While the subject of genes and DNA is truly fascinating, I have to admit there’s something about the word genetics that very often irks me.
“It’s all down to your genetics,” many like to say. If you have ever striven for a physical fitness goal before, you might have heard it or even felt this way. I’ve had the nature versus nurture discussion with people in and out of sport, and about accomplishments ranging from victory in combat sports to beauty contests. Fortunately or unfortunately, the genetics card is almost always played at some point.
The problem with the genetics-are-everything view arises from the context in which we most often hear it. We often put things down to genetics as a reason or justification for a person’s success over that of another. Whether we observe someone’s performance or talent, or even just the way they look, we cannot help but ask just how much is given, and how much is earned.
In truth, a contestant might win a match over the competition for many reasons. Genetic endowment may certainly be one of them, but if I were to cite it as the main cause of success I believe such a statement would say more about me than the person I am commenting on.
The convenient thing about genetics is that it is one of the few variables that is completely out of our control. If it is all down to genetics, then it is not our fault. There is nothing we can do. However hard we work, it will not make any difference.
All these statements do nothing more than reveal a very slippery slope. If we really start to believe we are powerless, then our ability to exercise positive life changes surely diminishes and it gets difficult to accomplish just about anything.
Suggesting it is all down to hard work and sacrifice on the other hand is not terribly realistic either. If you want to break the 100-metre sprint world record and you are like the vast majority of human beings on this planet, then chances are no amount of hard work or sacrifice will ever put you on that podium alongside Usain Bolt. Winning an international figure or physique contest may not be on the cards for most of us either.
If we really start to believe we are powerless, then our ability to exercise positive life changes surely diminishes
It really depends on what your goal is and the danger of either side of the argument is when we apply it across the board. There is a big difference between breaking a world record on the one hand and sculpting a more attractive figure or physique for your own satisfaction on the other. Justifying inaction due to poor genetics may deny you a plethora of wonderful accomplishments you were more than capable of achieving. The good news is that a more attactive figure or physique is well within the capabilities of most. If you have gotten as far as reading this very sentence, then chances are you are interested enough in the area to muster more than the required amount of effort to achieve this goal.
I have always liked to see genetics as a starting line. The distance of the race all depends on what your goal happens to be, and while we all take off from different starting lines, the process of reaching the finishing line is the same for everybody in the race.
While the varying start lines might be inherently unfair, why waste even more precious time lamenting over it? The rules of the game once that starting pistol fires are the same for everybody too. The sheer range of shapes and sizes we come in is truly remarkable. You just need to observe any public area with heavy foot traffic to notice the huge variance that exists in body shapes.
The fact that we have two arms and two legs soon becomes just about the only consistent characteristic of human form. Some are luckier than others, granted, but we all have muscles and body fat sitting on top of those muscles, and altering our ratios of these tissues can drastically alter our appearance.
One of the things we do best in the exercise and fitness world is precisely that: alter muscle and fat ratios. Improving body composition would probably be a more accurate way to describe it but however you dress it up, it is a finish line we can all reach, wherever your individual start line happens to be.
Of all the shapes and sizes I have witnessed with my own eyes, I have yet to see a ‘lost cause’. Given the progress of so many clients and gym members I have seen with my own eyes over the years, I have yet to see failed progress from those who put their mind to it.
Whether it is losing fat, gaining muscle or improving posture, everyone deserves to know that their genetics are not a barrier, just a start line. Increasing physical activity and watching what you eat will reduce your body fat, while lifting weights or engaging in any form of resistance training will build muscle mass and improve your posture.
Genetics might determine how fast and how far you go, but the true determining factor of your success is your willingness to get started and once that starting pistol fires, to stick with it all the way to the finish line.
matthew.muscat.inglott@mcast.edu.mt