Find out by what genetic principles you can determine your predisposition to gain weight, or vice versa - to increase strength. It should be said right away that everyone can engage in bodybuilding, and at the same time it does not matter at all what genetic data a person has. This is one of the most affordable types of fitness, because training can be done at home, with only dumbbells.
Now we talked about the situation when a person decided to study for himself and is not going to perform. However, there is also competitive bodybuilding in which genetics are essential. Today we will tell you how to find out the predisposition to bodybuilding and powerlifting.
Predisposition to bodybuilding
There are several factors that indicate a varying degree of genetic predisposition of an athlete to bodybuilding. We will now look at them in detail.
Body composition
Everyone knows that it is customary to distinguish between three body types - mesomorph, endomorph and ectomorph. Recall that in their pure form, they practically do not occur, but there is no doubt that each of us is dominated by one or another type of physique. Endomorphs are less likely to engage in professional bodybuilding. This fact is associated with the presence of a wide waist, as well as a tendency to gain fat mass.
At the same time, they can achieve excellent results in powerlifting, because their strength indicators are at their best. Mesomorphs are fortunate enough to have almost perfect muscles from birth. However, this body type has one drawback - a rather wide waist, which is not very good for a builder. But this is well compensated by the developed muscles.
Among the famous mesomorph athletes, Dorian Yates, as well as Jay Cutler, are immediately remembered. It is generally accepted that ectomorphs are least of all predisposed to bodybuilding. They are born with thin bones and narrow shoulders. However, they are the ones who can create the perfect body. It is enough to remember Flex Wheeler to be convinced of this. It is also necessary to note Phil Heath, whose physique also largely corresponds to the ectomorph. Both builders have a narrow waist, and the shoulders can be swayed if desired.
Symmetry
The body can be considered ideal, both halves of which are developed symmetrically. Speech now, as you understood, is about the right and left parts of the body. To achieve this, the athlete must have a perfectly healthy spine. The presence of any, even the most insignificant, problems with the intervertebral discs at some point will lead to infringement of the nerve endings. As a result, it will become impossible to develop paired muscles evenly. By the way, scientists have found a pattern between the wrong bite and problems with the spine.
Muscle attachment points and fiber types
If you are interested in how to find out the predisposition to bodybuilding and powerlifting, then you need to decide on the attachment points of the muscles to the bone structures of the skeleton. Do not think that it is very difficult, just conduct a study of your body and everything will fall into place. Scientists have proven that the lower these places are located, the faster you can achieve the task.
It is equally important to know the number of different types of fibers in your muscle tissues. It is quite obvious that this parameter can be changed due to the process of hyperplasia, but the more muscle fibers you have from birth, the easier it will be to progress. Most athletes believe a biopsy is necessary to quantify all fiber types.
However, this is not the case and you can completely do without going through this procedure. Just work out the workout in different modes - explosive, low-, and high-volume. You need to establish which muscle group gets tired faster. Let's pay attention to the fact that in this case it is not the refusal that is of interest, but fatigue.
If you get tired faster when using low-volume training, then Ma-type fibers predominate in the muscle tissue. Accordingly, if this occurs during explosive training, then the muscles contain more lib-type fibers, and with high-volume training, the first type. The less slow fibers (type 1) you have, the better. The most famous athlete, in whose muscle tissues slow fibers predominated, is the Canadian builder Nimrod King.
Ligaments
By and large, in bodybuilding, you can achieve outstanding results without having tremendous strength. However, if you work with large weights, then the task will be solved faster. When determining strength, first of all, it is necessary to pay attention to the ligaments with the joints.
Nutrition
One of the main factors of progress in bodybuilding is nutrition. It may sound strange, but appetite and metabolic rate are inherent in each of us from the moment of birth. For example, a native of the African continent, Victor Richards could eat any food in huge quantities. It is quite understandable that he was gaining mass very quickly.
