A mesomorph has a wedge-shaped body with wide shoulders and narrow hips. A mesomorph is very muscular and carries little fat.

What is an ectomorph?

An ectomorph has a tall, thin body with narrow shoulders and hips. An ectomorph carries very little fat or muscle.

Which somatotype suits sumo wrestling, and why?

An endomorph suits sumo wrestling. The greater body mass makes the wrestler hard to push out of the ring.

Which somatotype suits sprinting, and why?

A mesomorph suits sprinting. The large muscle mass provides the strength and power for fast acceleration.

AQA GCSE Physical Education 8582

Applied Anatomy and Physiology

Topic overview Bones and the functions of the skeleton Joints, joint actions, ligaments and tendons Muscles and antagonistic pairs The pathway of air and gaseous exchange Blood vessels The heart, the cardiac cycle and cardiac output Mechanics of breathing and spirometer traces Aerobic and anaerobic exercise Recovery from exercise and EPOC Short- and long-term effects of exercise

Movement Analysis

Topic overview Lever systems and mechanical advantage Joint movements in sporting actions Planes and axes of movement

Physical Training

Topic overview Health, fitness and exercise Components of fitness Fitness tests and their data Principles of training Types of training Training intensities and one rep max Injury prevention, altitude training and training seasons Warm up and cool down

Use of Data

Topic overview Collecting and presenting data Analysing and evaluating data

Sports Psychology

Topic overview Classification of skills Goal setting and SMART targets Information processing Types of guidance Types of feedback Arousal, the inverted-U theory and stress management Aggression, personality and motivation

Socio-Cultural Influences

Topic overview Engagement patterns and participation in sport Commercialisation, sponsorship and the media Impacts of sponsorship, the media and technology Etiquette, sportsmanship and gamesmanship Performance-enhancing drugs and blood doping Spectator behaviour and hooliganism

Health, Fitness and Wellbeing

Topic overview Physical, emotional and social health and wellbeing Sedentary lifestyles and obesity Somatotypes Energy use and a balanced diet Nutrients and hydration

Health, Fitness and Wellbeing

Somatotypes

3 things to know
Paper 2

Overview

Endomorphs, mesomorphs and ectomorphs, and justifying the best body type for sports and for positions within a sport.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

What is a somatotype?

Key term

What is an endomorph?

Key term

What is a mesomorph?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What is a somatotype?
Model answer
A somatotype is a way of classifying a person's body type by its shape and composition. The three somatotypes are endomorph, mesomorph and ectomorph.
2
What is an endomorph?
Model answer
An endomorph has a pear-shaped body with wide hips and narrow shoulders. An endomorph carries a lot of fat, particularly around the waist and thighs.
3
What is a mesomorph?
Model answer
A mesomorph has a wedge-shaped body with wide shoulders and narrow hips. A mesomorph is very muscular and carries little fat.
4
What is an ectomorph?
Model answer
An ectomorph has a tall, thin body with narrow shoulders and hips. An ectomorph carries very little fat or muscle.
5
Which somatotype suits sumo wrestling, and why?
Model answer
An endomorph suits sumo wrestling. The greater body mass makes the wrestler hard to push out of the ring.
6
Which somatotype suits sprinting, and why?
Model answer
A mesomorph suits sprinting. The large muscle mass provides the strength and power for fast acceleration.

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