больше волокон остается в бездействии, тем слабее мышцa. If your body could miraculously increase its neuromuscular efficiency, it would lead to a huge increase in the productivity of your bodybuilding efforts.

4. The length of the abdomen of the muscle

Muscles are attached to bones by ligaments. Ligaments are bundles of tendons made up of connective tissue. Cut off these tendons from the muscle, and you will be left with the "belly" of the muscle (in the word "abdomen" the stress is on the last syllable). The belly of the muscle is the fleshy part of the muscle, the very “bump” that we see. The cross-sectional area of ​​a muscle can be significantly increased, but its length cannot.

The greater the length of the muscle belly, the greater the potential for increasing its thickness and volume, with all the ensuing consequences. If you have naturally inherited short-bellied muscles, their maximum size will be much smaller than the size of long-bellied muscles.

People with huge muscles, or great potential for pumping them up, were born with short ligaments and long muscle bellies. The "stocky" stars have long muscle bellies and short tendons, so even before training they had thick arms and legs.

Длина брюшка голени – самый наглядный пример важности длины мышечного брюшкa. Some people have short lower leg bellies - the so-called "high calves". No matter how hard they try, their shins will always lag behind in volume. Yes, they can develop powerful calves, but in relation to other muscles with long bellies, their size will still be small.

Как правило, если уж ваши мышечные брюшки длиннее среднего, то это справедливо для всех ваших мускулоin. However, there are notable exceptions. Look at how champions are built: some bicep bellies are disproportionately large compared to everything else. Their arms are bulging with huge muscles, and other parts of the body, despite all efforts, remain much flatter. It is not uncommon for genetically gifted athletes to have long bellies all over their bodies, with one exception. They are great in everything except the shins. Some people in such cases even resort to muscle implantation.

5. Type and number of muscle fibers

Мышца человека состоит из волокон двух типоin. Сколько в мышце волокон каждого типа, зависит от генетики конкретного человекa. Some fibers are better suited for building size and strength, others for endurance. If your muscles have more fibers of the first type, then hard training will allow you to pump up large and strong muscles; the success of a bodybuilder who has more "hardy" fibers will not be as impressive.

It is believed that the number of fibers in each muscle is genetically determined, although it is believed that some types of training allow you to split individual fibers. If your triceps are born with fewer fibers, you will never catch up with the lucky one with more fibers in those muscles. For example, a mesomorph who has never trained may have "skinny" muscles the same size as a lean ectomorph bodybuilder. But as soon as he starts doing weight training, everyone will see the difference. Ectomorph muscles pump up very slowly. And in a mesomorph with a lot of fibers, the muscles will swell, as if by leaps and bounds.

General assessment of genetic endowments

Try to take into account all five factors that indicate the degree of genetic talent, and you will understand how difficult it is for a typical amateur to equal a professional. Imagine a pronounced mesomorph with muscle attachment points far from the joints, all muscles with long bellies, an unusually large number of muscle fibers, high neuromuscular efficiency - all in an aesthetically pleasing "package". Добавьте к этому волю к победе, и вы получите генетического супермена, который способен покорить самые высокие вершины бодибилдингa.

The most fortunate bodybuilders who have extraordinarily high scores on all five genetic factors are turning into bodybuilding "stars" and making us cry. envy. That's where Sergio Oliva, the Mentzer brothers, Schwarzenegger, Bertil Fox, Lee Haney, Rich Gaspari, Dorian Yates, Eddie Robinson and others came from. By adding regular steroid use to their genetic luck, they were light years ahead of the typical amateur bodybuilders. And we haven't yet taken into account the other benefits that professionals so often have: a favorable constitution, an efficient digestive system, an extraordinary ability to recover and conduct long workouts. In addition, the most gifted athletes have sponsors that give them the opportunity to lead an idle life of professional bodybuilders and not work anywhere. Thanks to sponsors, they can train as much as they want, rest as much as they want and eat as they like. And this, as you know, is worth a lot.

Take courage

If the level of genetic talent puts an obvious limit in front of you, this does not mean that you need to raise your paws up.

