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Your Genetics are KILLING Your Gains!

Posted on by
23
Jan

Ever wondered if you have good enough genetics to actually build muscle? If so, this is the video you need to watch. Jeff Cavaliere and Jesse Laico dive into the viewer mailbox to answer the question of what can be done if your genetics for building muscle just aren’t so great.

The reality is, far too often people try and simplify one of the most complicated phenomena in the human body – genetics. It is not as simple as having either good genetics or bad genetics. Instead, you may have elements of your genetics that are favorable for building muscle and getting ripped while others are not nearly as gifted.

Instead of looking at yourself as either a Lamborghini or a Prius you have to realize that no matter what model car your body resembles at the moment you can quickly improve it – just as if you were to upgrade to a better package on the model you have now.

As with any discussion of genetics however, there are intangibles and outside factors that influence that way your genetics express themselves. If you do these things right, the expression of your genes can wind up with an entirely different outcome than you would expect.

Let’s discuss some of the things that are hard coded however and not likely to be influenced by anything other than picking your parents. These are called anthropometric factors. Things that influence your body structure, dimensions and proportions. Bone structure and skeletal width are very important factors. Let’s face it, if you are 5 foot 7 and have narrow shoulders you will never have the muscle mass like the Rock.

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He simply has a much wider, broader skeleton that allows him to pack on much more muscle than you do. Now that doesn’t mean that you can’t optimize the amount of muscle that you can put on your frame and look amazing at the end of the day.

Other things like the torso to lower body ratio can dramatically impact leverages and your ability to lift strongly. It leads to reason that if you have better leverage to perform more powerful lifts that you will have an easier time building muscle through overload than someone who has very unfavorable limb lengths.

It goes even further…

If you have poor distribution of androgen receptors within your muscle bellies you simply won’t respond hormonally to training as a stimulus as someone who has a greater density of them. Likewise, if your muscles are made up of a much higher proportion of type I fibers rather than type II, your ability to be explosive and carry more muscle as a result will be lower.

These are things that you cannot change much, if at all, so it doesn’t merit much focus in your training.

The things that can be changed however are your willpower and consistency of training. I don’t care what your genetics look like, if you are willing to commit to a consistent workout program or schedule and get yourself in the gym on a regular basis to train hard and smart – you will have better results than most who don’t or aren’t willing to do the same.

Likewise, if you have a greater capacity to remain focused during a session or have a higher threshold for pain and training discomfort you will likely be able to push yourself harder than the next person and get a greater stimulus for growth from your workouts.

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Of course, what you do outside the gym matters immensely in other areas as well.

What does your nutrition look like? Are you eating well enough to support your hard training in the gym? Are you getting adequate sleep to promote optimal recovery from your workouts which will help you to recover faster and see better gains because of it.

The bottom line is this, instead of looking to others and idolizing their results in comparison to yours, focus on yours alone and look for ways to optimize them. I promise you this, if you do, the results you achieve will be nothing short of amazing and better than you ever could have imagined. If you’re looking for your question to be answered in a future episode of AX JEFF, be sure to leave a comment below this video and you might be selected next.

For a step by step muscle building program and meal plan to help you get the most out of your genetics, be sure to visit athleanx.com via the link below and remember to use the program selector to find the workout plan that best matches your current goals.

For more videos on how to build muscle and how much genetics has to do with the size of your biceps, be sure to subscribe to our channel here on youtube via the link below and remember to turn on your notification so you never miss a new video when it’s published.

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54 thoughts on “Your Genetics are KILLING Your Gains!”

  1. ATHLEAN-X™ says:

    *NOTIFICATION SQUAD GIVEAWAY* – It’s back!! Alright guys, I’m giving away a complete 30 Day Workout program to 100 lucky clickers within the first hour this video is published! Remember, this is NOT THE FIRST 100, but those randomly selected within the first hour the video is published. Click the link to see if you’ve won. No strings attached! 
    https://giveaway.athleanx.com/ytg/muscle-genetics

    If you don’t win, no worries, you’re not going away empty handed. Just be sure you have your notifications turned on so you can get to my next video quickly and try again. Good luck and thanks for being a loyal subscriber…

    • Jaivir says:

      @AXJeff I hv cracking joints, especially snapping wrists and I feel a ball clicking in my left shoulder and in my knees.

