Now we were talking about the situation when a person decided to study for himself and is not going to perform. However, there is also competitive bodybuilding in which genetics plays an important role. Today we will tell you how to find out your predisposition to bodybuilding and powerlifting.
Predisposition to bodybuilding
There are several factors that indicate one degree or another of an athlete’s genetic predisposition to bodybuilding. Now we will look at them in detail.
Body composition
Everyone knows that it is customary to distinguish between three body types - mesomorph, endomorph and ectomorph. Let us remind you that they practically never occur in their pure form, but there is no doubt that each of us has one or another body type predominant. Endomorphs are less predisposed to engage in professional bodybuilding. This fact is associated with the presence of a wide waist, as well as a tendency to gain fat mass.
At the same time, they can achieve excellent results in powerlifting, because their strength indicators are high. Mesomorphs are lucky enough to have almost perfect muscles from birth. However, this body type has one drawback - a fairly wide waist, which is not very good for a builder. But this is well compensated by developed muscles.
Among the famous mesomorph athletes, Dorian Yates and Jay Cutler immediately come to mind. It is generally accepted that ectomorphs are least predisposed to bodybuilding. From birth they have thin bones and narrow shoulders. However, they are the ones who can create the ideal body. It is enough to remember Flex Wheeler to be convinced of this. It is also necessary to note Phil Heath, whose physique also largely corresponds to an ectomorph. Both builders have a narrow waist, and the shoulders can be rocked if desired.
Symmetry
An ideal body can be considered if both halves are developed symmetrically. We are talking now, as you understand, about the right and left parts of the body. To achieve this, the athlete must have a completely healthy spinal column. The presence of any, even the most minor problems with intervertebral discs will at some point lead to pinching of nerve endings. As a result, it will become impossible to develop paired muscles evenly. By the way, scientists have discovered a pattern between malocclusion and problems with the spine.
Muscle attachment sites and fiber types
If you are interested in how to find out your predisposition to bodybuilding and powerlifting, then you need to determine the points of attachment of muscles to the bone structures of the skeleton. Don’t think that this is very difficult, just do a study of your body and everything will fall into place. Scientists have proven that the lower these places are, the faster you can achieve your goal.
It is equally important to find out the number of different types of fibers in your muscle tissue. It is quite obvious that this parameter can be changed through the process of hyperplasia, but the more muscle fibers you have from birth, the easier it will be to progress. Most athletes believe that a biopsy is necessary to determine the number of fibers of all types.
However, this is not the case and you can completely do without going through this procedure. Just work in different training modes - explosive, low-volume, and also high-volume. You need to determine which muscle group gets tired faster. Let us pay attention to the fact that in this case it is not the refusal that is of interest, but fatigue.
If you get tired faster when using low-volume training, then Ma-type fibers predominate in muscle tissue. Accordingly, if this happens during explosive training, then the muscles contain more lib-type fibers, and during high-volume training - the first type. The fewer slow fibers (type 1) you have, the better. The most famous athlete whose muscle tissue was dominated by slow fibers is Canadian bodybuilder Nimrod King.
Ligaments
By and large, you can achieve outstanding results in bodybuilding without having enormous strength. However, if you work with heavy weights, then the task at hand will be solved faster. When determining strength, first of all, you need to pay attention to the ligaments with the joints.
Nutrition
One of the main factors of progress in bodybuilding is nutrition. This may sound strange, but appetite and the speed of metabolic processes are inherent in each of us from the moment of birth. For example, Victor Richards, a native of the African continent, could consume any food in huge quantities. It is quite clear that he gained weight very quickly.
During the heyday of his career, with a fairly lean physique, Victor’s body weight reached 150 kilos. Another example is Jaxter Jackson. According to the builder himself, he literally forced himself to eat food, since the guy did not have a big appetite. But thanks to his fast metabolism, he could maintain close to optimal shape for almost the entire year.
Anabolic steroids
If we talk about the use of various anabolic drugs, then professionals need them much less compared to amateurs. This fact is due to the fact that in elite athletes the concentration of testosterone and IGF is at a fairly high level. In addition, their muscles contain a large number of androgen receptors.
As a result, even minimal doses of steroids can produce a strong anabolic response. It should also be noted that professionals synthesize the protein compound myostatin much more slowly. Let us remember that this substance is designed to inhibit the growth of muscle mass. Do not forget about other enzymes, for example, 5-alpha reductase or aromatase, the concentration of which also differs from those of ordinary people.
Discipline
For those who do not yet know how to find out their predisposition to bodybuilding and powerlifting, I would like to say one thing - all your possible natural advantages will be worth absolutely nothing without discipline. To become a true professional, you need to be dedicated and selfless. Although this is important in any sport, not just bodybuilding.
