A National Study of Somatotypes in Mexican Athletes Across 43 Sports.

Abstract

Background: In Mexico, research on somatotypes in athletes has primarily focused on team sports, taekwondo, climbing, and triathlon. However, the available evidence remains limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the somatotype of Mexican athletes by sex, and to compare somatotype and body composition across sport macro-categories in 43 disciplines. Methods: Anthropometric measurements were conducted according to the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK) protocol. Athletes who participated in regional, national, or international competitions between 2008 and 2024 were included. Results: A total of 889 Mexican athletes (477 males and 412 females) across 43 disciplines were evaluated. Among male athletes, the predominant somatotype was endomorphic mesomorph (52.4%), followed by balanced mesomorph (17.6%) and ectomorphic mesomorph (13.6%). Among female athletes, the most reported somatotypes were endomorphic mesomorph (24.5%), mesomorphic endomorph (24.0%), and mesomorph-endomorph (21.4%). Athletes in endurance sports showed significant differences for both sexes compared to those in power and skill-based sports for both sexes (p < 0.05). Among males, team sports showed the highest values for body mass, height, and body fat percentage (%BF), while mesomorphy was greatest in track and field and ectomorphy in sprint events. Among females, track and field athletes presented the highest values for body mass, height, %BF, mesomorphy, and endomorphy, whereas endurance athletes exhibited the highest ectomorphy values. Conclusions: The findings suggest that, compared to international athletes, Mexican athletes exhibited a higher endomorphic component. It is recommended that somatotype assessments should be incorporated into regular monitoring protocols at national sports centers and considered in physical training programs to optimize performance and reduce the risk of injury.