CHAPTER 3

Great Expectations

“Oddly enough, before he began training he showed no signs of his eventual supremacy in competitive bodybuilding. He was thin and by anyone’s standards quite average looking, yet he went on to redefine the limits of freaky musculature.”

– Nelson Montana, MuscleMag International contributor, commenting on how average six-time Mr. Olympia, Dorian Yates, looked before he started training.

Unlike most sports, where training tends to be generalized for everyone, bodybuilding programs can be tailored for an individual’s genetic build and goals. If you’re like most iron pumpers, improving your overall shape, appearance and health will be your primary goals. But as you begin seeing changes in your physique, you will start to feel great about how you look. Compliments and encouragement will begin to flood in. If you have the right genetics (more on that in a moment), train consistently and eat clean, there’s a good chance you’ll start seriously considering competing in a bodybuilding contest.

For other readers, perhaps your bodybuilding training will primarily be used to increase your performance in other sports. Athletes from wrestlers to boxers to tennis players and sprinters use bodybuilding exercises to reduce the risk of injury and improve their overall performance.

GENETICS – BLAME YOUR ANCESTORS

Change your exercises? Great. Alter your training schedule? Good idea. Tighten your eating practices or switch supplement brands? Go ahead! You can even change the color of your hair or skin. But there is nothing, absolutely nothing, you can do to alter your genes. From the moment of conception your DNA blueprint has been set and cannot be changed. Within a few months after you begin training you will quickly discover that certain muscle groups respond better than others. You may even notice that one side grows slightly faster than the other. Also, your chest may grow by simply looking at a barbell, while your back has to be pounded into growth.

“No matter how genetically gifted you are, it is unrealistic to expect to look like the pros in our magazine within a few months’ time. Muscles like that take years of hard work and proper nutrition to develop.”

– Editors of MuscleMag International

Photo of Darrem Charles by Irvin Gelb

Many bodybuilders have to accept that they have weak bodyparts. However, acceptance doesn’t equate to giving up. It took Arnold Schwarzenegger over 10 years to bring his legs – his calves in particular – up to the superior level of his upper body. Don’t let race influence your mindset either. While African Americans are generally considered to have poor genetics when it comes to building calves, some of the greatest calves of all time belong to such African American bodybuilders as Ronnie Coleman, Chris Dickerson, Vince Taylor and Dexter Jackson.

Everyone is different genetically. Just take a glance at the lineup of the most recent Mr. Olympia. Few bodybuilders can compare their front double biceps with Ronnie Coleman. Jay Cutler has brought his back up to the point that other bodybuilders pale in comparison in back shots. Lee Priest has more muscle on his 5'4" frame than many bodybuilders who are a foot taller. And while few would refer to Lee as symmetrical, or aesthetically pleasing, you can’t deny that he has one awesome physique. Conversely, Dexter Jackson has that Greek statue look. Even among these greats we have incredible diversity. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s single double biceps pose (on the cover of his book Education of a Bodybuilder) has few equals. Franco Columbu’s rear lat spread has yet to be duplicated. And when it comes to legs – Tom Platz was in a class by himself.

Genetics is the study of how traits are passed from one generation to the next. When relatives say you have your mom’s eyes, or your dad’s hair, they aren’t trying to embarrass you – they are noticing inherited physical characteristics. Plenty of physical and personality traits become more and more visible as we age – some good, some bad. For example, cancer can “run” in some families. It doesn’t mean that you’ll definitely get cancer, but you will have a higher risk of developing it than someone whose family has no history of cancer.

GENETIC MARKER – BONE SIZE

Generally speaking, there is a direct relationship between skeleton size and muscle mass. A small-boned individual will have far more difficulty developing the same degree of muscle size as a larger-boned individual. A flip through a recent copy of MuscleMag International will confirm this. There may be a 20- or 30-pound difference in weight between two bodybuilders of the same height. Numerous bodybuilding authorities have suggested that one of the best predictors of eventual arm size is wrist circumference. Generally speaking, you can expect to build your upper arms to about 10 inches larger than your wrist size. Keep in mind that this is adult wrist size, not teenage wrist size. If you’re in your early to mid teens you still have many years of growth ahead of you, so don’t let a seven-inch wrist depress you! By the time you’re in your early 20s, it may be nine or ten inches in size. And even if it does max out at seven or eight inches, you could still develop large upper arms. A classic example of this is the great French bodybuilder and Pumping Iron star, Serge Nubret, who built 20+ inch arms with wrists measuring just seven inches.

