it harder to sustain prolonged physical activity.
Celebrities
Male: Derrick Henry, Seth Rogen, Jack Black, Kevin James
Female: Serena Williams, Adele, Queen Latifah, Melissa McCarthy
The Concerns With Somatotypes
While Sheldon's research on somatotypes (see above) has been influential in the fields of anthropology, psychology, and sports science, there are plenty of concerns about this theory.
For one, there is a lack of empirical evidence: Critics argue that Sheldon's theory lacks solid evidence and is based on subjective observations rather than objective measurements. There’s a lack of scientific rigor since he relied on visual assessments of individuals’ physiques and some studies have found low levels of inter-rater reliability in his assessments.
Another concern is that Sheldon’s sample size was limited to untrained Caucasian males between the ages of 17 and 24 years old who were attending Ivy League schools. It’d be pretty tough to extrapolate findings from this niche group to the general population
Critics also argue that Sheldon's somatotype theory oversimplifies the complexity of human body types. Body composition is influenced by a range of factors, including genetics, environment, and lifestyle. Focusing on just three components (fatness, muscularity, and slenderness) doesn’t accurately capture the diversity of human body shapes and sizes.
Do You Need To Train For Your Body Type?
People are told to train for their body types because that’s where they see the results. Many in the fitness industry will say that an endomorph training for a marathon or an ectomorph focusing on powerlifting are fruitless pursuits because your body wasn’t made to do these. Stick to what your body is meant to do, you’ll hear them say.
Is this true?
No.
Even assuming that your body type is 100% genetic and is not influenced by your environment and lifestyle factors, training to enhance your already present features limits your body’s capabilities and, therefore, your ability to optimize your health.
As humans we’re able to do incredible things as Robert Heinlein in Time Enough for Love tells us.
"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."
— Robert Heinlein
From a physiological standpoint, your body is rewarded when you actively pursue movements of different kinds. Going for a run, doing sprints on a bike, pushing through a 20-minute HIIT workout, and maxing out your deadlift all have their place. Each of these types of exercise puts your body under a state of hormetic stress and then adapts to that movement to become better at doing that (read: stronger) for the next time. Furthermore, different types of exercise have more downstream effects of improving the health of your brain, heart, and joints in unique and specialized ways.
Focusing exclusively on exercises and nutrition that are tailored to your somatotype limits your ability to achieve holistic health. This rigidity is great for the elite powerlifter and the marathoner in the short term but detrimental to overall health and longevity.
That being said, there are some benefits to training for your somatotype.
One of the main benefits of training for your somatotype is for adherence. If you’re a mesomorph and you want to add muscle mass then this will come easily, relative to other body types. The same goes for an ectomorph wanting to crush a HIIT workout or an endomorph wanting to place well in a 10k.
Setting a goal and then playing to your body’s strengths is a recipe for success. Going with this narrowed approach means more efficiency and success in achieving your goal which often means better adherence. Whether you’re motivated by aesthetics, a medal, or a personal record, training for your body type is often a surefire way to optimize for adherence, especially if the alternative is sitting on the couch if it’s taking too long to hit those goals.
What I Do
Over the last couple of decades, I’ve had periods of narrow focus that often seesawed from cardio to strength training based on the season and my commitments at home.
With my ectomorph body type, I found my strength in endurance activities. Focusing on distance training allowed me to excel in races, which was a motivating factor, however, this specialization limited my overall fitness versatility. On the flip side, when I put all of my chips in on weightlifting I was able to lift more than the gym rat next to me who was 100 pounds heavier with 8% body fat but I could never come close to matching his hypertrophy.
Knowing what I know about the benefits of a well-rounded workout routine and having the experience to push my body in different directions, I’m focused on a split between sprints, lifting, HIIT, and some form of cardio which tends to be Zone 2. The season and my priorities to my family shift those pieces of the pie graph in different directions but, regardless, I no longer consider my somatotype a factor in my training. I use holistic fitness to train for longevity and healthspan.
Takeaway
Although somatotypes can provide some insight into our physical tendencies and traits, it's important to understand the limitations and potential drawbacks of relying too heavily on this framework. Sheldon's research on somatotypes, in particular, has been criticized for having a narrow sample size and lacking scientific validity. While training for your body type may help achieve body type-specific goals and improve adherence to your exercise routine, it's not necessarily the best approach for long-term health and longevity.
By adopting a more well-rounded fitness routine that incorporates a variety of exercises (HIIT, endurance or Zone 2 training, lifting) you can create sustainable habits that are more beneficial in the long run. Ultimately, the goal of fitness should be to feel good and live a healthy, balanced life, rather than trying to conform to a specific body type or ideal.
