There are three different types of body shapes in any human and they are ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph. Most of us are a mixture or a combination of these various definitions but usually there is a dominant body-type in any person if you look closely enough.
The definitions are simple as the ectomorph is the definition of any hard-gainer and with a rather fragile bone structure and small joints is not the type of body-type that become successful bodybuilders. Usually tall with a flat chest, lean and narrow shoulders the pure ectomorph will find it hard to gain muscle and will more than likely be very thin no matter what they eat.
Most professional bodybuilders are mesomorphs who are born athletes with a natural balance and proportion in their muscles. The typical hour-glass body in females and the hard muscled, wide shoulders and narrow waist in males. It is the mesomorphs at the gym who gain muscle without even trying.
If the mesomorphs have any disadvantage it must be that they will always gain fat faster than an ectomorph would. Born with a thicker skin they can also weather cold weather better than other body-types and are usually the typical athlete that is able to take this genetic gift and develop a specific skill or sport.
The endomorphs have got the worst deal when it comes to bodybuilding because they have soft skin and plenty of belly-fat. The typical pair shaped person in a man or a women would be like John Goodman and Rosanne. They always manage to pick up fat faster than normal people and often have under-developed muscles.
With small hands and small feet the endomorph does not have a lot of core strength and usually has to start from scratch when exercising for the first time. Often endomorphs stay away from sport as a junior resulting in an unhealthy lifestyles as an adult, but there are many exceptions.
It needs to be added here that pure dominant body-types are rare as we are all a genetic mix of one or more of these body-types. If both your father and your mother were endomorphs then the chances of you being one are very good. The more knowledge that we have about what body-type we are the easier it is to plan a diet and exercise program that will work.
