Have you ever thought of the following question: why are some athletes able to achieve their goals and create a beautiful, sculpted body in a relatively short period of time (1-2 years), while others cannot get off the ground even after three years of training? . Of course, it is difficult to immediately judge the reasons for this situation, because the issue is complex, and there are a huge number of factors that influence this state of affairs.
The final result is influenced by reasons such as:
- training system;
- conditions for classes;
- intrinsic motivation;
- desire, etc.
But the most important factor is and will be genetics, or rather, body features. Of course, you don’t need to think, if you have a thin physique, then you can immediately say goodbye to the dream of creating a beautiful, toned figure. You just need to be prepared for the fact that achieving it will take an order of magnitude more time and effort. After all, you are entering into a battle (even if not always equal) with nature itself, which gave you this source material for work.
The main goal of all people working out in the gym, regardless of body type, is the formation of a beautiful, harmonious body. Therefore, it is simply necessary to know how muscles grow. With this knowledge, the training process and recovery will be more effective!
Actually, we’ll talk about what body types there are, how to determine it, etc., in this article.
Who is a mesomorph: description of the body structure of men and women, photo
The mesomorphic (normosthenic) body type is as close as possible to the average statistical characteristics of the human body. The lucky ones belonging to this type are distinguished by an athletic build with the following general features:
- a small amount of subcutaneous fat, which is evenly distributed throughout the body
- slim, athletic and compact body
- medium width with skeleton and bones
- well-developed shoulders, which are often square in shape
- proportional body and limbs
- developed muscles
- elastic belly
- good endurance
- balance of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
- normal metabolism, which allows you to maintain a fit and slim body with proper nutrition
- the ability to quickly lose weight and build muscle with the help of workouts and diets
- usually with a well-defined lower jaw
- coarse hair
It must be said that, despite the natural athleticism, the mesomorphic type has the ability to quickly gain not only muscle, but also excess fat. Therefore, they need to adhere to a healthy diet.
Mesomorph physique
Mesomorphic men often achieve success in bodybuilding, as they are true natural athletes, whose typical features are:
- massive cubic head
- wide protruding chest
- trapezoidal body with a narrow pelvis
- predominance of the torso over the abdominal region
- wide shoulder span
- muscular limbs
- possession of natural strength
- rapid muscle growth
Women of a mesomorphic body type are the happy owners of a proportionate, slender figure, which is characterized by the following:
- legs are generally longer than the upper body
- shoulders slightly wider than hips
- average or above average height
- "curvy" and body relief
- The body type is usually “hourglass”, and in cases of excess weight gain – “apple”
Mesomorphs are people of action who are often endowed with the following qualities:
- aptitude for leadership
- courage
- assertiveness
- ambitious
- love for active walks and sports
- adventurism
- self-confidence
- pain tolerance
Mesomorphic type
The mesomorphic type most often suffers from diseases:
- digestive system
- respiratory organs
- rheumatism
- high blood pressure
Popular mesomorphic people:
- Bruce Williss
- George Clooney
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Hugh Jackman
- Sylvester Stallone
- Madonna
- Anna Kournikova
- Sydney Crawford
- Tina Turner
- Halle Berry
So, what is next?
Considering mesomorphs as a somatotype, we have never discussed the rules of training and nutrition. Despite the obvious advantages of the somatotype, it is worth adhering to certain rules.
- Maximum intensity training. Never be afraid to overtrain. Your initial testosterone level is higher than most exercisers. The more intensely you train, the faster you will achieve results.
- Elevator style. Prefer the lifting style to volumetric training - this will allow you to quickly develop the basic needs of muscle fibers and increase the percentage of dry mass.
- Extremely strict diet. If you want to achieve results not only at a competitive level, but also to look presentable, control every calorie entering your body.
- Prohibition on periodized nutrition.
- High metabolic rate. Unlike endomorphs, any change in the training program or nutrition plan affects you within 2-3 days.
