Body Types For Men

Human beings come in many different shapes and sizes which depend largely upon eating habits and physical activity but are our shapes are ultimately guided by genetics. A man's natural body type, or somatotype, can have a large impact on his athletic ability in different sports. The three main human body types are endomorphs, mesomorphs and ectomorphs.

Ectomorphs

• Ectomorphs are people that have a naturally thin and slender body. These types of people can often eat large amounts of food without gaining weight and may even have difficulty gaining weight even if they try to due to a high metabolic rate. Male ectomorphs may find it more difficult to build up muscle bulk than other men, and typically have long, lean muscles. Ectomorphs tend to have narrow shoulders and chests and may have thinner bones that are more susceptible to breaks. Those with this body type tend to excel at activities that require a lightweight body; elite long distance endurance athletes in sports like marathon running are often ectomorphs.

Mesomorphs

• Mesomorphs are people with naturally strong and athletic-looking bodies. Men with this type of body typically have a broad chest that may be considerably larger than their waist. Mesomorphs are usually able to gain muscle mass quickly through weight lifting. They also usually find it easy to gain weight by overeating, but are also able to lose weight quickly by reducing calorie intake. Mesomorphs excel at sports that require a high amount of strength and muscle mass such as sprinting and throwing.

Endomorphs

• Endomorphs are people that tend to have thick bodies and are often short or stocky. Men with this body type tend carry a large amount of excess fat on their frame and have a slow metabolism which makes it difficult to lose weight and easy to gain weight. Endomorphs are also often able to gain muscle mass quickly, though muscle is often hidden by fat. Athletes with this body type tend to excel in sports such as American football and wrestling.

Mixed Body Types

• Although these three main categories of body types present a useful way to think about different body shapes, every individual will have a unique body that may not necessarily fit exactly into one category or another. Usually a person will be some mixture of the three body types, rather than lying at one extreme. For instance a person that is fairly skinny, but that is able to build large muscles might be a mixture of ectomorph and mesomorph and might excel at a sport like gymnastics.