Women have different body structures. Types of female figures. Every girl should know this

The human body is formed at the genetic level. There are 3 types - lean, athletic, full. Let's figure out how these species are characterized and determine together what type of body you have.

The term "physique" means the proportions of the human body, the features of the development of muscle, fat and bone tissues. Forms and sizes are laid down by genetics, and they are difficult to break. Throughout life, the physique of a person changes, and this is often associated with age-related changes. Also, the cause is illness, physical exertion.

To find out the type of addition of the body, you can measure the wrist. For an adult, the indicator ranges from 15 to 17.5 cm. This coverage is typical for a fragile species, the average is 17.5-20 cm, the strong one is more than 20 cm. However, different options can be combined in a person. For example, the top is thin, but the legs are strong, and vice versa. Therefore, it is recommended to measure the ankle.

Body Types

Humanity is divided into 3 types according to the addition of the body:

• Ectomorph.
• Mesomorph.
• Endomorph.

If you know and understand these varieties, you can easily correct the genetic predisposition and make the perfect figure.

Ectomorph

This is a lean physique. In such a person, the skeleton consists of long and thin bones, skinny muscles. There is a low percentage of fat under the skin. Their metabolism is always fast. Calories burn out quickly, so a person does not have a tendency to be overweight.

Its forms are not so attractive as to be reference. But ecto type has an advantage - the mass is added not by fat, but by muscles. Such people can quickly build muscle, recover after exercise, muscle groups respond to a progressive load.

Such an addition is considered ideal for bodybuilding. The athlete will need a training scheme and nutrition.

Representatives of this species can gain excess weight only with severe overeating and eating unhealthy foods.

Mesoform

This is a normal or athletic build. Owners of this type have:

• medium or wide bone;
• muscular body, even without additional exercises;
• metabolic processes they have an average speed and a normal nervous system.
• results are achieved quickly, so athletes often relax, give up training and nutrition.

If you correctly compose classes and paint a diet, then in 2-3 years you can make an ideal figure. It will take twice as long for a person with a body to achieve the same result. A well-known representative of athletes with such a physique is Arnold Schwarzenegger.

People of this build quickly and easily gain fat mass, as well as muscle mass, so they do not need to forget about diets. To get in shape, it is recommended to start with cardio and end with strength training.

Endomorphs

A complete prototype of a dry physique. This species is characterized by:

• Soft and rounded shapes.
• Easy set of muscle and fat mass.
• Low stature.
• Heavy weight loss.
• Poorly defined muscles.

Such people have extra pounds, but consume fewer calories than others. Adipose tissue appears when less energy is expended than consumed. Representatives of this type move little, they are slow and calm. They have a wide bone.

On the day they need to consume a minimum of carbohydrates, and draw more energy from fats. If you stick to drastic diets or cut calories, the metabolic process will worsen. And this is even worse for the body.

With strength training in such people, kilograms are added. The body regularly makes reserves, and therefore the fat layer appears. In order to reduce these indicators, cardio loads with strength exercises are recommended.

"Pure" ectomeso- and rare. Often people have a mixed type. The main thing is to recognize what kind of figure the athlete has and make every effort to make it perfect.

Female physiques

Female body types are classified in the same way. They fall under the general system written above, but there is another gradation. The type of figure is an important and sensitive issue for a girl. Allocate such:

• Triangle.
• Inverted triangle.
• Hourglass.
• Circle.
• Square.

In some classifications, these positions are called letters of the alphabet or fruits. Depending on the type of physique, a woman is selected training, nutrition and clothing. In the forms of the weak half of humanity, it is important to emphasize elegance and natural roundness.

Hourglass

This is a traditional figure for women. The hips and shoulders are the same width, so the lower and upper parts of the body look proportional. The waist is clearly marked. If a woman gains weight, then fat deposits appear in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe chest and hips. And if you lose weight too much, then the lower part of the body remains curved.

Triangle

The appearance is characterized by massive hips and buttocks. And the bust and waist areas are small. This type of addition is characterized by:

• Skinny legs and arms.
• Short legs.
• Large calves and ankles.
• Accumulations of fat below.
• Cellulite.

Approximately 15% of girls, whom men rate as very attractive, have such a body.

inverted triangle

Here the picture is reversed - a wide area of ​​​​the shoulders, and the hips are narrowed. The upper half of the body is shorter in length than the bottom. However, the large part of the body goes well with thin legs. All extra pounds are deposited in the upper body. This type can be identified by:

• Broadest shoulders.
• Flat buttocks.
• Narrowed pelvis.
• Below the knees, the legs are thin.
• When full, the body looks like a triangle.

