Somatotypes

Question 1

What are the features of an ectomorph?

Answer 1

• Thin and tall
• Narrow shoulders, hips and chest
• Very little fat and muscle
• Long arms and legs
• Thin face and high forehead

Question 2

What are the features of an endomorph?

Answer 2

• Pear-shaped body
• High-fat content
• Fat middle, thighs and arms
• Broad shoulders and broad hips

Question 3

What are the features of a mesomorph?

Answer 3

• Wedge-shaped
• Large amount of muscle
• Wide shoulders and thin hips.

Question 4

What are some suitable sports for mesomorphs?

Answer 4

• Sprinting - muscular shoulders help to ‘pump’ their arms and muscular legs let them drive forwards.
• Weightlifting - having a lot of upper and lower body strength lets weightlifters lift large amounts of weight.
• Rugby - some rugby players are mostly mesomorphic, allowing them to tackle hard, run fast, and break tackles.

Question 5

What are some suitable sports for an endomorph?

Answer 5

• Front row forward (rugby) - having a large mass makes it easy to push opposition players in a scum.
• Shot put - having a heavy, bulky frame is useful for building powerful movements.
• Sumo wrestling - their large frame makes endomorphs difficult to move.

Question 6

What are some suitable sports for an ectomorph?

Answer 6

• High jump - a light frame allows ectomorphs to jump higher because they have less weight to move.
• Tennis - tall players can naturally form a steep angle when serving and they also have a long reach for returning shots.
• Endurance running - lighter bodies are easier to carry.
• Long jump - tall performers can build up speed on the approach through their long levers.