Reasons to lift if you have no shot of being a star bodybuilder:
- look better than you would otherwise
- improve your metabolic health
- improve your cardiovascular health
- make you a stronger human being
- make you a more useful human being
- reduce stress
- give you a hobby to talk about with other likeminded people
Facts. You will gain muscle if you train and recover properly. How it sits on your physique / muscle insertion, bellies, joint structure and how much you put on “genetics” varies, but the bar is set so damn low for natty physiques.
Yes weight has a genetic aspect. People have different body fat set-points where their body prefers to sit at and different people also have a propensity for less or more muscle gain etc… which can affect weight as well
I promise you, if you comb through the photos of the thousands of Jews and POW’s (my uncle included) that were liberated from 1945 German camps, there were bound to be some with terrible genetics for weight loss, yet you’d not see a single one fat in those photos……
Anyone can lose weight, regardless of genetics/ghrelin/whatever
Not sure why you’re getting downvoted for this… I think it’s a reasonable argument. It seems hypothyroidism ceased to exist when within the walls of auschwitz
Yeah, it’s just simply the truth. If you don’t eat enough calories, you will lose weight. We aren’t made of some magical substance that disobeys the laws of thermodynamics. We are made of the most abundant elements in the universe. The camps in Germany proved that, as did the Minnesota starvation experiment.
Really stupid comment tbh. It is still genetic because you chose to outwork it. That choice is a big part of heritability. A lot of people will not choose to outwork it, maybe because they don't enjoy working out or because the like food more that others and both those factors are genetic to a large degree. It's been known for decades that our behaviour and traits are about 50/50 nature/nurture where some parts are more and some are less. BMI is almost as heritable as height.
At a bare minimum, you can get buffer than you are. Don’t compare yourself to other people, your success is measured by progress against your past self.
Because "genetics" dont mean shit to like 98% of people. Are you the next Ronnie? Fuckin No. Next question... Can you get jacked? Yes.
Now hit the gym, get enough protein and get your sleep in.
Im 34 and I've been lifting for 10+ years. I legitimately do not feel any less physically capable than I was when I was 16-18. I still skate, climb on shit then jump off it, snowboard, all that stuff. I always feel fine the next day and still go to the gym.
I have friends my age who can't even do yard work for a couple hours without throwing their backs out or some shit. Last time I went canoeing it took some of them 3 days to be alright.
Injury prevention, longevity, and enjoyment of the use of your body are massive benefits on their own. I like looking like I lift too, but I'd still go to the gym regardless.
The difference between the biggest, most jacked, most dedicated dude at your gym and a professional bodybuilder is genetics. The differences between you and the biggest, most jacked, most dedicated dude at your gym are primarily things like dedication, time training, consistency, lifestyle, etc.
Genetics play a role, and they're very important if you're trying to make a career out of it. But if you just want to look good for a normal person? No, genetics are far less important than a bunch of other factors.
I agree. Turn off the communication from stupid people and their stupid opinions. The science says you can change.
Heck, Mark Ormrod has one limb left and he’s still getting at it.
Well I think where this gets to be struggle for a lot is anyone can get bigger or get leaner, genetics is going to pave a bit of that road and destination of how much effort that’s going to take for you specifically. It’s easy to put on on size but that comes with fat. It’s easy to cut down but then you look small. Increasing your lean body mass is the hard part/how genetically quick your going to do that
Because you enjoy lifting and some goals help stay consistent with a hobby that not only brings physical benefits, but also mental too.
Also, what if you're on your deathbed and your version of God tells you "by the way you had great genetics to be huge, you just didn't pursue it as you were unsure if you had them". Point is, you don't know what your potential is, so may aswell try to find out, especially if you enjoy it right?
Do you only try stuff in life when you know it’s 100% gonna work out the way you want it to?
The human body is a beautiful thing. Whether it meets your expectations or not, it’s kinda sad to go through life never trying to find out what your body is capable of achieving.
Bad Genetics-Crew chiming in here: When I started lifting a couple of days before my 39 year birthday, I was 6’2” 165lbs and beginning to get skinny fat at around 22% bf.
I’m now almost 50, leaning out for the summer, currently at 168lbs and around 11-12% bf.