Rectangle

This athletic body type resembles a boyish one. Bust, waist and hip measurements are almost the same. Girls with such a figure are flat. The main advantages are long legs, good metabolism and difficulty in gaining weight.

Circle

Girls of this build have a wide waist and a pronounced chest. Outwardly, it resembles an oval or circle. All fat deposits appear on the abdomen, and the legs are used last. These girls have a genetic predisposition to be overweight. The figures have smooth lines and curves.

In women and men, body types are associated with height. To change these indicators, you need to regularly exercise under the supervision of a trainer and eat according to the instructions of a nutritionist. In this case, it will turn out to change the genetic disposition.

People with different body types will face different challenges while exercising, although they may have the same long-term goals.

People with different body types need to solve different problems

Body type is one of the variants of the norm of the human constitution. In this sense, the constitution (phenotypic) characterizes the human body through the structure and indicators of the muscle and bone tissue of a particular organism - a set of stable biological, design and functional features. These indicators are entirely due to hereditary predispositions (although it should be noted that a slight correction of body type at an early age is still possible)

Since the type of physique characterizes only one of the variants of the norm of the constitution, the number of body types depends on the method of determining the norm. Academician Petlenko V.P. defines five body types:

• athletic;
• graceful (graceful);
• asthenic;
• hypersthenic;
• normosthenic.

Professor Chernorutsky V.M. identifies three main types of physique, in part coinciding with the classification of Academician V.P. Petlenko:

• asthenic (or hyposthenic) - also includes the graceful body type according to Petlenko V.P.
• normosthenic (including athletic type according to Petlenko V.P.)
• hypersthenic

Brief description of the main body types:

Hyposthenic type of constitution(physique) is characterized by a relatively low position of the diaphragm, a chest extended from top to bottom (and a relatively reduced circumference), an elongated neck, narrow shoulders, long and thin limbs, usually well above average height. Muscle mass is underdeveloped. The amount of adipose tissue is usually below average - including in women. Features of the internal structure - due to the elongated chest - the heart is usually small, the shape of the heart is elongated, tear-shaped, the lungs are also elongated, the absorption capacity of the gastrointestinal tract is reduced.

Normosthenic body type characterized by good (significantly better than that of the hyposthenic body type) development of muscle mass, and as a result, a strong and developed bone skeleton. The amount of adipose tissue is approximately the average. Features of the internal structure - the chest is convex, the shoulders are wide, the length of the limbs is proportional. All characteristics correspond to the average.

Hypersthenic body type characterized by a high diaphragm, a relatively large heart, usually growth relative to weight below average, a rounded chest - flattened from top to bottom, usually a short neck. Features of the internal structure are due to the rounded chest. The amount of adipose tissue is usually above average. The blood is characterized by a high content of cholesterol. The absorption capacity of the gastrointestinal tract is high.

The dependence of weight loss on body type

The dependence of the propensity to accumulate adipose tissue on body type is most pronounced in hypersthenic type . A slight excess of calories from food (especially in the form of easily digestible carbohydrates) is enough for body weight to begin to increase - this type, like no other, needs not diets for weight loss (in the truest sense of the word), but nutrition systems (such as the Sybarite diet ).

Hyposthenic type physique is not predisposed to the accumulation of subcutaneous adipose tissue - and if obesity does occur, it is often due to extremely low physical activity (both professional and social). The use of diets (fast diets) will be effective.

Normosthenic type physique in terms of weight loss occupies an intermediate position - it is necessary to combine diets (or nutrition systems) and increase physical activity.

Specific diseases for different body types

Regarding the main types of physique, the dependence of characteristic diseases (including chronic ones) on the type of physique is of particular importance. Knowledge of these predispositions to diseases makes it possible, if not to completely prevent them, then at least to significantly reduce the threat of the disease by taking preventive measures (or to prevent the transition to the chronic phase).

Hyposthenic type physique has a predisposition to respiratory diseases, gastritis and stomach ulcers (duodenal ulcers) with low acidity. Increased risk of arterial hypotension. In people with this body type, vegetative-vascular dystonia is observed more often than others.

Normosthenic type physique has a predisposition to diseases such as rheumatism, gastritis and stomach ulcers (duodenal ulcers) with high acidity. More often than others, representatives of this body type are diagnosed with hypertension.

Hypersthenic type physique has a predisposition to diseases such as atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, liver disease, metabolic disorders (including obesity). The blood pressure is usually higher than normal. On the other hand, representatives of this type are much better at resisting colds and respiratory diseases.

You can determine your body type by measuring your wrist circumference. If, with a height of 160 to 175 cm, the wrist circumference is 16-18 cm, then the type is normal-boned, if less than 16 cm, then thin-boned, if more than 18.5 cm, then broad-boned.

