The Best Workout For Your Body Type (DO THIS)
Sep 16, 2025
Read time: 4 minutes
The High Performance Journal - September 16th, 2025
When I first started lifting, I thought squat, bench, and deadlift were the only lifts that mattered.
Everyone swore they were the key to getting strong. But here is what I learned the hard way: not everyone is built to do the same exercises.
Ever wonder why some exercises feel natural for you while others feel alien?
The answer is not effort. It is proportions.
Your arms, torso, hips, and shoulders all dictate how you move. Ignore them and you invite frustration, plateaus, and injury. Pay attention to them, and training can suddenly click.
This is called the science of anthropometry, and today I'm going to show you how to workout right for your unique body type.
Also, make sure to read to the end because I've got a cool gift that'll help you put this together.
You ready? Let's go 🔥
The Best Workout For Your Body Type (DO THIS)
Can you spot the difference?
What Does Anthropometry Mean?
Anthropometry is just a fancy word for measuring the body.
Your height, limb length, torso length, hip and shoulder width, all have a dramatic impact on your choice of exercises.
Example:
@martinefjellanger Long torso and short legs vs. long legs and short torso #hightdifference #longback #longlegs #sitchallenge #fyp ♬ Come Check This (Quickie Edit) - FETISH
While an amateur would look at both of these body types and say,
"Hey, they can still squat, bench, and deadlift."
The professional would obviously notice the height difference, but they would also notice:
- The man’s wingspan in relation to his height
- The woman’s femurs in relation to her torso
If you know your proportions, you can tailor your training to match your body. That means more strength, fewer injuries, and better long-term progress.
Btw, this is not new. If we look at sports and the types of body types it attracts, you'll see that a body type for basketball is going to look wildly different than a body type for Judo.
Unfortunately, this has not been popularized for the average person until now.
What Anthropometry Is NOT
- Ectomorph
- Mesomorph
- Endomorph
This is called the Somotype Theory, and it's complete BS.
In the 1940s, psychologist William Sheldon claimed your body type defined both physique and personality. Scientists quickly rejected it as oversimplified and damaging.
Think about it: if you believe you’re an ectomorph, you assume muscle growth is impossible. If you see yourself as an endomorph, you expect to always carry extra fat. That’s the myth at work, creating false ceilings.
Your body isn’t fixed in a box. It changes with training, nutrition, and lifestyle. Anthropometry embraces individuality: measure, observe, adapt.
How Your Limbs Affect Your Ability To Lift Weights
Can you guess which body type belongs to which sport? Photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated
Height
When it comes to lifting, physics matters: Work = Force × Distance.
Taller lifters with longer limbs move the bar farther, which means more work per rep. Shorter lifters move it less, doing less work.
Example:
- a 5'6" lifter benches 225 lbs for 16 inches (3,600 lb-in).
- A 6'3" lifter benches the same weight but for 22 inches (4,950 lb-in) — about 40% more work.
Multiply that over sets and reps, and you see why taller athletes fatigue quickly and progress differently.
This is why strength ratios like “squat 1.5× bodyweight” oversimplify things. Strength should be measured relative to body size and leverage.
Arms
Long arms excel at pulls like deadlifts, pull-ups, and rows. Overhead pressing often feels solid, too. But horizontal pressing is tougher since the bar travels farther.
Longer arms may feel better with dumbbell presses, floor presses, and neutral grip machine presses.
Short arms dominate pressing. Bench, dips, and push-ups all play to your strengths. Pulls demand more effort, so trap bar deadlifts, rack pulls, or heavy swings may feel better than something like a conventional deadlift.
Neither is better nor worse. It simply means adjusting your training expectations.
Torso Length
Short torso lifters stay upright easily. This can make squats, front squats, overhead presses, and even Olympic lifts feel more natural. Hinging can feel awkward, so the trap bar deadlift or hip thrust can reduce the strain.
