Genetics is not the thing that stops you gaining weight, or muscle or lose fat or whatever.
It’s just going to tell how easy or difficult it’s going to be or how long it’s going to take.
You cannot use genetics as an excuse
You need to keep in mind that genetics are just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to fitness. There are many other factors that play a role in achieving your fitness goals, such as your nutrition, exercise routine, and mindset, as I talked about in other blog posts.
Let’s imagine this scenario:
You have 2 pro cyclists, A and B, and their objective is to climb a hill. The path they are taking is outside of their control because it was chosen by the organization of the event.
Now, the path that the cyclist A needs to go on has a hill of 10% inclination and cyclist B needs to go on has a hill of 12% inclination.
Being pro cyclists they both can climb that hill no problem. The only difference is maybe cyclist B took more time to climb or took the same time but at the end was more tired.
It is possible to climb the hill, they both know it. They are not saying “Oh, my climb is a bit more difficult than other people, therefore I can’t do it!”. No. They still do it, it can just be a bit more difficult.
When it comes to body transformations, achieving a good physique etc… genetics is NOT a critical factor (unless were are talking about some very rare/very serious illness) that is going to impede you getting there. It’s just going to dictate how hard it’s going to be or how long it’s going to take. The same as in the cyclists example.
In other words, you cannot use genetics as an excuse because it’s not genetics that impeding you getting the results you want.
Focusing on things you cannot control
On top of just not being true that genetics is impeding your progress, you cannot make the mistake of blaming the outside world or stuff that you cannot control.
You were born this way, get over it.
Do you have more appetite than average or do you have less appetite than average?
Do you spend more calories at rest than average or do you sped less calories at rest than average?
It’s doesn’t matter, because the underlying principles of body transformation are the same.
If you are climbing a hill on a bike, the higher inclination it has the harder you will have to pedal.
If you are trying to gain weight and have low appetite, the more creative you are going to have to be in terms of you food choices (more olive oil or butter, or more liquid calories for example) and perhaps the more disciplined you’ll have to be to not skip meals.
If you are going down a hill, the higher the inclination the more you are going to step on the brakes if you don’t want to go too fast.
If you are trying to lose weight and have a big appetite then you have to prioritize foods that fill you up a lot but don’t have many calories (like fruits and vegetables).
Whatever the scenario may be, you can ALWAYS achieve your goals (as long as they are realistic).
It can take a bit more time. It may be more difficult. But you can do it nonetheless.
“My training is not working, I think it’s my genetics”
It’s not. It is your fault. And that’s a good thing. It means that you can fix it.
Let me give you an example of my personal life:
When I was around 15 years old, me and some friends went to the gym for the first time. In that first summer of going to the gym I gained around 7Kgs or 15lbs. My friends, in general, didn’t gained nearly as much weight as I did, as fast as I did. Why?
In that case, when none of us knew what we were doing, my genetics, it terms of mainly having a big appetite / maybe big stomach also, was what allowed me to gain that weight. Now, being in the gym for the first time and also training hard meant that I also gained some muscle.
My point here is that when you don’t know what you are doing genetics are going to play a big role sure.
If you are not pedalling on the bike or hitting the brakes, then it is the inclination of the road that is going to dictate where you are going and how fast you are going.
But if you start pedalling to go upwards or if you start hitting the brakes to stop or slow down on the descent, then it is you in control instead of the road.
If you understand the principles of training and nutrition, it is you that are in control and not your genetics.
Another example:
Let’s say you are a dude that says you eat “healthy”.Let’s also say you’ve maintained or gain weight in the past months. Now let’s say you get sick. You lost your appetite, now you can only eat maybe half the physical amount of food you were eating.
Are you going to eat in the same manner as before?
Because if you do, then you will lose weight.
And then you might say “Oh I lost weight because I got sick, it’s not my fault!”.
Incorrect.
You lost your appetite because you got sick, sure. But you could’ve maintained you weight if you made some changes:
Lowering the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat and traded those for high calorie foods, like pasta or rice maybe cooked in a good amount of olive oil. Or even eaten some junk food, highly palatable foods that are going to make it easier for you to eat in a low appetite scenario.
Things outside of your control happened but you need to react. It’s not your fault that you lost your appetite, but it is your fault that you lost weight.
This example also applies in many other life area as you may see if you give it some thought.
Conclusion
Genetics are like the road inclination if you are riding a bike:
if you don’t do anything it is indeed the thing that’s going to dictate were you are going and how fast.
But if you take control, then it’s just going to dictate how hard you need to pedal or how hard you are going to hit the brakes.
But the bottom line is that you can still go where you want.
Don’t let things outside of your control dictate you life.
Focus on what you can control.