How to determine what type your body is?

To determine your type means to do half the battle on the way to an exemplary figure. Think for yourself, how can different "types" train in the same way? Of course not! Why do thin people lean on aerobics? She will "dry" them even more! No, they need to build muscle! What about complete endomorphs? They even need to sleep in an embrace with an aerobics manual! Their main task is to lose excess fat. And the athletic type is generally something especially rare.

People with different body types respond differently to the same training system. What works for one may not work for another. In short, each type needs its own, purely individual program. Only she will give a quick and effective return.

If you take up training according to some kind of "folk" sports allowance, then you will have to perform at least 5-6 such physical exercises that you personally do not need. Of course, there will be nothing wrong with this - all exercises are useful in one way or another, but how much time will you lose before it dawns on you that you need your exercises! However, you can answer this question exactly: about a year and a half. In any case, this is how much bodybuilders usually spend on empty training according to general schemes, until they finally find in the sea of ​​exercises, complexes and methods that suits their individual genetics.

By the way, the loss of time is not the worst thing. Worst of all, ineffective workouts destroy faith in sports, deprive them of enthusiasm.

There are three different body types, which are called somatotypes: ectomorphic, mesomorphic and endomorphic.

Ectomorph hasshort torso, long arms and legs, long and narrow feet and hands, and very little fat. It is narrow in the chest and shoulders, and its muscles are usually long and thin. The metabolism of ectomorphs is very fast, so there is usually no problem with body fat. However, it is more difficult for them to build muscle.

Mesomorph - broad chest, long torso, solid muscle structure and great strength. He is an athlete from birth.

Endomorph - soft muscles, round face, short neck, wide hips and a large supply of fat. A typical endomorph is a corpulent person who has a relatively high percentage of fat compared to muscle. Such people quickly and easily gain weight. As a rule, fat is deposited in their thighs and buttocks.

Of course, it is rare to find a person with a clearly defined model physique of any one type. Basically, people have a combination of signs of all three types. According to the existing classification, a total of eighty-eight subtypes are distinguished, which are formed as a result of the predominance of certain indicators of each main type. The degree of predominance is estimated in arbitrary units from 1 to 7. For example, if the characteristics of your physique are rated as ectomorphic, mesomorphic and endomorphic, then you are an endomesomorph, that is, you are basically an athletic type with well-developed muscles, but at the same time prone to excess body fat .

Body typology

When it comes to fine-tuning your physique through an exercise program, the three categories above fall short. I had to expand the classification to 6 types: A-shaped, H-shaped, I-shaped. O-shaped, T-shaped and X-shaped.

Your body type:

A-shaped

The shoulders are narrow, the pelvis is slightly wider; the impression of a "heavy" lower body - full legs and buttocks; a tendency to deposit fat below the waist (the upper body may even appear thin); low metabolic rate (if you do not specifically follow the diet, weight quickly arrives).

H-shaped

Wide or medium bone; small chest; full legs; visual impression of approximately the same width of the shoulders, waist and pelvis; tendency to form fatty deposits in the abdomen and thighs; moderate metabolic rate.

I-shaped

Thin skeleton; gauntness; weak muscles; almost no body fat; high metabolic rate (no matter how much you eat, you do not get fat).

0-shaped

Wide bones; wide pelvis and shoulders; full hips, chest, arms; a clear excess of body fat throughout the body; low metabolism (weight gain even if you eat relatively little).

T-shaped

The shoulders are broad, wider than the pelvis; fat is deposited mainly on the trunk (back, chest, sides); average metabolic rate (you only get fat if you start eating too much).

X-shaped

The bones are medium; the width of the shoulders is approximately equal to the width of the hips; slim waist; full chest; fat deposits are formed on the buttocks and thighs; average metabolic rate (you only get fat if you start eating too much).

Take a closer look in the mirror and then compare what you see with the descriptions above. Well, get on with your workouts.

How often should you look in the mirror? The first - before the start of the training and the second - after the completion of the training program. Why so few? Looking at yourself in the middle of a process is just as pointless as judging a sculpture that is only half done. The results of the training do not arrive at rocket speed, so if you start to meticulously look at yourself after a couple of classes, you risk getting upset: it will seem to you that nothing has happened to your figure.

But in fact, it is not. Changes are not visible to the eye, but they began - at the level of the organism. The heart increased its efficiency, small capillaries in the muscles opened up, otherwise the stomach, kidneys, liver started to work ... Time will pass and the number of physiological changes will turn into the quality of your figure. The main thing is to have patience! If, on the contrary, you impatiently rush to the mirror after each workout, you will get nothing but irritation.
With the right training and nutrition, you can develop muscle in any body type, but people with different body types will have different tasks in the process of training, although their long-term goals may be the same.

