It is all in the shape
Our success as an athlete comes from a combination of athletic ability and our body build. There are three components to body build: type, size, and composition.
Body Type
There are three extremes of body types.
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Endomorph
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Mesomorph
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Ectomorph
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Somatotyping
All athletes are made up of the three extreme body types, so we are all part endomorph, part mesomorph, and part ectomorph. Using a score of one to seven, we can grade our bodies on each of the extreme body types. For example, two, six, three means: two (low endomorphy); six (high mesomorphy); three (low ectomorphy). In this way, we can compare our body type with that of other athletes. This method of body typing is known as somatotyping. Height is not taken into consideration when working out our body type.
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 the extra muscle and not fat.
Body Composition
Body composition refers to the athlete's body fat. In most sports, the athlete will try to keep their levels of body fat to a minimum. In general, the higher the percentage of body fat, the lower the performance.
Reference Man and Woman
The concept of a reference man and woman was developed in the 1960s by Dr Albert Behnke. The reference standard does not mean that men and women should try to achieve the body composition values, or that reference values represent "average". The model provides a useful reference to interpret the statistical comparison of athletes involved in physical training programs.
| Man | Woman | |
| Age | 20 to 24 | 20 to 24 |
| Height | 174 cm | 163.8 cm |
| Body Mass | 70.0 kg | 56.7 kg |
| Lean Mass | 61.7 kg | 48.2 kg |
| Muscle | 31.3 kg | 20.4 kg |
| Bone | 10.4 kg | 6.8 kg |
| Total Body Fat | 10.5 kg | 15.3 kg |
| Essential Fat | 2.1kg | 12.0 kg |
Article Reference
This article first appeared in:
- MACKENZIE, B. (2003) It is all in the shape. Brian Mackenzie's Successful Coaching, (ISSN 1745-7513/ 6 / October), p. 9
Page Reference
If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:
- MACKENZIE, B. (2003) It is all in the shape [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/scni6a7.htm [Accessed
About the Author
Brian Mackenzie was a highly respected British Athletics Level 4 performance coach, as well as an accredited Coach Tutor and Coach Assessor. With over 30 years of coaching experience, he specialised in the development of sprint, middle-distance, and combined events athletes. His expertise extended across all levels of competition, fostering performance and progression in both emerging and elite athletes. Complementing his coaching credentials, Brian was also a dedicated ultra-distance endurance athlete, competing for more than 45 years and bringing a deep personal understanding of athletic performance to his coaching practice.