In this article, you will learn how to distinguish genetically gifted an athlete of a bodybuilder from an amateur who has not been given bonuses by nature for the rapid development of a powerful body of a bodybuilder.

This information will help you determine your genetics (good or bad), so that you are already at the stage planning knew all the pros and cons of bodybuilding.

Genetic predisposition to a particular sport, is often a determining factor in becoming a champion in the professional arena.

When it comes to bodybuilding, unfortunately, only genetics will decide if you become great(like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Ronnie Coleman) or not.

As a child, they probably noticed that one person is physically well developed, strong, from birth, at the same time another is weak, thin, with thin bones, with minimal muscle mass. And who do you think will achieve success in bodybuilding more, with an equivalent training and nutrition? Of course the second. This is the so-called genetic predisposition to bodybuilding, when a person's body type, structure and attachment of muscles are conducive to exercising with burdening, iron.

Let's define the decisive genetic factors that directly affect the success in bodybuilding:

• Body type
• Dot attachments muscle
• Neuromuscular connection
• Muscle abdomen length
• The body's response to anabolic steroids
• Character (personality traits)

Now let's go over each factor in more detail.

Each of us has our own body type, which directly affects the amount of subcutaneous fat and muscle, strength and structure bones.

In order to determine your somatotype, it is necessary to measure the circumference of the wrist. Generally, if measurements show from 15 to 17.5 cm, then we can say that you have a fragile and thin skeleton, if from 17.5 to 20 cm, then you are the owners of an average bone foundation, but if your wrist girth is more than 20 cm Congratulations, you have a strong and powerful bone structure.

Also, in order to navigate with your body type, sometimes it helps ankle measurement(its girth is almost always in all people 5-6 cm less than the wrist). Of course, there are exceptions, both in the direction of decreasing, that is, when equivalent the size of the ankle with the wrist, in this case we can say that the strength of the top and bottom is the same, and in the direction of increase (by 10-12 cm), in this case, the strength of the lower body is much superior to its upper part.

Depending on their nutritional system, training and recovery program, an athlete can change his body beyond recognition. However, for someone it will be easy and not forced, but for someone it will be very, very difficult. That is why (according to Sheldon), it is customary to distinguish all people into the following body types:

• Mesomorph (muscular)
• Endomorph (plump)
• Ectomorph (thin)

In more detail, we have already written about each type of physique in the article, who are interested in reading, please go to this one.

Body types (somatotypes) of people

It is important to understand that when canceling proper nutrition, recovery and regular exercise, you will come to where you started... Most of all, in this case, endomorphs will get, because they need to strictly, strictly adhere to a sports lifestyle in order to maintain a figure at a high, athletic level.

Also, I would like to draw your attention to the following factors that relate to each specific type of physique.

Metabolism

Load response

We respond in different ways to training programs, for someone it is enough to do 2 times so that the chest grows like on yeast, and someone, even with a 5-day training of the pectoral muscles, will not get the result.

Everything is individual, a lot depends on restoring the abilities of the body, the fitness of the athlete. However, do not be confused, beginners and experienced athletes, for the first, everything is very simple, the body will grow, until a certain moment, because, hidden opportunities beginner (potential for growth in strength and muscle mass), are still very far from the limit of human capabilities.

Muscle response to strength training

Bone strength

At a certain training stage, your strength results can reach apogee, which will be determined by the strength of your ligaments, cartilage, tendons, and bones, the main thing here is not to "break" and stop in time.

The longer the abdomen of the muscle, the more chances the athlete has build up high-quality muscle mass, both in volume and in muscle thickness.

Muscle abdomen length

People who naturally have short abdomens will significantly lag behind in the limit maximum muscle development (this rule applies to in relation to oneself and in comparison with other people). A striking example of this, which is lagging behind in many people in development calf muscle.

No matter how much the athlete trains her, the maximum calf size laid down by genetics, that is, the length of the abdomen, will not change in any way. This is why many bodybuilders, in the professional bodybuilding arena, resort to both muscle implantation, and to the banal synthol to give a pronounced peak, bump of the lower leg or other lagging muscle groups.

Type and number of muscle fibers

Depending on the number of certain muscle fibers, already at the initial stage of growing up of a young athlete, it is possible to determine his genetic superiority in one form or another. sports.

