The role of genetics in muscle building

I’ve really enjoyed finding out about the role of genetics in bodybuilding. For a lean guy who is more of a hard-gainer than anything, understanding the role of genetics has really been helpful in developing realistic expectations. Or crushing them. I don’t do the whole nutrition deal (our family just eats healthy meals day in, day out) or any supplements.

I’m not opposed to supplements. I just don’t know anything about them and can’t be arsed trying any out let alone researching their benefits. I also can’t afford them which probably has something to do with it as well. I have whanau (family) who use steroids and they’re fucking massive but that’s not my cup of tea either. I’ll just plug away in the cold, cement cavern of my garage.

Sigh.

So, discovery number one for genetics is you can’t add muscle where there is none, only build on the existing muscle you already have. Have you seen a bodybuilder with small calves? Do you honestly think they don’t know they have small calves? Of course they know they have small calves. I bet my bottom dollar they do everything they can to increase them but if there’s not enough muscles…?

Lats are a good example: mine insert quite high whereas others insert lower. People with exceptional genetics have lats that insert literally above their hips. When they “flare” their lats, they look enormous. Like bats. From behind they’re total beasts. I can’t look like that because my lats insert high. So no matter what I do, I’ll never looks as awesome as them.

What a shame.

Discovery number two is not only do some people have great insertions, they also have great long insertions. Which is kind’ve like the first point but I thought I‘d mention it anyway. Small-calf syndrome is simply one’s calf muscle being short and high (aka sprinter’s calves) whereas others insert much closer to the ankle and thus are longer, providing much greater potential to build and look damn good.

I regularly come across guys with average builds but excellent calves. Average builds but excellent traps. Average builds but thick necks. Or all-over muscularity simply because of their gene pool, such as our Polynesian brothers who are naturally well-built. Many Polynesian males look better than your average bodybuilder anyway. Why more don’t body build I’ve no idea.

There’s also the whole fast-twitch, slow-twitch muscle fibre thing. What’s that you ask? It’s the definitions provided for the various muscle fibres you and I possess. Whilst these two get plenty of air-time, that’s only because they’re the ones most discussed. There are also their less famous cousins that sit between the two and probably others I’ve yet to hear of. Which is true, by the way.

Let me quote nerdfitness.com to explain the difference between muscle fibres: Type I fibres are “slow twitch” fibres. They use oxygen to fire, and they take longer to get going, but they can go for a longer period of time without getting tired. Type II fibres are “fast twitch” fibres. These fire anaerobically (without oxygen), they fire extremely quickly, but they get tired easily.

You can have more of one type than another. In fact, in different parts of your body you may have a higher percentage of fast-twitch fibres or slow-twitch fibres. Either way, there’s fuck all you can do about it. You’re born the way you’re born. This doesn’t mean you’re confined to specific sports or exercises but you’re going to excel at some more than others whether you like it or not.

Slow-twitch muscles are more aerobic and endurance orientated. Look at marathon runners: skinny as fuck, slow-twitch central. Sprinters on the other hand with all their explosive power are built mothers high in fast-twitch fibres. Slow-twitch muscles tend to engage first whilst fast-twitch muscles tend to engage later…it’s the fast-twitch crew you want to draw out and hammer.

These are the ones that give size as opposed to endurance (think the marathon-sprinter scenario again where one is endurance based whilst the other is power — i.e. muscle — based). Lifting heavy engages fast-twitch muscle more because these are force-orientated. They’re all about recruiting the most power possible to move the biggest loads but they fatigue fast too.

The whole lift-heavy-to-grow-but-lift-light-to-cut idea probably comes from this discussion, an idea that has been round since I was a kid. Hell, it might even be true. Who the fuck knows? Anyway, not lifting heavy but going to failure will also engage your fast-twitch muscles (you can of course do both). So let me share from my enormous wealth of knowledge what I think you should do:

Do what works.

That’s it.

…wait, wait, I do have some suggestions. Pyramid up to a max weight set and go to failure. The line between pyramid up and warm-up is pretty thin so for smaller muscle groups you could probably go Dorian Yates styles and just do a warm-up set then hit your max set. Bam. Also, use your brain: going to failure on squats means with perfect form. Going to failure with bicep curls doesn’t. Confused?

If I go to failure on squats my breathing and upper body will fuck out first (which is an excellent reason to ditch squats if you’re a gym bunny and head over to the hack machine and leg press). This means I’ll curl over and snap my spine. That is fucking stupid. So I would go to failure on free-weight squats right up to the point where another one would compromise my form. Then I would stop.

An exercise like bicep curls is the opposite: I can compromise form and use my whole body when I’m hitting failure so as to get in some cheat reps. But. With biceps I can just drop the bar and I’m okay because 30kg in the hands is a long way from 100kg on the shoulders. So like I said, if you go to failure, don’t go to failure such that you are in danger of physically injuring yourself. To recap:

# You can’t add muscle where there is none, only build on the existing muscle you already have

# Not only do some people have great insertions, they also have great long insertions

# Type I slow-twitch muscles are endurance orientated; Type II fast-twitch muscles are power orientated

# Lift heavy, train to failure or do both to engage and develop fast-twitch muscle fibres

Kia ora koutou!