Workout for ectomorphs

For the typical ectomorph, the main goal is to gain weight, preferably in the form of quality muscle mass. Even with the strength and stamina to run a marathon, the ectomorph finds that his musculature develops very slowly, and he often has to force himself to eat more than usual to ensure weight gain. Therefore, it is recommended for them:

1. Include lots of intense strength training in a program to maximize muscle building. Your program should be based primarily on heavy weights and low reps (6-8 reps after a good warm-up),

2. Learn to train hard so that every series counts. This way you can keep your workouts relatively short without sacrificing quality (14 to 16 sets per major body part instead of 16 to 20 sets). Rest well between sets and give your body enough time to recuperate between workouts.

3. Pay close attention to your diet. Consume more calories than you are used to; if necessary, drink protein shakes to replenish the body's energy resources.

4. Remember that you are trying to convert food energy into body mass. Therefore, do not burn a lot of energy by overindulging in activities such as aerobics, running, swimming, and other active sports. Cardiovascular training is desirable and necessary for health, but someone who spends several hours a day on aerobic exercise outside the gym will find it much more difficult to build muscle in training.

Training for mesomorphs

A mesomorph can build muscle with relative ease, but he definitely needs to put together a sufficiently varied exercise program so that his muscles develop proportionately and have a beautiful shape, and not just be dense and massive. Here is what is recommended for mesomorphs:

1. Focus on high-quality, detailed training with isolation of individual muscle groups along with basic exercises to increase mass and muscle strength. You easily increase the volume of muscles, so you can work on their shape and definition from the very beginning.

2. Mesomorphs gain weight so quickly that they don't have to worry about conserving energy or overtraining. A standard workout (16 to 20 sets per body part) is fine; you can adjust the rest periods between series as you wish.

3. A balanced diet with plenty of protein, allowing you to maintain a calorie level at which the maximum deviation of weight from the tournament form is no more than 10-15 pounds throughout the year. You should not gain 30-40 pounds, and then with great effort to get rid of this weight before the competition.

Training for endomorphs

Usually, it is not difficult for an endomorph to build muscle. First of all, he should focus on getting rid of body fat, and then follow a special diet. Therefore, I recommend the following to endomorphs:

1. Increased volume of high-speed training with more repetitions(at least 10-12 before MTBF), with very short rest periods to burn as much fat as possible. Whenever possible, perform a few additional series: this will help you lose weight even faster.

2. Additional aerobic exercise, for example, cycling, jogging, and other high-intensity activities. Working out in the gym also burns calories, but not as intensely as a daily cardiovascular workout for 35-40 minutes.

3. Low calorie diet with the right balance of nutrients. You don't have to cut anything, but keep your protein, carbs, and fats to a minimum. Vitamins and mineral supplements are needed to make up for possible deficiencies in important micronutrients.

Body composition testing

Although nature has given you a specific body type, by gaining muscle mass and shedding fat tissue, you are actually changing your body composition. It can often be difficult to keep track of this: workouts occur almost daily, so body composition can change markedly without your knowledge. It's always good to look at yourself in the mirror and use a measuring tape, but sometimes that's not enough.

In addition to simple testing methods, there are different types of body composition testing. Such testing gives you an idea of ​​the percentage of muscle mass and body fat. It helps you keep track of your progress over time. The most common types of body composition testing are listed below:

• Skin fold testing. Calipers are used to capture skin folds in various parts of the body and measure the thickness of the subcutaneous fat layer. In the future, this value is used in the calculation of body composition.
• Testing by immersion in water. A person is weighed on a scale and in water, and then certain measurements are taken, such as calculating the residual capacity of the lungs. The numbers are substituted into the formula to determine the ratio between fat and lean body mass, which is made up of muscles, bones, and internal organs.
• Electrical resistance test. A low voltage electrical current is passed through the body. Because fat, muscle, and water create different resistances, the result is used to calculate body composition.

However, although measuring body composition is useful for checking the results of a diet or changes in your body, you should know that the dynamics of changes from one test to the next is more important than the results of a single test. The fact is that all the obtained values ​​​​are passed through formulas built on certain premises about the structure of the human body, which are not necessarily accurate when it comes to professional bodybuilders. Therefore, if after the first test you got a result of 12% body fat, and after two weeks 9%, then you can be quite sure that you are moving in the right direction. In this case, you need to make sure that the testing conditions in both cases were the same, so the result has a high degree of reliability.

