Endomorphs are a body type with higher fat and bone strength, often with excess fat on the trunk and thighs. The classification of endomorphs, mesomorphs, and ectomorphs was created by Dr. William Herbert Sheldon, but his work has been discredited due to its association with eugenics. The terms are still used as guides for exercise, but many bodies are combinations of the somatotypes.
The word “endomorph” is a common term for a human body type characterized by a higher percentage of fat and bone strength. The endomorphic body typically has excess fat stored on the trunk and thighs, with extreme specimens having rounded, sometimes bulbous shapes. The endomorph is one of three somatotypes, classifications of human bodies based on the distribution of muscle, bone, fat, and other tissue.
The other two somatotypes are ectomorphs and mesomorphs. Ectomorphs tend to have long bones and a predisposition towards being thin. Mesomorphs, in contrast, are very muscular but also have little body fat. Scientists once believed that a person’s body type remained largely the same even if they acquired characteristics of another. For example, an athletic mesomorph might gradually start to look more like an endomorph with age and lack of exercise.
The terms endomorph, mesomorph and ectomorph were created by the American psychologist Dr. William Herbert Sheldon. Sheldon based the somatotypes on the three cell types formed during embryonic development. Endodermal cells form the digestive tract, mesodermal cells grow into muscle tissue and the circulatory system, and ectodermal cells develop into the nervous system and skin. Sheldon theorized that endomorphs had longer digestive systems which contributed to their body mass and tendency to gain weight. The three body classification terms are still used as guides by exercise specialists, but much of Sheldon’s work in this area has been discredited.
Sheldon’s use of somatotypes became particularly problematic when he tried to link specific personality traits to body types. Endomorphs were believed to be easygoing and tolerant extroverts who sought pleasure, especially with food. Mesomorphs, Sheldon theorized, were more active and aggressive, and ectomorphs were typically sensitive and intelligent introverts prone to nervous excitement. Many modern scientists find that Sheldon’s work overlaps uncomfortably with eugenics, the selective breeding of human beings. Eugenics gained notoriety in the 1930s and 1940s when the Nazis forcibly sterilized hundreds of thousands of German citizens who had disabilities and other traits considered undesirable.
The term “endomorph” is used more casually these days to help people identify their own metabolic tendencies. Exercise magazines and fitness trainers promote specific regimens for overweight people, emphasizing different exercises to help them shed unwanted pounds. Such regimens tend to emphasize fat-burning aerobic activities such as running, walking, biking, and any movement that raises your heart rate. Even those who still use these terms note that the classifications are not rigid and that many human bodies tend to be combinations of the somatotypes.
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