Genetics
Nikola Man
This topic can comfortably fit within the confines of both nutrition and exercise section of this site and there will be posts on this topic in each section. However, today I want to focus on the impact your genetic makeup has on your potential and why you shouldn’t stress about being “unable to reach” that perfect physique. Before I give you any advice, let’s look at all of the different areas genetics has an impact on:
Fat distribution – yes, that quite literally means that everyone’s body has a different way of storing fat. Some will store more in their legs, which is usually the case with women, some will have a more evenly across the body, for the average male it will be the lower abdomen area and the love handle area. Whatever your case may be, there is nothing you can do about it.
Nutrient partitioning and fat accumulation – my favorite study was done on pairs of twins who were all overfed with a 1000 calorie surplus. The results were quite shocking. Within the pair there was not much difference, which is to be expected, however the difference between pairs was staggering. In some cases the weight gain was 13 kg while the lowest pair gained a measly 2 kg. We all those people with the magical “metabolism”, whose bodies just simply utilize fuel better.
Losing fat – similarly to fat distribution, fat loss also happens faster in certain body parts. I’ve worked with clients who have 4% less body fat in their arms, shoulders and back than the rest of their body. I also know people who have a fully visible 6 pack with 15% body fat which will be impossible for a sizeable majority of the population. This also works in the other direction, some people will have to diet for 6 months or longer to lose those last few bits of fat which are usually those that get stored first.
Muscles – when it comes to muscles, genetics determines the actual look, how quickly you build muscle and how much you can build. You control stimulus and recovery which will determine how fast or slowly you approach your genetic potential. The look your muscles have depends on the insertions of your muscles to the corresponding bone. The width of your shoulder and waist is also genetically determined which means that the infamous V taper (wider shoulders and a narrower waist) is mostly determined by your genes. Some people will also have higher hormone levels especially those necessary for the muscle building process. Some individuals even have a favorable muscle fiber type and number which will help them have a better response to training. On the absolute extreme, there are people who are such statistical anomalies that they can be doing ungodly bad training programs yet reach fantastic results which for the majority of the population would lead to either no gains or even regression
The common thread for these points is that there is absolutely nothing you can do to change it. Some people come to this realization and quit because for them it’s not even worth to try, put in tons of effort, weigh food, train with purpose, learn about their bodies’ response and then adjust the program for the sake of optimality because there are people who do none of these things yet reach better results.
I advise you to do the opposite because you cannot and should not compare your progress to someone else’s because your starting point is not the same and in the case of fat loss and physical appearance, the starting point dictates absolutely everything. However, it is in your hands to say a big no to these excuses and to strive to be the best YOU can be. I also suggest avoiding any comparison to Instagram models and magazine cover models because it is more than likely that they have the ultimate combination of genetics and effort. Effort is key there, because most of them have invested a decade into their body so you cannot compare your third month to their 10th year. What you can compare is your third month with your third year and then you can be proud because Tiny Bit by Tiny bit, you became better.
I ask you as a friend not to use genetics, or anything else, as an excuse because if you keep working on yourself that will teach you invaluable lessons and skills which you can then use in any aspect of life. Something that the gym has thought me is patience and mental toughness, for you that might be the nature of progress which you can then translate into any other activity or it might be your vent after a stressful day, whatever the case may be, you will gain health and lessons and you cannot find that in quitting.