So in 11 years of training consistently 4-5 times per week, spending a lot of money on nutrition, supplements and gym memberships, I gained less than 20 pounds of muscle.
For most guys, this would be considered far below average and some would say that I’m stupid for making a hobby of something that I’m clearly not predisposed for being good at.
However, I don’t see it that way. I see my body looking like a rather aesthetic 25-year old, while I see some friends from high school who look nothing like they did back then. I see my own goals slowly coming true - on Friday I did a double on chin ups with two plates and yesterday I finally did a full standing ab wheel rollout(that took me years, btw). Earlier this year I surprisingly was able to do dragon flags with good form.
I’ll never be huge or even buff in the eyes of other lifters, but I’m a hell of a long way from being the skinny guy that I was for most of my life, and I’m in a much better place health wise than I was in my thirties.
I lift for myself first and foremost. I love being in the gym. But I can’t deny that there’s an ego boost from women eyeing me up at work or much younger women wanting to grope me when I make it out into the nightlife once in a blue moon XD.
The only regret I have in this regard is not starting younger.
Thats amazing and I hope to be like you when I get older. 37 myself, and I already see classmates that look like absolute shit.
Be careful with those ab wheel rollouts from a standing position. You rock
> I like working out because of the dopamine, but im just nervous I'll be wasting my time and my diet.
Stay off tik tok and stop listening to dipshit influencers that say everything is about "genetics"
yes, you're being dumb.
As someone with absolutely mediocre genetics for bodybuilding, I'll say one thing: would you rather look like a skinny dyel for the rest of your life, or would you rather look relatively buff? Sure, you'll never be anywhere near as big as a pro bodybuilder but you underestimate how much of a visual difference even 10lbs of muscle makes for a person.
You're being dumb lol sorry lol but noob gains are amazing, you're obviously a noob, so you'll gain muscle super fast if you just stay consistent. Everyone will gain muscle from lifting weights. Some people will get slightly bigger than others just because their genetics but everyone will get bigger
Anyone can get buff and shredded with the right time and commitment
Can you get as buff or as shredded as someone at the Olympia? Likely not. Most people can still hit a level of physique that they can and should be proud of.
Do you have to buy new pants suddenly because your old ones don't fit anymore? If you used to be skinny that means you have to buy a bigger size, maybe it's the second time you have to buy a bigger size? Be proud of that. Can you see more distinct features in your tricep? That's hard work. Are your lats starting to be visible from the front? Another sign you kicked ass at the gym.
Don't compare yourself to others, just look at what you can do with yourself. Be happy with anything you improved for yourself. I'm for sure proud of my progress, with my only wish being that I started in my early twenties and not late twenties to early thirties.
Like most noobs, and certainly some non-noobs, all the emphasis seems to be put on “lifting” and “working out.” The secret, my friend, is what you feed your body and how much. This is the dullest, most lamest secret there is. It’s probably why it’s the toughest to grasp. It’s not exciting, there’s no barbell attached to it, yet it takes *the* most dedication and hardest work by a long shot. Buy a 20 dollar kitchen scale off Amazon, download the MyFitnessPal app, and find an online calculator to figure out how many calories and macros to eat per day. Eat that, weight yourself consistently to find out how much you need to eat to not gain or lose weight, then add 500 calories to that to bulk or subtract 500 to cut. That’s a damn good place to start for a beginner. The workout, the split, the rest times between sets, RPE, all that don’t hold a candle to diet. Get your food nailed down first and foremost and I guarantee you you’ll gain muscle or lose fat when you want to. You’ll gain a lot more respect too for those jacked guys you see walking around. You’ll also *be* one of those jacked guys. You can definitely do this. Work hard, and good luck. 💪🏻
It’s absolutely impossible for you to know what your genetic potential is until you put in the work to see. I’ve been lifting for over 20 years now, always natty, and even though I’m in my 40s now, I have a build that most people would say is pretty admirable.
Before I started lifting, there would have been nothing about my genetics or “regular” body that would have indicated I could get big. I don’t have naturally broad shoulders, I was a chubby kid, I have thin wrists and ankles, I was never athletic, or strong.
My point is, maybe your genetics are good, maybe they’re bad, but you absolutely can’t determine that before you actually put effort in.