Type and number of muscle fibers

People whose body is dominated by more whites(fast) muscle fibers, initially become the lucky ones for whom it will be much easier and faster to build muscle mass. In turn, the prevalence of slow ( red) muscle fibers, gives the athlete superiority in endurance work. Moreover, the ratio of red and white muscle fibers is given to us from birth.

Expressed mesomorphs, possess a large number of white fibers, which, as we have already indicated, are responsible for muscle hypertrophy and strength. Typical ectomorph, with training experience 1-2 years, will look the same as a beginner mesomorph, but it is worth starting to regularly train the latter in the gym, as others will see his genetic superiority.

The body's response to steroids (pharmacology)

They act differently on a person, this is a fact. For example, for some athletes, a small dose of the same methane is enough to feel the effect of using this anabolic, but for someone, even a large dosage will not give anything. It all depends on the presence in muscle cells free receptors that could bind to the steroid molecule in the steroid-receptor complex. So it turns out, someone has more free receptors in the muscles, someone has less, someone's body responds better to steroids, someone worse. Person's character

The ability to endure muscle pain, burning sensation in muscles for a long time, to engage in daily work on oneself, distinguishes with its nutrition champion from not a champion, distinguishes people who will achieve success in bodybuilding, and who will never achieve it.

Perseverance, focus on results, to some extent fanaticism to your favorite activity, bodybuilding, these are the individual qualities of a person that are capable of working miracles, smashing all genetics to dust, changing the body beyond recognition, helping to bypass an athlete gifted with genetics, and not gifted as a result.

Summing up, we can say with confidence that genetics is undoubtedly very important, and defining success factor in bodybuilding, but without the proper approach to bodybuilding, recovery, incredible perseverance, it turns into dust... Hence, there are so many people, seemingly gifted, talented, and at the same time not realizing their gift, their advantage, and so many selfless people, believing in their success, people with weak genetics, but who have achieved very great results in bodybuilding.

And so, it will always be, be persistent, patient and your work in the gym will be rewarded.

Personality (willpower)

You need to understand that no diet, exercise program, and miraculous recovery will ever make you a champion if your genetics mediocre, in turn, you can change the body beyond recognition, but unfortunately, there is no need to talk about any champion, professional level.

Unfortunately, in gyms, among athletes, at an experienced level, and of course among beginners, there is still an opinion that hard approach training and steroids can make him a champion. This is just a myth, do not ruin your health on anabolic steroids, they will not make you a professional bodybuilder if you are not lucky with genetics.

Unique athletes with champion genetics like Lee Haney, Dorian Yates, total 1% worldwide. That is why, for example, at a competition Mr. Olympia, where the best of the best from all over the world come, you can contemplate gifted bodybuilders only among the first 10-15 seats, and just imagine, this is all the top bodybuilders from all over the planet.

Arthur Jones said more than 15 years ago that most bodybuilders are unrealistic for their intended purposes. They want something that is beyond their genetic potential, namely huge muscles. In other words, achieving their goal is simply impossible!

Jones took a step forward in saying that the main genetic factor, apart from muscle size, especially in the arms, is the exceptional length of the muscle fibers in the biceps and triceps. The length of these muscle fibers is one hundred percent genetically determined.

Many bodybuilders, especially Boyer Coe, Kaisy Vaiator, Sergio Oliva, Ed Robinson and Arnold Schwarzenegger, have very long muscle fibers in their arms. Therefore, it is no coincidence that they have one of the largest and most prominent biceps and triceps in the world.

A physiological factor is well known: the longer the muscles, the larger their cross section, and, consequently, the greater the volume that the muscles can reach.

Simple physiology explains that in order for a muscle to become wide, it must be long.

The short muscle cannot be wide because the angle of tension would be so weak that it could not function effectively. Thus, the body will not allow the wide short muscle to exist.

How to tell if you have short, long or medium fibers? The key factor is where the biceps and triceps meet with the tendons that cross the elbow joints.

Assessing the potential of your biceps

Let's start with the biceps. Take off your shirt and take a double bicep pose in front of the mirror.

Take a close look at the inside of the elbows of both hands. Now extend and bend your arms. Notice that as you bend your arm, the biceps get taller. This is because the main function of the biceps is to flex the arms. Return to the starting double bicep position again. The angle between the bones of the hands and forearm should be 90 degrees. Take a look at the gap between the tense bicep and elbow. What is its width (size)?