You often hear ridiculous claims about body fat testing; for example, some athletes claim to have as little as 3% body fat. Any doctor will tell you that 3% is a level of body fat more like a corpse than a strong, healthy athlete. Tests that are carried out during MFB competitions using various methods convincingly show that the highest percentage of body fat is characteristic of participants with the most massive physique. Therefore, the most massive bodybuilder can have 12% body fat and be in excellent athletic shape, and a beginner with an ectomorphic body type can look decent at 7-9% body fat.

Why is this happening? Because fat in the traditional sense of the word is not the only adipose tissue that is present in our body. There are intermuscular fat layers; fat is also found in the muscles themselves. If a really massive bodybuilder diets for too long, then his muscles will shrink and lose weight rather than gain more relief. So while testing is very helpful, don't forget to use a mirror or photographs to keep track of your appearance. During the competition, the judges do not take into account the results of body fat tests. They only judge what they see, and you should follow suit.published

Every person at least once in his life thought about his external data and would like to change something. Some people dream of losing weight, others strive to get better, and still others are not satisfied with their height and body proportions. At the same time, few people know that the human constitution and the features of its changes during life are genetically programmed. Therefore, when starting to work on bringing your figure closer to the ideal one, you need to find out what types of human physique scientists distinguish, and which one you belong to.

Human physique

The physique of a person is a set of proportions and specifics of the structure of body parts, as well as the features of the development of its tissues: muscle, bone and fat. All these parameters are determined in the period of intrauterine development, and further changes in a person are subject to this genetic program. Researchers also distinguish such a concept as a somatotype. These are not only the actual constitutional features of a person’s physique, but also a variant of its further change under the influence of external factors. The somatotype is determined as a result of various body measurements. It is characterized by certain metabolic parameters, a predisposition to certain diseases and mental characteristics.

Somatotyping techniques

Since ancient times, people have tried to determine the main body types of a person and classify all people according to this principle. Researchers began to notice that men and women with different somatotypes react to all sorts of external factors (age, nutrition, illness) with unequal body changes. Currently, there are many classifications of people according to their constitutional type. All of them are similar to each other. Let's consider some of them.

Proportions and body types of a person

Body proportions are one of the important indicators of the state of physical health of people. Of course, each person is unique, but over the course of numerous studies and measurements, scientists have determined the average parameters that are customary to focus on. With a noticeable disproportion of parts of the human body, we can talk about the presence of growth disorders. They can be caused by deviations in the normal functioning of the endocrine system, chromosomal failures. In accordance with the proportions, the following types of human physique are distinguished, the anatomy of which is different:

mesomorphic type. It includes people whose proportions are close in value to the average parameters. This takes into account gender, age and some other features.

Brachymorphic type. People of this type are strong and muscular, usually short in stature. The transverse dimensions of their body parts prevail over the longitudinal ones. This also applies to internal organs. The lungs, for example, in people of the brachymorph body type are wide, but short. The heart is located almost transversely.

Dolichomorphic type. A person with such a constitution is tall, with long arms and legs. He has a small fat layer under the skin, while underdeveloped muscles. Dolichomorphic people are characterized by a predominance of longitudinal over transverse dimensions.

E. Kretschmer: the relationship of the psyche and physique

In addition to the relationship between body type and physical health of a person, some researchers have noted the influence of the constitution on the psyche of the individual. Among them, one can single out the German scientist E. Kretschmer, who classified 3 types of people according to physique:

Athletic. Such a person has a well-developed musculature, he is usually tall or medium in height. The athletic has broad shoulders and narrow hips. Kretschmer believed that such people are responsible, they are good organizers. They always complete the work they have begun, they do not like long discussions and red tape. They can become good leaders, production workers.

Asthenic. These people are tall, while due to their thinness they seem even taller than they really are. They have long limbs, a flat chest, a pale, elongated face, and a long nose. For asthenics, according to Kretschmer, the main type of behavior is a thinker. These are people of mental labor with a well-developed imagination. They like to fantasize, they read a lot, but they cannot organize their activities well.

Picnic. People of this type have short stature, a dense physique with a tendency to obesity. They have a small broad face, a short and thick neck. People of this type are sociable, well find a common language with colleagues, friends, relatives. They do not like to read. They prefer to receive all the information they need from communication with other people.

W. Sheldon's technique

One of the founders of somatotyping was Professor W. Sheldon. Back in 1940, he suggested that it was not the physique of a person as a whole that should be assessed, but its individual components. Their combination will determine one or another somatotype, which, according to Sheldon, remains unchanged throughout life. The scientist proposed to evaluate the components on a point system ranging from 1 to 7 (minimum and maximum severity, respectively). This should be done by a trained professional. Sheldon identified three components:

• endomorphic;
• ectomorphic;
• mesomorphic.

