Read this about motivation, goals, effort and discipline.
PTC NEWSLETTER, Issue # 99
The sky is the limit in terms of size and strength, it all comes down to how much do you want it?
But there is no gain without sacrifice, and no shortcut to any place worth going.
This situation always gets me thinking about the law of diminishing returns.
How badly do you want those extra gains and how much more will you have to do to get them.
Once you really reach a certain level, is the increased effort required (on top of what you're already doing) to keep improving, worth the minor gains?
If you are a regular guy with a life and not competing, I would think not.
If you want to get bigger and you cant, up your eating.
If you want to get stronger and you cant, pick the correct exercises and increase your effort.
And sure we might have limits but I doubt anyone on here is even close to their genetic max on anything.
Lyle McDonald has some interesting articles about physical limits to how much muscle the (male) human frame can actually support, and anything beyond that is steroids, basically.
However, most of us are far from that physical limit, as Nick said - even those of us who have trained for some years. And if we got close to the limit, we'd look pretty impressive. For example, based on my frame, I could manage at most 5kg more muscle (I have small bone structure). But I'd look a lot better with 5kg more muscle than now!
This situation always gets me thinking about the law of diminishing returns.
How badly do you want those extra gains and how much more will you have to do to get them.
Once you really reach a certain level, is the increased effort required (on top of what you're already doing) to keep improving, worth the minor gains?
If you are a regular guy with a life and not competing, I would think not.
Of course.Got any links?
this sums up my feelings exactly. the bigger/stronger you get, the slower the gains you make will be. if the gains were linear, eventually you would be able to squat 10 tonnes.
Of course.
That's Casey Butt's model based on frame size. It assumes low bodyfat (about 10%). People of higher bodyfat can sustain more muscle, for example sumos have more muscle than natural bodybuilders of the same height - but if the sumo wanted to lean down, he'd lose some muscle along the way.
"In reality, it will take years of dedicated, productive training for most genetically typical trainees to even approach these predictions. Most people, including champions, will never achieve this level of development throughout all of their muscle groups - and measurements taken at higher body fat levels do not reflect true muscular development. If you reach 95% of most of these predictions - in lean condition - you will stand out in almost any gym. In fact, 95% represents good lifetime goals for most genetically typical, drug-free trainees. At a lean 90% you'd look like a fitness model."Frame size is pretty important. I've a friend who's the same height as me, who trains a bit, has about 15-20kg on me in weight - he just has a larger bone structure than me, I'll never be the same weight as him unless it's all fat. So I have limits, but these limits are so far from what I am now, they seem less like limits and more like distant goals.
Lyle McDonald has an article on muscular potential, too, though he doesn't speak of frame size.
"Of course, to the general public, an individual at a lean 180-190 pounds is still pretty enormous. It’s just that compared to the absurd size of a pro bodybuilder, it seems absolutely tiny."
They're good writers, both "let's debunk the broscience" guys (eg, "you need to eat 4g protein per kg bodyweight to grow" sort of nonsense).
Ok Rob, basically what you’re interested in knowing is not whether it’s about having mind over matter, since mind is not matter and intangible. So how can we know our true potential and what to ultimately expect from our genes?
Again, I’m not some genetic scientist here but would nevertheless like to have a crack at answering your profound question.
I say our first stop is to take a close and hard look at the people closest to us; mum and dad. Then proceed to venture out by looking at extended members of the family and see to what levels they have reached physically. Sure, I can almost hear you say but Fadi, I’m the only one who lifts weights in my family or distant relatives. I say have a look at the bone structure, how wide are the shoulders, how tall are you and others related to you. I would then venture out and look at the non blood related population and look for bodybuilders who match your height, your race (Anglo etc), your bone structure.
Basically what I’m saying is we need to have a close look at the empirical data available to us instead of some scientific/laboratory experiments etc. I’m 164cm with a bicep length of X cm form front delt to elbow. I’d start by looking at bodybuilders with similar basic features and go from there. Look at bodybuilders your height having similar skeleton features but who have taken steroids big time. Compare their measurements with your own. Compare their bodyweight and fat percentages. That would be the ultimate in giving you an idea of what to ultimately expect; then you begin to compromise a bit here and a bit there since you don’t take steroids.
What I’ve written so far has zero to do with mind over matter since the two (we’ve agreed) are separate entities.
Fadi.
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(It's creatine and caffeine and a few amino acids thrown in for luck)
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