Do certain fitness activities give someone a certain type of body shape?

[Jean in Newcastle]

For example, I notice that runners have a certain lean build. Dancers have a slightly different build. Is that because people who already lean toward a certain type of body shape gravitate to those activities or does the actual exercise shape your body? At the Y I've noticed that all my Zumba instructors are very lean (more of a dancer's body) while my aerobics instructors struggle a bit with a tummy but have very strong legs and lower bodies. Is that just a coincidence?

[Tohru]

Maybe a little of both? Some people are just born with certain body shapes and no matter what, can not change them.

[SJ.]

I think it is a little bit of both.

 

For example:

 

1. I would never ever have made it as a ballet dancer even if I had coordination and rhythm. My legs grow muscle and many in my family lean toward being stocky versus lithe. In that case I think people with certain body types succeed better as ballet dancers.

 

2. Running is an endurance activity. Serious runners who run A LOT will tend to have lower muscle mass. The specifics of why is escaping me, it has something to do with the endurance part of the activity and our bodies becoming more efficient. I read about this in the New Rules of Weightlifting for Women.

 

At the gym I attend most of the zumba instructors tend to be curvy. The aerobics instructors vary - step instructors have nicely defined legs, BodyCombat (kind of like kick boxing meets boxing meets muy thai) instructors have nicely defined backs and shoulders, and our athletic conditioning instructors tend to be very thin.

 

I do think doing a certain activity repeatedly will accentuate parts of your body but I do not think it will majorly change the shape of your body as defined by genetics.

 

Wow, that was rambly. :auto:

[Crimson Wife]

Running is far easier if the individual has a runner's build. My dad and brothers are ectomorphs and they enjoy running a LOT more than my mesomorph DH. DH enjoys circuit training workouts, using the rowing machine and Versaclimber, swimming, etc. Basically any cardio that has a built-in strength component. With those, his muscular body is an asset rather than extra bulk to schlepp like in running.

[Excelsior! Academy]

Absolutely. Dd was a gymnast and I know there were body changes in her. Her running ability and upper body muscles are spectacular. They were not like this before gym. Neither dh nor I or any of the other children have the same upper body muscle definition. She has been out of gym 4+ years. That said it would not change a 5' 10" person into a 4' 1" or someone who is naturally long and lean into someone short and stocky.

[TravelingChris]

Absolutely. Swimmers get broad shoulders and chests.

[Dory]

I think it's a little of both. I know that depending on what sort of horse training or riding I am doing over the summer, my muscle development changes a lot. I don't know about running, but I know my uncle who does bike races, does some cross training in the off season that specifically target certain muscle groups to keep some of them trim but not bulky and some of them a little more bulky (his thighs). I know he would never have been any good on his bike if he had a short, thick build, so his natural build has something to do with it, and I would be no good for some disciplines of riding if I had short legs and a wide body, but the exercise in and of itself does develop the muscles too.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I've been wondering about this for a while so it is interesting to read your answers. Thank you.

[snickelfritz]

It is both.

 

I have a pear shape, long torso and short legs. My upper legs are muscular and "sturdy".:glare: I would never have a dancer's long and lean shape. But I have finally gotten to where I am at peace with the strength they give me.

 

Now that I am lifting weights and exercising a lot, my muscles are getting more definition. My upper arms have gone from flabby to 'almost' muscular. When I look at the fitness classes my gym offers, I most resemble the instructors that teach barbell, strength, kickboxing, etc... Those are the classes I like. The spin teachers tend to be thinner. I don't like that class, which might just all be coincidence.

 

I do love yoga and have a lot of natural flexibility. But don't have that lean look.

 

ETA: I guess my summary is that you can tweak your natural shape by the muscle you build.

Edited June 17, 2012 by snickelfritz

[yobella]

During the last summer Olympiad, I remember seeing a clip about how Michel Phelps is built to swim because of his short legs, long arms, large paddle-like hands and large flipper-like feet(or something like that) so the body you are born with can definitely have a lot to do with an athletes natural ability.

 

Paula

[GoVanGogh]

 

For example, I notice that runners have a certain lean build.

I have run in organized (charity) runs for the past 20 years and don't see that at all. Yes, the elite runners that finish first are very lean. But look to the mid- and back-of-the-pack runners and you will see every body type. I certainly don't look like a typical runner, as my quads bulk up quickly when I run long distances.

[justLisa]

I have a very athletic build. I am very small, but it took a lot of work to get here. All of the women in my family tend to be a bit pudgy....like not horribly over weight, just a tough time staying lean.

 

I lift weights, because if I didn't I would just be thick, not lean with muscle tone. I wear a size 0, but I still cannot wear most boots because my legs are thick. They look small because I am very lean, but they are not in comparison to a very long/skinny person. I have gone through a period of time in my life where I ran for my sole fitness, and I was never very lean.