Who is an endomorph: description of the body structure of men and women, photo
The endomorphic (hypersthenic) structure gives a person a fairly obese, dense body, which is characterized by the following features:
- spherical body shape
- medium or short height
- round head
- wide hips and shoulders
- short limbs
- large massive skeleton
- heavy bones and joints
- rather weak arms and legs
- developed but flabby muscles
- excess subcutaneous fat
- high levels of testosterone and insulin in the body
- prevalence of the parasympathetic nervous system
- low stamina and frequent bouts of fatigue
- ability for short but very powerful power movements
- slow metabolism, as a result of which the calories consumed are almost immediately stored in excess subcutaneous fat, which is very difficult to get rid of
- presence of a tendency towards obesity
- fat tends to be deposited in the abdomen, hips, sides, and shoulders
- big round belly
- slow weight loss
To have a good figure, representatives of this type must carefully monitor their diet (limit carbohydrate intake) and be sure to engage in cardio exercises.
Endomorph men are distinguished by the following external characteristics:
- stocky and strong, with a short neck
- despite developed muscles, due to the high content of adipose tissue they look quite massive
- have full shoulders that taper sharply at the extremities
- have a wide chest
Endomorph
Women of this type look very sensual, attractive and have the following characteristics:
- the splendor and softness of the contours of its forms
- large round breasts
- short but strong legs
- wide, full hips
- usually lack of waist
- shoulders, which are usually narrower than the hips
- body type – “pear” or “apple”
Psychological traits of people of the endomorphic type:
- friendliness and tolerance towards others
- love of comfort
- lack of aggressiveness
- need for love and encouragement
- slowness
- relaxation
- ability to fall asleep quickly and easily
- increased appetite
Ailments often found in the endomorphic type:
- diabetes
- atherosclerosis
- stomach diseases associated with high acidity
- liver disease
- high blood pressure
Star representatives of endomorph personalities:
- Danny DeVito
- Russell Crowe
- Oprah Winfie
- Jennifer Lopez
- Beyonce
Body type: MESOMORP, normosthenic, inverted triangle
The second type of human build that we will analyze is called MESOMORPHOUS - this is a “MESOMORP” normosthenic body type, if we talk about female types of figures, then in terms of parameters and characteristics it is an inverted triangle, mostly people of this constitution and body shape have a proportional physique, not thin not fat, dense, stocky, body type, the percentage of body fat is from 12 to 16%, they are not obese, they easily gain weight, both general and muscle, they can easily lose weight and lose weight, through training or proper nutrition, sitting on low carbohydrate diet, for example! They have medium bone, they are compared to
The ectomorphic body type does not have everything too narrow, such as shoulders, on the contrary, they have wide shoulders, a moderately slender waist, a seemingly symmetrical figure, they are of average height up to 182 cm for men and up to 176 cm for girls, women, their metabolism is fast and slow, there is no predisposition to be overweight, usually with such a physique people go in for sports and achieve better results in fitness, bodybuilding, weightlifting, boxing, karate, sambo, judo, mixed martial arts, and other sports where you need to have strong, athletic build, strong muscles, ligaments.
If mesomorphs are actively involved in sports, for example, fitness, and the goal is to gain muscle mass, then they can gain it quickly and easily, in a month of training from 3 to 5 kg of total weight, they can easily gain or lose, the reason for this is genetics, metabolism, predisposition.
In short, those who were born with this type of figure are lucky. YOU CAN JUST BE SILENTLY ENVY)
How to determine whether you are an ectomorph, mesomorph or endomorph: test
You've probably noticed that on the way to achieving a slim and fit figure, by doing the same exercises and following proper nutrition, people achieve completely different results. This is due to the fact that we all belong to different somatic types. Understanding which specific one you belong to will help you correctly adjust your daily diet, as well as develop the necessary training system.
In order to determine a person’s body type, there are a number of different techniques. The most popular are the following:
- according to anthropometric characteristics - indicators of some physical data of the figure are measured, and then using special formulas the person’s somatotype is determined. This method is considered one of the most accurate. You can undergo such testing in fitness centers or find a description on the Internet.
- visual assessment of your appearance and observation of your own body - pay attention to how quickly you lose or gain weight, as well as the width of your bones and the volume of your hips and shoulders. Remember what kind of figure you had in your youth (with age, your metabolism slows down, and this increases your chances of gaining extra pounds)
- by elbow width - the width of the elbow joint bent at a right angle is measured and compared with the indicators.