Before taking the measurement, relax your hands for a few minutes, do the following: place the fingers of your right hand across the fold of your left. You should be able to feel the large biceps tendon that crosses the front of the elbow joint and into the radius of the forearm. Gently, straining the biceps of the left hand, feel the rope-like tendon with your fingertips in the elbow gap. Run your fingers up the tendon until you feel the junction of the tendon with the biceps. This is the distance between the junction of the biceps tendon with the tendon and the intersection of the ulnar junction with the tendon. This is the place you must define.

Biceps and its tendon

Take the double bicep pose again. Make sure your arms are fully bent and the angle is 90 degrees. The partner should measure the distance between the inside of the elbow (look for a crease in the skin, on the front of the elbow) and the inside edge of the shortened bicep. Do this with both hands.

What do the measurement results mean? Naturally, this is by no means science, but my experience allows me to make the following generalizations.

Biceps Potential for Increasing Muscle Mass

Distance between the elbow and the edge of the shortened bicep

Bicep length - potential

1.27 cm (long) - large
1.27 - 2.54 cm (approximately average) - good
2.54 - 3.87 cm (Medium) - Medium
3.87 - 5.08 cm (below average) - weak
5.8 cm and more (short) - minimum

Bodybuilders with really massive arms have 1.27 cm or less between the elbow and shortened biceps. In other words, they have long-fiber biceps, short tendons, and tremendous potential.

Sergio Oliva, the man with the most massive arms in the world, has such a mass of biceps that there is practically no gap between the elbow and the contracted biceps. Sergio is one of the few people with muscles that practically limit his range of motion.

Another muscle group that makes up the bulk of the arms is the triceps.

Assessing the potential of your triceps

Measuring the triceps (versus measuring the biceps) is much more difficult. The difficulty lies in the fact that the connection between the three triceps muscles and their common tendon is much more difficult to measure and evaluate.

Triceps, as its name suggests, consists of three muscles: lateral, long and medium. All three muscles attach to a large, wide tendon that runs through the back of the elbow and connects to the forearm bone.

Take off your shirt and stand in front of a mirror. Turn sideways. The elbow should be straight, the arm along the torso. Tighten your triceps. You should notice, if you are thin enough, the distinct horseshoe shape of the triceps. The lateral triceps muscle (medial head) forms one side of the horseshoe, the middle one forms the other side, the longus muscle is at the apex, and the tendon occupies the entire wide part in the middle.

I've noticed that over the years, men with really massive triceps are less and less likely to have horseshoe triceps. The wide space in the middle of the horseshoe is partially covered on top by an unusual long muscle. The lateral and median muscles on the sides are inverted soft drink bottles. The tendon is left with an unusually small space.

Sergio Oliva, for example, does not have a horseshoe bicep at all. Bill Pearl has triceps, very similar to those of Oliva, as well as Ray and Mike Mentzer.

To determine the potential of the triceps, the following is necessary. With your arm extended along your body, tighten your triceps. Use a buddy to measure the distance between the top of the elbow and the top of the inside of the horseshoe. In other words, you are measuring the longest part of the wider tendon. Remember, the longer the part to be measured, the shorter the muscle.

Below I offer my generalization on determining the potential of the triceps.

Triceps Mass Gain Potential

Distance between the top of the elbow and the top of the inner part of the horseshoe

Triceps length - potential

7.62 cm and less (long) - large
7.62 - 10.16 cm (above average) - good
10.16 - 15.24 cm (Medium) - Medium
15.24 - 17.78 cm (below average) - weak
17.78 cm and more (short) - minimum

And yet you can have massive triceps with a short "long muscle" if the side and middle muscles are long and thick. Therefore, the triceps table is not as thorough as the biceps table.

My suggestion: use both tables for general guidance only, not as final guidelines.

Real goals

Joe Roak suggests that the following rule be followed: "To determine the potential of the hands, multiply the circumference of the wrist in inches by 2.3."

For example, if your wrist is 7 inches (17.78 cm), then multiply by 2.3 we get 16 inches (about 40 cm). Who wants to have 16-inch arms, you say? Believe me, thin arms at 16 inches look bigger than they really are.