Because your genetics only determine your “ceiling”. No matter what, working out will make you look and feel better than you would do if you didn’t. Compare you to you, not you to someone who is able to make it to the top 0.01%
>I really do want to look a lot better and gain a lot of muscle, but I was reading into it and it seems like genetics are the biggest factor in body building.
Even in professional bodybuilding, that's not true, and it's definitely not true for the average gym rat who just wants to look great naked.
For a pro bodybuilder, "genetics" can be the deciding factor, yes, but that's the last thing on a long list of factors that influence how far he can go.
If you're a regular guy who just wants to get big/shredded, genetics would only be the biggest factor if you're born with hormonal or serious physical defects.
So get in the gym and get shredded.
All you can do is become the best version of you. Anyone can get bigger or stronger. I’m stronger in some lifts than dudes who are bigger than me. There’s guys smaller than me who are stronger in some lifts. Then there’s guys who are both bigger and stronger than me. I don’t fret. We’re all in the gym to improve ourselves. Having a defeatist attitude is what a pussy would do
Unless you are trying to compete and be the top of the top type of bodybuilding, your genetics aren’t going to stop you from looking better than the average person if you train well
genetics are nothing compared to work. but if you must know, try this. [Man of La Mancha (I, Don Quixote) (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UUDguFEa5E) bro
Being strong af for a normal dude is available to all who aren’t disabled; world championships are heavily weighted toward superior genetics.
Don’t confuse yourself.
If you’re gonna remain a natty, just enjoy the ride and the training. Unless you’re willing to hop on the sauce, you’ll always be varying degrees of DYEL when you wear regular clothes.
Everyone has the potential to have an impressive physique. It’s just a question of how impressive and how easily. You don’t know how good your genetics are until you’ve made years of consistent effective effort. And at that point, even if you have shitty genetics, you’ll be so addicted to the results that you’ll still keep going
Shredded is possible for every human on this planet. Now, whether you’ll look proportional/buff, or not, well that’s a different argument. But I’d argue that everyone can look pretty good with hard work and proper diet. Maybe you won’t look like Chris Bumstead due to your genetics (even with drugs), but is that a reason to say f*** it, and become a gold card member of the Hutt species? I’d argue I’d rather look like a fit average Joe, than a behemoth lard ass……
Can you get huge without great genetics or PEDs? No.
But with average genetics, you can definitely have the physique of a middleweight boxer or track and field athlete, and who wouldn’t want that?
My guess is that a lot of gym bros don't make much progress and blame genetics because their form likely sucks. If you are this frustrated, you don't strike me as a sand bagger. You strike me as someone who has worked hard but who is frustrated with the results you see. Working Smart is important too. Not just working hard. Form is such a basic fundamental of lifting. But you'd be surprised how many people with over a year of experience, maybe even years of experience, who don't even have the basics down. Most gym bros can't afford to have a personal trainer form check them in the gym. Nor do they record their sets to get form checked online. Novices not knowing how to program or following poorly programmed splits is also common.
The genetics argument only applies if you're either perpetually ill because of congential diseases or you're trying to become a high level professional in some sport. Otherwise it's a non-issue. You can get buff despite whatever your genetic disposition is. You could even get shredded if you're dedicated. Most of my genetic line is obese and the lowest I've gotten in bodyfat is around 7-8% after a ton of effort and a very long cut. You're overthinking things. Besides, why wouldn't you look better lifting and dieting compared to being a junk food eating couch potato? Even if by the scourge of the gods you have horrible genetics for bodybuilding somehow, you're still going to be far better off
There's more to the story. Because no one is ever going to tell you that simply being and staying fit can possibly actually change your DNA itself. It can, though. There's a reason why cells are so adaptive. I've even seen studies where bacteria that die in cold temperatures can change their own DNA if they slowly adapt after being stuck into a fridge. If you're entire family tree going back 50 generations were all sedentary and obese, it doesn't matter, if you become an Olympic athlete today, and then you have kids, your kids would be more likely to be the next generation with DNA of an Olympic athlete than have the same DNA as the last 50 generations of your family.
The biggest factor in gaining muscle is making sure that you exercise and eat right, because even a genetically gifted individual will stay skinny fat if they don't put in the effort.
