Friday, April 6, 2012

Supplements & Genetics

What kind of supplements should I be taking to look like Arnold or Jay? Should I see a doctor about steroids so that I can grow quickly? Should I do this, should I do that, should I take the advice in the bodybuilding magazines which are just really supplement catalogues with a few pages of well built men and women.

If you're asking yourselves about alternatives to putting on serious muscle size or to cut really lean to reveal that all coveted six pack then you to read this first. Marketing is a truly powerful tool especially when it comes to aesthetic products. Think about your favorite car and how seeing it in a magazine or tv advert makes you feel. Companies use the very same principles when marketing supplements.

Now here's some information that you need to know about the human body. In physiology there are three basic shapes. Of course in between those shapes there are variations but at the basic level these are the body composition types. Ectomorph, translated into English basically describes naturally skinny people. Endomorphs refers to your typically athletically built people and then Mesomorphs refers to those of us who are big boned.

Okay, now with that in mind, here's what you need to understand about the role of genetics. If you are naturally skinny then it makes sense to assume that putting on weight is not something that you do easily. On the other end of the spectrum if you are naturally big boned then it is just as safe to assume that you have a hard time losing weight. The lucky buggers in the middle, the athletically built are pre-disposed to building wonderful physiques.

So where does that leave the rest of us? In the gym hopefully. Regardless your genetic disposition, proper training can take your body to it's full potential. Building muscle is a science just like losing weight and having a healthy lifestyle is.

Proper training in conjunction with a healthy diet will bring you the results you need whether you're a skinny girl trying to build a shapely body or a chubby dude trying to get into shape. 

Train hard, eat right and grow. All the best to you.