Recently one of my clients forwarded me a post by Dr. John Jaquish discussing the disadvantage people have in achieving their ideal muscular physique because of a genetic predisposition to shorter vs longer muscle bellies and tendons – leading my client to ask, “If I’m genetically destined to NOT reach my ideal physique, why even bother trying to build muscle?”
Post/Article: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=328419851980595&set=a.272880977534483
I will immediately throw out the information that I am NOT a doctor or an expert in any way, shape, or form unlike Dr. John Jaquish who has a PhD in Biomedical Engineering and a lot more other credentials and experience I do not have.
That said, the effects of genetics on building muscle is the same as genetics in anything – everyone is different because our genetic codes are different. No two people are exactly the same, therefore no two people are going to get the same results.
But that doesn’t mean that if you have “less than ideal” genetics that you won’t still be able to build muscle.
In his overall argument, Dr. Jaquish essentially compares the everyday person trying to build muscle to that of professional athletes. In his defense, yes, your genetics will play a part in your ability to build the muscle, strength, size, and other abilities/skills needed to play the sport at a professional level that these people do. Take Michael Phelps for instance – the guy is 6’5” with wide shoulder tapered to a small waist down his long torso with shorter legs but has giant arms, hands, and feet making him the ideal swimmer, and is what led him to winning every gold medal at every Olympics in history (slight hyperbole).
In his article/post, he goes on to discuss that people who have shorter muscle heads and shorter tendons that insert the muscle to the bone are more likely to build muscle better than those with longer muscle heads and longer tendons because they have to work harder to produce the same effort.
This is true to an extent, as smaller muscles have to work harder to do the same things that larger muscles do. Think of a runner. A shorter, stockier person is not going to be able to run as far, or as quickly as someone taller and slender without having to exert much more effort.
In an effort to convince you that his book about using HIS bands instead of weight lifting and calling out the comparison to athletes – who by nature are genetically gifted + work their asses off – he basically says its impossible to create your ideal body unless you won the genetic lottery.
THAT is where I have a problem.
One thing I love about fitness and about our world all together is that everyone is different. No two people have the same identical body and make up. Sure you may be identical twins, but that doesn’t mean you both physically have to look identical. One of you could enjoy running and build yourself into a more slender build person while the other picks up weight lifting and does it continually for 15-20 years building into a monster. Sure you’re DNA is the same and your faces are identical, but the path you take and the work you put in for your desired outcome will result in completely different bodies.
What I’m getting at is that the genetic disadvantage that Dr. Jaquish is discussing, from my opinion, microscopically impacts how you build muscle.
Will it be harder? Possibly.
But can you reach your ideal body? Yes.
What matters most is the effort you put in, the frequency at which you dedicate to doing it, how you rest and fuel your body, and remembering that the body you are building is not going to look like anyone else.
Effort – You can’t half ass your way to your best body. You have to dedicate to showing up every day. Bodybuilders and strength athletes (or athletes of any kind) will tell you that the results you get are a direct correlation to the effort you put in. You can’t phone in your workouts, regardless of how you feel. You have to show up consistently and buy in for the long haul. Building muscle properly is not a “get rich quick” scheme, but a long-term investment.
Frequency – though 2 days per week of resistance training is good for the body, ideally you want to shoot for 3-4 days in the gym. Focusing on 3-5 compound movements plus 2-4 isolated movements that hit all the muscles of the body in a week.
Programming – As mentioned you’ll be in the gym regularly and targeting every muscle group each week. Your program should progressively get more difficult as you get stronger/bigger. The main focus of your program will be hitting 3-4 sets of each exercise with a rep range of 8-15. You should be getting close to failure on each set (but not necessarily HITTING failure). The two most overlooked, but important aspects of a muscle building program, would have to be the tempo of your movements and the rest period between sets. Slow down your movement to a MINIMUM of 2 seconds both contracting and extending and keep your rest periods at no more than 60-75 seconds between sets. The time under tension you’re keeping the muscles under will continue to create the micro-tears in the fibers we’re looking for that – when recovered – will grow in size. The rest period helps replenish the energy to the muscles so they can get ready for the next bout of resistance and is extremely important!
Rest/recovery – Different than the rest between sets, your rest and recovery is of utmost importance. Do not take lightly your mobility and stretching routines before, after, sessions and in between training days. Keeping your body mobile and loose will allow it to move through it’s full range of motion which recruits as much muscle as possible, producing the best and most optimal results. Unless otherwise noted, every movement should go through a full range of motion. Any short cut or “cheating” can diminish your gains and keep you from your goals. Also do not forget to take rest days between training sessions. This time off is when your muscles are recovering from the damage you did during your training and is where the size of the muscles will continue to grow. It is not suggested to train the same muscle groups less than 24 hours apart. A good beginner muscle building split would be 3 days/week of training M/W/F with designated rest/recovery dates on T/Th/Sat/Sun.
Fuel – As noted in a previous post, carbs heading into your workout will provide the energy the muscles need to work, while a protein centric meal after will help replenish and re-fuel the muscles aiding their recovery and helping them build nice and strong for next time! Stay away from sugars, alcohols, and processed foods as much as possible – sticking to lean sources of protein; complex carbs/veggies; and healthy fats/oils in proper amounts.
Yes your genetics play a part in your bodies ability to build muscle when comparing the average joe to professional athletes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t reach your ideal physique through regular resistance training and progressively pushing your muscles with proper programming.
Every one’s body is different and we all can reach our peak physiques with the right effort, frequency, programming, recovery, and fuel – it’s just a matter of buying in to the long term investment of your health and being the best version of you possible to reach the best version of you.
But don’t ask me to make you look like Brad Pitt in Fight Club… THAT was peak genetic lottery…