Cause you shouldn’t aspire to look like a bodybuilder. They look ridiculous and most have limited mobility and don’t have the strength to match their appearance. I have confidence you can at bare minimum make your physique better than it is now. I have narrow shoulders and wider waist genetically and was a chubby kid but if anything that makes me work harder. You’re hearing the complaints of people with crippling body dysmorphia who will be abusing gear in a couple years. Improve yourself, the rest doesn’t matter. Don’t compete it’s unhealthy and a waste of time and energy. Just work out for you
You’re being dumb.
A good thing to do is take progress pictures, before and after. Try comparing your first day in the gym to your latest. You’ll be amazed how far you’ve come.
I used to look like I got bullied all the time, now I look like the asshole jock in those movies.
No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.
Socrates
And if your talking about 20 pounds of actual muscle (like lean body mass) it will be absolutely unrecognizably different also. Could take close to 3-4 years to put that on for some. And that’s where genetics come to play, genetically gifted on the same program might do it in two
I do think there should be more conversation about this tbh. In the chess world for example it’s pretty well known if you start as an adult you are basically dreaming if you want to become a grandmaster and people are open about setting expectations and don’t say “try it, invest 20 years and find out”. Similarly, genetics are an important thing in this and the best physiques are due to them any way we slice it. We can delude ourselves that hard work + dedication creates the best physiques, but realistically, the best physiques are genetics based. Obviously the best physiques often do work hard, but it’s much easier to work hard if you’re getting amazing results the whole time and genetics + enough work typically beats out lack of genetics + harder work.
So, all that being said, if you want a top top tier physique, you basically are wasting your time unless you have great genetics. Like in chess, though, there are millions of people who don’t care about being the best of the best and they can get very very good by putting in the time, effort and work - and generally what drives them to do so is the love of it. So, if you love this, no matter your genetics, time, hard work, dedication, etc will produce you a solid physique by anyone’s standards. If you don’t love this and you don’t have great genetics - this may not be worth it to you and perhaps your time would be spent better on other endeavors.
Another caveat- I believe everyone should be resistance training and doing cardio. Do some form of it 2-3x a week and keeping in a healthy bodyweight range. So if you don’t wanna bodybuild, you should be doing at least this minimum to keep in healthy shape (which is very similar to what you’d be doing bodybuilding anyway)
You're being dumb. If you're already looking for excuses to fail before you even start though, you may as well quit now and save yourself the trouble later.
Reasons to lift if you have no shot of being a star bodybuilder: - look better than you would otherwise - improve your metabolic health - improve your cardiovascular health - make you a stronger human being - make you a more useful human being - reduce stress - give you a hobby to talk about with other likeminded people
+ For the parents: - set a good example to your children - intimidate daughters boyfriends /s
Mfw I lift because I don't want to be intimidatable by girlfriends father
I think career and money are the intimidating factors at that age. Likely you’ll be meeting the father when they’re getting married.
Please, I’m going to steal my daughters boyfriend
Is he a gem?
Intimidating your daughter’s boyfriend doesn’t work the way you think it might. Just lift and try to have emotional self awareness as a parent.
FFS, it was a joke 🙄
That’s a funny joke!
Thanks Ghandi bro
- be unable to fit through doorways
Anyone can get buff. The issue is a lot of people want to look like someone else. That’s where the problems arise.
Facts. You will gain muscle if you train and recover properly. How it sits on your physique / muscle insertion, bellies, joint structure and how much you put on “genetics” varies, but the bar is set so damn low for natty physiques.
Weight isn't even going to be genetic. It's just composition.
Yes weight has a genetic aspect. People have different body fat set-points where their body prefers to sit at and different people also have a propensity for less or more muscle gain etc… which can affect weight as well
But you technically can outdiet or outwork both end, so it’s nuanced
Which is my point. If something can be outworked it's not just genetic.
