Body Type

There are three extremes of body types.


Endmorph

Endomorph

  • A pear shaped body
  • A rounded head
  • Wide hips and shoulders
  • Wider front to back rather than side to side.
  • A lot of fat on the body, upper arms and thighs

Mesmorph

Mesomorph

  • A wedge shaped body
  • A cubical head
  • Wide broad shoulders
  • Muscled arms and legs
  • Narrow hips
  • Narrow from front to back rather than side to side.
  • A minimum amount of fat

Ectomorph

Ectomorph

  • A high forehead
  • Receding chin
  • Narrow shoulders and hips
  • A narrow chest and abdomen
  • Thin arms and legs
  • Little muscle and fat.

Body Size

Body size refers to the athlete's height and weight. The ideal size for an athlete depends on the sport or event and sometimes the position they play in their sport (consider the various body sizes in a Rugby team). There are standard ideal weight charts based on an individual's height. These tables unfortunately do not help athletes because they do not allow for body composition. Being overweight is not a problem provided it is extra muscle and not fat.
Your Ideal Weight
The most accurate assessment of your ideal weight takes into account the composition of your body - how much of your weight is lean body mass (muscle and bone) and how much is body fat. For optimum health, body fat should be no more than 20% of total body weight for men and 30% for women.
Ideal Weight Table
The following table is a guide to a healthy weight range for each height and sex group. The table does not take into consideration your age or your frame size. A person with a petite physique ought to aim for an ideal weight at the lower end of the range. A person of the same height but with a larger frame could quite satisfactorily weigh in at the top of the range.


Height

Men

Women

Feet &
Inches

Meters

Kg

lbs

Kg

lbs

4' 7"

1.40

...

...

40 - 53

88 - 116

4' 9"

1.45

...

...

42 - 54

92 - 119

4' 11"

1.50

...

...

43 - 55

94 - 121

4' 11½"

1.52

...

...

44 - 56

97 - 123

5' ½"

1.54

...

...

44 - 57

97 - 125

5' 1"

1.56

...

...

45 - 58

99 - 128

5' 2"

1.58

51 - 64

112 - 141

46 - 59

101 - 130

5' 2½"

1.60

52 - 65

114 - 143

48 - 61

105 - 134

5' 3½"

1.62

53 - 66

116 - 145

49 - 62

108 - 136

5' 4½"

1.64

54 - 67

119 - 147

50 - 64

110 - 141

5' 5"

1.66

55 - 69

121 - 152

51 - 65

112 - 143

5' 6"

1.68

56 - 71

123 - 156

52 - 66

114 - 145

5' 6½"

1.70

58 - 73

127 - 161

53 - 67

117 - 147

5' 7½"

1.72

59 - 74

130 - 163

55 - 69

121 - 152

5' 8½"

1.74

60 - 75

132 - 165

56 - 70

123 - 154

5' 9"

1.76

62 - 77

136 - 169

58 - 72

128 - 158

5' 10"

1.78

64 - 79

141 - 174

59 - 74

130 - 163

5' 10½"

1.80

65 - 80

143 - 176

...

...

5' 11½"

1.82

66 - 82

145 - 180

...

...

6' 0"

1.84

67 - 84

147 - 185

...

...

6' 1"

1.86

69 - 86

152 - 189

...

...

6' 2"

1.88

71 - 88

156 - 194

...

...

6' 2½"

1.90

73 - 90

161 - 198

...

...

6' 3½"

1.92

75 - 93

165 - 205

...

...

Body Mass Index:
An alternative way of gauging your weight is to calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI). To determine your BMI divide your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared. The normal acceptable range of this measurement is 20.1 to 25.0 for men and 18.7 to 23.8 for women. The only exceptions are athletes and body builders, whose extra muscle may tip their BMI over the normal range.

\mathrm{BMI} = \frac{\mathit{weight} \ \mathrm{(kg)}}{\mathit{height}^2 (\mathrm{m^2})}

BMI Categories:

  • Underweight = <18.5
  • Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
  • Overweight = 25-29.9
  • Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

BMI can also be determined using a BMI chart, which displays BMI as a function of weight (horizontal axis) and height (vertical axis) using contour lines for different values of BMI or colors for different BMI categories.