What does "genetics" mean?
When we are talking about bodybuilding, genetics refers to the traits you inherited from your parents that determine the structure and function of your body. This can mean:
- bone structure
- muscle attachments
- muscle belly shape
- potential for muscle size
- muscle symmetry
- weak and strong points
- metabolism and ability to lose fat
- fat storage distribution
- vascularity
These are some examples and I'm sure there are certainly more. It is possible (and common) to be blessed with one gift but not another. For example you may have a lot of potential when it comes to muscle size but you may have a hard time losing body fat. The more genetic blessings that you have, the easier it is going to be for you to do well as a bodybuilder.
Starting Off
Now that we've discussed what genetics mean lets talk about the genetics of novice bodybuilders. People who are just starting to lift weights might think that because they start off skinny, or fat, or they don't gain muscle at an astounding rate that they have poor genetics. The thing is most everyone that is just starting to lift weights is going to look like they have poor genetics unless they have an athletic background in which case they may have already developed some muscle mass. So when you are just starting you really don't know yet whether or not you have good genetics. You need to put years of training in to develop your physique before you will know whether you have good genetics or average genetics.
Things that may give you a hint towards certain genetic qualities being present are if you've always been able to eat a lot of food but have remained slim (fast metabolism), bone structure eg wide clavicles, big rib cage, small hips, small joints etc and if you notice things early on as you develop from weight training eg muscle shape, rapid size developments for particular muscles or muscle mass in general. But if you don't have any obvious qualities to begin with don't fret. That doesn't necessarily mean you don't have good genetics because there are a lot of genetic qualities and like I said before you generally need years of training under your belt until this stuff becomes apparent.
At 15 years old before starting weight training, but with some martial arts and body weight training. Not exactly what you would call "good genetics" at first glance.
Your genetics are fixed
That's the thing about genetics, you are stuck with them for life and you can't do anything about them. If you've hit the genetic lottery then you are lucky and if you've been training solidly for ten years and you still look like Steve Urkel then I don't know what to tell you, that's the way it is. Since we can't do anything about what we were dealt, the best thing is to not worry about it and instead just focus on self development. We might not all be able to be the next Arnold Schwarzenegger but we can improve ourselves and get better over time. The ability to always improve is under our control and that is an encouraging thought.
Is it all hard work?
There are definitely people who think that you can always just outwork others. And this may actually be true in some things, but not in bodybuilding. That isn't to down play the role or the value of working hard towards goals. Hard work will actually get you far even if you have genetics that are average, but having said that it will only get you so far. There are some things that you can never outwork such as muscle belly shape, bone structure and muscle attachments because those things are entirely genetically determined. However there are actually areas in bodybuilding where you may be able to outwork the competition eg conditioning (fat loss), muscle size (to some degree) and also to some degree muscle symmetry and proportion. We have at least some level of control over all of these qualities. This is good news because while there are some things we can't do anything about, there are clearly things we definitely can do something about in order to improve our physiques.
Is it all genetics?
As I mentioned previously, I have heard some people refer to bodybuilding as a genetics competition. While genetics definitely does play a big role in what a physique can look like I feel that referring to it in this way really diminishes the effects of nutrition, training and time and I don't think that is fair or accurate.
Nutrition - Nutrition has a permissive effect on muscle hypertrophy ie if you are eating enough food you are going to allow muscle growth to occur providing there is a sufficient training stimulus. A good nutrition structure will be consistent, be sound in terms of micro and macro nutrients and be quantified calorically in a fashion appropriate to one's goals. In the big picture if nutrition is planned well for a bodybuilder then probably 80% + of his/her time will be spent in a caloric surplus to allow for muscle growth to occur. If this kind of structure is put in place over time then it sets a very good back drop for potential muscle growth and physique development.
Training - Training is the primary stimulus for hypertrophy ie you may have perfect nutrition but if you aren't training with weights then you don't have much telling your muscles to grow. There are many ways to structure resistance training, some more sound than others. Good programming for bodybuilders is usually periodised in one fashion or another with a training frequency of twice/week upwards for each muscle group and volume and intensity adjusted accordingly. Consistent and well structured training (both in the short term and the big picture plan) can certainly make a big difference to physique development.