An example of an almost complete lack of discipline is Chris Cormier. This is an amazingly gifted athlete from a genetic point of view, who literally squandered everything and could not achieve even half of what was possible. But, let’s say, Branch Warren, despite not having excellent genetics, achieved a lot thanks to high self-discipline.
How to find out your predisposition to bodybuilding and powerlifting?
There are two ways to determine a geneticist - empirical and laboratory. Today we are talking about how to find out your predisposition to bodybuilding and powerlifting and talking about each of them in more detail is simply necessary. The simplest is the empirical method. You need to train for at least a year and at the same time use a nutrition program to gain muscle mass. If during this time period your figure does not differ much from the previous one, then you are not inclined to professional bodybuilding.
The laboratory method involves several procedures and, unlike the empirical method, does not require much time to obtain an answer. However, you will have to pay for all tests. In addition, not every locality in our country has the opportunity to hold them. However, it is worth talking about it.
Composition of muscle fibers
To do this, you need to undergo a tensiomyography procedure. It allows you to measure muscle contractility and thereby determine the ratio of different types of fibers. Also, similar results can be obtained using myotonometry.
But that’s not all, and you can use glycolytic anaerobic or aerobic performance methods to assess the composition of your muscle tissue. To do this, you need to perform certain exercises in specially designed simulators.
Motor unit assessment
Using electromyography, it is possible to establish neuromuscular transmission during muscle contraction. As a result, you will learn an assessment of your motor units and some features of muscle innervation.
Metabolism assessment
There are several ways to determine this indicator, but we will only talk about one - indirect calometry. Breathing, or more precisely the amount of heat a person exhales, is used to determine your metabolism. The procedure is carried out in several stages, for example, at rest and under the influence of physical activity. It should be recognized that this is a fairly accurate method for determining the rate of metabolic processes.
Speed of anabolic processes
To do this, you have to donate blood for analysis. It is quite obvious that anabolism depends on the concentration of certain hormonal substances, in particular testosterone.
What to do if you are not predisposed to bodybuilding?
If a person decides to check his genetic predisposition and receives a negative answer, then everything depends only on him. He can stop thinking about a nice muscular body or get down to business and start working out. We have already said that in any sport the discipline of the athlete is of utmost importance. A lot of examples tell us that hard work in the classroom can turn anyone into an outstanding athlete.
But there are many opposite examples when bodybuilders wasted everything that was inherent in them by nature. Now you know how to find out your predisposition to bodybuilding and powerlifting. However, it is up to you to decide who to be in this life. I would like to remember such an athlete as Dick Fosbury. This is not a bodybuilder, but a high jumper. Sports geneticists were sure that this sports discipline was completely unsuitable for Dick.
However, he did not pay any attention to their opinion and as a result became an Olympic champion. There is practically nothing impossible in life, and everything is in the hands of man. Gather your will and start practicing. It is possible that you can become a high-level athlete.
For more information about genetic predisposition to bodybuilding and other strength sports, watch the video below:
Many guys complain about bad genetics. They say I do everything that is required, but for some reason the muscles don’t grow. Sometimes this really happens. Some people have excellent genetics by nature, while others have to work hard to achieve even minimal results. How can you understand that you are truly not genetically gifted? Let's find out.
How do most people determine their body type? It is calculated that their muscles are very short and their bones are thin. Thus, they conclude that they are ectomorphs. And in most cases, such guys immediately classify themselves as losers with bad genetics. But this is far from true. Just because you are an ectomorph does not mean that you have bad genetics. Frank Zane, Chris Dickerson, Flex Wheeler - all of them fit the standard of typical ectomorphs, but achieved enormous success in bodybuilding. This means that the reason for your failures lies elsewhere. And you can calculate it only by analyzing what you have already done to achieve the result. Here are 5 direct indicators that you are not making progress.
1) You have been practicing for more than one year and still do not see any results. A year is enough time for the first visible, and often the most serious, results to appear. After all, it is in the first year that most athletes, seeing how their body is changing, get excited about the idea of bodybuilding forever. If during this period of time you have not gained any muscle, then you should think that your genetics are not the most suitable. But even this is not an indicator if you did not comply with the second point of our list.
2) . If you train anyhow, don’t go to the gym at least three times a week, and don’t watch your diet at all, then there may simply be no result for objective reasons. Moreover, in 95% of cases it is not even necessary to exercise and eat exclusively correctly. It is enough to do this regularly and at the same time study information about what you are doing and how to do it correctly.
