I’m going to use a word I hate in this article.
That word is ‘limitation‘.
I’m sure you’ve all heard something about genetic potential in the bodybuilding game. You’ve probably heard one or both of the following:
“He’s only got that great body because of his genetics” or,
“I quit because my genetics suck and I’ll never get anywhere anyway”
If you are confused by this topic, this post will clear things up for you.
In this article I’m going to explain these genetic limitations specifically because oftentimes when the topic of genetics is brought up, the conversation ends without any further explanation.
Now, before we get into this, DON’T GET DEPRESSED! I myself have less-than-average genetics.
In school, I was amongst the skinniest guys there. In fact, that was the whole reason I started lifting in the first place!
What’s crazy is that now some people say that I’m lucky. That I must have awesome genetics. You gotta be kidding me! At best, 2 of my body parts responded better than others i.e. my pecs and biceps, but it was STILL hard work, training to failure, and eating right that produced the growth I got.
So let’s have a look…
Somatotype
Although there are an infinite variety of body types out there, 3 main classifications have emerged:
- Ectomorph – skinny, thin torso, little bodyfat or muscle
- Mesomorph – muscular, broad shoulders, less bodyfat
- Endomorph – round torso, thick neck, shorter legs
Most likely you will fall somewhere between the extremes of these classifications. Obviously, the mesomorph body type is advantageous for bodybuilding.
Skeletal Formation
Carrying on from the above, the length, thickness, and structure of the bones also gives clues about genetic potential. Typically, very big guys will have broad shoulders, a small waist, and medium length limbs.
Neuromuscular Efficiency
This refers to to the efficiency of the relationship between the nervous system and the muscles themselves. Someone with high levels of neuromuscular efficiency will actually recruit more muscle fibers during muscular contractions. Those with lower levels will recruit less. For bodybuilding purposes, high levels of neuromuscular efficiency are obviously advantageous.
Muscle Fiber Density
Fairly self-explanatory. To grow muscle, we want to stimulate the fibers to hypertrophy. Obviously the more muscle fibers exist per square centimeter, the bigger you can get, and the bigger you’ll look without ever having lifted a weight.
Myostatin
I’ve talked before about how building massive muscle is a disadvantage from an evolutionary perspective. Sustaining a normal musculature is expensive enough calorie-wise; building MORE muscle is therefore not desirable from the body’s point of view. This is why you HAVE to give the body a damn good reason for it to build more muscle.
One of the ways the body limits muscle growth is through myostatin. The gene ‘GDF-8’ produces the myostatin protein for the purpose of limiting growth. The less myostatin you have circulating in your body, the easier it will be to build larger muscles.
Muscle Length
The longer a muscle is, the more potential there is for it to increase in size. This is because a muscle’s width will never exceed its length. The longer the actual muscle belly, and the shorter the tendons which connect the ends to the bone, the more potential you have to increase the size of that muscle.
This varies from muscle to muscle, which means that one person can have more potential in one muscle than in others. So if your calf muscles are short, that doesn’t mean that your biceps don’t have awesome potential.
Conclusion
PLEASE don’t be too concerned. People with average, or less-than-average, genetic potential are in the vast majority. People with superior genetic bodybuilding potential really are rare. Chances are that 95% of your fellow gym members are in the same boat as you.
I personally learned to embrace my skinny ass wrists and ankles and just got on with the job of building the muscle around them.
It is important to remember that while the above factors will dictate your starting point, and the rate at which you will grow, the fact is that…
EVERYONE CAN AND WILL GROW IF THEY TRAIN INTELLIGENTLY
Never forget that. People have been building muscles beyond normal levels for many, many years. Give your body a good enough reason and it will respond with new growth.
Stay Motivated!
Mark
Yea, I think an important thing for people to know is that it takes years to really hit their genetic max and we need to modify our expectations each year. Non gifted amateur or hobbyist lifters (like me) should expect to gain 3-5 pounds of lean muscle each year. If you expect to gain 10 pounds of lean muscle a year, you might be expecting too much. For example, I started lifting at last September at 155 pounds a year later, I’m 185, but that’s not solid muscle and even if it was, that’s newly adapted (‘newbie’) gains that many people report and will not continue. I certainly don’t expect to gain 30 pounds each year from here on out. Otherwise, I think I’d be gargantuan!! I’ll expect 5 pounds of lean if I really do everything right.
wow, i was just having this conversation with my son last night…he’s 15 and just starting working out with some friends…because he’s not fully grown, i’m steering him away from heavy back and leg exercises (and other assorted growth joint areas) – but was explaining to him that genetics are what make some dudes so huge…i’ve worked out for years, and stay lean at about 152 lbs (i’m 5’7), even though i’ve tried to gain weight, like got to almost 170 last winter, as soon i cut i’m back to 150ish…
but what’s an even *bigger* topic here that you may want to explore in some other column is body dysmorphia in teen boys – similar to anorexia with girls, but instead a persistent belief that one is never big enough…every album, every video, every hip movie has some dude in it with ripped muscles, a 10 hour a day trainer working hollywood movie-gain supplements and the physical role models are as “not average” as the hot chicks in the same films/albums/movies…fortunately, my son has no such issues, but i definitely have noticed much more on this subject in the past 10 years….boys were typically not focused on in this area because weight gain and size (and associated eating disorders) were typically ascribed to females (and some males)…
at any rate, nice article 😉
Something that I think you missed in this article is the effects of testosterone levels in ones ability to build muscle and promote a lean body. The effects of increased testosterone in the blood will be to make you naturally more muscular and male like, so it stands to reason that if people are struggling to gain weight they should supplement with a testosterone booster, such as Tribulus Terrestris.
Tristan,
Or take steroids. 🙂
Age too, the decline of GH and Testosterone, etc. All good points.
Gosh Dave, I’m not sure I understand the risk of lifting at 15? I would have thought the opposite. Have you seen Arnold at 15? https://img164.imageshack.us/img164/9168/at16op7.jpg
I don’t know much about growth and anatomy but I don’t see a problem with that. Most teens I see at the gym do two exercises, bench press and arm curls. I would encourage deadlifts, pullups, bench, squats. Shows what I know!!
@andrew – it’s specifically working out before and during puberty, heavy weightlifting produces stress on the body, and stress can a) reduce/stress the amount of natural growth hormone release during puberty and b) stress bones and trick the body into thinking that it should adapt during growth by keeping bone length shorter to support the emerging adult-size muscles…there was some research in this area (don’t know who) that looked at violation of child labor laws involving extreme physical labor with young kids and the pursuant lack of full physical development…
Thanks Dave, I never would have guessed. Science rules!
Actually dave, that study was done in japan and it did not factor in other possible factors affecting their growth like poor nutrition and high altitude.