Among the athletes in the Gainesville Group, only one had arms over 16 inches (Craig Holaday). Moreover, you must first reach 16 inches before moving on. If you already have a full 16 inches arm, then your target should be 17 inches, and if 17, then your target should be 18 inches. Be realistic, move towards the end result gradually.

Conclusion

Don't expect to have hands like Boyer Coe, Casey Vaiator, Sergio Oliva in 6 weeks. But rest assured that your arms will get bigger, stronger, more prominent and better shaped.

Big, strong, better-shaped and well-shaped arms are the result of reinforced, correct, slow and careful exercise with proper rest, recovery and calories.

Be realistic in your expectations and your results will be in line with your goals.

World Powerlifting Champion Andy Bolton Crouched With 227 kg and pulled 272 kg at his first training session in his life.

Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates shook while lying 140 kg in the first approach. He was still a teenager then.

Metroflex gym owner Brian Dobson recalls his first meeting with future Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman. "He had huge thighs with veins protruding through the fabric of his pants, despite the fact that at the time Ronnie was not using anabolic steroids!"

Arnold Schwarzenegger, after a year of training, looked more muscular than many athletes later. 10 years.

Obviously, some people's muscles respond much better to training than others. Thanks to what the progress of these chosen ones is so much more significant than that of us, mere mortals?

Genetics: a bitter truth

Most likely, this is not at all what you would like to hear, however, your progress largely depends on genetics.
Recent studies have shown that some people are great at strength training, others are barely noticeable, and still others are not at all. Yes, there is no mistake here. Some people do not have any noticeable results in the rocking chair regardless of the technique. They are called hardgainers.

Hubal's landmark study includes 585 men and women. After the lapse of 12 weeks of progressive dynamic loading, strikingly different results were obtained. The worst-performing people lost 2% the cross-sectional area of ​​the muscles without increasing strength. In the people with the greatest progress, the muscle cross-sectional area increased by 59% , and the strength increased by 250% !!! We remind you that all these people followed exactly the same training program.

The Hubal study is not the only study to have found such results. Petrella showed that after 16 weeks of progressive dynamic loads, in 26% from 66 the person did not notice an increase in muscle mass.

Logically, the question arises: by what mechanism is all this explained? Let's take a look at famous studies.

How genetics affects muscle growth

There is strong evidence that muscle growth only occurs when satellite cells surrounding muscle fibers transfer their nuclei to the muscles so that they can make more genetic material to signal cells to grow.

Petrella found that the difference between people who achieve superior strength training performance and those who have moderate or little progress is primarily related to satellite cell activation. People who are making significant progress have more satellite cells, as well as a high ability to increase the number of these cells during exercise.

In this study, the subjects who achieved excellent results had the average number of satellite cells initially 21 on the 100 fibers. TO 16 week of training, this indicator increased to 30 cells on 100 fibers. The average muscle fiber area increased by 54% ... In people who did not receive any effect from exercise, the number of satellite cells at the beginning of the study was on average 10 on the 100 muscle fibers. After training, this indicator did not change, as did the volume of muscle tissue.

In another article, written by Bamman, with the participation of the same researchers and on the basis of the same experiment, it was revealed that from 66 participants, 17 the person with the highest scores was noted 58% an increase in the cross-sectional area of ​​the muscles. Have 32 "Experimental" with average achievements, the increase in cross-sectional area reached 28% , in people with the least progress, the cross-sectional area of ​​the muscle did not change. Besides:
Mechanical growth factor (MGF) changed to 126% at 17 the person with the maximum result. Other's 17 the person with the lowest score had no change in MGF.
Myogenin has grown by 65% in 17 people with the maximum result. Have 17 the person with the lowest result, he remained at the same level.
IGF-IEa has risen to 105% at 17 the person with the maximum result. Have 44% with the smallest result, the increase was only 44%.

Another study by Timmons showed that there are several highly expressed microRNA genes that are selectively activated in 20% people with the least accomplishments.

A study by Dennis has shown that people with strong expression of key genes for muscle gain have a clear adaptation advantage over ordinary people. People with less expression of key genes showed lower adaptations to resistance training, despite the fact that training increased the degree of gene expression.

Some get great genes, others have to be content with little. Genetically speaking, anything that negatively affects the ability of muscle fibers to increase the number of nuclei in response to exercise leads to a decrease in muscle gain and strength potential.

