FOUND THIS ON ANOTHER FORUM...WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT HE IS SAYING HERE?
After recent criticisms, miss understandings and requests to go i depth on areas to my Bodybuilding for Dummies! I have decided that I will regularly bring up areas in which I have briefly spoken about and go into more detail. This will be on going thing until I have covered everything thoroughly...
Part 1: Genetics in Depth (In Bodybuilding)
"GENETICS The branch of biology that deals with heredity, especially the mechanisms of hereditary transmission and the variation of inherited characteristics among similar or related organisms"
Genetics set out the blueprint in every living creature. This blueprint is a codex that dictates everything about the creature such as the way it looks, how it behaves, what it uses for energy, how it reproduces.. the list goes on and on.
In bodybuilding we look at genetics in a very narrow context, however understanding the very basics will allow you to set realistic achievable goals and actually achieve them.
How many times have you been told by someone in the gym that they are aiming to look like their favorite bodybuilder? "I'm going to look like Kevin Levrone, Dorian Yates, Ronnie Coleman, Mike Mentzer did" etc Lets get things straight here, you are never going to look like how any of them used to look or now may look, they are unique. Their genetics dictates there whole look, im not just talking hair, eyes, face and skin type, im talking the way each muscle is shaped, sized, the path of each vein, their whole esthetics are their own, and so are yours. This does not mean not to use them as inspiration or motivation, but you have to focus on developing what you got and making it better.
Genetically, if you do not have a peaking bicep, you never will without surgery or having your genetics changed (scarily this may be something of the future). Likewise you will never have an eight pack if your abs are not shaped that way. Why is it many bodybuilders fail to except genetics when it comes to bodybuilding when they except other genetic attributes such as the way their face looks, the colour of their hair or eyes. Yes we can change the look of some of these things through surgery or mask certain things with dyes, contact lenses, make up but deep down it is what it is.
The body is very similar, the only difference is it has the ability to adapt to the environment around it (with limitations) to increase its chances of survival. At anyone given point the body has it's limits. Genetics set the boundaries of what the body can be achieved in terms of bodybuilding, age, health, nutrition and lifestyle are the other major factors. Maximum genetic potential can only be achieved if all other factors are 100%. I doubt anyone can be 100% and even if they did it would be very short lived.
Genetics that are adaptable have an upper and lower limit, every single one of them. The only way to surpass the limits is by causing the body to do things it can't do on its own such as introducing additional hormones. For instance when we administer anabolic/androgenic steroids to the body, providing the levels sustain above what our body could produce by it's self, then we alter the levels of what we can achieve in certain areas. One of anabolic/androgenic steroids commonly know affects are to increase recovery time from training sessions. We could simply not do normally what drugs allow us to do if they increase the levels beyond our possible natural maximums.
Everybody genetics are unique to them. What is one mans gain is another mans loss. If a man excels in one gene, he will loose in another. Its just that some genes such as low body fat and big muscles are more evident to the human eye than lets say a persons ability to fight infections.. In bodybuilding when a person has good combinations of certain genes he will surpass someone who hasn't with minimum effort. You must understand that its the "right" combination of these genes that dictates how successful. Some ideal genes are, big muscles in the right places, fast grower/developer, fast recovery, good shape in the muscles, the right size joints in the right places, high limits in muscle growth genes, ability to tolerate drugs well, responding to drugs well, low body fat, low water between the skin and muscle etc.
Although few, there are extreme cases at each end of the scale with every gene and then everybody else sits between these two points. People who suggest that anyone can get a six pack or anyone can grow bigger muscles are sadly mistaken. MOST people have the ability to improve what they have got, not all. Again some will improve more than others and some will do this more quickly than others. Not everyone can get ripped and not everyone can get huge. Some can't without drugs and can with, some can't with both.
For anyone who thinks everyone can build more muscle:
[link=http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/Dutchmen-and-becker-muscular-dystrophy]http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/co...ker-muscular-dystrophy[/link]
For anyone who thinks everyone can get ripped:
[link=http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bardet%E2%80%93Biedl_syndrome]http://en.m.wikipedia.org...E2%80%93Biedl_syndrome[/link]
When we train to increase muscle size for instance we are forcing the body to grow through tricking it into thinking that it requires the extra muscle for a reason. It will grow within the parameters - period. The problem is many people use genetics an excuse for not achieving their goals or thinking they are at the limit when in most cases it's other factors preventing them achieving and usually this stems from a negative or weak mindset.
Some things we can change, some things we can't, however if you do not apply yourself you will never know. Just understand that their are limits and you may not be able to achieve what you set out to do initially, however most people can improve on what they got. Be realistic in your goals and remember its your body and your journey, it irrelevant what anyone else has achieved, it is about what you can achieve!
