Physical Education · Ch 6 — Test, Measurement & Evaluation
Mesomorphy
Mesomorphy
Mesomorphy is the muscularity or robustness component of the somatotype. A person in whom it dominates is a mesomorph - the classic "athletic build", hard and muscular, that most sports favour.
Meaning
Mesomorphy describes how muscular and robust a physique is - the higher the rating, the more muscular, hard and powerful the body, and the sturdier the frame.
Physical characteristics of a mesomorph
- Hard, muscular body with well-defined, prominent muscles.
- Broad shoulders and chest tapering to a narrow waist (a "V"/wedge shape).
- Strong, well-developed limbs with thick muscle and heavy bone.
- Low-to-moderate body fat, so muscle definition is visible.
- An overall athletic, well-proportioned and robust appearance.
- Muscle mass is gained relatively easily with training.
Suitability for sport
The mesomorphic build is typically the best suited to sport of the three types, especially in power and strength events, because a high proportion of muscle and a strong frame let the athlete generate large forces quickly. Mesomorphs tend to excel in:
- Strength and power events - weightlifting, wrestling, throwing (shot put, discus), and sprinting.
- Contact/combat sports and many team sports that reward strength, speed and robustness.
The reason is direct: muscle produces force - a body with more muscle and less useless fat accelerates faster, lifts heavier, hits harder and resists injury better than the other two builds.
Most elite athletes show a high mesomorphy rating, usually blended with either endomorphy (in heavy strength/power sports) or ectomorphy (in speed and endurance sports).
How mesomorphy is rated
Like the other two components, mesomorphy is rated on the same 1-7 scale used in standard somatotyping: a low score means little muscular development and a narrow, light frame, while a high score means pronounced muscle mass, a wide frame and a markedly wedge-shaped build. A dominant-mesomorph somatotype is often written with the middle number highest, for example 2-6-2, showing strong muscularity with comparatively little fatness or leanness.
Training implications
Because mesomorphs typically respond quickly to resistance training with visible muscle gain, their training can usually progress to higher-intensity strength and power work sooner than the other two builds can tolerate; the main caution is that natural strength can mask weaknesses in mobility or technique, which still need deliberate attention even though raw force output looks impressive early on.