For each of them, a certain value is selected, and the resulting triple of numbers is the somatotype of a particular person. Of course, it is rare to find people who have the maximum score for one component and the minimum score for the rest. In most cases, researchers observe average values, among which one component still prevails. Based on Sheldon's research, there are three types of human physique.

Ectomorph

People with an ectomorphic body type are thin, tall, have a small amount of subcutaneous fat. The muscles are poorly developed. Parts of the body are slightly elongated, especially in the structure of the face and chest. A person with an ectomorphic physique has long arms and legs relative to his torso. The more pronounced the ectomorphic trait in a person, the less likely it is that, under the influence of any factors, he will become overweight.

Mesomorph

The constitution of a person with a mesomorphic physique is dominated by bones and muscles. Little subcutaneous fat. The muscles are well developed, especially in the limbs. Such a person has a broad chest and shoulders.

Endomorph

The main feature of the physique of the endomorphic type is the predominance of the profile dimensions of its various parts over the transverse ones. Such people have a large amount of fat under the skin, some of which is concentrated in the shoulders and hips. The arms and legs are sluggish, have poorly developed muscles. The belly is large and round. Unlike people with ectomorphic or mesomorphic human body types, an individual with pronounced endomorphic features is very prone to obesity.

medical practice

There are many classifications based on the physique of a person. The types and characteristics of constitutional features are similar to each other. In medicine, for example, it is customary to focus on the following classification:

Normosthenic type. It includes people with a proportional body, correspondence in the development of the bone and muscle systems.

Asthenic type. Such people have a slender tall body. Their chest dominates the size of the abdomen, and the limbs are longer when compared with the torso. Muscles in people of the asthenic type are poorly developed.

hypersthenic type. Such people differ from normosthenics in their smaller stature, dense physique and the predominance of transverse dimensions over longitudinal ones.

Every doctor knows the body types of a person and their effect on the state of the body. Having assessed a person according to his constitution, it is easier for a specialist to determine the tendency to a particular disease, to give recommendations on lifestyle and treatment methods.

Depending on the genetic predisposition, each person is endowed with an individual body structure, with different muscle and fat mass, different height. This explains the fact that with the same diet and the same physical activity, men can form completely different figures with different muscle volumes.

You need to know your body type (somatotype) to develop the training process and select a diet.

Body Types

From birth, men can be thin, normal build and prone to overweight. To date, these body constitutions have been distinguished into 3 main types.

An interesting fact is that they tried to make a classification of body morphology as early as the 4th century BC. In those days, in ancient Greece, the physician and philosopher Hippocrates studied the connection between the constitution of the body and the tendency to certain diseases. In his opinion, well-fed people with small stature are more likely to have an apoplexy, while skinny and tall people were more likely to suffer from tuberculosis.

There are several options for classifications, names and definitions of physique. For example, the German psychologist Kretschmer in 1921 identified a typology of temperaments based on body features, which he divided according to the following criteria:

• Astenik(weak) - with a tall and thin structure of a figure who does not have broad shoulders, with long thin arms and legs, with an elongated face and an elongated nose;
• Picnic(dense) - a type of build with average or below average growth, with a tendency to be overweight. The body is vague, with a short neck and a rounded head. The face is broad with small features;
• Athletic(wrestler) - a type of strong physique with good muscles. This type of classification is of average or above average height, broad shoulders and narrow hips.

In medicine, to determine the correct ratios of body parts, according to which health criteria are also evaluated, the following classification of physiques has been adopted:

• mesomorphic or normosthenic- with average criteria for anatomical features. This type is characterized by a proportionally formed body with harmoniously developed muscles and skeletal system.
• brachymorphic or hypersthenic- differs in the prevalence of transverse parameters and is characterized by a voluminous belly, round head and short stature. The lungs are wide, and the plexuses of the small intestine are placed horizontally in most cases;
• Dolichomorphic or asthenic- is characterized by the dominance of longitudinal parameters, but with poorly developed muscles and a thin subcutaneous layer of fat. The limbs are elongated, the bones are narrow, the muscles are weak.

Determination of the type of building on a scientific basis

The first scientific developments were made by William Sheldon, a professor at Harvard University. He singled out 3 components of the body structure, which in “pure” manifestations look like this:

• Endomorph- with a massive belly, and a rounded head, weak muscles in the arms and legs, but with excessive deposition of fat throughout the body.
• Mesomorph- in the classic version, broad-shouldered, with a wide chest, has well-developed muscular arms and legs. Subcutaneous fat is present in very small amounts.
• Ectomorph- lanky and thin, with an elongated face, narrow shoulders, with an expiratory (narrow, long and flat) chest and long limbs. There is practically no fat, and there is no tendency to acquire it, the muscles are weak and not developed.

It should be noted that such "pure" species are extremely rare. In most cases, all three types are present to a greater or lesser extent in the physique, but with a clear predominance of one of them.

How to determine your type?

One of the main criteria of the body constitution is the thickness of the bones, which does not change significantly with an increase or decrease in muscle or fat body mass. The fastest (but not accurate) way to find out your type is to measure your wrist in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe bone.

As a rule, the length of the girth of the wrist is in proportion to the length of the girth of the ankle and is approximately 5 cm larger from it. But there are times when a man’s lower body is more massive than the upper one and the ankle can be 9 centimeters larger from the wrist. -10. There are also men who have the same wrist and ankle circumference.

Therefore, in addition to measuring the thickness of the bones, you should pay attention to your height, the length of the limbs, the tendency to be overweight or its absence.

Advantages and disadvantages of each type

Each type needs to make different efforts to build a beautiful athletic body.

Mesomorph. Building muscle will take the least time of all three types. Even without training, he has strong and noticeable muscles against the background of the absence of fat. The body itself in such men is large with thick bone and voluminous muscles.
The disadvantages include the difficulty of bringing large muscles to a beautiful relief shape. By the way, mesomorphs are also divided into ectomorphic and endomorphic.

One of the brightest and most successful men with this type of body Arnold Schwarzenegger

Endomorph. To build a beautiful muscular figure, this type of man first needs to get rid of excess body fat on his body. Therefore, despite the fact that they easily build up muscle mass, it can be overlooked behind the fat layer. Success comes from frequent practice.
A well-known representative of this type, Jay Cutler is an American bodybuilder.

Ectomorph. It is the most difficult for this type of men to build an athletic body, due to the long process of building muscle. In addition to playing sports, they need to pay a lot of attention to proper nutrition in order to gain muscle mass. More than half of the success in achieving the goal depends on the right nutrition.
Nevertheless, this type of people, with sufficient determination and perseverance, has every chance of having a beautiful aesthetic figure of an athlete. An example of this is Frank Zane

Change in body type

Somatic constitutions cannot pass from one type to another throughout life, they are genetically laid down and cannot change until the end of life. Each somatic type is characterized by its own metabolism, priority formation of muscles or body fat, and even psychophysical development.

At the same time, depending on nutrition, physical activity, lifestyle, diseases and other factors, it is possible to change the shape of the body itself, both in the direction of increasing muscle or fat mass, and in the direction of decreasing.

Video about body types:

Any man with any type of physique is able to achieve the desired result in the formation of his body. And the most important factor is purposefulness, motivation, perseverance in classes, adherence to the regimen and proper nutrition.

At birth, nature rewards each person with certain physical features: a unique structure of muscles and skeleton, an individual ratio of muscle and fat mass, growth. These characteristics affect the physique of a particular person, and knowledge of the characteristics of each type of figure structure explains the fact why, with the same physical activity and the same diet, people often have such dissimilar figures.

Determining the type of physique in men striving for a slender muscular body is of great importance in order to quickly achieve their goal. All types of existing physiques are usually divided into three types: ectomorphic, mesomorphic and endomorphic. Before proceeding with the development of a training program and an individual nutrition plan, it is necessary to determine what type of physique a man belongs to.

Body types, ectomorph, mesomorph, endomorph

This type of male figure structure is also called asthenic or hyposthenic. The signs by which it is easy to get ahead of the asthenic are:

• height above average;
• poor development of muscle tissue;
• narrow shoulders and chest;
• thin and light bones;
• thin layer of fat.

body type ectomorph

Metabolic processes in a representative of this body constitution proceed quickly, therefore, gaining fat mass, as well as muscle mass, is quite problematic, this requires long and hard work.

Mesomorphic body type

For men who want to have a toned body and pumped up muscles, the mesomorphic body type is the most desirable. It is also called normosthenic or athletic.

Body type mesomorph

Features of mesomorphs are:

• naturally strong and strong muscles;
• broad shoulders;
• almost complete absence of fat;
• strong and thick bones;
• proportional body.

Men with a mesomorphic body type have great potential for a rapid set of muscle mass and strength.

Endomorphic body type (hypersthenic)

Men of this type are considered stocky, prone to fullness. It is characterized by several features:

• short limbs and neck;

Body type endomorph

• short stature;
• massive body;
• heavy bone foundation;
• tendency towards obesity.

Men with an endomorphic body type are prone to becoming overweight, but due to the fact that they have well-developed muscle tissue, with regular physical activity and proper nutrition, they can keep themselves in good shape and even boast impressive muscles.

