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Ever felt that you eat less than others and still gain weight, while other people eat twice as much as you do and gain absolutely no weight? Well, today, I’m going to explain the science of body composition to help you to understand why this might be the case! Let’s get into it.
This is a concept that not a lot of people are familiar with that it can be really helpful to understand. Somatotypes are inherited body types that determine your general skeletal frame and body composition. There are 3 main somatotypes: Ectomorph, Mesomorph and Endomorph.
Ectomorphs are the thinnest with the fastest metabolic rate, mesomorphs are somewhere in the middle and endomorphs are the largest with the slowest metabolic rate. It is important to remember that these 3 classifications are merely designed to paint an abstract concept of one’s metabolic rate, bone structure and muscle size; it’s not as simple as a 3-part categorization alone. A person could be a mix between ectomorph and mesomorph or a mix between mesomorph and endomorph.
So, as I stated, if you are an ectomorph you may have the body type of a basketball player or a fashion model, and your friends may hate you for your ability to eat whatever you want and not gain weight. However, you may find it very difficult to gain weight. Some male ectomorphs may not be thrilled with their narrow-chested frames, and some female ectomorphs long for more womanly curves.
Endomorphs have lots of body fat, lots of muscle, and gain weight easily. Football linemen are great examples of endomorphs, as they are heavier individuals that tend to gain weight easily. Mesomorphs are right in the middle. They are often athletic, solid, and strong. Neither overweight nor underweight. They can both gain and lose weight without too much effort.
So, how can you use this to fit your goals. If you are an endomorph who desires to be lean perhaps cutting down on carbohydrate intake, particularly sugars may be beneficial. Cutting down on protein and fat if you are strength training is less ideal, as protein is obviously used for muscle synthesis and fat intake is necessary to maintain testosterone levels. [1] You likely would want to always incorporate cardiovascular exercise into your exercise routine. While, an ectomorph might want to do the opposite. They may want to sip on a sugary sports drink, only do some cardio to warm up, and then get right into strength training.
What are your thoughts on this? What else would you like me to make a video about next? Comment below!
Extra: The concept of somatotypes was discovered by psychologist William Herbert Sheldon in 1933. He named these after the 3 germ layers of development: endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm. He believed that these somatotypes could be correlated with a person’s personality type! For example, an ectomorph might be more introverted and intuitive while an endomorph might be more extroverted and hedonistic (pleasure-seeking). This is of much debate however, as many studies have found no correlation between somatotype and personality.
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