Mesomorphs; do you feel blessed to be able to build muscle easily?

serapel
serapel Posts: 502 Member
edited November 13 in Fitness and Exercise
I am a mix of mesomorph and ectomorph...mostly meso...I am 45 and building muscle and I feel so thankful that I can build muscle quite easily and be blessed with a fast metabolism.

When I was in my 20's, I felt that having an athletic build was unfeminine and I hated it. Now I love it and see it for what it is. I have little waist definition and I have small hips and bum with wide shoulders (inverted triangle). Currently 5'8" 33, 27, 37.5

But now I see how blessed I have been all these years.
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Replies

  • serapel
    serapel Posts: 502 Member
    thanks. I just figured my results were partly luck down to genetics.
  • mgalovic01
    mgalovic01 Posts: 388 Member
    edited December 2016
    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    No, because somatypes have been debunked. Glad you are happy with your progress. How about giving yourself credit for the hard work, rather than giving it to shoddy science?

    What do you mean debunked? Are you saying genetics has nothing to do with it? From my understanding, all somatypes are saying is that we have genetic tendencies towards certain attributes. We can be, and much more often than not are, combinations of each.
    Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages. So, take what you got and make the most out of it.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    mgalovic01 wrote: »
    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    No, because somatypes have been debunked. Glad you are happy with your progress. How about giving yourself credit for the hard work, rather than giving it to shoddy science?

    What do you mean debunked? Are you saying genetics has nothing to do with it? From my understanding, all somatypes are saying is that we have tendencies towards certain attributes. We can be combinations of each.

    There is a difference between genetics (which is real science) and somatypes (such as ecto-, endo-, and mesomorphs). Somatypes were initially introduced by a psychologist in the 1940s to describe temperament, not muscle building capacity, which it somehow morphed into.

    That said, genetic influence can be mitigated through lifestyle choices, to some extent.

    *Introduced very, VERY unscientifically by looking at photographs (possibly in part acquired without consent) and writing down how they made him feel.
  • serapel
    serapel Posts: 502 Member
    trigden1991 wrote: »
    You probably aren't gaining as much muscle as you would like to think

    I think I'm gaining at about .75 lbs of muscle per month, so no I don't think I'm underestimating it. For a female, that's very good.
  • chocolate_owl
    chocolate_owl Posts: 1,695 Member
    I have nothing to contribute that hasn't been said already but what is that in your profile picture??
  • serapel
    serapel Posts: 502 Member
    Adding, my waist measurements are staying at 27 inches and my hips are getting bigger and my back is looking awesome too.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    regardless of whether putting a somatype wrapper around it is valid or not . . .
    I felt that having an athletic build was unfeminine and I hated it.

    this part i get. and the mind shift i get, for definite. i'm 6 years older than you and clearly remember the waif-nymph standards for 'feminine' that seemed to be everywhere back in the day. like, the 'could pose on a lily pad and wouldn't sink it' type look.

    i'm not "athletically" built, but do recall always knowing i was too solid to ever quite make that grade and it made me sad too. on the other hand, i don't think i ever didn't like being strong. or having the belief that i was strong, anyway. now i check myself out in the gym mirror and see that i most resemble a nice sturdy well-put-together three-year-old, and i don't care what others think; i like it :tongue:
  • SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish
    SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish Posts: 831 Member
    serapel wrote: »
    thanks. I just figured my results were partly luck down to genetics.

    Probably true. They are just saying the names you used are "wrong" basically, not the concept that certain people can build muscle faster than others. You just cant know by looking at someone's body how fast they do or don't build muscle or all the other things "linked" to "somatotypes".
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Well poo. I'd never heard of this mesomorph thing and wondered if that's why I seem to gain muscle pretty easily. At least it seems easy to me. But I guess easy is just opinion.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    Sounds like you are doing well @serapel ...you should definitely give yourself more credit though, you work hard! I am failing at my bulk lately, reached a plateau just.. nothing. I know I know, I need to eat more. I just feel like I am running against the grain, so frustrating. :/

