Do Bodybuilding Genetics Limit Muscle Gain and Fat Loss?

Unrealistic expectations have proven to be the downfall of many who pursue muscle building or fat loss, as bodybuilding far too often becomes a pursuit of transforming into someone else, as opposed to maximizing the individual genetic potential that each of us has been granted.

We may frequently see individuals on the Internet, TV or in magazines who have the bodybuilding physique we aspire towards, so we somehow feel that by weight training and eating a certain way, we can develop an identical appearance, when in fact our physical makeup is unique and specific to each of us, meaning that results others produce do not in any way indicate we are capable of the same, or conversely, we may even be able to greatly exceed the bodybuilding success of those we admire. Yet there is no way of knowing our own individual potential without first following an effective diet and weight training routine to determine how our body responds.

The unfortunate downside of basing our own level of bodybuilding satisfaction upon achieving the physique of another is that, although we may produce muscle building or fat loss progress that impresses nearly every person we meet, in our own mind, we remain inferior, since our standard is not based upon how much we’ve achieved, but rather whether we’ve become the person we choose to emulate, and therefore, regardless of how our progress appears to others, we continually seek for the impossible dream, and eventually either quit bodybuilding altogether, or decide to experiment with dangerous drugs or bodybuilding supplements instead of modifying our expectations to match our own potential.

Genetics offer us a barrier which we all must obey, no different from one who wishes to become a basketball superstar but lacks sufficient height, yet, in bodybuilding, very few ever achieve their own genetic potential, not necessarily due to lack of effort, but rather resulting from diet and weight training errors which plague muscle building or fat loss efforts. Certainly, if one were training and eating perfectly, genetics will then eventually limit future gains, and will also impact the overall speed of results, but most who feel genetics is curtailing any positive change actually are eating and weight training without any sense of direction, which is the true culprit behind disappointing progress.

Muscle building or fat loss is as unique as our personalities, and we should never try to emulate or become another in our pursuit of physical fitness, rather forging our own road by maximizing the individual bodybuilding potential each of us has, and doing so through an effective bodybuilding diet and weight training routine. When we begin to view bodybuilding as an experiment in personal achievement, we then begin to finally relish in the improvements we make, as opposed to feeling constantly deprived by focusing on the achievements of another. Without the chance of experiencing satisfaction with our accomplishments, bodybuilding becomes a never ending pursuit of the unattainable, and can morph from a worthwhile pursuit into a detrimental, stressful hobby.