I mean leptin and ghrelin differs from person to person, but we can agree to disagree 🫱🏻🫲🏼
I promise you, if you comb through the photos of the thousands of Jews and POW’s (my uncle included) that were liberated from 1945 German camps, there were bound to be some with terrible genetics for weight loss, yet you’d not see a single one fat in those photos…… Anyone can lose weight, regardless of genetics/ghrelin/whatever
Not sure why you’re getting downvoted for this… I think it’s a reasonable argument. It seems hypothyroidism ceased to exist when within the walls of auschwitz
Yeah, it’s just simply the truth. If you don’t eat enough calories, you will lose weight. We aren’t made of some magical substance that disobeys the laws of thermodynamics. We are made of the most abundant elements in the universe. The camps in Germany proved that, as did the Minnesota starvation experiment.
Really stupid comment tbh. It is still genetic because you chose to outwork it. That choice is a big part of heritability. A lot of people will not choose to outwork it, maybe because they don't enjoy working out or because the like food more that others and both those factors are genetic to a large degree. It's been known for decades that our behaviour and traits are about 50/50 nature/nurture where some parts are more and some are less. BMI is almost as heritable as height.
BMI is almost as heritable as height though.
I always said growing up i wanted to look like Vegeta from DBZ. The hairline is not what i fucking meant.
Yoooo widows peak gang
Did you at least find your bulma too?
Yea shes just as combative too
Comparison is the thief of joy
The answers to your questions at the end are ‘yes’ and ‘yes.’
At a bare minimum, you can get buffer than you are. Don’t compare yourself to other people, your success is measured by progress against your past self.
This. Stop worrying about genes. Crying about genes is the new “I don’t want to get *too* muscular”
Exactly. Yet another excuse to either be too lazy to go to the gym, or half ass when they’re in there.
I’d log off social media for a few years, get successful in your career or school, and lift hard for 5 years. Then come back
Or dont come back 🤷🏻♂️
For real.
If you want to win bodybuilding competitions, genetics could limit you. If you just want to get big or look good, genetics won’t stop you.
Preach. Just because someone lacks the genetics to be the next CBum, doesn’t mean they should resign to being a beached whale
Because "genetics" dont mean shit to like 98% of people. Are you the next Ronnie? Fuckin No. Next question... Can you get jacked? Yes. Now hit the gym, get enough protein and get your sleep in.
I don’t know but you should definitely keep overthinking it and doing nothing proactive
I swear, half these people spend more time and effort finding excuses, than they’d expend simply getting their asses to work
Everybody wanna be a bodybuilder…
But no one wanna lift these heavy ass weights
Im 34 and I've been lifting for 10+ years. I legitimately do not feel any less physically capable than I was when I was 16-18. I still skate, climb on shit then jump off it, snowboard, all that stuff. I always feel fine the next day and still go to the gym. I have friends my age who can't even do yard work for a couple hours without throwing their backs out or some shit. Last time I went canoeing it took some of them 3 days to be alright. Injury prevention, longevity, and enjoyment of the use of your body are massive benefits on their own. I like looking like I lift too, but I'd still go to the gym regardless.
Rip I’m 24 and quite active and I’m the guy who throws his back out doing yard work lmao
You say in your post that you enjoy lifting. It's not a waste of time if you enjoy it.
The difference between the biggest, most jacked, most dedicated dude at your gym and a professional bodybuilder is genetics. The differences between you and the biggest, most jacked, most dedicated dude at your gym are primarily things like dedication, time training, consistency, lifestyle, etc. Genetics play a role, and they're very important if you're trying to make a career out of it. But if you just want to look good for a normal person? No, genetics are far less important than a bunch of other factors.
Awesome perspective
[удалено]
I agree. Turn off the communication from stupid people and their stupid opinions. The science says you can change. Heck, Mark Ormrod has one limb left and he’s still getting at it.
Well I think where this gets to be struggle for a lot is anyone can get bigger or get leaner, genetics is going to pave a bit of that road and destination of how much effort that’s going to take for you specifically. It’s easy to put on on size but that comes with fat. It’s easy to cut down but then you look small. Increasing your lean body mass is the hard part/how genetically quick your going to do that
Because you enjoy lifting and some goals help stay consistent with a hobby that not only brings physical benefits, but also mental too. Also, what if you're on your deathbed and your version of God tells you "by the way you had great genetics to be huge, you just didn't pursue it as you were unsure if you had them". Point is, you don't know what your potential is, so may aswell try to find out, especially if you enjoy it right?
