Genetics Dictates

The following is an Excerpt from my BOOK InVINCEable™

you can purchase InVINCEable™ on my website www.darylconant.com

Genetics plays a big part in the success of the True Natural Bodybuilder. As I said

before everyone can bodybuild to their own potential, however, some people are just

blessed with superior genetics which makes gaining muscle easy for them. The less

fortunate person with average to poor genetics has to work harder to make substantial

gains.

Genetics are the cellular codes that are in each cell of the body that computes what we

look like, how the cells work and how long the cells in the body will survive. In each cell

is the DNA that is a set plan for our life. The DNA is a matrix of chromosomal strands

that dictate what a person looks like, how tall they will be, how much muscle they will

have (fast twitch/ slow twitch fibers), lung capacity, hair color, eye color, etc. From the

moment we are conceived to the day we die our body is stuck to this underlying genetic

program.

Genetics will dictate how long we live and how healthy we will be during our life. The

genetic codes that lie within us all have a certain time associated with them. The cells

of the body have a certain life span. Every second of our life cells die and are

regenerated, this is known as cellular replication. Cellular replication is an ongoing

process. The older we get the less cells regenerate, this is the aging process. For

example, skin cells are not as abundant as they were when we were younger so the cell

number is reduced causing the adverse effects of aging to be seen in the wrinkling and

stretching of the skin. Did you know that it takes three hundred and sixty five days (one

year) for the body to completely replicate itself? As each cellular replication cycle

passes the genetics of the cells is revealed. Some people who have great genetics

may be able to restore and replicate cells faster and more abundant that others, making

the appearance of being young at an older age more apparent. People with poor

genetics may have a family history of heart disease and diabetes starting at the age of

forty. A person in this family is more prone to developing these conditions as the forty

year mark approaches. The genetic codes are written to cause heart disease or

diabetes at a certain age. All a person can do to combat the onset of these conditions is

to reduce the timing of the genetic code release. Exercise and proper nutrition and a

healthy lifestyle can help reduce the aging effect and possibly help reduce the triggering

of the genetic code that is responsible for breaking down the pancreas or heart, but

eventually the systems will cease. Genetics will always win in the end. No matter how

healthy a person is, there will come a day when the genetic codes will be ordered to

shut down the cells. Death is inescapable. Our cells have already been given the

time of their death the moment we were conceived. Unfortunately, some people do not

get to live out their full genetic potential because of premature death caused by external

factors (accidents, war, etc.) If you get to live a long life then feel blessed that you possessed good genetics.

My grandmother lived to be ninety-five years old without exercising or worrying about a special diet.

Goes to show that genetics dictates how long a person lives.

So what does this mean for the True Natural Bodybuilder?

It means that genetics play a big part in how much muscle you will gain and how your

body will look (symmetry). Some people have a bigger upper body and thin lower

body. No matter how much they train they may never have a balanced body. Also,

bones come in different shapes and sizes. Some people have long thin bones, while

others have short dense bones. Body types are categorized as ectomorph,

mesomorph, and endomorph. Whether you are an ectomorph (thin lean body), a

mesomorph (muscular, stocky) or an endomorph (thick bone, heavy set) is determined

in your genetic coding. If you are an ectomorph does not mean that you will not be able

to put on muscle size. You might not be able to put on muscle as easily, as say the

mesomorph, but you can still put on muscle with a little work and the right training and

nutrition program. What everyone needs to understand is that muscle attaches to the

bone by tendons. People with long limbs, thin bones are more prone to have long

muscle and tendon attachments, therefore, the muscle is limited to how deep the

contraction can be produced. Usually those with long limbs have small muscle bellies

and longer than normal tendons attaching to the bone. The tendon is attached more

distal on the radius. Tendons are very strong and they produce much of the contractile

force before the muscle gets hit. For example, when an ectomorph does a bicep curl,

they are already at a disadvantage because of the length of their limbs, the bicep

tendon does three-forths of the movement. It isnʼt until the last quarter of the exercise

that the muscle actually gets to initiate the myosin/actin crossbridges to fully engage.

This is why people with long tendons and short muscle bellies have such a hard time

putting on thick muscle. Ectomorphs are not designed to carry lots of muscle, however,

with proper training and nutrition they can develop a good looking physique. An

endomorph needs more discipline and commitment than the other two body types.

The mesomorph is the genetic superior when it comes to bodybuilding. The

mesomorph are the body types that are born with a muscular body. Muscle develops

easy for these types and in some cases people that have a mesomorphic build often

times do not even workout and they have great looking physique. The reason for this

high concentration of muscle is because of long muscle bellies and short tendon

attachments. For example, looking again at the bicep muscle, the tendon is attached

closer to the proximal part of the radius. When the arm begins to curl the weight, the

tendon contracts and force is generated. The tendon only does one quarter of the

movement allowing the muscle to contract fully three fourths of the rest of the

movement. Therefore, the muscle bellies are longer allowing the muscle fibers to get a

better complete contraction.

At the other spectrum are the endomorphs, they are the ones that are more prone to

gaining excessive amounts of weight mostly being in the form of fat. These body types

are constantly battling their weight. Of the three different body types, the endomorphs

have the hardest time of maintaining a well defined muscular body. Not to say that the

endomorph canʼt develop a great looking physique, however, to keep a well defined

physique takes a considerable amount of discipline and commitment than the other two

body types. In my opinion I feel that not everyone is a strict body type, I believe that we

all share characteristics of these body types. Some people may be classified as being

in the middle of ectomorph and mesomorph body type and still have the ability to

develop a phenomenal build. Look at Frank Zane he had a great physique and was not

extremely heavy like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold falls into the mesomorph with a

slight endomorph make up. If Arnold did not take steroids to help him stay muscular he

probably would have had a high percentage of body fat and looked more like a power

lifter than a bodybuilder. As you can see, body types are not always clear cut. Genetics

are the written codes of the body. We all differ in certain areas and these differences

will determine who will have more muscle.

I feel strongly that most of the reasons why people have such a hard time putting on

large amounts of muscle naturally is because of the complexity of their cellular make up.

I believe that we all have different levels of ATP production, the organelles can only

grow to a certain size, bone size (calcium storage differs from person to person),

anaerobic and aerobic enzymes are regulated to grow only so big, action potentials are

determined by the conductivity of the central nervous system, hormone levels, oxygen

levels, blood volume, amount of total number of muscle cells (fast twitch/ slow twitch),

muscle attachments, tendon length and placement on the bone and pennation of

muscle fibers, amount of hormonal secretion occurring naturally in a personʼs endocrine

system, more red blood cells, greater digestion absorption, greater liver hydrolysis. All

of these functions, tissue and systems all play a part in the total production of muscle

growth. There is not just one factor that influences muscle growth it is many. For those

that have no problems with putting on muscle could have greater calcium storage and

perhaps have a longer period of ATP production which keeps calcium outside the

sarcoplasmic reticulum allowing troponin and tropomyosin to keep the filaments

attracted to each other longer? Or they could have a higher number of total muscle

cells and have huge anaerobic enzymes that allow for better sugar metabolism. There

are so many different scenarios that could be the reason for why people can get so

muscular while others canʼt. You can only gain as much as your genetics will allow.

Excerpt from my BOOK InVINCEable™

you can purchase InVINCEable™ on my website www.darylconant.com

www.darylconant.com

www.darylconant.com