The hand you're dealt

Here’s an interesting article forwarded to us by Doctor B.

Exploring Why Some People Get Fitter Than Others

Initially reading it I became annoyed with the premise.
“Of course a rat bred to respond positively or negatively to exercise are going to do just that!”
But then the author sums up Dr. Wisloff conclusions on the study nicely.

But the potential lesson of the new study would seem to be, he said, that we should closely monitor our body’s response to exercise. If after months of training, someone is not able to run any farther than he or she could before, maybe it is time to change the intensity or frequency of the workouts or try something else, like weight training. The genes that control the body’s responses to that activity are likely to be very different than those involved in responses to aerobic exercise, Dr. Wisloff said.

That’s good solid advice right there.

Figure out how you’re responding to your workouts and adjust accordingly.
So yes, we are stuck with the gene our parents gifted us.  But should we just blame lack of progress on our DNA and quit?
You can if you want, but I know what I’m going to do. I’m going to adjust the things I can affect:
  • Nutrition
  • Exercise (frequency, type, volume, intensity)
  • SLEEP

Will those things change your Genotype? Nope.  But they can and will alter your Phenotype.
(“Phenotype” is an organism’s actual observed properties, such as morphology, development, or behavior.)
It’s because of the Phenotypes ability to adapt to stimuli that identical twins can be so different from each other.
So I’m going to keep tracking my numbers; lifts, met-con times, body weight, BioSig info, really any data I can grab.
I’m also going to respect my genotype, but adjust my workouts and life style to manipulate the hell out of Phenotype!

people working out in a group fitness class

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