There are different body types with different physical characteristics. Some people seem to gain weight just by looking at food, while others seem to be able to eat whatever they want without gaining weight.
To classify these differences, a system is often used which assumes three different body types: Ectomorph, Mesomorph, and Endomorph. These are the so-called ‘somatotypes’.
Many people have a combination of two body types. For example, a common combination is Ectomorph/Mesomorph and Mesomorph/Endomorph. In this article, we mainly focus on the Ectomorph body type, but first, let’s delve into the origin of these terms.
Origin of Somatotypes
These terms are now familiar in the fitness world. Naturally thin individuals are labeled as ectomorphs and are provided with associated dietary and training advice. However, it is important to note that the so-called somatotypes were not originally intended for this purpose.
Dr. Sheldon, an American psychologist, developed these terms in the 1940s. He theorized that one could estimate psychological characteristics based on physical traits. Think of the stereotype ‘fat people are jolly’. He devised the three somatotypes and proposed that each person could be classified based on the extent to which they exhibited characteristics of these three types.
For each somatotype, one could receive a score from 1 to 7. The first digit represented the degree of endomorphy, the second digit stood for the degree of mesomorphy, and the last digit for ectomorphy. For example, someone who was a ‘pure ectomorph’ might score “117”. In theory, there were 7x7x7=343 possible body types, although in practice, someone couldn’t have a maximum score of 7 for all body types.
Pyschological profiles were then associated with these 343 possible scores. However, this association proved to have no basis, and his theory was discarded. Nevertheless, the somatotypes persisted as descriptors of physical characteristics. Unlike the original scoring system, we now simply say someone is, for example, a true ‘ecto’ or ‘a combination ecto/meso’.
Somatotype: A Result of Many Characteristics
It is important to realize that these terms for body types are merely descriptions of appearance. Therefore, one must be cautious not to automatically attribute physiological characteristics to them, such as metabolism.
When one thinks of ectomorph, they often envision the appearance of a marathon runner; slender, relatively long limbs, low body fat, but also low muscle mass. However, it should be understood that this appearance is not solely the result of how your body processes food but also of how you have lived up to now.
Let me use myself as an example. Many would describe me as an ‘ecto/meso’. Naturally, I have a very low body fat percentage. For instance, I have always had a visible six-pack without conscious effort in terms of diet or training. Even now at 43, I don’t need to do cardio or follow a specific diet for a washboard stomach. At the same time, I can build a fair amount of muscle mass. So, I’m not a ‘pure ecto’, but that’s the body type I come closest to.
Metabolism or Appetite?
I often used to say “I can eat whatever I want and hardly gain weight”. Until I actually started tracking how much I ate and realized that I simply ate very little. Not consciously, but apparently, I have a low appetite. This too could be an innate characteristic, perhaps due to the balance between the hormones leptin and ghrelin, which respectively regulate satiety and appetite.
However, I noticed that when I do eat more than I actually want to gain weight, it all goes ‘the right way’. By that I mean I mainly gain muscle mass (partly due to strength training, of course) and hardly any increase in body fat percentage. So, in terms of metabolism, it works differently for me than for people who need to eat well below their energy needs to lose a bit of weight and/or see a few lines on their stomach.
Diet and Nutrition as an Ectomorph?
That being said, it is important to objectively determine how much you actually eat first.
You can use the Fitsociety app (available for download in the app store) to track your food intake. Do this for example for a whole week to get a good idea of your nutritional intake. Then you can compare this with your actual needs. It may turn out that you simply eat too little for your goals.
However, you may find that you eat enough or even more than your needs, but still do not gain weight or even maintain it. In this case, your metabolism is apparently higher than average. In our app, you can adjust the calculated requirement upwards, starting with, for example, 10%.
Now, work with this for a few weeks. Keep track of how much and what you eat so that you actually meet your newly determined needs. Based on the development of your weight, you can now determine if that 10% was enough to compensate for your higher metabolism.
Training for Ectomorphs
It’s clear that as an ectomorph, you should focus on developing muscle mass during training to gain weight. Cardio can burn those extra calories, partly counteracting your goal of gaining weight.
So, if you do want to do cardio for your fitness, keep this in mind and compensate by eating (even) more. Unless you’ve already factored this activity into your calorie needs, of course.
Strength training should be relatively heavy. Use weights with which you can do about 6 to 12 repetitions. Avoid training with lighter weights where you can do more than, for example, 15 repetitions. This mainly trains muscle endurance and you can expect little increase in muscle mass.
Conclusion
First, determine your calorie needs and then objectively assess how much you actually eat. This provides insight into whether your physique is a result of your appetite, metabolism, or a combination of both. Depending on this, you can establish your personal nutritional needs.
Focus your training primarily on muscle mass development.