This includes the number of signaling molecules, the sensitivity of cells to these signals, the presence of satellite cells, the cumulative expansion of satellite cells, up to the regulation of micro-RNA. Of course, nutrition and an optimal training schedule play an important role in increasing muscle mass. In addition, the growth of muscle fibers can also be associated with certain genotypes.

Genetics and body fat percentage

Genes can influence the storage and burning of fat by determining how much energy is expended and how nutrients are distributed. Researchers have coined the term "obesity-causing environment" to describe how changes in lifestyle over the past century have led to the activation of genetic risk factors for obesity.

Natural selection favored those with genes for thrifty metabolism, which ensured survival during periods of nutritional deficiency. Now that most of the population has a lifestyle characterized by minimal mobility and excess calorie intake, these same genes contribute to poor health and obesity.

Bouchard included twelve pairs of twins in his study and during 84 from 100 days provided them with food, the calorie content of which for 1000 calories exceeded the daily requirement. As a result, the subjects received 84000 extra calories. During this time, the subjects of the study were sedentary. The average weight gain was 8.1 kg, with an interval from 4.3 to 13.3 kg! Despite the fact that all subjects followed the same meal plan, people with a slow metabolism gained three times more weight than those with a fast metabolism. In the tissues of these people, almost 100% excess calories (in people with a fast metabolism, this figure was only 40% ), and the amount of internal fat in the abdomen increased by 200% (in people with a fast metabolism, this figure was 0%).

Similar differences were noted by Bouchard in twins with consistent energy intake with frequent exercise.

Perusse found that the level of subcutaneous fat is 42% dependent on genes, and the level of visceral fat is 56%. This means that genetics greatly influences where and how much fat is stored in the body. Many people have an alarming predisposition to the deposition of fat in the abdomen.

Bouchard and Tremblay determined that basal metabolic rate, thermic effect of nutrition, and energy expenditure when exercising at moderate or low intensity on 40% depend on genetics.

Loos and Bouchard suggested that obesity is a genetic disorder, with changes in the sequence of adrenergic receptors, uncoupling proteins, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors, and lepton receptor genes most important.

O'Rahilly and Farooqi added that obesity may also be associated with tandem repeats with variable numbers of insulin and IGF-1 SNPs, while Cotsapas showed 16 different loci (localization on the chromosome) that affect the body mass index, which also lead to severe obesity.

Rankinen has identified hundreds of candidate genes that could potentially cause obesity.

Fawcett and Barroso identified the Fat and Obesity Associated Gene (FTO) as the first generally accepted locus clearly associated with obesity. A lack of this gene protects against obesity, and elevated levels lead to obesity, most likely due to increased appetite and reduced energy expenditure.

Tercjak found that FTO can also affect insulin resistance. The scientist suggested that about 100 genes influence the development of obesity.
Herrerra and Lindgren listed 23 genes that cause obesity. They suggested that heredity determines the body mass index by 40-70%!

Faith found evidence for the influence of genetics on the need for extra calories. Similar conclusions were reached by Choquette, who studied eating habits 836 people and identified six genetic links with increased intake of calories and macronutrients, including the adiponectin gene.

What does all this mean? This means that some people are genetically predisposed to obesity.

But does this mean that someone is born to become a great athlete, while the lot of others is to sit on the sidelines? Let's find out.

Genetics and athleticism

We still have a lot to learn about genetics and its relationship to human ability. However, we already know that many different genes can affect the physical performance of athletes.

Scientist Bray and colleagues in 2009 found that the current level of knowledge about the genes of a person that affect his abilities remains at the level of 2007. The scientist concluded that fitness and athletic ability are determined by 214 autosomal genes and loci, as well as 18 mitochondrial genes.

The best known performance-enhancing gene is ACTN3, also known as alpha actin-3.

There are two types of alpha actin protein: ACTN2 and ACTN3. Alpha actins are structural proteins of the z-paths of muscle fibers, ACTN2 is expressed in all fiber types, and ACTN3 is expressed predominantly in type IIb fibers. These fibers are involved in increasing the strength of muscle fibers. This is why ACTN3 is associated with significant increases in strength.

