Female Athlete Somatotypes

In athletics, somatotypes can cover a wide spectrum and no one person has the exact same physique as someone else. There are three different types of body components according to The Sheldon method which are Endomophy, Mesomorphy, and Ectomorphy. Endomorphy being the physique that is soft and round in contour, suggestive of a tendency towards fatness and obesity. Mesomorphy describes a physique that is well-defined muscularity and balanced body proportions. Ectomorphy is a physique that is the leanest of the body types, typically associated with an extremely thin individual. With any of these body physiques you can reach different developmental stages of motor behavior at different times. These somatotypes can also have different effects on
how the body can participate in different activities. Somatotypes can relate to the developmental stages of motor behavior, and the effects on athletic performance. Somatotypes goes hand in hand with Anthropometrics it provides systematic techniques to measure characteristics of the human body and use the characteristics measured to classify the body physique into the composition that’s appropriate. (Khasawneh,43) An athlete’s somatotype is key to his/her competency, since it enables their bodies to move effectively, to perform the necessary activities in different sports. Someone that has an Endomorphic physique will be delayed at reaching milestones compared to a Mesomorphic physique. Depending on the sport certain body physiques are more common. For example, in Ballet most ballet dancers have a ectomorphic physique to have the ability to move smoother movement and less weight to get around easier. In most cases ballet dancers do not have the need to spend long hours in the weight room to bulk up in fact women demonstrate no significant increase in limb circumference. (Blank, 2015) They strengthen their limbs and backs to be able to perform lifts and leaps. In a study by Khasawneh it is shown that findings revealed that the participants’ somatotypes differ in dancing depending on the type of dancing that is taking place and both male and female dancers have lower proportions of mesomorphy and a higher characteristics of ectomorphy.(Khasawneh, 44) Female athletes can be affected by vigorous activity, although it is not completely discouraged.
The female athlete triad might occur if over-training is maintained over a long period of time and accompanied by other issues. The triad is a combination of three disorders. These are disordered eating in which not enough calories are taken in to fuel energy needs, disturbed menstrual cycle and low bone density. Athletes at highest risk of the triad are gymnasts, dancers, swimmers, runners or any sport that places extreme emphasis on weight or maximum performance according to the Female Athlete Triad Coalition. (ROHMANN, 2015) The female triad can have a negative effect on the athlete because it can off balance her natural somatotype this being because an athlete that is genetically made to be a endomorph can become an ectomorph from the malnutrition and the loss in bone density. A young athlete that starts ballet, swimming, and gymnastics could reach a level of competitiveness at an early age where they may feel nutrition sacrifices are necessary to reach a potential goal. With less bone density this could have a disadvantage on the athlete as far as reaching developmental milestones when developmentally
appropriate. As well as in male athlete’s, somatotypes can play an extreme role in deciding where the athlete can be used and be most successful. Khasawneh states body size, proportion, and body composition are all important factors that affect physical performance. (Khasawneh, 44) For example a team coach would not want to put an ectomorph athlete that weighs 170 pound on the offensive line against the opposing teams 280-pound endomorph athlete. As well as placing a 280 pound, 6foot 9in athlete at the running back position. Some athletes genetically are meant to play for certain positions and for certain sports. For example, genetically a basketball player’s parents are 6foot or taller and have had an ectomorphic physique most of their life. Because of genetics the athlete might carry strong ectomorphic characteristic making his more suitable to playing basketball. Then you have a 6 foot endomorphic or mesomorphic physique that has had more success at playing football. Is an individual strictly one somatotype?
No, you can have different combinations for example the University of Houston goes on to say “Classic combination somatotypes include pear-shaped ecto-endomorphs with thin, delicate upper bodies and high fat storage in the hips and thighs, and apple-shaped endo-ectomorphs, with high fat storage in the mid-section and thin lower bodies.” “People are born with an inherited body type based on skeletal frame and body composition. Most people are unique combinations of the three body types: ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph.” An athlete that is a mesomorph tends to be testosterone and growth hormone dominant, which leads to a predisposition for muscle gain and the maintenance of a lower body fat. The downside of being a mesomorph is they gain fat more easily than ectomorphs. These traits help use combination of weight training and cardio during workout routines. Making it easier for them to reach developmental milestones verses an ectomorph because they have more strict guidelines to
training.