What is my body type, and can I train for it?

In the 1940s, a University of Houston professor named William Sheldon formulated the concept that all humans fall into one of three body types, or somatotypes.

It was bold. It was revolutionary. It was complete nonsense.

The whole idea of ​​A Three sizes fit all The classification system is not supported by science. In fact, it has been completely ostracized almost since its introduction. But this did little to slow the flow of misinformation, which Sheldon based largely on personal observation.

Just in case you’ve forgotten or are unaware of this classic junk science, a brief review might be in order.

What are the three different body types?

Like many of us, there’s a good chance you learned about the three physical types in middle school health class. And on the surface, they probably seemed pretty reasonable.

Ectomorph

Ectomorphs are described as tall and slender, with thin waists and little body fat or muscle mass. Gaining weight can be difficult, but losing weight comes relatively easy. Imagine Zoe Saldana or Bruce Lee.

Endomorph

According to Sheldon, endomorphs carry abundant reserves of fat and muscle in the body, which makes gaining weight easy and therefore losing weight more difficult. Here, think Serena Williams or Chris Pratt (ca Parks and recreation).

Mesomorph

Mesomorphs are athletic, tough, and strong, the day walkers among the other two physical types. Let’s go with Mark Wahlberg or Alex Morgan.

Are body types real?

Once again, Sheldon’s physical patterns are inaccurate and oversimplify the human body.

“Few people fit perfectly into one of the classic body types,” says Trevor Thieme, of CSCS. “Most people are a combination of them. For example, the upper body might be ‘mesomorph’ and the lower body is ‘ectomorph.’ But being able to categorize your body type doesn’t really matter, because it won’t necessarily tell you what it does: how your body will do Response to training“.

So why is this? Fitness legend Is it difficult to get rid of it?

“I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that most people want an easy solution when it comes to fitness and fat loss,” Thieme says. “And the idea that if you have body type X, you should focus on exercise type Y provides that.”

But such thinking is backwards thinking, Thieme says. “You need that Start with your goalBecause this will shape your training program, regardless of your body type.

Can you change your body shape?

Physical type does not predict training response, which means there is only so much you can do Change your body composition. And starting with your goal (say, getting more muscle), and then working backwards to determine your ideal training plan is actually pretty freeing.

This means that if you are a classic phenom, you don’t have to prefer long distance running Iron infusion. And if you’re an endomorph, there’s no reason you can’t train for a marathon if it’s on your bucket list.

The main point here is that you will never know what you are capable of until you try it. But it is important to know what is within your control and what is outside of your control.

The role of genetics

To be clear, just because physical types don’t predict performance doesn’t mean the training playing field is level. No matter your goal or the path you take to get there, you will likely meet others who travel through it faster or slower than you, because what is written in your DNA still matters.

“There are many factors we can exploit to our advantage depending on goals – training frequency, training intensity, exercises we prioritize, and programming.” a period“Dietary factors — but it’s also important to understand that some people choose the right parents,” he says. Tony GentilcoreCSCS, owner of CORE, his own training studio in Brookline, Massachusetts.

“Some people just look at the dumbbells and grow. Some people have to fight tooth and nail and work out a lot He adds: “So that they can see the fruits of their work.”

The most important factors in choosing exercise

This is the case regardless of your ultimate goal. “But ultimately, what will work is anything you really love doing and will stick with it consistently,” Gentilcore says.

So, tailor your training to your goals, exercise preferences, time constraints, and strengths and weaknesses, advises Thieme. “Your training plan should be tailored to you as an individual, not based on a body type category that wasn’t even created with exercise in mind.”

History of somatic types

Sheldon doesn’t even catalog body types for fitness purposes. He was a psychologist who postulated that it was possible to relate a personality Features For every body type. He was more interested in how our bodies shape our personality than in how they actually work.

Sheldon hypothesized that extroverts are introverted, artistic, and emotional. Endomorphs are fun, relaxed, and social. Mesomorphs are assertive, adventurous, and competitive.

If this sounds like poppy, balderdash, or any other 1940s word for bull eruption, it is: Sheldon’s entire motivation for studying it has been completely debunked.

“Sheldon’s toxic eugenics views and equation of fitness with destiny in the years following World War II made him increasingly unpopular,” according to a 2015 article in the magazine Canadian Bulletin of Medical History. “The death knell of his career was dealt with by his former assistant, Barbara Honeyman Heath. She publicly condemned his methods as fraudulent and his somatotypes as inaccurate, and went on to build a successful career modifying somatotyping techniques and participating in projects around the world.

Why does the body type myth persist?

You might think that with this kind of proven onslaught from the medical and fitness establishment, Sheldon’s idea of ​​three basic body types would have gone the way of the Segway, Zone, New Coke, and… Cheetos lip balm (Yes, that was a real product.)

But the myth of somatotypes is surprisingly powerful, as any quick Google search will tell you. For example, just one example of very many, and that is the London example Daily Mail The newspaper confirmed, “Scientists say that we all belong to three groups (and knowing your shape is the key to choosing the appropriate exercise).”

The three body types theory gained so much attention so quickly that it soon passed more or less into conventional wisdom, where it has remained ever since. Just like zodiac signs, physical profiling works because almost everyone can find their characteristics in almost every “personality” label.

Sorry if we ruined astrology for you too.