I should add that there is an advantage to having small bones and joints. Nothing looks as impressive as large, full muscles separated by small joints. Extremely large-boned bodybuilders may have more muscle mass, but they often appear blocky and chunky. Small-boned individuals tend to exhibit far better proportions and symmetry. Superstar Flex Wheeler built what many considered the greatest physique of all time and yet had a medium-sized bone structure at best.

“The magic that is brought about by weight training never ceases to amaze me. I’ve seen fat guys lose all their flab and become ripped to shreds. Conversely, I’ve seen guys so thin that they had to move around in the shower to get wet who packed on so much muscle that they became in-demand subjects for the various bodybuilding mags.”

– Editorial in MuscleMag International, discussing how a person can totally change his physique through weight training.

Photo of Flex Wheeler by Robert Kennedy

NUMBER OF MUSCLE CELLS

As you are probably aware, muscles are made up of smaller subunits called muscle cells (more commonly called muscle fibers). It was once believed that individuals were born with a fixed number of muscle cells and that weight training simply enlarged them. Therefore, a person with 100 million cells in a given muscle would potentially be able to build more size than someone with 50 million cells. We all know guys who walk into a gym with muscular arms although they have never lifted a barbell in their lives. Such lucky individuals probably have an overabundance of muscle fibers in their arms – yet another blessing of good genetics! These are the guys who could one day grace the pages of MuscleMag International – assuming they train hard and eat plenty of clean food.

But as with wrist size, don’t let this genetic variable curtail your hopes and dreams. Since the first edition of this book was written over 10 years ago, research has determined that weight training may be able to split muscle fibers, which can then enlarge.

HORMONALLY CHARGED

A third variable that can influence muscle size is hormone levels, testosterone in particular. I’ll be saying more on hormones in the chapter on biology. Suffice it to say, individuals with naturally higher levels of the male hormone testosterone will probably build more muscle mass than someone with lower levels. Higher testosterone is one of the primary reasons that men on average are bigger and stronger than women.

Besides the physical advantages bestowed by testosterone, there is a psychological component. Higher testosterone levels have been linked to increased aggression levels (one reason why prison populations tend to be dominated by guys with high testosterone levels). Guys with super-charged hormone systems don’t just work out with weights, they assault them! They can train for endless hours with energy and strength to spare. As expected, the greater the training intensity, the greater the increase in muscle strength and size.

But again, don’t just give in to genetics. Research indicates that natural testosterone levels can be elevated by doing basic multi-joint movements (called compound exercises) such as squats, deadlifts and bench presses. This is the reason why guys who do a lot of the heavy basic barbell exercises are much bigger and stronger than the guys who do a lot of machine and isolation movements.

A FINAL WORD

You’ve learned now that there is a genetic limit to how big and strong you’ll get. One piece of potentially depressing news is that no matter how intensely you train, how clean you’re eating, or how many drugs you take, you’ll still have a difficult time making it to the Mr. Olympia stage. If your natural bone structure dictates 170 pounds, then building a 250-pound ripped body is going to be a challenge. However, everyone – and we mean everyone – can make tremendous gains in strength and size. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! And you know what else? Who are we to say you’ll never make it the Mr. Olympia stage without the right genetics?! Some of the top bodybuilders of all time won or came close to winning the Sandow statue without perfect genetics. There was nothing in the early pictures of guys like Franco Columbu, Frank Zane, Dexter Jackson, Dorian Yates or Lee Labrada to suggest bodybuilding superstardom. But they ultimately said: “To hell with genetics!” and went on to build incredible physiques. And so can you!

Photo of Mark Erpelding by Alex Ardenti