[wintermom]

I believe there is both nature and nurture involved. We are born with a certain body make up. Some environmental factors can effect this, certainly. For example, runners are not all alike. Look at the body shape of the sprinters compared to the marathoners. Completely different muscle mass and weight needs for the sport. The sprinter needs powerful muscles to go short distances, and body weight is not a huge factor. A marathon runner benefits from lower body mass to carry over the long distance. Other environmental factors, such as nutrition and physical stress on the body, can effect the body. A young dancer or gymnast who's bones have not finished developing, may slow the growth if they train an exessive amount. Poor nutrition can effect body growth, and too much food can obviously effect body shape.

 

A lot of our body composition and size are pre-determined in our genetic make-up. For example, some people are born with more fast-twitch muscles so that sprinting is easier for them; while others have more slow-twitch muscle fibres. All the training in the world will not change muscle type. How tall we grow, and our natural body type, are also pretty much pre-determined.

 

I think that how the majority of people choose a sport depends more on interest and availability rather than their body type. Those people who continue into sport at the elite level may have certain natural abilities and physical advantages, but it's not always so. There are 7 feet tall people who are not good at basketball, and there are people under 6 feet who love the sport, work very hard, and do very, very well.

[Crimson Wife]

I have run in organized (charity) runs for the past 20 years and don't see that at all. Yes, the elite runners that finish first are very lean. But look to the mid- and back-of-the-pack runners and you will see every body type. I certainly don't look like a typical runner, as my quads bulk up quickly when I run long distances.

 

It's been my observation that while anyone CAN run, the folks who really love the sport and pick it over other options are those who are naturally ectomorphs.

[Cosmos]

I've been wondering about this for a while so it is interesting to read your answers. Thank you.

 

I've wondered the same thing. Also the related question of whether it's possible to determine a good sport for someone based on their body type. For those of us who aren't naturally athletic, it would be awfully nice to find the activities we have the best chance at doing well.

[wintermom]

I've wondered the same thing. Also the related question of whether it's possible to determine a good sport for someone based on their body type. For those of us who aren't naturally athletic, it would be awfully nice to find the activities we have the best chance at doing well.

 

I don't think the deciding factor is body type. I believe that interest and availability play a much bigger role. In some sports, height can give people an advantage, like in basketball or volleyball (tall) and gymastics and pairs skating/dancing (shorter), but there are many exceptions to this even at the elite level.

 

For people who don't think they are naturally athletic, it could simply be that they haven't been exposed to an activity that suits their interest. All sports are difficult at the beginning when one hasn't learned some basic skills. There are so many physical activities out there, but they aren't always readily observable, and availability is sometimes based on geography/location. It doesn't necessarily mean that the sports one doesn't see much are expensive; they may just be done quietly in locations one doesn't see easily. Running, walking, biking, soccer, baseball, basketball are all pretty obvious and we see people doing them all over. Things like canoeing, rowing, kayaking, sailing, ultimate frisbee, frisbee golf, orienteering, speed-walking, hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, skating, cross-country skiing, martial arts, are all wonderful life-long activities that people of any body type can do.

[DawnM]

I can tell you that certain exercises will indeed work certain areas. My aunt had diabetes and was told to exercise and diet. The only exercise she liked was stationary biking. She slimmed down from the hips down but because she never worked her upper body, it remained untoned and chunkier.

 

I haven't noticed that phenomena as much from walkers as they do use their arms to swing while they walk. Tummy sometimes is still an issue. I used to walk about 4 miles per day. I NEED to do something again.

[Cosmos]

I don't think the deciding factor is body type. I believe that interest and availability play a much bigger role. In some sports, height can give people an advantage, like in basketball or volleyball (tall) and gymastics and pairs skating/dancing (shorter), but there are many exceptions to this even at the elite level.

 

For people who don't think they are naturally athletic, it could simply be that they haven't been exposed to an activity that suits their interest. All sports are difficult at the beginning when one hasn't learned some basic skills.

 

I don't disagree with you, but sometimes interest comes more easily with at least a modicum of success. It's demoralizing, especially for a child, always to be the slowest runner, the one who misses the catch, the one who struggles the most. When this happens over and over again in many different activities, it's hard not to be discouraged. Again, especially for a child.

 

Naturally many people can find enjoyment in activities whether or not they excel at them, but perhaps you can understand why in some circumstances it might be helpful to seek out the activities for which one is more naturally suited. One cannot try all possible activities past the point of acquiring basic skills, so in considering which ones to try, why not make body type one possible consideration? Not the only consideration, of course.

[nono]

I've been a lifelong athlete in many different sports and athletic activities. My body in shape goes basically to the same pattern, no matter what sport, nor how old I've been.

 

HOWEVER, I do find that a few things do modify my "typical" body a bit and they are three things:

 

1. Diet (by that I mean what I'm eating)

2. Yoga

3. Weight training

 

I think there are so many factors involved in physicality that it's impossible to narrow it down to one factor for all. I also believe that the dosha concept would explain why certain folks may actually get body changes from different sports when I don't.

 

In the end, because it's so complicated, my truth is likely my truth only, and not necessariy reproducible to others. That's why some folks fit the rule, and some folks provide the exceptions. (I'm definitely an exception for a "swimmer's body" in that my shoulders are normal, yet I swim about 200m-300m of my workout/week butterfly.)