body type

Options
krennie8
krennie8 Posts: 301 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Do you believe the body types are correct based on wrist circumference?
«13

Replies

  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,024 Member
    Options
    That's not really "body type." Those are frame sizes. And yes I believe the wrist circumference is a good indicator of frame sizes.
  • perseverance14
    perseverance14 Posts: 1,364 Member
    Options
    There is more to it than just wrist circumference. There is a good body type quiz on bodybuilding .com site that asks more than wrist circumference. That said, modern scientists mostly discredit somatotypes and Sheldon's work, so take it with a grain of salt.
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    Options
    Body type: human, male
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    Options
    perseverance14 wrote: »
    There is a good body type quiz on bodybuilding .com site that asks more than wrist circumference. That said, modern scientists mostly discredit somatotypes and Sheldon's work, so take it with a grain of salt.

    Or a whole shakerful. That's bro science, plain and simple.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Options
    No, not really. There's a visible difference between my left and right wrist which must be related to me being right-handed, and some people have fatter wrists when they are heavier (everyone to some extent, I imagine).
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
    Options
    Bro Science on the psychological aspects attached to Sheldon's work, but I don't think we can overlook small, medium, and large frames that exist. At least it is one additional unit of measure.

    Even in golf, they teach the swing based on one's body type - arc, width, leverage or a combination based on one's physical characteristics.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    edited December 2014
    Options
    In golf they're teaching the swing based on your current body shape. So, for instance, if your shoulders are narrower than your hips, your swing is going to be subtly different.

    But that doesn't have anything to do with your ability to change your body shape. Some people carry their weight in different places, but everyone has the ability to lose weight, get in shape and tone up if they put in the hard work and effort. We're none of us special snowflakes.

    Frame size, yeah, to some extent that exists. The differences are pretty subtle, though, and a lot of people use unrelated things like bone density (a measure relevant to risk factors for osteoporosis) as a fitness gauge, which it is not.

    The other stuff, though? That's just excuses. "Oh, I'm not fat, I'm big-boned". No, actually, you're fat. But that's okay, 'cause the good news is you can do something about that.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Options
    I think that there are different frame sizes and people hold their weight differently. But I don't think that body shape dictates how we lose weight.

    Also, I think that some people use the terms ectomorph, endomorph, and mesomorph to describe body shapes but don't necessarily know about somatypology.
  • nosebag1212
    nosebag1212 Posts: 621 Member
    Options
    I don't believe in somatotypes, people have different frames and appetites though
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
    Options
    segacs wrote: »
    In golf they're teaching the swing based on your current body shape. So, for instance, if your shoulders are narrower than your hips, your swing is going to be subtly different.

    But that doesn't have anything to do with your ability to change your body shape. Some people carry their weight in different places, but everyone has the ability to lose weight, get in shape and tone up if they put in the hard work and effort. We're none of us special snowflakes.

    Frame size, yeah, to some extent that exists. The differences are pretty subtle, though, and a lot of people use unrelated things like bone density (a measure relevant to risk factors for osteoporosis) as a fitness gauge, which it is not.

    The other stuff, though? That's just excuses. "Oh, I'm not fat, I'm big-boned". No, actually, you're fat. But that's okay, 'cause the good news is you can do something about that.

    In golf, the height factor also dictates the swing plane. Usually it ends with a more upright swing plane compared to a medium height golfer, or a short golfer. This then, results in a whole list of other things relevant to how the swing unfolds to get a square face at the point of contact.

    However, I didn't post to talk about golf. I had called myself an "ectomorph" due to my height, small frame and slim/trim physique. Guilty of accepting the moniker that was developed in the 1950's without really studying the original work of how and why those names were chosen by Sheldon. That set off a button with a few people who said the terms ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph were all BS, mythical, and non-scientific. I'm fine with that.

    However...I wondered if the work of Sheldon is such a hated myth (for sure the psychological traits he associated with each type), what then do we call body types to not upset anyone with myths?

    Height: short, average, tall, super tall
    Frame: small, medium, large

    Do I call myself a tall, skinny drink of water? Tall, slender male, with a small size frame? A spittin' image of my mother, one of my sisters, grandfather, brothers, cousins, great-grandfather (all who share the tall and slim look - or body type)?

  • leanne0627
    leanne0627 Posts: 109 Member
    Options
    I've seen a lot of articles and research that claim if your an "apple" shape and carry your weight in the middle you are more prone to diseases etc. If your "pear" shape then you have less risk. Is there any truth to that?
  • blktngldhrt
    blktngldhrt Posts: 1,053 Member
    Options
    krennie8 wrote: »
    Do you believe the body types are correct based on wrist circumference?

    No. I have a small wrist circumference but I would not consider my frame to be small.
  • ukaryote
    ukaryote Posts: 874 Member
    Options
    segacs wrote: »
    But that doesn't have anything to do with your ability to change your body shape. Some people carry their weight in different places, but everyone has the ability to lose weight, get in shape and tone up if they put in the hard work and effort. We're none of us special snowflakes.

    Agreed: everyone can get into better shape. People tend to be thin or fat but can work against this trend.
    Disagree: everyone can become buff, do the age-appropriate number of pull-ups, push ups, etc.

    Genetics can be a mutha. (And fatha. Unless one uses parthenogenesis.)

  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    Options
    leanne0627 wrote: »
    I've seen a lot of articles and research that claim if your an "apple" shape and carry your weight in the middle you are more prone to diseases etc. If your "pear" shape then you have less risk. Is there any truth to that?

    This one seems to get more support from the medical community. Though as it turns out, it, too, may wind up being proven false, or at least, incomplete as a theory. That's the thing about science -- old theories keep being debunked as more studies are performed.

    The difference here is that the apple vs. pear health risk theory is at least based on medical research and double-blind controlled studies, as opposed to somatotypes which are basically just astrology or numerology under a different guise.

    Ultimately body shape is useful in figuring out fashion advice, but it's not a reliable marker for health.
  • umisquirrel
    umisquirrel Posts: 14 Member
    Options
    Not for me! I have tiny wrists but all my other bones (shoulders, hips, etc.) are large :)
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Options
    demotivation.us_Im-not-fat-Im-big-boned_131370198274.jpg
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,716 Member
    Options
    [quote="jemhh;30582044"]I think that there are different frame sizes and people hold their weight differently. But I don't think that body shape dictates how we lose weight.

    Also, I think that some people use the terms ectomorph, endomorph, and mesomorph to describe body shapes but don't necessarily know about somatypology.[/quote]

    Agree with the bold.
  • NoelFigart1
    NoelFigart1 Posts: 1,276 Member
    Options
    I'm short and stocky. I'll never be a delicate little sylph. I could starve myself to 100lbs and I won't look delicately slender like a ballerina. I'll look like a lollipop head. I have short arms and legs and that's never going to change.

    Can I get down to a lower and more hydrodynamic weight? Hell yeah.

    So yeah, people have different physiques and changing parts of them might require surgery. Some people want that, others don't.

    I just wanna be able to swim faster so I don't kill myself in open water swims where the tide is a concern.*shrug* We all have different goals.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    Options
    I believe there is some truth to it. The size of the bones at a person's wrist will normally give an indication of the size of the bones elsewhere. More bone means that a smaller percentage of a person's weight is made up of muscle and fat. But none of that has much meaning unless the person is at a "normal" weight. For overweight people, differences in bone size are an insignificant percentage of their total mass.

Categories