Endomorphy

Endomorphy is the fatness or roundness component of the somatotype. A person in whom it dominates is an endomorph, with a soft, rounded shape and a higher proportion of stored fat.

Meaning

Endomorphy describes how fat and round a physique is - the higher the rating, the softer and rounder the body and the greater the tendency to store fat.

Physical characteristics of an endomorph

• Soft, round body with smooth contours rather than defined muscle.
• A higher proportion of body fat over the body.
• Wide waist and hips, giving a pear- or apple-like shape.
• Short, tapering limbs relative to a fuller trunk.
• A tendency to gain weight easily and difficulty losing fat.
• Generally a wider, heavier bone and trunk structure.

Suitability for sport

The endomorphic build is generally unsuited to speed, agility, jumping or endurance, because the extra fat is "dead weight" that must be moved without adding power, tiring the athlete faster. Running, gymnastics and endurance events are difficult for a dominant endomorph.

However, the build can be an advantage where mass itself is useful and the body must resist being moved or apply force through bulk - for example the heavier weight categories of wrestling, sumo, and certain throwing or anchoring/scrummaging roles, where large mass helps hold ground or generate momentum.

How endomorphy is rated

In the standard somatotyping method, each of the three components - endomorphy, mesomorphy, ectomorphy - is rated on a scale, commonly 1 to 7, where a low endomorphy score means very little fatness or roundness and a high score means a strongly rounded, fat-dominant build. An athlete's full somatotype is written as three numbers in this fixed order, endomorphy-mesomorphy-ectomorphy, so a rating such as 6-3-1 describes someone strongly endomorphic with moderate muscularity and very little leanness.

Training and nutrition implications …