No, if you don't strive for anything, you won't achieve anything. Self-respect and determination play a very important role in bodybuilding.

Set serious goals for yourself—“serious” not by championship standards, but by amateur standards (the next chapter will help you with this). Even if your genetic potential is very small, you can still change yourself! You may not become Schwarzenegger, but no girl on the beach will confuse you with an untrained wimp. Think: isn't the game worth the candle? And who knows how naturally gifted you are? And you yourself will not know this if you do not start to train hard and systematically year after year.

Many amateurs cannot pump huge muscles (genetics do not allow), but they manage to make their bodies powerful and beautiful, and sometimes very beautiful. They do not have a sagging belly and a stooped back. These people are harmoniously built, slender, they have a characteristic athletic appearance. A classic example is Sylvester Stallone. Yes, he looks very far from Yates, but his body looks great!

To make your muscles pleasant to look at, you don’t need to pump them up to gigantic sizes at all - this is the truth that must be remembered.

Many lovers of the body at first look unsightly. What to do - they were born that way. However менее, вы сможете с гарантией усовершенствовать то, что дала вам природa. Believe me, no matter what you are now, there will be changes for the better, and quite noticeable. Most importantly, stop comparing yourself with others, especially with professionals, otherwise any of your own success will seem insignificant to you. You will not catch up with the pros, even if you swallow handfuls of anabolics.

Don't like this kind of advice? Well, it's hard to face the truth. And in this book you will not find beautiful lies about bodybuilding, only the truth. Unfortunately, there really is a huge difference in the world between "haves" and "have nots" bodybuilders (in terms of genetic potential). I repeat, this should not be a cause of despondency and despair. We all need to be clear about exactly what benefits we are missing. This will allow us to set realistic, not delusional, goals and choose effective training methods designed for us amateurs.

3. Expectations

Muscle sizes

Прежде чем сравнивать себя с профессионалами, давайте посмотрим, какие объемы мышц бывают у чемпионоin. What about the fantastic forearm girths of 45-47 cm in 90 kg pros? It's hard to believe, right? Meanwhile, such figures are found in modern bodybuilding magazines. However, note that the famous giant strongman Bill Kazmayer weighing 136 kg has a forearm girth of “only” 44 cm - this was accurately established by expert David Wilby. He measured the champion's muscles with a tight-fitting tape and honestly reported the result. It is clear that information about forearm volumes of 45-47 cm in 90-kilogram pros, who look like dwarfs next to Kazmaier, is an ordinary lie.

False, exaggerated data, which are often found in elite magazines, can discourage an ordinary amateur who takes these lies on faith.

And how do you like a bicep girth of 55 or even 58 cm? Arthur Jones, the inventor of the Nautilus simulator, is known to everyone as an exceptionally truthful person. In one of his books, he gives the following data: the girth of the biceps of Sergio Oliva (in a relaxed state) is 50.3 cm, and that of Arnold Schwarzenegger (in a slightly tense state) is 49.7 cm. Arnold and Sergio are the two most gifted professionals, which видел мир бодибилдингa. They enjoy well-deserved fame due to their powerful hands. You just have to look at them to understand: in this respect, few can compare with them. So what about 55-58 cm biceps? Also a lie!

Jones also measured the hands of other genetic "lucky ones" in their best athletic form. Here are his data: Casey Viator - 48.3 cm, Mike Mentzer and Bill Pearl - 46.6 cm each.

These examples are necessary to learn how to set realistic goals. Compared to those fantastic figures that fill the pages of magazines, the maximum size of the muscles of even the most stubborn and strong-willed lover seems insignificant. However, if you compare these sizes with the real indicators of champions, they will cause sincere respect, especially if you remember how hard it is for a simple amateur.

Age

Your age is the limiting factor. If you start training after 35, don't expect too much from bodybuilding.

What I will talk about below are guidelines (of course, approximate) for healthy men aged 18 to 35 years. All men of this age, even completely green beginners, can count on noticeable changes after several years of hard training according to rational methods. Те, кто относится к возрастной группе от 35 до 45 лет и уже тренировался с нагрузкой, могут достичь примерно таких же результатоin. But if you are between 35 and 45, and