3) Progression of loads. This indicator is one of the most important. If you do bodyweight pull-ups and bench press 70kg, then you have room to grow. And it’s too early to say that your genetics are not suitable for training with iron. In order for muscles to grow, strength must grow. And this can only be achieved through constant progress. Whether it’s increasing approaches per workout or working weights in exercises.
4) Age. A lot of teenagers get carried away with bodybuilding, but they completely forget that their body is still growing and developing. Someone can build a beautiful body at the age of 16, while others will have to wait until they are 20. It all depends on many factors, which you cannot speed up without the use of drugs. The same can be said about adulthood. If you are already 45-50 years old and have just started bodybuilding, then you should understand that from the beginning of the training process to the visible result it may take much longer than for a 20-year-old guy.
5) Muscle shape. It happens that your muscles seem to be growing, but they don’t look very good. The abs are not symmetrical, the biceps are too short and there is no peak, the pecs do not have a beautiful cut and contours, the calves are too long. In this case, it’s all the same genetics that is to blame. After all, as we know, we cannot influence the shape of muscles. But here it is worth noting that in most cases people are lagging behind something specific. It very rarely happens that all the muscles are clumsy and not beautiful in shape. If you have small biceps, look at your triceps. Or maybe you have an expressive trapezoid and deep and defined abs.
Before you scold your genetics for its weaknesses, pay attention first to its strengths.
I am often asked to evaluate a person in terms of genetic predisposition to bodybuilding. But at the same time, no one understands what exactly this genetic predisposition is expressed in.
Most often I come across the opinion that genetics is what a person looked like before starting classes in the gym. I was thin - bad genetics. No! Most of the pro-athletes and those who, even among the pros, are simply distinguished by crazy muscle mass, were puny young men with no hint of any athleticism, but they have simply phenomenal genetics, one in a million.Nasser El Sonbati
Jay Cutler
Kevin Levrone
What are the fundamental differences between bodybuilding and many other sports? The fact is that BB is work at the lowest level, at the level of pure physiology. There is no need to learn how to dribble a ball or play well as a team, do a triple somersault, or adjust for the wind when archery. No, pure physiology: eat, inject, lift weights. This means that genetics in this sport have a slightly different look. Bodybuilding requires the inclusion of almost all body systems, the whole body works for your muscles, which means the genetic “strength” of the whole organism is important!
1) Muscle response to load - how readily your muscle fibers hypertrophy in response to training.
2) Your skeleton (how wide your shoulders are, how narrow your pelvis is, how big your chest is and how long your limbs are. Even the size of your kneecaps and the banal thickness of your bones are important).
3) The ability of your gastrointestinal tract to easily process large amounts of food. With a weak gastrointestinal tract, this sport will be very difficult for you.
4) The body’s response to pharmacology - how exactly your body reacts to various drugs and what dosages you can use as a result. Some people get high on dosages that even a laboratory rat would be ashamed to give, and the lower the dosage, the easier it will be for both your body and your wallet.
5) “Strength” of your internal organs: how light is your liver, kidneys, etc. tolerate all the loads that you put on them in the form of pharmacology and food. The more resilient your gut is, the longer and more you can load it, and therefore get better results.
6) Metabolism - do you have a fast metabolism or are you more like a Galapogos tortoise in terms of metabolic rate and swim in fat with a caloric intake above 1500.
7) Waist width, and I don’t mean now the size of the obliques and the stretched abdominal wall, which you managed to lose thanks to “competent” training ala: “ONLY BASIC, ONLY HARDCORE”, but the width of the waist given to you by nature, which can very dramatically change your appearance.
8) Leather thickness. The thinner the skin, the better the relief of your muscles will be visible, the separation of fibers, the better the venousness will be.
9) Muscle attachment - how well your muscles attach to your bones. This will determine how the muscles will react to the load, how well they will grow and how they will look.
10) Muscle fiber composition, the ratio of muscle fiber types in your muscles. Perhaps you would be better off as a long-distance runner rather than a bodybuilder?
12) Your articular-ligamentous system - how strong it is and how well you can progress in loads without the risk of one day hearing a suspicious crunch in your shoulder during the next approach.
13) And last on the list, but not least. Your head, how smart you are to analyze what is happening to you, draw conclusions and learn, learn to change yourself.
This, of course, is not the entire list, but the main thing that shapes a person as genetically predisposed to bodybuilding. Not all of the points are equally important, but the combination of successful genetic factors, as well as perseverance, determination, discipline, gives birth to champions who will always be remembered. But you shouldn’t blame all your failures on bad genetics, saying your parents are to blame for not pumping up. You need to start with a structured regimen and systematic training, and only then can you say something concrete about genetics.
