Up to 80 percent of a person’s potential muscle mass is genetically determined, according to recent research. In other words, you already have most of your muscle growth encoded in your DNA.
Although lifestyle, nutrition, and exercise are crucial, these results show that your body has built-in boundaries long before you start lifting weights.
Researchers compared the genetic profiles, body composition, and exercise habits of thousands of individuals and found that inherited genes have a major role in determining the types of muscle fibers, metabolism, and hormone response—all of which affect the amount of muscle that can be naturally built.
This is not to say that exercise and good diet are pointless. To maintain your health and reach your personal peak, exercise and a healthy diet are still the two most important factors.
It does, however, explain why two individuals can train at the same frequency and intensity and still get very different outcomes. You can stop chasing unattainable ambitions and instead concentrate on tactics that maximize your own ability when you are aware of your genetic plateau.
Related: Not Everyone Can be Pro Bodybuilder, But Everyone Can Build a Good Physique
Additionally, the study has wider ramifications. Knowing what one’s natural limit is can help in making their workouts more individualized, lower the chance of injuries, and improve recovery after training, injuries and illness.
Accepting your genetic makeup will help in creating individualized, science-based approaches to building muscle and strength instead of the one-size-fits-all approaches.
In the end, this finding serves as a reminder that our bodies are remarkable systems that are influenced by both nature and nurture. Even though we can’t alter our DNA, we can learn to live with it, make wise adaptations, and appreciate what our special biology has to offer.
After all, if 80 percent is determined by your genes, you can always influence those remaining 20% and build a better body.
We now have a greater understanding of ourselves thanks to science, which demonstrates that strength is a combination of insight and effort.
Related:
How Much Muscle Can You Build Naturally
A Short Guide on how to Build Muscle Fast Without Anabolic Drugs
The 6 Most Obvious Signs That Someone is a Natural Bodybuilder
