


To avoid a long history lesson, eugenics is, in essence, the idea that people with “good genetics” should procreate with each other, and people with bad genetics shouldn’t procreate at all. Prior to WWII and the rise of Nazi Germany, the school of thought known as “eugenics” was very popular within higher education of the United States and other Western European countries. There was also somewhat of a sinister and racial intention. Anthropometry was a system of assessing numerous body measurements as indicators of not only health, but also intellect and elements of character. Subsequently the science of “anthropometry” became very popular. Why was this done? Because in the late 1800s, bad posture and being physically weak were seen as unfortunate side effects of an increasingly industrialized society, and unlike today, there was a push in education to address the problem. These were called “posture” photos and the practice was very widespread, with tens of thousands of photographs being taken over a roughly 70 year period.
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And this is where things get somewhat weird, as I need to explain what the “nude posture photos” were.īeginning as far back the 1890s and continuing until the 1960s, Ivy League universities began a practice of taking full length side, front, and back view nude photographs of all incoming freshmen, both male and female. As such, the “nude posture photos” were largely the basis of his research. The somatotyping system was heavily influenced by his studies and exposure to anthropometry and the belief that body type could be used as part of a holistic and integrated system of physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Somatotyping was based on Sheldons study of “nude postural photos” that were taken at Ivy League schools from the 1890s to the late 1960s. Beginning in 1938, he taught at Harvard University, before later moving on to Columbia University in 1947. He also served as an officer in the Medical Corps in WWII. He was a very educated man, earned his bachelors at Brown University, his Masters at University of Colorado, and his PhD in 1925. Sheldon was born in 1898 in Rhode Island, and came from a very educated family. The term itself is the creation of one man, a psychologist and doctor by the name of William Herbert Sheldon. The origins of somatotypes were even more surprising than the lack of real evidence for them. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I couldn’t find ANYTHING. My original intentions with this article were to genuinely find the “science” of somatotypes, and give everyone a historical look at their origin. They’d build muscle by just looking at weights.” “The top bodybuilders are probably extreme mesomorphs.“Look at him! He's clearly an endomorph.“I'm an ectomorph I've always had trouble building muscle.”.Within bodybuilding, we've all heard the same statements: Anyone that gets into bodybuilding is familiar with the classification of ectomorphs, mesomorphs, and endomorphs. I, as much as anyone else, had always believed somatotypes were grounded in some type of sound evidence, and I didn’t question them. I'm not discounting that the idea of somatotypes is useful, and I am NOT suggesting everyone abandon them outrightly. That’s the fallacy.īefore I go any further, let me preface this article with the statement that I am not critiquing bodybuilding or anyone else in the fitness community for being dumb. Committed followers will lose weight, according to this website, but risk putting it back on when they eat normally.There isn’t any real “science” to somatotypes. Virtual Fitness Trainer says Thurmond's plans are too restrictive, banning sugars, fats and caffeine, making the diet too boring for many people. Considerations for All Body TypesĪll Thurmond's diet plans eliminate dairy products so low calcium levels may become an issue, particularly for women with osteoporosis, says, which also calls the diet "expensive and time-consuming." points out all of the plans eliminate not only dairy, but all processed foods and condiments like mustard and ketchup due to their high sugar and salt content 1. Thurmond thinks people in this category can eat more carbohydrates than others, but these carbohydrates are coupled with protein to slow down the digestive process. Body Type E: Ecto-EndoĮcto-endo body types have a tube-like appearance due to a skinny frame beneath their excess body fat. Their diet plan is also designed to reflect a muscle-building emphasis. Thurmond emphasizes weight training for these body types because they have low muscle mass in working to gain more, they will increase their metabolism since people with bigger muscles use more calories. Endo-ecto body types tend to have a disproportionately large chest area compared with their shoulders and lower body, giving the overall shape of an oval.