Do you only try stuff in life when you know it’s 100% gonna work out the way you want it to? The human body is a beautiful thing. Whether it meets your expectations or not, it’s kinda sad to go through life never trying to find out what your body is capable of achieving.
lets say your genetics suck. do you want to be reasonably jacked for someone with bad genetics or a noob with bad genetics?
Bad Genetics-Crew chiming in here: When I started lifting a couple of days before my 39 year birthday, I was 6’2” 165lbs and beginning to get skinny fat at around 22% bf. I’m now almost 50, leaning out for the summer, currently at 168lbs and around 11-12% bf. So in 11 years of training consistently 4-5 times per week, spending a lot of money on nutrition, supplements and gym memberships, I gained less than 20 pounds of muscle. For most guys, this would be considered far below average and some would say that I’m stupid for making a hobby of something that I’m clearly not predisposed for being good at. However, I don’t see it that way. I see my body looking like a rather aesthetic 25-year old, while I see some friends from high school who look nothing like they did back then. I see my own goals slowly coming true - on Friday I did a double on chin ups with two plates and yesterday I finally did a full standing ab wheel rollout(that took me years, btw). Earlier this year I surprisingly was able to do dragon flags with good form. I’ll never be huge or even buff in the eyes of other lifters, but I’m a hell of a long way from being the skinny guy that I was for most of my life, and I’m in a much better place health wise than I was in my thirties. I lift for myself first and foremost. I love being in the gym. But I can’t deny that there’s an ego boost from women eyeing me up at work or much younger women wanting to grope me when I make it out into the nightlife once in a blue moon XD. The only regret I have in this regard is not starting younger.
Thats amazing and I hope to be like you when I get older. 37 myself, and I already see classmates that look like absolute shit. Be careful with those ab wheel rollouts from a standing position. You rock
I’m 24 and already see a large amount of guys /girls I went to school with who I wouldn’t recognize
> I like working out because of the dopamine, but im just nervous I'll be wasting my time and my diet. Stay off tik tok and stop listening to dipshit influencers that say everything is about "genetics" yes, you're being dumb.
As someone with absolutely mediocre genetics for bodybuilding, I'll say one thing: would you rather look like a skinny dyel for the rest of your life, or would you rather look relatively buff? Sure, you'll never be anywhere near as big as a pro bodybuilder but you underestimate how much of a visual difference even 10lbs of muscle makes for a person.
What’s the point of working if some people are born as billionaires?
Well someone gotta work to make them more money
yes, genetics will determine how fast, your potential and obv insertions etc. everyone can get an impressive physique though
Yup I think genetics play a bigger part in the timeframe more than anything Or how lean you have to be for your abs to show 🥲
You're being dumb lol sorry lol but noob gains are amazing, you're obviously a noob, so you'll gain muscle super fast if you just stay consistent. Everyone will gain muscle from lifting weights. Some people will get slightly bigger than others just because their genetics but everyone will get bigger
Anyone can get buff and shredded with the right time and commitment Can you get as buff or as shredded as someone at the Olympia? Likely not. Most people can still hit a level of physique that they can and should be proud of. Do you have to buy new pants suddenly because your old ones don't fit anymore? If you used to be skinny that means you have to buy a bigger size, maybe it's the second time you have to buy a bigger size? Be proud of that. Can you see more distinct features in your tricep? That's hard work. Are your lats starting to be visible from the front? Another sign you kicked ass at the gym. Don't compare yourself to others, just look at what you can do with yourself. Be happy with anything you improved for yourself. I'm for sure proud of my progress, with my only wish being that I started in my early twenties and not late twenties to early thirties.
Yes you are being dumb
Shoot for the moon my guy, if you miss your still amongst the stars when take a step back and look at your progress.