A well-known dogma is the opinion that success in sports (in particular in bodybuilding) depends on systematic training with full dedication. Without hard work, an athlete cannot hope to succeed. Everyone knows this. But medical specialists know more: each person has an individual predisposition to this or that sport or to sports activities in general.
Lack of progress in the gym is often due to a lack of predisposition to bodybuilding. How can you find out your individual genetic predisposition to strength sports? In other words, how can I accurately understand whether I am a hard gainer?
There are two ways to find out an individual’s predisposition to a particular sport:
- empirical method
- laboratory method.
1. The essence of the empirical method is simple: you need to complete a course of systematic training lasting from 1 to several years. If we are talking about bodybuilding, then in addition to regular and proper exercise, it is necessary to adhere to a nutritious diet designed to increase muscle mass. If after a long period of time your figure has not become athletic, most likely you are not predisposed to this sport.
2. The laboratory method consists of special diagnostic procedures and requires little time for a summary assessment. Not everyone, however, will be able to afford it, and not everyone will be able to take advantage of it due to the fact that such opportunities do not exist in every locality. Nevertheless, it is at least advisable to know about them, and at most, you should take advantage of them.
So, the signs that determine predisposition/non-predisposition to bodybuilding are:
- composition of muscle fibers,
- muscle motility (muscle performance),
- metabolic rate,
- anabolism of muscle tissue (level of anabolic hormones)
.
Assessing muscle fiber composition.
Tensiomyography analysis.
Tensiomyography allows you to measure muscle contractions, and based on these data it becomes possible to conclude about the predominance of certain fibers in the muscles. A similar assessment method is myotonometry.There is also a system for laboratory diagnostics of glycolytic anaerobic and aerobic performance based on biomechanical characteristics. It consists in the fact that the subject performs special exercises in special simulators. Based on the results of the exercise, an assessment is made of the ratio of muscle fibers in the working muscles.
Motor unit assessment
Electromyography (EMG) analysis. Electromyography allows you to study neuromuscular transmission during muscle contraction and the speed of nerve impulses. Thus, by analyzing EMG, it is possible to assess the motor unit of muscles - a certain number of muscle fibers innervated during work, which is aimed at stimulating muscle hypertrophy, as well as individual features of muscle innervation.
Assessment of metabolic processes
Indirect calorimetry analysis. Indirect calorimetry examines the metabolic rate based on the analysis of respiration, or rather, the amount of heat in respiration. The study is usually carried out in several stages, in particular - at rest and during physical activity. Calorimetry provides reliable information about daily energy expenditure in kilocalories.
Bioimpedance analysis of body composition. This is the method of studying metabolism that is used most often. However, it has one serious drawback. This type of analysis begins with determining the ratio of muscle, bone and fat tissue (this is an obvious plus - the information is very valuable). Then the data on muscle mass of the body is entered into special formulas, according to which the value of daily metabolism is determined. The downside is that these formulas do not take into account the error associated with the individual metabolic rate (intensity), which means the results will not be entirely reliable (by default, it is believed that the individuality of metabolic processes lies in the individual distribution of muscle, fat and bone tissue in relation to to height, weight and age).
Assessment of the intensity of anabolic processes
Blood chemistry. Muscle tissue anabolism is usually assessed by the level of anabolic hormones, and primarily testosterone. A biochemical blood test allows you to determine the level of hormones, as has already been written about.
Assessment of signs of predisposition to bodybuilding using genetic analysis methods
There are so-called molecular genetic tests (gene diagnostics). They come in various types. The most popular of these is obviously DNA paternity testing. Sports gene diagnostics – is not yet a very common type of genetic analysis. However, the value of this kind of analysis is that it allows us to determine the root causes of any person’s predisposition or indisposition to a particular sport. The fact is that the characteristics responsible for predisposition/non-predisposition to bodybuilding are determined by genes. Our body structure and predisposition to the development of muscle tissue are predetermined even before birth.
Sports gene diagnostics allows you to determine how realistic it is to improve muscle composition and muscle motility, metabolic processes, and the intensity of muscle anabolism.
The essence of sports genetic analysis is the study of “bodybuilding” genes for the presence of their polymorphism (defects). Polymorphism in such genes is the obstacle that prevents muscle development in a normal way.
Gene diagnostics for predisposition to strength sports most often includes:
- analysis of the gene that determines the type of muscle fiber (ACTN3 gene);
- analysis of the gene responsible for the possibility of transition of muscle fibers from one type to another (PPARGC1A gene);
- analysis of the gene responsible for energy metabolism in skeletal muscles during physical activity (AMPD1 gene)
- androgen receptor gene (AR gene) analysis
- analysis of some other genetic markers associated with sports activity.
