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Types of Body Shapes

Batul Nafisa Baxamusa
There are various body shapes, and each of them is genetically programmed. Know how to determine yours.
Have you ever noticed the body shapes of the people around you? Not all people have the same body shapes and are practically different from one another. These shapes depend on our genes, daily diet, the type of activity we undertake and the daily exercise routine.

Types

Endomorphs

The endomorphs have bigger bones compared to other body types. They have round faces with large thighs and hips. They have shorter arms and legs. They also tend to have high levels of body fat as compared to other body types.
These people can also build their muscles, and lean mass without much difficulty. However, they find it very difficult to lose weight.

Mesomorphs

The mesomorphs are people with an athletic build, and have an hourglass or ruler shape. These people can gain muscle mass very easily, and are characterized by their broad shoulders and narrow waist.
Their metabolism is very fast, and they lose weight as easily as they gain it.

Ectomorphs

The ectomorphs are men and women with a thin, lean body type. They too look like rulers with narrow waist, hips, and shoulders. They lose weight very easily but have difficulty in gaining muscle mass. They also have a low levels of body fat.
Many times, one may not fall into the same category of body types. Many people have a combination of different body types. The most common body type combinations are ecto-mesomorph and endo-mesomorph.

How to Determine Your Body Shape
Apart from the types, our bodies also have different shapes. They depend on individual physical feature size and body balance. They are different for both sexes. Female body types include hourglass, pear, apple, or ruler shapes; whereas, the ones for men include rectangular or cone.
To determine your body shape, you need to measure the size of your chest across the middle, then the size of your waist 1 inch above the belly button, and then the hips at the widest spot. These measurements will help you determine your body shapes types.

Hourglass Shape

It is the most sought-after shape by women. The hip and bust measurements are almost the same and the bust may be 1 inch larger than the hip. The perfect hourglass shape is that with a 9 inch difference in the 'waist and bust' and 'waist and hips' measurement.

Pear Shape

The pear shape or spoon shape are those that have a wide difference between the hips and bust region. These shapes tend to have minimal difference between their waist and chest measurements.
Their waist is 2 inches or more than the bust measurement, and the bust is about 9.25 inches more than the waist.

Rectangular Shape

Here, there is a wide difference between the waist, bust, and hip measurements. The bust is about 9 inches larger than the waist measurement.

Conical Shape

Here, the bust and waist have same measurements and the hips are about 9 inches smaller than the chest measurements. It is also known as V-shaped body type.

Apple Shape

The apple body shapes have a larger waist compared to their hip and chest measurements, and is mostly seen in men.
For women, the hourglass is the most desired body shape, and men love to have a V-shaped body. It is always better to have a proper fat distribution throughout the body for a healthy life.