Clients walk into my office every single week feeling completely defeated. They tell me they bought a new outfit but it looks terrible on them. They say they tried a new diet plan but they only gained weight in their stomach. They ask me how to find out what their body shape actually is.
I understand their frustration. The fitness and fashion industries want you to believe that one size fits everyone. You know what? That is a massive lie.
I am a fitness coach who tracks physical data every single day. Over the last ten years I have measured hundreds of different body types. I have seen exactly how a pear shaped body responds to exercise compared to an apple shaped body. I have watched clients transform their confidence just by learning how to dress for their specific shape.
You cannot force your body to look like someone else. But you can absolutely learn how to figure out your body type and optimize it. Let me show you exactly how to identify your unique shape and what you should do with that information.
The Science of the Three Main Body Types
Before we look at fashion and visual shapes we must understand basic human biology. Scientists categorize human bodies into three primary groups. We call these somatotypes.
A major study published in the American Journal of Human Biology in 2010 confirmed that your somatotype dictates your metabolic rate and how you store body fat. Understanding the ectomorph mesomorph endomorph scale changes everything about how you approach your health.
The Ectomorph body type is naturally very thin. These individuals have narrow shoulders and a fast metabolism. They struggle to gain muscle and they rarely gain body fat. If you have an ectomorph body you probably have a long lean frame.
The Mesomorph body type is naturally athletic. They build muscle very easily. They have broad shoulders and a narrow waist. They can lose fat quickly when they diet. This is the classic v shape body that many men try to achieve.
The Endomorph body type naturally carries more weight. An endomorph female or male usually has a wider bone structure. They gain both muscle and fat very quickly. Because they have a slower metabolic rate they must be very careful with their daily carbohydrate intake. Diets for endomorphs usually require much stricter macro tracking.
If you want to know exactly where you fall on this biological scale you can use our Body Type Calculator. It takes away all the guesswork.
Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels
Caption: Every single person has a unique somatotype that dictates how they build muscle and store fat.
Visual Guide to Female Body Shapes
Biology is just the starting point. How your body stores fat determines your visual silhouette. When women ask me about body figures female genetics play a massive role. Here are the five most common ladies body shape profiles.
The Hourglass Body Shape
This is the famous sand clock body shape. If you have an hourglass figure your shoulders and your hips are almost the exact same width. You have a very defined narrow waist.
When you gain weight it distributes evenly across your chest and your hips. This creates a very curvaceous body type. Fashion for this shape is incredibly easy. You want to wear clothes that wrap tightly around your waist. Avoid wearing loose boxy shirts because they will hide your hourglass female body and make you look much heavier than you actually are.
The Pear Shaped Body
The body type pear is the most common female shape in my coaching practice. If you have a pear body your hips and thighs are significantly wider than your shoulders. Some people also call this the body shape spoon.
When you gain fat it goes directly to your lower half. Many of my clients ask me about style for pear shaped body types. The secret is visual balance. You want to draw attention to your upper body. Wear bright colors on top and dark colors on the bottom. Clothing for pear shaped body styles should always include structured jackets that make your shoulders look slightly wider.
The Apple Shaped Body
If you have an apple body type you carry most of your weight in your midsection. Your shoulders and hips are usually narrow. You probably have great legs but you struggle with a larger stomach.
Learning how to dress an apple body shape requires strategic layering. You want to wear clothes that flow loosely over your stomach. V neck shirts look amazing on this body type curvy profile because they draw the eye upward. If you want to track your health with this shape I highly recommend using a Waist to Hip Ratio Calculator because carrying excess belly fat is linked to cardio metabolic disease.
The Rectangle Body Shape
The body type rectangle is very straight up and down. Your shoulders your waist and your hips are all the exact same width. You do not have a defined waistline.
This is usually a very athletic shape. If you want to know how to dress a rectangle body shape you have to create fake curves. Wear belts directly over your dresses to pinch the fabric at your waist. This creates the illusion of an hour shape body instantly.
The Inverted Triangle Body Shape
The body type inverted triangle features broad shoulders and very narrow hips. Many professional swimmers have this exact shape.
You want to add volume to your lower half to balance your broad shoulders. Wide leg pants and flared skirts look absolutely incredible on an inverted triangle body shape.
Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels
Caption: Finding the right clothes is completely effortless once you know exactly how to dress for your body type.
Visual Guide to Male Body Shapes
Men also have distinct physical profiles. When I look at body shape types male genetics usually fall into four main categories.
The Inverted Triangle (V Shape)
This is the ultimate goal for most masculine body types. You have broad shoulders and a tight narrow waist. Your chest is significantly larger than your hips. Almost any tailored shirt will look fantastic on you.
The Rectangle
Just like the female version the male rectangle has shoulders waist and hips that are all identical in width. You have a very straight torso. To improve this shape you need to spend time in the gym building your shoulder muscles and your back. Adding width to your upper body will naturally make your waist look smaller.
The Triangle
This happens when you have narrow shoulders but a wider waist and hips. This usually occurs when men gain excess belly fat. The best way to fix this is by checking your Total Daily Energy Expenditure and eating in a calorie deficit to drop the stomach fat while simultaneously doing heavy shoulder presses.
The Oval
This is the male equivalent of the apple shape. The center of your stomach is wider than your shoulders and your hips. You carry all your weight directly in the front. Baggy clothes will make you look huge. You need structured jackets and solid dark colors to streamline your appearance.
Beyond Fitness: The Kibbe Body Types
I have to mention the Kibbe system here. While I focus heavily on fitness and body composition the fashion world uses a completely different metric called Kibbe body types.
David Kibbe created a system in the nineteen eighties that looks at your bone structure and your soft tissues. Instead of just looking at your waist he looks at the sharpness of your jawline and the length of your limbs.
People who take a body type test for fashion often find they are a Kibbe soft classic or a Kibbe soft natural. These categories focus on the yin and yang energy of your face and body. It is a fascinating way to look at female shape aesthetics if you are purely interested in buying the perfect wardrobe. However it does not help you figure out how many calories you should eat.
How to Train for Your Specific Shape
You cannot change your bone structure. If you have wide hip bones you will always have wide hip bones. But you can absolutely shape your body by changing your muscle mass and your fat levels.
If you are an endomorph who carries an apple shape figure you must prioritize your diet. You cannot out train a bad diet when your metabolism is naturally slow. You need to use a Macro Calculator to set your protein very high and keep your carbohydrates moderate.
If you have a pear body and you want to look more like a voluptuous body shape hourglass you need to build your upper body. I make my pear shaped clients do massive amounts of shoulder and back exercises. When their shoulders grow wider their lower body suddenly looks perfectly balanced.
If you are a thin ectomorph who feels like a flat rectangle you simply need more food. You must eat in a calorie surplus and lift heavy weights to force your body to build curves.
Final Thoughts on Your Unique Shape
Please stop comparing yourself to people on the internet. You do not know their genetics. You do not know their somatotype. You might be staring at someone who has a naturally long leg short torso build while you have short legs and a long torso.
Take the time to find your biological baseline. Use the free fitness calculators on this site to find your exact numbers. Determine your visual shape in the mirror.
Once you know your body type curvy or straight you hold all the power. You can buy clothes that actually flatter your frame. You can build a gym routine that enhances your best features. Learn your shape accept your starting point and start building the best possible version of yourself today.
