Physiology

It is all in the shape

Brian Mackenzie explains the three body types - Endomorph, Mesomorph and Ectomorph.

Our success as an athlete comes from a combination of athletic ability and our body build. There are three components to body build:- type, size and composition

Body Type

There are three extremes of body types.

	Endomorph A pear shaped body A rounded head Wide hips and shoulders Wider front to back rather than side to side. A lot of fat on the body, upper arms and thighs
	Mesomorph A wedge shaped body A cubical head Wide broad shoulders Muscled arms and legs Narrow hips Narrow from front to back rather than side to side. A minimum amount of fat
	Ectomorph A high forehead Receding chin Narrow shoulders and hips A narrow chest and abdomen Thin arms and legs Little muscle and fat.

Somatotyping

All athletes are made up of the three extreme body types so we are all part endomorph, part mesomorph and part ectomorph. Using a score of one to seven we can grade our bodies on each of the extreme body types. For example: two, six, three means: two (low endomorphy); six (high mesomorphy); three (low ectomorphy). In this way we can compare our body type with that of other athletes. This method of body typing is known as somatotyping. Height is not taken into consideration when working out our body type.

Body Size

Body size refers to the athlete's height and weight. The ideal size for an athlete depends on the sport or event and sometimes the position they play in their sport (consider the various body sizes in a Rugby team). There are standard ideal weight charts based on an individual's height. These tables unfortunately do not help athletes because they do not allow for body composition. Being overweight is not a problem provided it is extra muscle and not fat.

Body Composition

Body composition refers to the athlete's body fat. In most sports the athlete will try to keep his/her levels of body fat to a minimum. In general the higher the percentage of body fat the poorer the performance.

Reference Man and Women

The concept of a reference man and women was developed in the 1960s by Dr Albert Behnke. The reference standard does not mean that men and women should try too achieve the body composition values, or that reference values actually represent "average". The model provides a useful reference to interpret statistical comparison of athletes involved in physical training programs.

About the Author

Brian Mackenzie is a UK Athletics level 4 performance coach and a coach tutor/assessor. He has been coaching sprint, middle distance and combined event athletes for the past 20+ years and has 35+ years experience as an endurance athlete. Brian can be contacted through his website at www.brianmac.co.uk

Article Reference

• Mackenzie B. (2003), "It is all in the shape", Brian Mackenzie's Successful Coaching (ISSN 1745-7513), Issue 6

Associated Pages

The following Sports Coach pages should be read in conjunction with this page:

• Article Index
• Coaching Articles
• Training Articles
• Sports Articles
• Literature Reviews