Today I want to talk about the importance of genetics when it comes to results in the gym. The truth is the genes you were born with make a huge difference in your ability to gain muscle and lose fat as well as the overall shape that your body will take when you get fit. Fortunately, all of us have the ability to build a good physique, impressive strength, and a high level of cardiovascular conditioning through hard work and dedication, but the extreme results you see on pro bodybuilders, elite powerlifters, and fitness models are way beyond the reach of most of us. The last thing I want to do is crush anyone’s dreams and discourage them from working out. However, we need to have healthy and realistic expectations to avoid frustration and to allow us to be happy with the results of our hard work.
One thing that inspired this post is all of the false advertising that goes on in the fitness industry. Books, magazines, and the internet are filled with photos of top bodybuilders and models trying to sell you a product or the idea that following Arnold’s bicep routine will give you biceps like Arnold or following a top fitness model’s diet will make you look like her. And people actually believe it! While some training programs are better than others, trust me there’s no secret routine that will turn you into the next Phil Heath any more than there’s a secret basketball drill that will turn you into the next Lebron James. Those individuals were born with a gift and put in years of hard work to develop that gift. Yet bodybuilders and gym-goers around the world are always looking for a secret diet or workout routine.
It’s obvious to most people that they aren’t tall enough to become an NBA center or have the massive bone structure and reflexes to be an NFL lineman, yet many people cling to a belief that they can build a physique like the ones in the muscle and fitness magazines with a few years of hard work. Realistically, the majority of us don’t even have the potential to be the top dog at our local gym, let alone a physique champ. As the genetically gifted Vic Richards once said, you can’t turn a Chihuahua into a German Shepherd. All you can do is become the best version of yourself.
My advice when going to the gym is to avoid comparing yourself to the person next to you because we all have different gifts and abilities and are going to end up looking different regardless of what we do. Let’s instead focus on encouraging one another, as we all go to the gym for the same reason of bettering ourselves. Let go of all notions of looking like or performing like someone else, put in some honest hard work at the gym and dinner table, and I guarantee the result is going to be something beautiful that you can be proud of. Best of all it will be uniquely yours.
