Facts, Myths, And Conflicting Information Of Somatotype

Facts, myths, and conflicting information of somatotype

Source: https://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-body-type-eating

Origins: In the 1940s, psychologist Dr. William Sheldon came up with the idea of somatotypes.

According to Sheldon’s definitions:

Ectomorphs were thin, narrow, delicate, fragile, linear, and poorly muscled.

Endomorphs were soft, round, pudgy, and overweight.

Mesomorphs were broad-shouldered, narrow in the waist and hips, muscular, compact, and athletic.

The classifications were based on height, weight derived from the front, back, and side photos. This is known as photoscopy and is highly criticized by many other scientists as it was deemed unreliable and subjective.

Most contemporary somatotype measurements utilize the “Heath-Carter measurement system” which includes ratings for all three somatotypes and uses a range of anthropometric measurements such as skin folding; giving a more individualized profile. As the original method of classifying an individual to a singular category proved very inaccurate and has been commonly accepted that most individuals are comprised of a mixture of the three classifications.