About 18% of people (or 1 billion worldwide) do not have ACTN3. Their bodies produce more ACTN2 to compensate for the ACTN3 deficiency. These people cannot progress as quickly as those with alpha-actin-3 in their bodies. The best sprinters are almost never deficient in alpha-actin-3.

Athletes' ability is also determined by the ACE gene, known as angiotensin-converting enzyme. The high prevalence of the ACE D alleles is typical for strength athletes, while the high frequency of the ACE I allele is typical for endurance athletes (Nazarov).

Cauci found that the IL-1RN VNTR gene, in different variants, enhances athletic performance. This gene affects the cytokines of the interleukin family, increasing the inflammatory response and the repair process after exercise. The results of this study are confirmed by the work of Reichman. The scientist and his colleagues found that the protein and the interleukin-15 receptor are associated with increased muscle gain.

Many other genes have the potential to improve athletic performance, such as the myostatin gene. However, there is no convincing evidence for this.

Scientists do not yet have a clear idea of ​​what this mosaic of genes looks like as a whole.

Genes are not a sentence!

While the research in this article is scary enough, let's try to cheer you up.
First, we all have certain genetic problems that need to be addressed. Someone is predisposed to being overweight, while others, with general thinness, have areas where fat is stubbornly deposited. Some have problems with increasing muscle volume, others are muscular, but have other weak points in the body. For some, all this is present in the complex. Ideal genetics practically does not exist!

Secondly, the research protocols did not allow any experiments, adjustments in training and nutrition. Hardgainers need to adjust the variables and determine their individual optimal training method.

Some respond better to a variety of loads, others to volume, still others to intensity, still others to frequency, etc. You need to find the optimal stimuli for your body, which develops over time.

Any experienced trainer will confirm that in whatever shape you are, after a couple of months of training, you will look much better.
Even if you are a hard gainer, you can still get and get results if you persist and keep experimenting. Of course, genetics greatly affects the speed and degree of adaptation, but the result of training is largely determined by a reasonable approach.

No matter how difficult the progress in training is, in a few months or even years you will stand out from the crowd with your athletic figure!

It is a well-known dogma that success in sports (in particular in bodybuilding) depends on systematic training with full dedication. Without hard work, the athlete should not hope for success. Everyone knows that. But medical specialists know more: each person has an individual predisposition to this or that sport or to sports loads in general.

Lack of progress in the gym is often due precisely to a lack of disposition for bodybuilding. How to find out your individual genetic aversion to power sports? In other words, how do you know for sure if I am a hard gainer?

There are two ways to find out an individual's predisposition to a particular sport:

1. empirical way,
2. laboratory method.

1. The essence of the empirical method is simple: you need to take a course of systematic classes lasting from 1 to several years. If we are talking about bodybuilding, then in addition to regular and proper exercise, it is necessary to adhere to a nutritious diet designed to increase muscle mass. If after a long period of time your figure has not become athletic, most likely you are not predisposed to this sport.

2. The laboratory method consists of special diagnostic procedures and requires little time for a summary assessment. Not everyone, however, will have to afford it, and not everyone will be able to use it due to the fact that not every locality has such opportunities. Nevertheless, it is at least desirable to know about them, as a maximum, you should use them.

So, the signs that determine the predisposition / aversion to bodybuilding are:

• composition of muscle fibers,
• muscle motility (muscle performance),
• the rate of metabolic processes,
• muscle tissue anabolism (anabolic hormone levels)
  .

Assessment of muscle fiber composition.

Analysis of tensiomyography. Tensiomyography allows you to measure muscle contractions, and on the basis of these data, it becomes possible to conclude about the predominance of certain fibers in the muscles. A similar assessment method is myotonometry.

There is also a system for laboratory diagnostics of glycolytic anaerobic and aerobic performance based on biomechanical characteristics. It consists in the fact that the subject performs special exercises in special simulators. Based on the results of the exercise, an assessment is made on the ratio of muscle fibers in the working muscles.

Motor unit assessment

Electromyography (EMG) analysis. Electromyography allows you to study neuromuscular transmission during muscle contraction, the speed of nerve impulses. Thus, according to the EMG analysis, it is possible to assess the motor unit of muscles - a certain number of muscle fibers innervated during work, which is aimed at stimulating muscle hypertrophy, as well as individual features of muscle innervation.