Long torso lifters often fold forward in squats but thrive on hinge lifts like the conventional or sumo deadlift and RDLs. For squats, consider a wider stance, or try split squats, lunges, or belt squats for a better fit.
Leg Length
Long femurs make back squats more challenging. A better option may be front squats, safety bar squats, Bulgarian split squats, or machines like the hack or pendulum squat.
Short femurs, on the other hand, were built to do the conventional squat. Just make sure to balance with hinge lifts like hip thrusts and glute bridges to avoid quad dominance.
Other considerations
While the above are the main pillars to focus on, other pillars that you may want to consider:
- Height
- Hand and foot size
- Hip socket anatomy
- Muscle belly length
- Spine and ribcage structure
Finding out these will give you a deeper understanding of your leverage points.
How To Apply This Today
Grab a tape measure and a friend. Measure your wingspan, your torso length, and note your hip and shoulder width. Even rough comparisons work.
- Long arms: Prioritize pulling lifts. Use neutral-grip variations on the bench.
- Short arms: Prioritize pressing lifts. Be mindful of pulling volume.
- Short torso: Squats will be a strength. Deadlifts may require variation.
- Long torso: Deadlifts will feel better. Squats may need stance tweaks.
- Wide hips: Try wider squat and deadlift stances.
- Narrow hips: Stick to narrower stances for stability.
To see if your arms, torso, or legs are “long” or “short,” compare each to your overall height.
- Wingspan > height = long arms.
- Wingspan < height = short arms.
- If femurs take up most of your leg or your torso looks small, you may have long femurs.
- If your torso dominates, you may be more short-legged.
It doesn’t need to be exact either.
Rough comparisons are enough to guide which lifts feel most natural. If this feels tricky, the next part of the newsletter offers a simple guide to put it all together.
The Final Word (and a FREE Gift)
Anthropometry is the ACTUAL science of body measurements.
Your arm length, torso length, hip width, and shoulder width all influence which lifts you excel at and which ones feel like fighting uphill in sand.
Instead of forcing your body into a cookie-cutter program, use your proportions as a guide. Modify your grip, stance, or lift selection. Train smarter, not harder.
The result? More strength. Better exercises. More muscle growth. Fewer injuries. And a training plan that feels like it was made for you...because it was.
Finally, if you want to get deeper into this topic, I highly recommend getting the book "​Strength Training for All Body Types" by Lee Boyce and Melody Schoenfeld. ​
They are the inventors of this method, and this is one of the most underrated fitness books to come out in the last five years.
Onward and upward. 🚀
- Dan
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References
- Vidal Pérez D, Martínez-Sanz JM, Ferriz-Valero A, Gómez-Vicente V, Ausó E. Relationship of Limb Lengths and Body Composition to Lifting in Weightlifting. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jan 17;18(2):756. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18020756. PMID: 33477330; PMCID: PMC7829930.
- Zabaleta-Korta A, Fernández-Peña E, Torres-Unda J, Garbisu-Hualde A, Santos-Concejero J. The role of exercise selection in regional Muscle Hypertrophy: A randomized controlled trial. J Sports Sci. 2021 Oct;39(20):2298-2304. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2021.1929736. Epub 2021 Jul 10. PMID: 34743671.
- Koca R, Ĺžen ME. The effect of anthropometric measurements and muscle endurance of the trunk and lower extremities on anatomic body awareness in healthy individuals with different levels of physical activity. Acta Neurol Belg. 2024 Jun;124(3):995-1003. doi: 10.1007/s13760-024-02526-9. Epub 2024 Mar 28. PMID: 38546933.
- Zhang W, Chen X, Xu K, Xie H, Chen J, Zhu Z, Ji H, Li D, Sun J. The potential of a targeted unilateral compound training program to reduce lower limb strength asymmetry and increase performance: a proof-of-concept in basketball. Front Physiol. 2024 Jun 26;15:1361719. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1361719. PMID: 38989050; PMCID: PMC11234801.
Disclaimer: This email is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, and those seeking personal medical advice should consult with a licensed physician.