    Keep doing what you are doing :)
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
    It can be due to genetics but your Somatotype isn't the reason. That's pretty much just based off of your bone structure. That being said, I agree with others that it's likely you're over estimating your gains. Which sucks unfortunately. As a 23 year old male I struggle to see any increases in muscle mass, so it's very unlikely that someone in their 40s are seeing significant consistent increases in muscle mass
  • Leadfoot_Lewis
    Leadfoot_Lewis Posts: 1,623 Member
    OP - you and I are similar in age and body type, except gaining muscle has NEVER been easy for me. I have a fast metabolism (have to eat 2600+ calories a day to gain) but I've put in A LOT of hard work to get there-to have the lean mass, etc. to have that fast metabolism. Point is to enjoy your gainz and give yourself some credit. Body types don't put muscle on, hard work does. :)

  • mgalovic01
    mgalovic01 Posts: 388 Member
    edited December 2016
    somatotype- a category to which people are assigned according to the extent to which their bodily physique conforms to a basic type
    mesomorph- a person with a compact and muscular body build.
    ectomorph- a person with a lean and delicate body build.
    endomorph- a person with a soft round body build and a high proportion of fat tissue.
    So, all these phenotypes are doing is classifying extremes in genetic predisposition to a certain build, with scales for, and combinations of them. This can help give us an idea of our strengths and weakness, which could aid in developing and achieving goals.
  • serapel
    serapel Posts: 502 Member
    chocolate_owl wrote: »
    I have nothing to contribute that hasn't been said already but what is that in your profile picture??

    two Canadian Indigenous pieces of art that my children made at a festival :)
  • serapel
    serapel Posts: 502 Member
    jessef593 wrote: »
    It can be due to genetics but your Somatotype isn't the reason. That's pretty much just based off of your bone structure. That being said, I agree with others that it's likely you're over estimating your gains. Which sucks unfortunately. As a 23 year old male I struggle to see any increases in muscle mass, so it's very unlikely that someone in their 40s are seeing significant consistent increases in muscle mass

    no I see muscle and I know I've gained at least 4 lbs of muscle. check out my pics in my profile.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    seeing muscle can be because you lost body fat over that muscle,it doesnt mean you have gained any. Im not saying you haven't. the only way to know is getting an dexa scan before and after..it will be a lot more accurate than what you can see with the naked eye.
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  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    mgalovic01 wrote: »
    somatotype- a category to which people are assigned according to the extent to which their bodily physique conforms to a basic type
    mesomorph- a person with a compact and muscular body build.
    ectomorph- a person with a lean and delicate body build.
    endomorph- a person with a soft round body build and a high proportion of fat tissue.
    So, all these phenotypes are doing is classifying extremes in genetic predisposition to a certain build, with scales for, and combinations of them. This can help give us an idea of our strengths and weakness, which could aid in developing and achieving goals.

    As was said before, genetics is a thing. People are born shorter or taller, with different muscle shapes and insertions, with more or less muscle fibers, etc. That's a thing. Made-up somatotypes by a psychologist who looked at pictures are not a thing. And most people don't even fit squarely into any of the somatotypes - which makes sense, since they're nothing more than a figment of a psychologist's imagination.

    It's like saying Santa Claus is real because people get presents on Christmas, or the Easter Bunny is real because children get to hunt for colored eggs.
  • serapel
    serapel Posts: 502 Member
    GuitarJerry wrote: »
    Because 99.9% of people that say they are gaining muscle, or really either losing fat, or gaining fat. Adding new mass to a human body is very difficult to do. Even when you try really hard, it's still very difficult.

    Well I'm doing it. Period. I'm gaining muscle. My but is twice as big and I don't put fat there.

    I am hip thrusting 205 lbs. Every week I'm getting stronger. Anyone tells me that's not muscle can.....
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    edited December 2016
    OP, just out of curiosity, how do you measure your bf%?

    There are women who add muscle faster than others. Specifically, it can at times be seen in women with PCOS, who can have 2-3 times the testosterone levels of women without PCOS. I don't know your hormonal profile but if you had a bf of 19% I'm guessing you haven't been trying to diet. If you are eating well and training I don't think that a 4 pound muscle gain in nearly 6 months is as impossible as many want to think.
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