Body Types and Genetics

Hello again...

To start off with today's topic, I'm sure many of you would have noticed that all people are born different dating from the genetics of their ancestors. Some are born thin, fat, some tall and short. Well, what I've learned from research is that there are generally 3 body types of people in the world but then there is also some born with a mixture of the 2. These 3 body types are listed as the ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph. Let's dive in a little about the 3 now shall we...

Ectomorph.
Ectomorphs are people that are born with genetics with very low muscle tissue percentage and smaller bones (which is what I have to live with... sadly) But anyway, all is not lost ectomorphs do have their advantages compared to the other 2 body types. One of the greatest advantage is that their metabolism is extremely high which explaines whay ectomorphs are usually very skinny (visually skin and bones). They have such a "super-charged" metabolism which pratically makes all the food they consume burn in the matter of hours and very little percentage of that food goes to fat. Which is also bad news for hanging on to those muscles you've just built before. You see, ectos are the onle body types which they can wake up in the morning and found themselves losing the muscle whcih they worked so hard to pack on yesterday. The basic traits of ectomorphs are :

• Definitive "Hard Gainer"
• Delicate Built Body
• Flat Chest
• Fragile
• Lean
• Lightly Muscled
• Small Shouldered
• Takes Longer to Gain Muscle
• Thin

Some of the famous ectomorphs are :

Lisa Kudrow, Kate Moss, Brad Pitt (did you see how his body looks like in TROY?), Seth Green, Edward Norton (think of 'FIGHT CLUB' & 'The HULK').

Since I'm also an ecto, I might have some good pointers on how you can pack on your muscles AND make them stay there! :) Let's move on to the other body type shall we...

Mesomorph.
Mesomorphs are the most potent body type to pack on muscles!! Their genetics are often highly desired by both ectos and endos. We often hate them so much as they can get very good results without really putting a lot of effort. They basically already have the athletic framework in their body and most of them looks ripped even if they have not done a single push up before!!

Here are some of the basic traits of mesomorphs :

• Athletic
• Hard Body
• Hourglass Shaped (Female)
• Rectangular Shaped (Male)
• Mature Muscle Mass
• Muscular Body
• Excellent Posture
• Gains Muscle Easily
• Gains Fat More Easily Than Ectomorphs
• Thick Skin

Some of the famous mesomorphs are : Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, the majority of Mr. Universe winners.

So, if you are born with a mesomorph body type firstly I would like to congratulate you as you do not need to bust as much sweat compared to the rest of us! But don't be too cocky, those FAT can still creep back into your body if you get lazy. Now, let's move on to the other body type...

Endomorphs.
Most endomorphs have a soft and round body and have a metabolism the speed of a 'Perodua Kancil' :) no offense though, but that is just how reality is. They often have the look of an apple or pear with a lot of mass in the center are of the body typically the abdominal area. Having small fingers and toes and large upper arms and legs. They tend to attract body fat quite easily and should you be associated to this body type, NUTRITION is the most important this you have to focus on!! Here are some of the basic traits of the endomorph :

• Soft Body
• Underdeveloped Muscles
• Round Physique
• Fat Loss is Difficult
• Gains Muscle Easily Like the Mesomorph.

Some of the famous endomorphs are : John Goodman, Roseanne, Jack Black.

The Combos.

Very often, people cannot be easily classed as one of the three main body types. Although there are some people who are purely ectomorphs, endomorphs, or mesomorphs with little or no characteristics of the other body types, very frequently, people fall into mixed categories, such as ecto mesomorphs, or endo mesomorphs, where largely, they are like the mesomoph, but with traits of the ectomorph (such as small joints or a trim waist), or traits of the endomorph (such as a tendency to gain fat easily).

Most of the information here are from the research of William Sheldon

William Sheldon (1898-1977) was an American psychologist who spent his life observing all the variety of human bodies. He taught at several universities and spent his career doing valuable research. As a child he was an avid observer of animals and birds, and as he grew up, this hobby turned into a strong ability to observe the human body.

You can easily look for some quizzes in the internet to find out which body type you belong to, one of the easiest to understand ones can be found HERE. Just 12 simple questions from bodybuilder and writer Paul Becker.


Hope you guys have fun figuring out your body types and I'll be back soon with another new topic, HORMONES and how they play such and IMPORTANT role for you to pack those pounds of muscles in your body.

Regards,
Terry