How to determine body type in men

Often the figure of a man combines the features of two types, but one of them still dominates. In its pure form, body types of men are quite rare. If, by external signs, there are difficulties in determining the constitution, then this can be easily done by measuring the girth of the wrist and comparing the results with the scale:

• if the girth is less than 18 cm - the man belongs to the ectomorphic type, he has thin bones;
• in men of a normosthenic physique, the volume of the wrist is 18–20 cm;
• the wrist of the endomorph is the widest - more than 20 cm.

Different body types

This method is the easiest and allows you to accurately determine the physique. But there is another method for determining the type of male figure - measuring the angle of the ribs. To do this, you need to stand in front of the mirror, take a deep breath and hold your breath so that the chest is as tense as possible. In this position, you need to find the bottom pair of ribs and determine how much the angle between them will be:

• an angle of less than 90 degrees indicates that the type of figure in a man is asthenic;
• a right angle between the ribs indicates an athletic type;
• if the angle between the ribs is more than 90 degrees, then the man belongs to the endomorphic type of body structure.

The correct definition of the constitution of the body is the key to the effectiveness of training, which is planned in the same way as the diet, taking into account the characteristics of the type of figure in men.

A well-planned diet, performing specially selected physical exercises for a certain type of male constitution, perseverance and patience can make significant adjustments to the data laid down by nature and achieve impressive results for any man in achieving a athletic and muscular body.

For men with asthenic body structure

It is difficult for ectomorphs to quickly gain muscle mass, since the breakdown of carbohydrates in men of this constitution is increased, but the process of protein digestibility is slowed down. Success in achieving muscle building goals in lean individuals is 70% dependent on nutrition, so nutritionists advise following these recommendations.

• You need to eat often (5-6 times a day), each time eating a large portion of food, focusing on protein and carbohydrate foods.
• The daily diet should be 50% complex carbohydrates. The advantage should be given to cereals, legumes, durum wheat pasta, vegetables.
• Foods rich in fast carbohydrates (sweets, pastries, jams) are recommended to be excluded.
• The norm of protein intake is 2–2.5 g/kg of body weight. Protein foods: white meat chicken, turkey, lean beef and fish should account for up to 30% of the daily diet.
• Dairy products must be present in the diet of an asthenic, but preferably low fat (1%), since the recommended daily intake of fat in the diet should not exceed 20%.

Training should be limited to 3 times a week and built in such a way that the load is as heavy as possible, but not exhausting, and the duration of the session does not exceed 45 minutes.

Mesomorph nutrition and training plan

Since this type of male figure is considered ideal in terms of building a perfect body, then all recommendations for nutrition and physical activity come down only to preventing overtraining and adhering to the principles of a healthy diet. The recommended daily diet for a mesomorph is as follows:

• proteins - 30-40% (no more than 2 g / kg of body weight);
• fats - 10-20%;
• carbohydrates - 40-50%.

Men with an athletic body type do not have to strictly adhere to any diets, you can sometimes treat yourself to sweet and starchy foods. For effective training to gain muscle mass, mesomorphs can use any standard programs lasting 50-60 minutes 3-4 times a week, which are recommended to be changed every 2-3 months. Lack of physical activity and malnutrition over time will lead to the appearance of excess weight and loss of physical data, donated by nature.

The goal of physical training for men with an endomorphic body type is to fight excess weight and build muscle, which are hidden deep under the layer of subcutaneous fat. Therefore, the training program is focused on the restructuring of the body in the direction of the formation of muscle relief and the burning of body fat.

• It is obligatory to perform cyclic exercises (exercise bike, running, swimming) in combination with aerobic exercise and strength exercises.
• Split-system exercises are effective when two or three daily workouts alternate with one day of rest.
• It is worth including circuit training in the program every 5-6 sessions (at least 4 circles without a break).
• The main part of the daily diet should be protein foods (40–50%). Increase protein intake to 3 grams per kilogram of body weight.
• You need to eat every 2 hours, but in small portions up to 7 times a day.
• Complex carbohydrates should be consumed in the morning. They should be at least 40% of the daily caloric intake.
• It is recommended to limit fats to a minimum - 10%, and completely forget about sweets, flour products, fast food.

The successful result in the fight against excess weight largely depends on nutrition in men with an endomorphic type. If a man has a mixed type of constitution, you need to take into account the recommendations for training and proper nutrition of both types: select a diet depending on the metabolic rate, and alternate training programs. In order to gain a relief and slender body, it is important for a man to correctly assess his natural data and determine the type of physique. After that, you can choose a training and nutrition program suitable for this type of figure. The advice of nutritionists and trainers and perseverance in achieving goals will help every man achieve the perfect result, regardless of his constitution.