Muscle Building Information

Is Your Muscle Building Potential Limited By Your Genes?


It is clear that certain traits are handed down to us by our parents and unfortunately our ablility to grow muscles beyond certain limits is no exception. That doesn't mean to say hard work and carefully planned training won't have a positive effect on your physique - it just means that some people will inherit a greater abundance of the favored physical characteristics than others. Not everyone possesses the physical traits to become a champion, but you can work wonders with the raw material you do possess.

How responsive you will be to physical stimulation can be predicted to a certain extent by examining your somatype or natural body shape. Basically, there are three recognized body types:

1. Endomorphs - these individuals tend to be squat with a round torso, thick neck and short limbs.

2. Mesomorphs - these individuals tend to be musclar with broad shoulders, powerful chest and limbs and little body fat.

3. Ectomorphs - these individuals tend to be slim and are usually tall with little muscle and body fat.

The ideal bodybuilding physique tends more towards the mesomorph with broad shoulders, narrow hips with arms and legs of medium length. Two further inherited features have a role to play in determining muscle building potential, and these are muscle fiber density and neurological efficiency. Fiber density determines the size potential of a muscle while neurological efficiency refers to the relationship between the nervous system and muscles. This is relevant because, in all out effort genetically blessed individuals have the ability to activate up to 50% of the fibers in a given muscle compared to the average person's 30%. This allows greater scope for stimulating growth.

The fact that there is no easy way to measure fiber density or neurological efficiency is actually a blessing because the incentive remains for all of us to train hard and strive for improvement. Only a tiny minority of people have the genetic tools to become champions but the rest of us can go a long way to fulfilling our own personal goals.

Richard Mitchell is the creator of the bodybuildingadvisor.com website that provides guidance and information to athletes at all levels of bodybuilding experience. Go to Bodybuilding Advice to learn more about the issues covered in this article.


MORE RESOURCES:

Diabetes: A Blessing in Disguise
American Profile, TN - 3 hours ago
“If you’re eating a diet high in fiber, low in saturated fats, and throw in exercise, the body can metabolize the food and build muscle,” Byrne says. ...


Everyone's Favorite Dawg
BamaMag.com - 17 hours ago
While most of his workouts during the season are designed to keep him flexible and maintain strength rather than to build muscle, his bench press max is up ...


Boston Globe

Just the right moves
Boston Globe, United States - Nov 21, 2008
Parkinson's is a disease that can be cruel," said Rudman, who takes 20 pills a day plus protein shakes to build muscle. To further research, he initially ...


Don't Eat Breakfast First - Drink Water
News10.net, CA - Nov 21, 2008
Make sure you are sleeping well as your body needs to repair and rebuild in order to burn fat and build muscle. Relax at your mealtimes, make your plate ...


Jamaica Gleaner

doctor's advice:
Jamaica Gleaner, Jamaica - Nov 21, 2008
Get one of the coaches or trainers to put you on a programme to build muscle. If you follow that plan, working out every day for the next six months, ...


Pill Helps Elderly Bulk Up
Discovery Channel - Nov 20, 2008
The drug increases human growth hormone levels, which makes people grow taller, build muscle, and strengthen bones, among other myriad effects. ...


Keeping Joe 6-Pack's Belly Flat During the Thanksgiving Holiday
NewsBlaze (press release), CA - Nov 12, 2008
The answer lies in eating testosterone-rich foods that crank up their metabolism and help their build muscle at the same time," said Levinson. ...


KFYR-TV

Choosing a Workout for You
KFYR-TV, ND - Nov 19, 2008
Whether you`re trying to build muscle or shed a few pounds, going to the gym can become monotonous. It doesn`t necessarily take weights and a treadmill to ...


Blake Shelton "Fires" Up New CD
Great American Country, TN - Nov 18, 2008
... in a rural been-there-done-that context; and "Country Strong" laughs off gym memberships in favor of farm chores as an honest way to build muscle. ...


SmartWoman program to fight osteoporosis
WFIE-TV, IN - Nov 19, 2008
"It's just going to get them to build muscle and bone and tone and actually help them to lose weight if they need to," she said. ...

Build-Muscle - Google News

home | site map
© 2008