Genetics aren’t what you think they are

[nbj486]

So much of the bodybuilding community is focused on genetics and honestly I’m sick of it. People are stuck in this archaic mindset of genetic determinism where your genes dictate literally everything about your physique. I want to call BS on this. Not only is this view harmful, it is scientifically inaccurate.

There is no single gene that determines how jacked you are going to be. Genes are not literal blueprints your body follows. Rather, genes are a complex and interconnected landscape that work in concert with your environment to produce traits.

You know what a huge environmental factor is in determining how much muscle you have? Training. Training volume, intensity, consistency, and length all matter a ton in how much muscle you will build. The basic principles of bodybuilding have been a fixture of the sport since its inception for a reason: because they WORK.

I am not going to sit here and deny that genetics play absolutely no role in bodybuilding. But to act like your genes are holding you back from a great physique is insanity. Yes, not everyone will be Mr. Olympia. But that’s not the goal now, is it?

You want to know why you don’t look why X influencer? Here are the reasons:

1. They are using PEDs
2. They have a long history of sports and weight training
3. You aren’t lifting hard enough, consistently enough, for a long enough period of time
4. You aren’t eating enough to build muscle
5. You aren’t recovering properly

If I never hear about genetics again it will be too soon

 

[fez]

@nbj486 In some ways, genetics are absolute, such as muscle insertions. So there is a degree of validity, but it’s far too much a catch-all boogie man.

I never understood people wasting so much time on something they cannot affect in any way.

 

[matt5963]

@fez You know who has shit insertions and never let that hold him back? Terry Crews. Long and low lat insertions, weak shoulder genes, narrower shoulders, bulky/ blocky midsection. The list goes on.

Dude looks fucking great. Works hard, trains right, obvious PED use but never let his genetics hold him back.

 

[samsoneagle]

@matt5963

obvious PED use but never let his genetics hold him back.

lol this thought unit rules

 

[matt5963]

@samsoneagle If you’re going to be dumb, you gotta be strong.

But for real, my main point isn’t his genetic potential to gain muscle, but rather the hand he was dealt with insertions. Look at the guy. He doesn’t look like any bodybuilder out there. But he still put in the work anyway and got to where he is now.

Point being, don’t compare yourselves to others. Take the hand you’re dealt and run with it.

 

[dawn16]

@nbj486 I get told a lot that im lucky i have good genetics or that im "on something". It only took me 11 years of CONSISTANT day in and day out training 6 days a week, bulks, cuts, competitions, tracking nutrition religiously, to look DECENT. People just dont realize what it takes to train hard, consistently, and with intensity over a long period of time.

 

[kevinfd1985]

@dawn16 I get the whole oh I remember when I was young, I had a 6 pack too. I'm like bro I'm 35, I'm not that young anymore. To which they're perplexed because they're usually only pushing 40 with a beer belly that has been covering the view of their own dicks since 2013.

It's just a way to make themselves feel better, like it's okay it's not because that person works harder than me. It's because of genetics or age or X.

 

[marisela]

@kevinfd1985 I don't even have a 6-pack (working on it. 31 years old, I'm going to get it back for the first time since I was 19... I was more worried about getting big and strong for way too long), and people tell me all the time, "I remember when I was young and had muscles like you!"

I've had guys say that who were like 3 or 4 years younger than me. I'm like, "Dude, I'm older than you... You haven't gotten soft and flabby because you're old. You've gotten soft and flabby because you've made other things a bigger priority than going to the gym and eating properly." They're usually taken aback - both because I'm older than them (I do admittedly look pretty decent for my age, I'm assuming you do too) and because I not-so-subtly told them to stop making excuses. But it's gotten some guys to stop making those excuses, so that's why I do it. Other guys just double down on the excuses.

And, to be fair, I get that people have other priorities. I don't have kids. It's a lot easier for me to make it to the gym and eat healthy when I'm getting proper sleep and I don't have to go right from work to hauling to kids around to sports practices and shit. But if you want to do it, you'll make time for it, one way or another. If you value 8 hours of sleep and time with your kids over having a good physique, that's totally fair. But that's still a decision you're making. Maybe get 7 hours of sleep instead of 8 and lift in the morning. Maybe meal prep on Sunday and have your kids help you that way you get to spend time with them and you don't have to eat McDonald's after little league practice.