By the way, geneticists know the FHL1 gene, which is responsible for muscle hyperplasia and which is not present in every person. Analysis (and search) of this gene is more important for professional bodybuilders than for ordinary gym-goers (to understand what heights can be achieved in sports).
The interpretation of the analysis results is carried out by a geneticist. His conclusion boils down to establishing muscle growth potential. Unfortunately, not all laboratories have this type of genetic analysis.
What to do if you are diagnosed with a predisposition to bodybuilding
Let's say you have undergone laboratory diagnostics and eventually received a conclusion, the essence of which boils down to your reluctance to bodybuilding. They will obviously tell you that this is not your path and will suggest that you think about a new sport. This is a pragmatic decision.
But what if you want to look like a muscular athlete? In this situation, you will have to make an emotional decision, relying on your willpower, perseverance and steadfastness.
There have been many cases in the history of sports when genetic analysis of athletes indicated a mediocre predisposition to a particular sport. Despite this, they managed to become one of the best athletes in their sport. An excellent example is Dick Fosbury, a high jumper and Olympic champion who, according to sports geneticists, should not have jumped at all. Of course, we are talking about exceptions to the rules. Every rule has its exceptions. Therefore, everything is in your hands, and nothing is impossible!
And we’ll talk about what methods of combating bad genetics exist in medicine in the next article.
“I can’t build muscle mass because my genes are like that” - you yourself have probably used this phrase more than once in conversation. Is it so? Do our genes really influence our potential in the gym so much and do our failures are solely related to our genetics?
My answer will most likely not make you happy, but that’s not true. Genes do not influence our potential as much as is commonly believed. Of course, it is worth recognizing that from birth some of our muscle groups are more or less adapted to development, we all have different hormonal levels and a predisposition to gaining excess weight, but despite all the above factors, there is no such person who could not achieve the beauty of the body that he would like. We are all equal in our capabilities, despite the difference in genetic code.
Imagine your body like a vegetable garden. Add to it the right conditions (right temperature, timely watering) and your vegetables will be appetizing and tasty! If your vegetables are weak and thin, then you should not blame the soil, but pay attention to the conditions in which they grow. Perhaps you are over-watering them or they are not getting enough sunlight. Similar principles of approach to the lack of results should be applied to our body. Often our problems consist in non-compliance with the basic principles of bodybuilding.
Success in bodybuilding consists of following three important principles: exercises, recovery And nutrition. Most adhere to only two of the three principles, and some adhere to one at all. Check yourself: do you treat your training only as exercise, do you also include sleep and nutrition in this concept? If not, then leave your unfortunate genes alone and start practicing all three principles at the same time!
Many of you know such an actor, bodybuilder and politician as Arnold Schwarzenegger, which definitely has a lot of training potential, but just because you don't have that potential doesn't mean you can't achieve the same results.
Let's take a look at another successful bodybuilder named Frank Zane(Frank Zane) I am confident that you are unlikely to ever meet a person who has worse bodybuilding potential than Frank. But this did not stop him from becoming the winner of the famous Mr. Olympia competition three times. He even defeated himself Arnold!
How could he do this? He stuck to his diet and trained at high intensity. He paid sufficient attention to restoration. Frank realized that he was unlikely to ever be able to overcome Arnold in mass, so he decided to make the most symmetrically developed body, which many still take as the ideal male physique.
It seems to me that history Frank quite impressive and inspiring. She proves that the role of genes is greatly exaggerated.
If your progress has come to a standstill, then maybe your muscles are not recovering enough? Do you sleep a full 8 hours or are you sleep deprived all the time? Do you consume enough protein, or do you often indulge in unhealthy foods? Such seemingly trifles create problems that hinder muscle development.
Is your training balanced? Do you train all muscle groups, or only the ones that matter most to you? In this case, it is very important to remember one important truth: all our muscles are interconnected and you are unlikely to achieve beautiful arm muscles with absolutely undeveloped leg muscles.
And further: stop working in the gym, and finally start training! What I mean? I mean the monotonous movements that you perform automatically - say no to that! You must feel and pass through every movement and every repetition of the exercise. Only in this way will you receive a full load. Training is not just a necessary activity that you go to as a job - it’s a lifestyle, it’s a feeling of your development and progress every workout.
Remember that developing your body is not a competition with your gym mates. First of all, you are doing this for yourself. If something comes faster and easier to someone, don’t despair and blame your genes. Move on and be inspired by other people's success!
Loading...