There are three basic human body types, which are inherited and out of a person’s control. The three basic body types are known as somatotypes. Later on in life you can change the appearance of your body by losing weight and gaining muscle, but you can never change your body type due to your skeleton. The three body types include ectomorph (slender, finds it difficult to gain muscle and is narrow), mesomorph (medium build, wide shoulders and can gain muscle easily) and endomorph (short in height, finds it difficult to lose weight and has a round body shape).