 

[kevinfd1985]

@remas Oh yeah you definitely need to work them, I do a small ab workout after my main sets every second or third day, being lean helps but you actually have to have muscle there.

 

[kevinfd1985]

@marisela Yeah fair, I stopped prioritising getting big about 6 years ago and moved more into the functional fitness realm, because I realised for my very physically demanding job it wasn't helpful to be big and inflexible. So I'm still bigger than the average guy, but skinny compared to what I was. Lost about 7kg probably mostly muscle on my legs and back, but gain flexibility, mobility and a permanent 6 pack (can be 8 pack if I eat leaner).

The kids excuse gets old, I have 3 kids 11, 7 and 3. Both me and my wife work, you just have to prioritise exercise and eating healthy over whatever else you do. For me, when kids came along I stopped practising guitar and stopped binge watching shows so I could get good sleep and get up earlier to train, before helping getting everyone ready for their day.
I also work 12 hr shifts, so long hours is another excuse people use that doesn't work on me.

Ultimately people will prioritise what's important to them, if their health isn't important, they won't do it.

Good luck with the 6 pack bro, I know it's cliche but abs are made in the kitchen. Get your macros right and the rest is easy.

 

[paradis]

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  6
+ 7
+ 6
+ 8
+ 3
+ 11
+ 7
+ 3
+ 12
+ 6
= 69

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[marisela]

@paradis Good bot

 

[crazyboutchrist]

@kevinfd1985

me, when kids came along I stopped practising guitar

I commend you for prioritizing your kids. This is one of many reasons I don't want kids; to pursue my passions: bodybuilding and upright bass. It took a long time, but I have found my purpose in life. But it's great to hear folks like you, a parent, and a full-time worker still can reach their fitness goal .

 

[annashiwave]

@marisela Lol at people with kids getting 8 hours sleep

 

[cpf]

@annashiwave I mean, also depends on the kids. Obviously when they are infants, no chance. My kids are 4 and 8 and I've gotten 8+ hours since the youngest was like 1.5, but I know that's the exception not the norm, just depends on the kids

 

[dawn16]

@kevinfd1985 Oh lord, I’ve only had a 6 pack once (because I just don’t like being that lean), but I’d always hear that bs about so much other stuff. “You get to be my age, and those muscles are gonna turn to fat”…….”Enjoy that strength while you can, cause you get my age, you’re gonna be beat up to Hell”…….well, I may not be quite what I once was, but I look a helluva lot better than those people did, when they were 10 years younger than I am now…..

 

[kevinfd1985]

@dawn16 The only one I would agree with at 35 would be the beat up to hell. I'm constantly working through injuries and random pains at the physio now compared to in my early 20s where I would just bounce back.
But pain is subjective, and most people I work with have at least some kind of back/shoulder/knee pain and will complain about it while telling me I'll do damage to my body.
Thanks guys, good advice /s

 

[dawn16]

@kevinfd1985 Sure. I have joint pain from years of powerlifting. But, since I went to more bodybuilding, it has been slowly receding. But you know what I don’t have, that plagues so many middle aged people like me?- back pain (at least not excessive). Why? Because I actually have a strong back. A weak back is a big contributor to back pain, and all those people would rather use joint pain and other excuses to sit on their ass, than to have actually worked out.

 

[david652020]

@dawn16

It only took me 11 years of CONSISTANT day in and day out training 6 days a week, bulks, cuts, competitions, tracking nutrition religiously, to look DECENT.

It's mostly this. Media is to blame for a lot of this. Having a "beach bod" or getting ripped in a year.

Sure, you can cut fat to show abs. However, it takes years to build a decent physique with muscle. All the YouTube videos are like "get ripped in 6 months" with A,B,C workout. People eat it up.

 

[lasturianu]

@dawn16 I've been lifting 5 days a week for 18 years virtually without break. I eat too much food, with the majority of my calories coming from protein. When I'm carrying too much bodyfat (but still lifting every day), no one says shit. When I drop 10kg over 3 months and I have a muscular physique, I'm told it's so easy for me to build my body because of genetics. Yeah, they probably help. But the 5 hours of weekly strength training for my entire adult life is why I have muscle under my fat.