Mitigating Genetics: 3 Ways to Improve Your Physique
When it comes to physique, winning the genetic lottery is essentially what determines your placing in the world of bodybuilding. Second to that, would be the lengths you are willing to go to with regards to hard work, training, nutrition and every other aspect involved in building a world-class physique.
When you pair stellar genetics with that blue-collar work ethic and determination to be perfect within each realm of our sport, what you end up with are the marvels of this sport that we all admire and aspire to be like. Unfortunately, those types of genetics are quite rare in comparison to the number of people who train like crazy to be the best, but that doesn’t mean you should stop what you’re doing just because you haven’t been blessed with Olympia caliber genetics.
In fact, you should continue to work just as hard to mitigate any physique downfalls that you possess and make what you do have the best it can be and here are three great ways you can go about doing so. Your hard work will put you in the right position to get the gains and results that you want.
Freak What is Good
Just because your physique doesn’t flow from body part to body part in synergistic harmony with balance, size and perfect structure, doesn’t mean you don’t have at least one body part that can be a standout for you. Take stock of your physique and determine which body part(s) has really taken a liking to the training stimulus, has grown maybe a little quicker than the others and has a substantial amount of development to it.
Now, take that body part to the next level and go freak mode with it. Be the person known for the crazy quads, or the horseshoe triceps or the veiny forearms. Just take what you’ve been given and completely run with it. If you know that your physique isn’t the most pleasing to look at, then why not be the freakiest person to look at instead? Got crazy calves? Make them crazier. Have barn door lats? Open the farm. Just work on building that one awesome body part to its fullest potential so that you posses that freak factor that is so appealing to most.
Prioritize Your Physique
If you are still dead set on building a symmetrical and pleasing physique, yet you’ve identified some areas that seem to respond better than others, then perhaps it’s time to prioritize your training schedule so that you allot more time to your weaker body parts by easing up on the stronger ones.
Typically speaking, our favorite training days of the week go hand in hand with our best and strongest body parts. We always have the most fun on these days because the pumps are great and the weight moves with ease. But if you have lagging body parts, why not leave the stronger ones alone and give more attention to the weaker muscle groups? Let’s say you already have massive arms, what’s the harm in training them every other week on the schedule and giving that extra day to say your leg training?
If you typically perform four to five exercises for back with a total or 10-15 working sets per session, and your back is a strong point for you, try lowering the volume and adding in some traps or biceps work to bring up those areas instead. Finding ways to incorporate more work for weaker body parts throughout the week is one of the best ways to improve and even out your physique.
Just Stay Shredded
If all else fails and you realize that your physique isn’t the prettiest, doesn’t have the full rounded muscle bellies we all love to look at or has missing body parts everywhere you look, then your next best bet is to just stay shredded all the time. Being ripped will always be impressive, even if you don’t have the greatest of structures.
When you’re lean, everything looks better anyways so to even further the advantages of the illusion all bodybuilders speak of when on stage showcasing their physiques, just work on your diet, work on your cardio, train like hell and maintain a lower body fat percentage year around to keep you looking better than perhaps you really are.
Remember, everyone can get in shape if they want to. You can’t add tissue to an area that doesn’t already have it (high lat insertions, high calf insertions etc) but you can get lean and crispy. Do that and you’ll be much happier overall with how you look. Get on a plan and stick with it. That’s the best way to do your part to ensure you get the physique that you really want.
No matter what type of genetics you have been given they are yours and yours to work with. Don’t give up on yourself and don’t let how others look deter you from your goals. We can all strive to be the best version of ourselves and that’s the whole point of what we’re doing. Some will rise to the top of the physique game while others will always be chasing the pack.
Regardless of where you fall, keep training hard and giving it all you’ve got each day. The pay off and return on investment will be worth it and what you’ll end up seeing in the mirror is all you, at your best and that’s a win in my books any day. So keep doing what you’re doing and in time the hard work and determination will pay off and you’ll be well on your way to success in the gym.
Use all of these different ways to improve your physique. Seek out one of the amazing staff at Brickhouse Gym and let’s discuss how you can build the physique that’s going to make the difference for you in your life. It’s all about setting those goals and crushing them.
Author: Dana Bushell
Gym Star Team Member
