Does genetics matter for bodybuilding?

Building muscle and strength requires hard work and time. You have to strength train, eat right, get enough sleep, and be patient to see results. But if you’ve ever thought it’s easier for some people than others, you are right.

Genetics play a role in the body and how it develops, especially when it comes to building muscle mass. The amount of skeletal muscle mass each person has can vary significantly. Muscle mass can be increased if a person undertakes strength exercise, but genetic factors play an equally important role in determining how much muscle mass a person can have.

Your particular set of genes determines, to some extent, how easy or difficult it is to build muscle and get strong. Yes, everyone can see improvements by doing all the right things, but some people are more limited.

Is it possible to know if you have the right DNA for bodybuilding? Or is it a matter of trial and error? Whether for you or your training clients, a lifestyle or health and fitness genetics test can provide some answers and direct your fitness program.

How to Know if Your Genetics are Good for Bodybuilding? Take a Test

Lifestyle genetic tests are increasing in popularity, and they are more affordable than ever. All you need to do is order a kit, send a sample to the testing company, and wait for the results.

The advances in DNA technology are great for health and fitness. These tests can help you determine your specific strengths and weaknesses when it comes to working out, building muscle, nutrition planning, and losing or maintaining a healthy weight.

Bodybuilding, Strength Training, and DNA

It’s obvious that our genes play a role in fitness. Long before we understood so much about DNA, genes, and health, it was clear that some people just build muscle more easily. Bodybuilders work hard to get chiselled bodies, but many also have a boost from their genetics.

One important gene that has been studied and proven to impact strength and muscle size is called ACTN3. This gene codes for α-actinin-3, a protein in fast-twitch muscle fibres. It’s these types of fibres that allow muscles to contract rapidly. They are necessary for power sports, like weightlifting and sprinting.

Studies have found that a lot of people have a defective version of ACTN3, which means the protein cannot be made. Among elite power athletes, the functional version of the gene is much more common than in the general population (1). So if your genetic test showed you have the functional ACTN3 gene, it means you probably have an advantage in strength training and bodybuilding.

ACTN3 is just one of several genes that contribute to an individual’s ability to put on muscle mass and gain strength. Genes are complicated, and we still don’t fully understand how they all interact to make each person unique. Several genes, and probably many more to be discovered, have an impact on bodybuilding abilities.

Genetics, Body Composition, and Weight

One piece of information you can get from a simple lifestyle genetic test is how strength training or bodybuilding will affect your body composition and your weight. Body composition is a description of how much of your body’s mass is from fat and how much is muscle.

Of course, most people prefer to have less body fat and more muscle, but bodybuilders take this to the extreme. They work very hard, both on diet and training, to minimise fat as much as possible while building muscle.

Hard work is key, but your genetics also play a role in how much or how easily you can change your body composition. A genetic test can give you a measure of your body composition response to strength training.

Several genes have been determined to have an impact on how the body responds to strength training. A test will give you one of three genotypes for this measure

So, What if You’re Not Built for Bodybuilding?

All this information is interesting, and it can be useful, but when it comes down to health and fitness does it really matter if you aren’t right for bodybuilding? The answer is yes only if you have dreamed of being a top fitness competitor.

If that’s not your dream, it’s perfectly OK to be a poor match for bodybuilding. It doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t strength train. It doesn’t mean you can’t be healthy, fit, and strong. And it doesn’t mean that you can’t meet reasonable body composition goals.

In fact, knowing your genetics and how they relate to strength and muscle building can help you better meet those goals. The answers from a genetic test can direct your fitness plan and help you build your own or a client’s workouts to maximise results.

The truth is that, regardless of genes, strength training is important for everyone. All your clients should be doing some type of strength or resistance training at least a couple times per week. If you have a client with unfavourable genetics for bodybuilding and who is frustrated by lack of progress, help them understand all the benefits of strength training that are so much more important than appearance:

• Strength training builds strength, which improves daily functioning.
• Being stronger also reduces the risk of injuries and pain.
• Lifting weights also builds bone strength and can even slow bone loss due to ageing.
• Resistance training improves joint mobility and flexibility.
• Strength training improves athletic performance.
• In older adults, strength training improves balance and reduces falls.

When working with clients on strength training, remember that you can vary strength workouts and do a lot of different exercises to build muscle. It doesn’t all have to be lifting. For instance, a yoga workout can be great for strength and may feel less intimidating for certain clients.

Genetic testing is a great tool for finding out what you or your client should be doing for optimal health and fitness. But don’t let your clients who get disappointing answers get discouraged. Help them see that their unique DNA simply allows you to tailor their workouts for better results.