Body Types

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I have been set the task of answering the question: Is a mesomorph body type the most suitable for long distance running?

There are 3 different body types, each body type is an own optimum weight for different sports, but most people do not fit into the 3 categories perfectly and are more of a match for a mixture of body types.

An extreme endomorph is a person with: a lot of body fat, has wide hips and narrow shoulders, they also have significant amounts of fat stored in the upper arms and thighs.  This sort of body type would be useful for sports such as American Football, Rugby or Sumo Wrestling.

Extreme ectomorph body type characteristics include: long, thin arms; very little body fat or muscle; narrow hips and shoulders. Ectomorphs are the ideal body types for activities like high jump, long distance running and badminton.

Mesomorph body characteristics are: very little body fat; strong, developed muscles; broad shoulders and narrow hips. These types of people will be best suited for sports such like sprinting, boxing and swimming.

Endurance activities such as long distance running would not be ideal for someone with a mesomorph body type. This is because their bodies are largely made up of muscle, which is also very heavy therefore slowing them down as they attempt to repeatedly use their heavily built muscles over a long period of time. It is due to this reason that a person with a mesomorph body will become tired far too quickly and will either not be able to finish the run or finish at a much slower pace than other runners; they are more suitable to power activities as they have strong muscles, so they would not train for endurance as it would not be as necessary for their activities.

However, someone with an mesomorph body is more likely to be better at long distance running than someone with an endomorph body, as they are more likely to be lighter and more mobile so they can move easier and more freely which is crucial to this type of activity. In addition a person with a mesomorph body is likely to have some muscular endurance as they have heavily developed and strong muscles which will be strong enough to keep the body moving at speed for a reasonable amount of time.

The body type most suited to long distance running is an ectomorph as they are long, thin and have little fat or muscle to weigh them down which means they will be likely to be very light, so that they can continue to move at a constant speed with little resistance. People with this body type are also quite tall or mobile which means they will have longer strides as they have either longer or more mobile legs which can stretch further, this means they can cover the distance without using as much energy to take more steps.

In conclusion people with mesomorph body types are more suited to sports that depend more on power like sprinting to endurance tasks like long distance as they are too heavy due to their muscle mass to run long distances as there is too much resistance to move quickly for a long time. The ectomorph body type is most suited to this task as they are far lighter so there will be less resistance on their muscles to stop them from running.    

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Jason