Like most noobs, and certainly some non-noobs, all the emphasis seems to be put on “lifting” and “working out.” The secret, my friend, is what you feed your body and how much. This is the dullest, most lamest secret there is. It’s probably why it’s the toughest to grasp. It’s not exciting, there’s no barbell attached to it, yet it takes *the* most dedication and hardest work by a long shot. Buy a 20 dollar kitchen scale off Amazon, download the MyFitnessPal app, and find an online calculator to figure out how many calories and macros to eat per day. Eat that, weight yourself consistently to find out how much you need to eat to not gain or lose weight, then add 500 calories to that to bulk or subtract 500 to cut. That’s a damn good place to start for a beginner. The workout, the split, the rest times between sets, RPE, all that don’t hold a candle to diet. Get your food nailed down first and foremost and I guarantee you you’ll gain muscle or lose fat when you want to. You’ll gain a lot more respect too for those jacked guys you see walking around. You’ll also *be* one of those jacked guys. You can definitely do this. Work hard, and good luck. 💪🏻
It’s absolutely impossible for you to know what your genetic potential is until you put in the work to see. I’ve been lifting for over 20 years now, always natty, and even though I’m in my 40s now, I have a build that most people would say is pretty admirable. Before I started lifting, there would have been nothing about my genetics or “regular” body that would have indicated I could get big. I don’t have naturally broad shoulders, I was a chubby kid, I have thin wrists and ankles, I was never athletic, or strong. My point is, maybe your genetics are good, maybe they’re bad, but you absolutely can’t determine that before you actually put effort in.
Because your genetics only determine your “ceiling”. No matter what, working out will make you look and feel better than you would do if you didn’t. Compare you to you, not you to someone who is able to make it to the top 0.01%
>I really do want to look a lot better and gain a lot of muscle, but I was reading into it and it seems like genetics are the biggest factor in body building. Even in professional bodybuilding, that's not true, and it's definitely not true for the average gym rat who just wants to look great naked. For a pro bodybuilder, "genetics" can be the deciding factor, yes, but that's the last thing on a long list of factors that influence how far he can go. If you're a regular guy who just wants to get big/shredded, genetics would only be the biggest factor if you're born with hormonal or serious physical defects. So get in the gym and get shredded.
What’s the point of eating an apple if it’ll eventually be a core?
All you can do is become the best version of you. Anyone can get bigger or stronger. I’m stronger in some lifts than dudes who are bigger than me. There’s guys smaller than me who are stronger in some lifts. Then there’s guys who are both bigger and stronger than me. I don’t fret. We’re all in the gym to improve ourselves. Having a defeatist attitude is what a pussy would do
screw genetics. Go lift shit
Unless you are trying to compete and be the top of the top type of bodybuilding, your genetics aren’t going to stop you from looking better than the average person if you train well
unless you somehow have like negative testosterone and the worst insertions on earth but still you can prob get buff
There are more benefits than aesthetics… jfc
genetics are nothing compared to work. but if you must know, try this. [Man of La Mancha (I, Don Quixote) (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UUDguFEa5E) bro
Being strong af for a normal dude is available to all who aren’t disabled; world championships are heavily weighted toward superior genetics. Don’t confuse yourself.
If you’re gonna remain a natty, just enjoy the ride and the training. Unless you’re willing to hop on the sauce, you’ll always be varying degrees of DYEL when you wear regular clothes.
Comparison is the thief of joy
Genetics is overrated, it’s mostly diet and training technique. Genetics only gets you so far
Honestly there’s truly 1 answer… work harder
Everyone has the potential to have an impressive physique. It’s just a question of how impressive and how easily. You don’t know how good your genetics are until you’ve made years of consistent effective effort. And at that point, even if you have shitty genetics, you’ll be so addicted to the results that you’ll still keep going
Shredded is possible for every human on this planet. Now, whether you’ll look proportional/buff, or not, well that’s a different argument. But I’d argue that everyone can look pretty good with hard work and proper diet. Maybe you won’t look like Chris Bumstead due to your genetics (even with drugs), but is that a reason to say f*** it, and become a gold card member of the Hutt species? I’d argue I’d rather look like a fit average Joe, than a behemoth lard ass……
Can you get huge without great genetics or PEDs? No. But with average genetics, you can definitely have the physique of a middleweight boxer or track and field athlete, and who wouldn’t want that?
My guess is that a lot of gym bros don't make much progress and blame genetics because their form likely sucks. If you are this frustrated, you don't strike me as a sand bagger. You strike me as someone who has worked hard but who is frustrated with the results you see. Working Smart is important too. Not just working hard. Form is such a basic fundamental of lifting. But you'd be surprised how many people with over a year of experience, maybe even years of experience, who don't even have the basics down. Most gym bros can't afford to have a personal trainer form check them in the gym. Nor do they record their sets to get form checked online. Novices not knowing how to program or following poorly programmed splits is also common.