During the heyday of his career, with a fairly dry physique, Viktor's body weight reached 150 kilograms. Another example is Jackster Jackson. According to the builder himself, he literally forced himself to eat, since the guy did not differ in his great appetite. But thanks to his rapid metabolism, he could maintain a shape close to optimal almost all year round.
Anabolic
If we talk about the use of various anabolic drugs, then professionals need them much less than amateurs. This fact is due to the fact that in elite athletes the concentration of testosterone and IGF is at a fairly high level. In addition, their muscles contain a large number of androgen receptors.
As a result, even the smallest doses of steroids produce the strongest anabolic response. It should also be noted that in professionals, the protein compound myostatin is synthesized much more slowly. Recall that this substance is designed to inhibit the growth of muscle mass. Do not forget about other enzymes, for example, 5-alpha reductase or aromatase, the concentration of which also differs from that of ordinary people.
Discipline
For those who do not yet know how to find out the predisposition to bodybuilding and powerlifting, I want to say one thing - all your possible natural benefits will not be worth anything without discipline. To become a true professional, you need to be selfless and selfless. Although this is important in any sport, not just bodybuilding.
Chris Cormier is an example of a near-total lack of discipline. This is an amazingly gifted athlete from a genetic point of view, who literally squandered everything and could not achieve even half of what was possible. But, say, Branch Warren and, not possessing excellent genetics, thanks to high self-discipline, achieved a lot.
How to find out the predisposition to bodybuilding and powerlifting?
There are two ways to define a genetics - empirical and laboratory. Today we are talking about how to find out the predisposition to bodybuilding and powerlifting and it is simply necessary to talk about each of them in more detail. The simplest is the empirical way. You need to train for at least a year and use a nutritional program to gain muscle mass. If during this time period your figure does not differ much from the previous one, then you are not inclined to professional bodybuilding.
The laboratory method involves several procedures and, unlike the empirical one, does not require much time to get an answer. However, you will have to pay for all tests. In addition, not every locality in our country has the opportunity to hold them. However, it is worth talking about it.
Muscle fiber composition
To do this, you need to undergo the tensiomyography procedure. It allows you to measure the contractility of muscles and thereby determine the ratio of different types of fibers. Also, similar results can be obtained thanks to myotonometry.
But that's not all, and you can use glycolytic anaerobic or aerobic performance methods to assess your muscle tissue composition. To do this, it is necessary to perform certain exercises in specially designed simulators.
Assessment of motor units
With the help of electromyography, it is possible to establish the neuro-muscular transmission during muscle contraction. As a result, you will learn the assessment of your motor units and some features of the muscular innervation.
Metabolism assessment
There are several ways to determine this indicator, but we will only talk about one - indirect calometry. Breathing is used to determine your metabolism, more precisely the amount of heat exhaled by a person. The procedure is carried out in several stages, for example, at rest and under the influence of physical exertion. It should be recognized that this is a fairly accurate method for determining the rate of metabolic processes.
The speed of anabolic processes
To do this, you will have to donate blood for analysis. It is quite obvious that anabolism depends on the concentration of certain hormonal substances, in particular testosterone.
What if you are averse to bodybuilding?
If a person decided to check his genetic predisposition and received a negative answer, then everything depends only on him. He may stop thinking about having a nice muscular body or get down to business and start exercising. We have already said that in any sport, the discipline of the athlete is of paramount importance. A lot of examples tell us that hard work in the classroom can make any person an outstanding athlete.
But there are many opposite examples, when builders squandered everything that was laid in them by nature. Now you know how to find out the predisposition to bodybuilding and powerlifting. However, it is up to you to decide who to be in this life. I would like to remember such an athlete as Dick Fosbury. This is not a bodybuilder, but a high jumper. Sports genetics were convinced that this sports discipline was completely unsuitable for Dick.
However, he did not pay any attention to their opinion, and as a result became an Olympic champion. In life, practically nothing is impossible, and everything is in the hands of a person. Gather your will into a fist and start practicing. It is possible that you can become a high-level athlete.
For more on genetic predisposition to bodybuilding and other strength sports, see the video below: