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Somatotypes: William H. Sheldon, PhD, MD, introduced the concept of body types, or somatotypes, in the 1940s. Since then, nutritionists, exercise physiologists, and even doctors have used it to help design effective, individualized fitness plans. Glenn has taken it a step further and applied it to tailored rehabilitation.
The gist is that everyone falls, though not altogether neatly, into the three categories below. Keep in mind that these are generalizations, and that most of us are combinations of two or even all three somatotypes. People are born with an inherited body type based on skeletal frame and body composition. Most people are unique combinations of the three body types: ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph. | Ectomorphs are long and lean, with little body fat, and little muscle. They have a hard time gaining weight. Fashion models and wide receivers fit this category. While most of us love to hate these genetically-blessed individuals, some male ectomorphs may not be thrilled with their narrower frames, and some female ectomorphs long for more womanly curves. |
| | Mesomorphs are athletic, solid, and strong. They're not overweight and not underweight, and they can eat what they want without worrying too much about it. They both gain and lose weight without too much effort. | | Endomorphs, on the other hand, have lots of body fat, lots of muscle, and gain weight easily. Football lineman tend to be endomorphs -- they're heavier and rounder individuals. They don't have to necessarily be overweight. Both Oprah Winfrey and Marilyn Monroe are classic examples of endomorphs. |  |
Your somatotype is a combination of your musculature, and your bone structure, and density. These characteristics are genetically determined and unchangeable. The width of your hips or shoulders, for example, you can't change them with exercise. No amount of exercise can transform a short-limbed woman into a lithe supermodel, or a diminutive jockey into a muscle-bound linebacker TV ads and infomercials touting gym memberships, diet plans, and exercise equipment can be extremely misleading. They show miraculous changes happening almost overnight. It's an illusion that you can be whatever you want to be if you just try hard enough and have enough willpower. It can even be dangerous.
Hippocrates stated “ Real medicine deals with the individual and not just the ailment.” Since there are in general three classes of common automobiles, ( Sport, Sedan and SUV ) and each one performs ideally in that function for which it was designed, it stands to reason, that the three bodytypes should perform likewise. If you take a Corvette or Lincoln off-road, it won’t be long to discover that it wasn’t designed for such conditions. Likewise an SUV on an oval track at high speeds won’t perform as well and is likely to turn over. Just as there are physiological differences between somatotypes, there are also psychological differences both perceptive and sensational among them. What I mean is that pain has as much to do with perception as with sensation. How an individual experiences pain is directly determined by there somatotype. If we take the three different vehicles mentioned above for a tune-up and apply the same specifications, it’s likely that only one will perform adequately afterward. So it is when working with the individual bodytypes. For example, if the client is an ectomorph with a bulging disk at L5, S1, this condition was likely acquired by having too much mobility and insufficient strength to support the structure. A mesomorph likely acquired this condition by having too much strength and not enough mobility overloading the structure. An endomorph likely acquired the condition through accumulated trauma or too much force transferred through the structure over a period of time. Therefore, the ectomorph, after dealing with the acute phase would concentrate on strengthening the region. The mesomorph would concentrate on creating mobility in the region. And the endomorph on decreasing the amount of weight transferred through the region. Psychologically, the ectomorph will likely be fearful of the pain and introduce too much apprehension in the surrounding tissue limiting the speed of recovery. The mesomorph often works through the pain increasing the amount of proprioception and negating the nociceptive feedback and ends up often prolonging or aggravating the condition. The endomorph will try to internalize and ignore the biofeedback leading eventually to depression hindering activity and begin intensifying the condition with weightgain. It’s important to know what and who you’re working with in order to optimize results. After all real medicine deals with the individual and not just the physical condition. To determine your bodytype click here SOMATOTYPE Endomorphs should do at least 30 minutes of moderately-paced aerobic activity five days a week. Try walking, bicycling, dancing, or any other activity that gets your heart pumping. When the pounds start coming off, add weight training two or three times a week to tone and strengthen your muscles. "Adding more muscle helps you burn extra calories all day long," | Endomorph An Endomorph's biggest concern should be the losing of fat and adopting a lifestyle that keeps it off. Strength training should be done to get a better muscle to fat ratio and therefore improve metabolism. Use moderate weights at a fast training pace (very little rest between sets and exercises). You should lower your calorie intake (but not try to starve yourself) and should eat frequent but small meals. Sugars, sweets and junk food should be eliminated from your diet. Engage daily in some activity like brisk walking, biking, etc., and try to increase the amount of time you spend each week in aerobic activity. | | Mesomorph A Mesomorph has a naturally fit body but to maintain it or improve it they should exercise and diet corretly for their type. Strength training can be done more often and for longer sessions then would be good for an Ectomorph, but you must still be carefull not to overdo it. You should train with moderate to heavy weights and at a moderate pace, not resting too long between sets. You will find you gain muscle quite easily (some women and even men might not want to get too bulky, but this won't happen suddenly. When you are happy with your muscle size simply train to maintain it). Stick to a good healthy diet to keep you lean and muscular, and watch for any slow creeping fat gains. Engage in and enjoy aerobic activities, sports, etc. but do not overdo. | |  If you're an ectomorph struggling to put some meat on your bones, first see a doctor to rule out any underlying medical conditions. Then, "take a good look at your diet." If you only eat three times a day, "try aiming for five or six meals." For snacks and meals, choose nutrient- and calorie-dense foods like nuts, dried fruits, sunflower seeds, and starchy vegetables, rather than lower-cal choices like fresh fruits and popcorn. Don't skimp on fat, either - make sure that 30% of your calories come from fat. When exercising, ectomorphs should keep cardio or aerobic training to a minimum while concentrating on muscle-building moves with fairly heavy weights. | Ectomorph Ectomorphs should concentrate on gaining weight in the form of good lean muscle tissue (some women that are too thin may also want to put on a little fat to look more feminine). Weight training should be done but not too often or for too long each session. Weight should be fairly heavy and workout pace slower (longer rest periods between sets). Diet should be high in calories (good quality food not junk) and you should eat more than you're used to and often. Aerobic and other activities (sports, dancing, etc.) should be kept to a minimum, at least until you are happy with your weight and looks. |
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