    • TheNizoubizou says:

      Hey jeff, i cannot keep my arms straight, not because they are sore from the workout but i’m used to sit in front of a computer. can you do a video on how to fix them ?

    • Albert Kumar says:

      There’s a question I want to ask that besides doing workout and proper low calorie diet, I am not losing weight
      Why so???

    • marioepsilon says:

      Your dad’s fault was that he didn’t choose a muscular woman, you got half of your genes from your mother.

    • TheGamingAnimator says:

      @Kid Dynamite Don’t think like that, ride the wave.Dark clouds don’t last forever..besides imagine being reincarnated as a Chicken or a rat. It can get much worse lol

  10. Cade Lunsford says:

    Question: “What is some advice you have on trying to become a physical therapist for a professional sports team?”

  14. Geovanni Tovar says:

    Tom Platz said:
    “I’m not going to be a victim to my genetics, my genetics are going to be a victim to me”

  17. Phillip Fe says:

    Here’s a question:

    I’ve met some people in-person who suffer from scoliosis. Some suffer in a small degee, while others are far worse. Are there any workouts, exercises or stretches that can be done to straighten the spine before heading for surgery? And what can be done to prevent this from occurring?

    • Behzod Nazaralizoda says:

      Surgery is for severe cases of scoliosis,when the organs are affected by it. For earlier stages of scoliosis (1,2 of 4 I think) person must concentrate on strengthening the muscular corset by doing special exercises. These exercises also can prevent the scoliosis from occurring again. It’s the best to consult with specialist to choose an individual plan for each person, because there are several types of scoliosis depending on its direction (left/right side),shape (c/s) and degree (the stage of scoliosis is determined by it)of curvature.

    • Phillip Fe says:

      @Sooner Born Won’t that aggravate scoliosis? Considering that carrying weights can compress the spine downward (especially when they are really heavy), won’t barbell curls worsen the curve of the spine?

    • xellzor says:

      I have one vertebrae that is shorter on one end, makes kind of sharp turn. Not big angle, but yeah. I was avoiding sport for long time, was kinda scary. Recently started with calisthenics, which is body weight focused and most exercises are relatively gentle on the back. Especially the part that you supposed to do all movement in controlled, somewhat slow way, decreases risks of any kind of injury. But all back problems are case by case, get yourself checked and go to physician therapist with the result. It’s not easy for me to visit hospital now, but i will go again once i continue for few months. Especially flexibility is concerning, how far i can safely go. Generally exercise on pull-up bar or rings should be really good for back health, but form is key. Another benefit to calisthenics for people with back problems is muscle coordination you get, more protection from accidents during daily life.

      I was not exactly sure which workout to continue and how, more or less got the things going for basic strength, build some base to continue from and consult with doctor, if no problem, then buy into calisthenics training plan. It’s not that simple to decide on right exercise progression, reps, rest times etc myself. So far what i could do myself in 1.5month is go from max 6 floppy chin-ups with dangly legs barely reaching bar with my chin to 9 clean, straight legs, slow up, down movement and up to my chest. Decent pull ups will take more time, but i’m working on it.

  18. Will Hale says:

    I have found myself becoming increasingly concerned about muscle tears over the past few years, seeing bicep/chest tear compilations every once in a while. I’ve seen your videos such as the deadlift one when it comes to biceps and one about stretching your chest. I was wondering what are some possible warning signs, what are some risk factors other than just tight muscles, and is it true that PEDs can actually make you more likely to have a tear?

    • Severin Simon says:

      Yeah PED’s increase the likelihood of a tear, because your Muscles are getting much stronger faster than your passive structures like tendons, joint etc.

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