Assessment of metabolic processes

Indirect Calorimetry Analysis. Indirect calorimetry examines the metabolic rate based on the analysis of respiration, or rather, the amount of heat from respiration. The research is usually carried out in several stages, in particular - at rest and during physical exertion. Calorimetry provides reliable information on daily energy expenditure in kilocalories.

Bioimpedance Body Composition Analysis. This is the most commonly used metabolic research method. However, it has one major drawback. This type of analysis begins with determining the ratio of muscle, bone and adipose tissue (this is an obvious plus - the information is very valuable). Then the data on the muscle mass of the body are entered into special formulas, according to which the value of the daily metabolism is established. The downside is that these formulas do not take into account the errors associated with the individual rate (intensity) of metabolism, which means that the results will not be entirely reliable (by default, it is believed that the individuality of metabolic processes lies in the individual distribution of muscle, adipose and bone tissues in relation to to height, weight and age).

Assessment of the intensity of anabolic processes

Blood chemistry. Muscle anabolism is usually measured by the level of anabolic hormones, and primarily testosterone. Determining the level of hormones allows a biochemical blood test, as already mentioned earlier.

Assessment of signs of aversion to bodybuilding using genetic analysis methods

There are so-called molecular genetic analyzes (gene diagnostics). They come in various types. The most popular of these is obviously the DNA paternity test. Sports genodiagnostics - so far not a very common type of genetic analysis. However, the value of this kind of analysis is that it allows you to determine the root causes of the predisposition or non-disposition of any person to a particular sport. The fact is that the traits responsible for the predisposition / aversion to bodybuilding are determined by genes. Our body structure and predisposition to the development of muscle tissue is predetermined even before birth.

Sports genodiagnostics allows you to determine how realistic it is to improve muscle composition and muscle motility, metabolic processes, and the intensity of muscle anabolism.

The essence of sports genetic analysis is the study of "bodybuilding" genes for the presence of their polymorphism (defects). Polymorphism in such genes is the very obstacle that prevents muscle development in a normal way.

Genodiagnostics for a predisposition to power sports most often includes:

• analysis of the gene that determines the type of muscle fibers (ACTN3 gene);
• analysis of the gene responsible for the transition of muscle fibers from one type to another (PPARGC1A gene);
• analysis of the gene responsible for energy metabolism in skeletal muscle during physical activity (gene AMPD1)
• androgen receptor gene analysis (AR gene)
• analysis of some other genetic markers associated with sports activity.

By the way, geneticists know the FHL1 gene, which is responsible for muscle hyperplasia and which is not present in every person. The analysis (and search) of this gene is more important for professional bodybuilders than for ordinary gym goers (in order to understand what heights can be achieved in sports).

The interpretation of the test results is carried out by a geneticist. His conclusion boils down to establishing the potential for muscle growth. Unfortunately, not all laboratories have this type of genetic analysis.

How to act if a diagnosis is received - aversion to bodybuilding

Let's say you underwent laboratory diagnostics and as a result received a conclusion, the essence of which boils down to a lack of disposition to bodybuilding. You will obviously be told that this is not your path and will be asked to think about a new sport. This is a pragmatic solution.

But what if you want to look like a muscular athlete? In this situation, you will have to make an emotional decision, relying on your willpower, perseverance and steadfastness.

In the history of sports, there have been many cases where the genetic analysis of athletes indicated a mediocre predisposition to a particular sport. Despite this, they managed to become one of the best athletes in their sport. An excellent example is Dick Fosbury - a high jumper, an Olympic champion who, according to the conclusion of sports geneticists, should not have jumped at all. Of course, we are talking about exceptions to the rules. There are exceptions to any rule. Therefore, everything is in your hands, and nothing is impossible!

And we will talk about what methods of combating bad genetics exist in medicine in the next article.

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Sylvester Stallone's success story

• mesomorph, characterized by strong and noticeable (without training) muscles and an almost complete absence of fat. The mesomorph by nature has a strong body, thick bones, voluminous muscles. People with this physique more than others can count on success in bodybuilding. There are ectomorphic and endomorphic mesomorphs, they have a much greater potential for muscle building than the rest;

• endomorph. This category of people has a round and soft body with a lot of fat. Endomorphs most often do not like to play sports. They rarely achieve results in bodybuilding, first they need to get rid of excess fat. It’s not that easy;

• ectomorph. The typical member of this category has a lean body and long bones, a fragile build, little fat and lean muscles. A typical ectomorph is least of all predisposed to bodybuilding, it is no coincidence that there are usually few of them in gyms. The exception is those of them that have features inherent in other types. This gives them the opportunity to achieve better results than pronounced ectomorphs.

