In the 1940s, William Sheldon, M.D., Ph.D., came up with the three somatotypes that we know today.Īt the time, Sheldon, who was a psychologist as well as a physician, assigned specific personality and psychological characteristics to them as well, positing that mesomorphs were assertive endomorphs were easy-going, and ectomorphs were introverted, for instance. The concept of somatotypes dates back thousands of years to Ancient Greece and Hippocrates.

Endomorph: You tend to have larger bone structure, have a curvier build, and generally store fat relatively easily.Ĥ0 Health Myths That Aren't True The Science of Somatotypes.

Mesomorph: You find it relatively easy to build muscle mass, are medium boned, and generally proportionally built.

Ectomorph: You tend to be long limbed and not particularly muscular can be smaller in size without necessarily having lean body composition.

Most of us can slot our overall build into one of three general categories, recognizing that there are a wide variety of shapes and sizes even within these three categories, and you can be a combination of two, rather than just a single “type.” (Though she specializes in women’s physiology, Sims makes these recommendations for men as well as women.) “I would also encourage you to identify your somatotype, which is your natural shape and size,” says Sims. “My first bit of advice is to step off the scale for at least a month,” says Stacy Sims, Ph.D., author of ROAR, How to Match Your Food and Fitness to Your Female Physiology for Optimum Performance, Great Health, and a Strong, Lean Body for Life. Focus on Fitness Gains Over Weight Loss for Health You Are More Than a Number

Sims 4 female body hair