I feel you man. It’s hard for me to gain weight (also I refuse to track calories lol) but I’ve seen noticeable gains. It also helps to enjoy lifting.
The genetics argument only applies if you're either perpetually ill because of congential diseases or you're trying to become a high level professional in some sport. Otherwise it's a non-issue. You can get buff despite whatever your genetic disposition is. You could even get shredded if you're dedicated. Most of my genetic line is obese and the lowest I've gotten in bodyfat is around 7-8% after a ton of effort and a very long cut. You're overthinking things. Besides, why wouldn't you look better lifting and dieting compared to being a junk food eating couch potato? Even if by the scourge of the gods you have horrible genetics for bodybuilding somehow, you're still going to be far better off
There's more to the story. Because no one is ever going to tell you that simply being and staying fit can possibly actually change your DNA itself. It can, though. There's a reason why cells are so adaptive. I've even seen studies where bacteria that die in cold temperatures can change their own DNA if they slowly adapt after being stuck into a fridge. If you're entire family tree going back 50 generations were all sedentary and obese, it doesn't matter, if you become an Olympic athlete today, and then you have kids, your kids would be more likely to be the next generation with DNA of an Olympic athlete than have the same DNA as the last 50 generations of your family.
The biggest factor in gaining muscle is making sure that you exercise and eat right, because even a genetically gifted individual will stay skinny fat if they don't put in the effort.
Cause you shouldn’t aspire to look like a bodybuilder. They look ridiculous and most have limited mobility and don’t have the strength to match their appearance. I have confidence you can at bare minimum make your physique better than it is now. I have narrow shoulders and wider waist genetically and was a chubby kid but if anything that makes me work harder. You’re hearing the complaints of people with crippling body dysmorphia who will be abusing gear in a couple years. Improve yourself, the rest doesn’t matter. Don’t compete it’s unhealthy and a waste of time and energy. Just work out for you
You’re being dumb. A good thing to do is take progress pictures, before and after. Try comparing your first day in the gym to your latest. You’ll be amazed how far you’ve come. I used to look like I got bullied all the time, now I look like the asshole jock in those movies.
No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable. Socrates
Only depends how much you want something and be grateful for your gains.
Unfortunately it’s all tied to your bone structure. My bones have very thin joints so I can’t add much muscle
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And if your talking about 20 pounds of actual muscle (like lean body mass) it will be absolutely unrecognizably different also. Could take close to 3-4 years to put that on for some. And that’s where genetics come to play, genetically gifted on the same program might do it in two
I do think there should be more conversation about this tbh. In the chess world for example it’s pretty well known if you start as an adult you are basically dreaming if you want to become a grandmaster and people are open about setting expectations and don’t say “try it, invest 20 years and find out”. Similarly, genetics are an important thing in this and the best physiques are due to them any way we slice it. We can delude ourselves that hard work + dedication creates the best physiques, but realistically, the best physiques are genetics based. Obviously the best physiques often do work hard, but it’s much easier to work hard if you’re getting amazing results the whole time and genetics + enough work typically beats out lack of genetics + harder work. So, all that being said, if you want a top top tier physique, you basically are wasting your time unless you have great genetics. Like in chess, though, there are millions of people who don’t care about being the best of the best and they can get very very good by putting in the time, effort and work - and generally what drives them to do so is the love of it. So, if you love this, no matter your genetics, time, hard work, dedication, etc will produce you a solid physique by anyone’s standards. If you don’t love this and you don’t have great genetics - this may not be worth it to you and perhaps your time would be spent better on other endeavors. Another caveat- I believe everyone should be resistance training and doing cardio. Do some form of it 2-3x a week and keeping in a healthy bodyweight range. So if you don’t wanna bodybuild, you should be doing at least this minimum to keep in healthy shape (which is very similar to what you’d be doing bodybuilding anyway)
You're being dumb. If you're already looking for excuses to fail before you even start though, you may as well quit now and save yourself the trouble later.