If the level of genetic talent leaves much to be desired, this does not mean at all that all hopes of success must be abandoned. Desire and persistence can work wonders. Even if the genetic potential is very small, you can still change yourself, and no girl on the beach will smile skeptically at the sight of your body.

Many amateur bodybuilders cannot build huge muscles (genetics does not allow), but they manage to make their bodies powerful and beautiful. They do not have a protruding belly and a stooped back. These people are harmoniously built, slender, they have a characteristic sporty appearance. You can remember Sylvester Stallone or Bruce Lee. These actors are very far from Schwarzenegger, but how athletic their bodies look! This proves once again that it is not at all necessary to pump up muscles to gigantic proportions to be pleasant to look at.

You need to set real, not utopian goals and choose effective training methods.

The results of persistent training largely depend on the age at which the beginner starts training.

After 35 years, you shouldn't expect too much from bodybuilding. The ideal age to start classes is 18 to 35 years old. Men of this age can expect noticeable changes after a few years of hard training using rational methods. Those who are 35 to 45 years old, but have previous experience with load training, can expect about the same results. But their peers, who have never exercised with a lot of weight, have nothing to count on.

People over 45 are also capable of making certain changes, but much more modest than young people. But compared to an untrained peer, the fifty-year-old bodybuilder looks like a superman. And one more warning for beginners in the older age group - you should not go on a rigid diet, at this age it is better to pay more attention to the cardiac and respiratory activity of your body.

One more thing. Whatever the age of a novice bodybuilder, you need to understand well that you will have to reconsider your daily routine, give up many habits and addictions, constantly take into account your well-being, mental state and performance. In no case should you forget about regular medical examinations, because only a professional is able to correctly determine the health status of an athlete.

Physical activity (the bodybuilder will have to test them constantly) is a rather delicate thing. If you increase them too quickly, you may not notice the moment when overexertion occurs, and overtraining is a serious enemy of the athlete.

On the other hand, if you spare yourself too much, fearing to overload the body, then the results can never be expected.

It must be remembered once and for all: the loads must correspond to the individual capabilities of each particular bodybuilder.

If after training the athlete does not feel fatigue and can easily repeat the entire set of exercises, then the load can be increased. If he feels overwhelmed, starts to sleep poorly - an urgent need to reduce the load.

Fatigue is an indispensable consequence of quality strength training, but it should be healthy, without feeling soreness, and the mood after a set of exercises should be cheerful and joyful. Appetite and sleep after exercise should be excellent.

With a correctly selected load, the next day fatigue should go away, it should be replaced by vigor, a surge of strength and a desire to start training again.

Summing up the above, you can formulate several rules that are mandatory for a novice bodybuilder.

• Any person, of any age and physique, can become an athlete, but on condition that the classes are conducted under the guidance of an experienced trainer and after prior consultation with a doctor.
• You can train at any convenient time. In summer - outdoors, when it gets colder - in well-ventilated areas.
• It is possible to achieve tangible results only with systematic training with a gradual increase in load (taking into account the individual characteristics of the organism).
• It is necessary to carefully calculate the time for recovery, keeping in mind that muscle building occurs precisely during the recovery process.
• You need to plan the training process, setting a goal for each workout, and only after completing it, proceed to the next stage.
• Do not copy the methods of professionals. It is better to develop your own, corresponding to the characteristics of your own body.
• Learn to focus on a particular muscle group during each exercise.
• Before starting strength exercises, you need to warm up the muscles with a warm-up. This will protect the athlete from injury.
• Regular control measurements will help to correctly distribute loads and analyze your capabilities.
• Each workout should end with water treatments. Good results are obtained by massage - the most effective means of recovery.

The main (if not the only) goal of the first 2-3 months of training is to develop independently training programs that meet the individual goals of a particular athlete and correspond to the characteristics of his body.

In this sport, there is no universal, one correct methodological program for everyone. But for beginners, the training program is universal and equally suitable for everyone.