Time - Here I am really referring to training age. If you've been training without too many set backs for a long time then chances are you will have a well developed physique. That's usually how it works. And in this case I'm talking about real training where you actually try to improve over time, rather than just training where you show up and tick the box for training that day. Training age where progressive overload has been applied definitely will affect how one's physique looks.
These three things that are under your control - nutrition, training and time spent training, have real, measurable effects on physique development. The little things add up over time. So no, it's not all genetics when it comes to bodybuilding.
My Experience
Novice Years
In my case I could definitely tell that I had decent genetics after six months of training. This wasn't exactly in a competitive sense because I never even considered competition until about seven years into training. But what I did notice was that my strong body parts (my arms) did grow rapidly in that window and for the most part I grew more than the average gym goer. Having said this I'd say I also spent more time training and trained harder than the average gym goer (at least in regards to those immediately around me). The rest of my physique other than my arms developed a bit slower and I'd say at this time was fairly average.
Nutrition: Three balanced meals/day and a few snacks. Tried to include protein in each meal. No tracking of macros or calories.
Training: 5 days per week, body part split
Cardio: Martial arts 4 - 6 days per week
Lol at this pic, not the best one but it does show roughly what my physique looked like at one to two years into training
Intermediate Years
About four or five years into training I'd developed a pretty decent physique. Still full of both genetic and training related weak points but decent nonetheless by non competitive standards. That is at this point I'd put a lot of hours into my training and I'd look around the gym and realise that I had a physique better than the majority of gym goers around me. The exclusions would be competitive bodybuilders and some steroid users.
Nutrition: Three to four balanced meals/day. More emphasis on getting enough protein and food to grow. No tracking of macros or calories.
Training: 5 days per week, body part split. Transitioned at one point (due to time) to a body part split over 8 days (no rest days) ie Day 1 - Biceps, Day 2 - Triceps, Day 3 - Shoulders, Day 4 - Rear delts/Traps, Day 5 - Quads, Day 6 - Hamstrings/Calves, Day 7 - Chest, Day 8 - Back
Cardio: Martial arts 3 - 4 days per week
Again not the best photo but it gives an idea of what my physique looked like after about five years of training
Advanced Years
At around seven years into training I'd frequently get comments from gym members who would suggest I should compete in bodybuilding. I'd tell them no I wasn't interested in that though eventually I of course did compete. But now having put seven years of consistent training in and starting to look at my diet more closely I really was starting to look like I had a place on stage and might even be able to do pretty well.
Nutrition: Four balanced meals/day. More emphasis on consuming enough protein, food and consuming typical "bodybuilder" foods. Roughly aware of protein intake.
Training: 6 days per week, body part split (legs twice per week)
Cardio: Martial arts 1 - 3 days per week
Just over six months into competing and the first overall I won at the WNBF Sydney Titles
Pro Years
Now a full fourteen years into my training I've turned pro, won my first pro show and placed in the top five at the pro world championships. I am no stranger to steroid accusations despite being a natural bodybuilder. My physique has developed a lot in the last seven years due to the time I have put in, my consistency and also the knowledge I have gained and applied in this time in regards to training and nutrition.
Nutrition: Tracking macros and calories from 2011 onwards.
Training: From 2012 onwards trained all body parts a minimum of twice/week, utilising a variety of rep ranges and incorporating structure deloads. Have used a variety of periodisation models to this point.
Cardio: Martial arts 1 - 2 days per week
At the 2014 WNBF World Championships
I hope this serves as more than just a "cool story". What I have tried to describe is how my physique has evolved over time. I think people tend to see the end result now and think "well he's just got great genetics". This may be true, I do have good genetics, but it took a hell of a lot of hard work, consistency, learning and time to develop what I was born with into something substantial. All the details that I've paid attention to over a long period of time have added up turning a pretty good physique into a pro standard physique. These factors can't be down played because had I approached things in a different way, a way that yields less results, then I wouldn't be where I am now physique wise. I hope that in another five to ten years I can look back and say I have developed further again.Thank you for reading, that's all for this entry. Have something to contribute? Let me know in the comments below or on social media.
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- Evan
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