- along the intercostal angle - place your fingers under the lower border of the ribs so that they follow the costal line. Then you need to measure the angle that has formed between the fingers and copies the intercostal one (an angle of 90 degrees is typical for mesomorphs, acute for ectomorphs, obtuse for endomorphs).
- questionnaire – it is necessary to take certain measurements and answer the test questions as honestly as possible.
It should be noted that the described types “in their pure form” are rare. In reality, mixed options predominate. Typically, lifestyle and diet determine the presence in a person of certain external features that relate to other types of build.
If you have data of two or all three types, then testing can show the percentage of one or another body type in your figure.
There is no need to be upset if the test results show that you belong to an undesirable body type. Consider your somatotype as a starting point in adjusting your lifestyle and eating habits. Every person can change and acquire a slim, fit body. The main thing is persistence and a strong desire to achieve positive results.
How to find out and understand who you are - ectomorph, mesomorph, endomorph: determination by wrist
One of the simplest methods for determining your body type without using complex calculations and questionnaires is to measure the width of your wrist. It is believed that its girth is a constant value and does not change due to the gain or loss of muscle and fat tissue.
There are several main variants of this method.
Method 1. Grasp the wrist below the protruding bone with the thumb and middle finger of your other hand. The somatotype is determined depending on the location of your fingers:
- cover each other – ectomorphic
- touch each other - mesomorphic
- can’t reach each other – endomorphic
Method 2: Using a measuring tape, measure your wrist at its narrowest point. Now compare the result with the indicators suggested below:
- ectomorph - less than 15 cm in women and 18 cm in men
- mesomorph – 15-17 cm for women and 18-20 cm for men
- endomorph - more than 17 cm in women and 20 cm in men
Method 3. Enter your wrist parameters and your height in the table provided.
Calculation table
Of course, the above methods are very conditional and do not give accurate results, since they do not take into account the parameters of the lower body. Therefore, to more accurately determine your body type, it is better to use special tests.
Training tips for all somatotypes
In order to more or less summarize all the above information and draw certain conclusions, I suggest that you familiarize yourself with the general recommendations regarding training that are suitable for any of the types. Regular and correct implementation of them guarantees a minimal increase in muscle mass. So:
- Buy a gym membership, after which it is recommended to consult with a trainer who is suitable for you;
- Conduct your workouts with heavy and medium weights;
- Study carefully, and then use mainly basic exercises in your training;
- Don’t exhaust yourself (let the workout be intense, but not long, about 60-80 minutes);
- Perform the exercises correctly and avoid any kind of injury;
- Forget about long-term illnesses;
- Make a plan for yourself (nutrition, training, regimen, etc.) and strictly adhere to it;
- Take vitamin and mineral complexes regularly;
- Drink 1.5-2.5 liters of water every day;
- Forget about stress and get more positive emotions.
As practice shows, if you follow the recommendations given, you can safely count on the following indicators of muscle mass growth:
For ages 18 to 25:
- Ectomorphs – up to 5 kg;
- Mesomorphs – up to 6 kg;
- Endomorphs – up to 7-7.2 kg.
For ages 26 to 35:
- Ectomorphs – up to 4 kg;
- Mesomorphs – up to 5.4 kg;
- Endomorphs – up to 5-5.85kg.
Once again I would like to remind you that everything written above is not the ultimate truth. This is a kind of starting point for observing yourself, your body and its reaction to stress, after which you can draw conclusions and adjust the training system to suit you. And remember, genetics is a very important point in building a beautiful athletic body, but it can be changed at will. This will only require persistence and regular training and, of course, a reasonable approach. Therefore, there is no need to complain that someone is lucky, but you are not so lucky. A beautiful sculpted body has several secrets:
- Effective training strategy;
- Proper nutrition;
- Positive emotions.
And only then comes genetics.
Body types according to W. Sheldon
- Mesomorphic (1-7-1). A type of person with proportional body development, good physical development and mental stability.
- Endomorphic (7-1-1). People with excessive development of internal organs and excess body weight due to fat deposits.
- Ectomorphic (1-1-7). This type is characterized by poor development of internal organs, low body weight, fragility and sophistication.
If individual criteria are equally identified in a person, the physique is qualified as mixed (1-4-4).
