[Nascimento]

For those who are not aware, there are 3 somatotypes, or rough ways to describe body shape and structure. They are Ectomorph, Mesomorph, and Endomorph.

I know some people don't agree with the notion that we each have a distinct body type that was given to us and there is little we can do to change it. I used to think this as well, but as of lately I have been reflecting and doing more reading and I am starting to think otherwise.

Having said that, my current theory on somatotypes is that they are what is given to you, and you will have to work hard to minimize its disadvantages, and you will most certainly enjoy its advantages.

This article is a good reference point, in most cases, if you are interested in finding which type is most likely yours: http://www.muscleandstrength.com/article...morph.html

Its important to note that you can also be a hybrid of two different types.

Lately, I've been a bit bothered with the fact that it's so easy for me to add fat to my frame, and extremely difficult to remove it. No matter what my lifestyle is, if its one with extreme amounts of resistance training workouts, or daily 12 km bike rides up and down hills to work, or a mix of the two; my body fat stays around the same range. Even if I cut my overall calories and increase my protein consumption, I will start to lose a few pounds, but my body shape remains more or less the same (small gut, soft body).

But at the same time, I'm glad in that I can go a long amount of time without resistance training and lose little to no muscle. I stayed away from the gym for a month and lost little to no muscle mass. I'm also very strong for my body height and weight.

These are my endomorph characteristics, evidently the bad and good sides to it. But I can't fully conclude on being an endo, because I don't have thick wrists (bone structure), and although I have a soft and small gut, I have a thin waist and broad shoulders/back in contrast, giving me a V shaped torso with potential for growth. These are some mesomorph characteristics.

I'm not tall, defined, and I don't have anywhere near a high metabolism as an ecto.

This leads me to conclude I am probably an endo-meso mix.

Furthermore, a few questions:

What do you guys think about the somatotypes?

What have your body's responses to fitness and nutrition been, in contrast with your 'somatotype'?

How much do you think they are true, based on your experiences?

[Albertron]

I have an ectomorph body type. I consume a minimum of 5000 calories a day, followed by a very taxing workout regime to improve my physical performance and health as I work 2 jobs. I'm 'perma-bulking' in that I really don't care about aesthetics right now as much as being injury free and powerful, but I still have a difficult time gaining weight. Current specs are 6 feet tall and 205 lbs. Unsure of my body fat as I never measured it. Because I have broad shoulders and big legs with a small tummy, I look good with form-fitting (not tight) clothes, but I am definitely not even close to being ripped.

Last year, when I ate a regular 3 meals a day (lots of junk food and eating out) and stopped working out for a period of 8 months, my weight dropped to as low as 170 lbs. Lost a lot of muscle mass. It is very difficult for my body to gain muscle mass, even though I consume a lot of food and work out 5 days a week.

My older brother doesn't eat a lot, doesn't work out, and he is getting fatter every year. When he does workout, such as jogging, and eating good foods, it takes him months before a noticeable difference in his figure kicks in. But as soon as he gets off that regime, the weight all comes back and then some. Evidently, he's a mesomorph.

So from my experience and seeing other people talk about their weight issues or successes, I do believe that they are true. Though I also believe that not everyone can be placed in one category exclusively.

[BortimusPrime]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somatotype_...psychology

Psuedoscience.

Ultimately there isn't a great deal of difference in metabolic efficiency between individuals, and studies claiming to show people who eating nothing and get fat or skinny people claiming to eat a million calories a day but are still getting sand kicked in their face by bullies at the beach invariably turn out to have subjects self-reporting their eating habits.

A fat person eats a footlong tuna sub sandwich with extra mayo and bacon and thinks he ate healthy because it's subway and subway is healthy.

A skinny person eats a six inch veggie sub without cheese and thinks he's bulking.

[Bad Hussar]

(09-11-2013 01:23 AM)BortimusPrime Wrote:  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somatotype_...psychology

Psuedoscience.

Ultimately there isn't a great deal of difference in metabolic efficiency between individuals, and studies claiming to show people who eating nothing and get fat or skinny people claiming to eat a million calories a day but are still getting sand kicked in their face by bullies at the beach invariably turn out to have subjects self-reporting their eating habits.

A fat person eats a footlong tuna sub sandwich with extra mayo and bacon and thinks he ate healthy because it's subway and subway is healthy.

A skinny person eats a six inch veggie sub without cheese and thinks he's bulking.

Ja. Unless you've painstakingly measured EVERYTHING you've eaten over at least two weeks and properly calculated the total calories, makros, and calories per makro nutrient you're laregely imagining things.

Not that I've ever done this myself, since I've never had a problem with weight, but a man who is overweight really needs to do this to understand his personal predicament. Women also need to do this, but the logical approach would be less appealing to them.

Once you know exactly what you actually eat, when you eat it etc. you'll be in a much better position to figure out how to move ahead.

Personally I think most will find that the "culprits" are the cheap and nasty carbs (rather than fats in general), and eating late at night.

[MikeCF]

(09-11-2013 01:23 AM)BortimusPrime Wrote:  

Ultimately there isn't a great deal of difference in metabolic efficiency between individuals

Hah. This is such bullshit.

One of my best friends in high school was a cross country runner. We'd eat the same foods and he would (to his frustration) weigh 135 pounds and not gain a pound where as I would get chubby with a quickness.

Some men are able to handle carbs well. They can process simple sugars and drink soda.

I am not one of those men. A can of coke or a plate of pancakes is going to put me to sleep.

To lose fat, I have to drop my carbs way down.

I don't have any insulin resistance, either. My fasting glucose and insulin levels are always low.

When you actually train yourself and others, you see individual differences emerge immediately.

Part of being a good "strength coach" is learning to spot and address these differences.

[Unplugged Beta]

Regarding the question asked, I think somatypes are probably not an accurate way of describing how things actually work. While people definitely have different metabolisms and display different ways of depositing fat around their body, ultimately a person's body tends to respond to "calories in" versus "calories out" in the same way.

If you log all of your eating habits throughout the week, and know your TDEE (how much you burn each day), there will be no surprises when you gain/lose weight. I burn 2100 calories a day just sitting around doing nothing; if I only eat 1600 calories a day, I'll burn a pound of fat a week (at 3500 calories per pound). Comparably, if I eat 2600 calories a day, I'll gain about a pound per week.

If you know what your metabolism is (established through experimentation and analysis across long time periods), then it is possible to get an extremely accurate idea of how much weight you can gain following a certain diet. My first step to learning Game was to lose my prodigious weight; 120 pounds doing nothing but that. Anecdotal, but it worked.

Muscle mass is a slightly different beast, but Martin Berkhan seems to be onto something with his leangains system.

[freewheeler]

I'd be interested to see how the hormonal profiles and other biological markers of individuals with diff. somatotypes vary. That would be my guess to the basis of the different somatotypes. That being said, if you're an endo you can change your appearance to that of an ecto or meso, you just need to put in the work.