The 'three body types' myth - Is it true?

Is it genetically determined whether we will be thin or fat?

First of all we would like to make it clear that there is currently no scientific evidence that people can simply be assigned different body types. The allocations in this article are intended to help you navigate and facilitate your optimal nutrition and training plans.

A psychological approach of William Sheldon from the 1950s says that there is a connection between the shape of the body and the personality traits of a person. Scientifically, this assumption has now been refuted, which is why today the ectomorphic, mesomorphic and endomorphic types are mainly used as a description of the body structure. Nevertheless, a reference to the three body types is made again and again, especially in the training and nutrition design.

According to the body type theory, which, as already mentioned, is not scientifically supported, there are three different body types. The ectomorphic, the mesomorphic and the endomorphic types. It’s not possible to concretely say that you only belong to a certain body type, but clear tendencies towards one of the three body types can be seen.

The ectomorphic type is characterized by a very narrow physique. Both the hips and shoulders are very narrow, and the arms and legs are very thin. In addition, they often have a very low body fat percentage, which is shown by clearly visible bones, for example on the shoulders or ribs. However, an increasing number of TOFIs (thin outside, fat inside) also belong to the group of ectomorphic appearances. These people are also very thin, but have a relatively high body fat percentage (especially organ fat) and a low muscle percentage. In terms of health, TOFIs face dangers similar to those of obese people. Ectomorphic individuals often say that they can not gain weight, no matter what and how much they eat.

The mesomorphic type is characterized by an athletic physique. The chest and shoulders are rather broad with this body shape. In addition, the so-called hourglass shape is clearly visible in women, the classic V-shape in men. People of this body type usually have no difficulty maintaining their weight or building muscle.

The endomorph type is characterized by a rather rounded physique. On the one hand, it is easy for the endomorph type to build muscle, but at the same time it also increases fat reserves faster. The chest, shoulders and hips are rather broad in this body type. In addition, the body fat percentage tends to be slightly higher than for the other body types.

Would you like to know more about your own body, have a look at our BMI calculator. 

The fact that there is no scientific evidence for clearly differentiable body types means, on the one hand, that there are plenty of mixed types between the three body types, but on the other hand that type and characteristics are not directly related. So why is the ectomorph type thin and why do they have the feeling of not being able to put on weight? There are a lot of factors that can play a role here, some are biological in nature, some sociological and others psychological. Probably the biggest influences are:

The feeling of being hungry varies greatly from person to person. This leads to the fact that one person talks about vast quantities, but in reality consumes only 2000 kcal a day, while the other person feels that he does not eat anything, but in fact consumes 3000 kcal. The latter feeling is enhanced by a reduction in weight, the body counteracts weight loss with increased hunger and it takes several months to overcome this mechanism.

Metabolism is often considered like a machine that works either quickly or slowly. In fact, in the sum of all metabolic processes, there are differences from person to person, which are approximately in the range of a maximum of 20%. But there are plenty of possibilities to stimulate the metabolism and thus increase your own consumption. Exercise plays the main role here, but also meal frequency, the selection of foods and sleep have a big impact.

For the most part, we are not aware of how we behave, everyone considers themselves somehow “normal”. Even if we are very different in our habits and organization of our days. Habits are very much involved in shaping our body. They determine how often, how much and what we eat. Thus they also determine how well we are supplied with nutrients and how many calories we eat. They determine how often, how much and how intensively we exercise and thus also whether and how much muscle mass we build and how many calories we burn. They determine work, breaks and bedtime and many other things in our lives that affect much more than just our stature.

Click here to find out how you can get rid of bad habits.

Realistically, the combination of these three factors, alongside certain ways of thinking, determines how we develop physically. Does this mean that we should immediately forget the body types? Not necessarily, because you can also understand them as a simplification. This helps us to find solutions to our own problem faster. Basically, these three types each represent extremes in the combination of properties. From the instructions for the extreme types, we can deduce what we can do, for example, if we head in one direction.

In the following part, you will learn what makes sense for the individual types according to the type theory.

A healthy and balanced diet in terms of the three body types can help you achieve your goals for your body. Depending on which body type you associate more with, you can use the following recommendations to achieve these goals.

Due to the rather fast metabolism in the ectomorph body type, it is important to ensure a sufficient calorie intake through high-quality carbohydrate and protein sources. The fats should not be omitted, but reduced.

As many unprocessed foods as possible, such as complex carbohydrates (e.g. wholemeal bread, potatoes, vegetables and fruit) should not be missing from the diet.

It is best to pay attention to the proteins, and integrate both animal and vegetable protein sources into your nutrition plan. You can find high-quality animal protein sources, for example, in fish, cottage cheese or eggs. High-quality vegetable proteins are, for example, nuts or legumes.

For the mesomorph body type, a balanced basic nutrition, that is, a fair distribution of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, is crucial.Depending on your goals, you can vary the proportion of each. If you want to lose weight, you should lower your calorie intake overall. If you want to build muscle, you should set the protein intake a little higher. Important! Even if this body type seems to be the perfect one, this is not a free ticket for a random diet. As with all types, it is also important to pay attention to the diet of the mesomorph type and, above all, to focus on fresh and unprocessed foods, which you prepare yourself.

For the endomorph type, it is important to pay attention to more proteins and fats, and keep carbohydrate intake rather low. If your goal is to lose weight, you should also try to achieve a calorie deficit.

Here, too, the choice of food is crucial. High-quality and regional products, lots of vegetables and above all healthy sources of fat, such as olive oil, rapeseed oil, nuts or avocado should be an integral part of your diet.

Ectomorph body type:

• More strength than endurance training
• Use large muscle groups (e.g. squats, lunges, bench presses or deadlifts)
• Heavy weights, fewer repetitions and sufficient rest between sets
• Sufficient recovery

Mesomorph body type:

• Combination of strength and endurance training, be varied (z.B. HIIT orr Crossfit)   
• Train 3-4 times a week
• Set your own priorities according to your goals (lose weight, definition, muscle building)
• Intensive training is good for your body

Endomorph body type:

• Full body training
• Body weight training strengthens and accelerates metabolism
• Stay varied in endurance training (cycling, swimming, hiking, jogging)
• Move every day – “Every move counts”
• Integrate the movement into everyday life. For example, take the bike instead of the bus or walk stairs instead of taking the lift

Also in the ancient Indian science Ayurveda, which originated from Indian medicine, there are references to different body types. The so-called 3 doshas, which arise from the four elements of fire, water, earth and air. They occur in varying degrees of distribution in the human body and can also manifest themselves in three body types. The characteristics and nutritional suggestions for these other body types can be found in the following table.

• According to Sheldon, there are 3 different body types: the ectomorphic, the mesomorphic and the endomorphic types.
• According to the three types, you should especially pay attention to high-quality and unprocessed foods in your diet.
• The training design can be different depending on the type.
• No pigeonholing! There is no clear, unambiguous assignment to a specific body type.
• There are other approaches in the field of body types, such as those from the Indian science of Ayurveda.
• Overall, these recommendations are not scientifically proven, but can serve as a guide.

• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung e.V. (2021): 10 Regeln der DGE, abgerufen am 10.03.2021 10-Regeln-der-DGE.pdf