People in ancient times tried to describe the proportions of the body with the help of various rules that establish some ideal proportions of parts of the human body. The modern development of natural science disciplines has created the basis for a competent justification for the classification of body types.
The definition of the type of physique can be carried out either simply in comparison with the description of the characteristic features of different types, or in carrying out certain calculations in accordance with specific techniques.
At present, the following classification of body types has become most widespread:
1. Asthenic type. For people of this type of physique, the following features are characteristic: high growth, long limbs, the presence of a small amount of subcutaneous fat, a relatively narrow chest, an oval face.
2. Athletic type. At representatives of athletic type of a constitution the small quantity of hypodermic fat is postponed, muscular tissue and bones of a skeleton are well developed. People of athletic body type have broad shoulders and large features, especially well developed "strong-willed" chin.
3. Dysplastic type. These people are characterized by a disproportionate ratio of sizes between individual parts of the body. Women with this type of physique may have some features of the figure that are characteristic of the male body.
4. The pycnic type. The main features of this type of build are low growth, round head, short legs, arms, neck, wide chest. Also for people with a picnic type of build is characterized by the presence of fat deposits and protruding belly.
In addition to comparing their anthropometric data with the descriptive characteristics given above, special calculation methods can be used to determine the type of physique. At the moment, a large number of similar methods for determining the type of physique have been developed, so let us consider only one of them as an example.
There is the Pignier formula, according to which a quantity called the Pignier index is calculated:
index Piñe = height - (body weight + chest circumference in the exhalation phase)
Height and chest circumference are taken for calculations in centimeters, and body weight - in kilograms. Based on the values of the calculated Piñe index, the body type is determined in accordance with the following classification:
The Pinje measure | Body type |
less than 10 | strong build |
10 - 20 | good physique |
21 - 25 | average build |
26 - 35 | faint physique |
36 and more | very faint physique |
However, whatever result you get with the given calculations, you still should not forget that the perfect proportional physique given by nature is quite a rare phenomenon ...