Here’s the late Rocky Johnson and his jacked-at-50 son, Dwayne.
It’s been noted that the elder Johnson liked to party and drink and had young children with two women. So to provide for his two families, he adopted a frugal lifestyle and lived on “beer, sliced cheese, and bologna.”
And the dude looked like THAT? How?
Johnson senior benefited from great genetics for building muscle & looking jacked. We can say that because Junior sure does as well. Genetics are that powerful.
But they’re also grossly misunderstood in the fitness world.
Ever see jacked guys on social media who post photos from before they started training next to photos of their current studly condition and boast of “overcoming bad genetics?”
Hate to break it to you bro, but the fact you responded so well to weight training indicates you ARE genetically gifted.
That’s how gene expression works.
Genetics are also an easy scapegoat. Many people will blame poor progress on “bad genetics” when it’s really due to a lack of focus, discipline, consistency, and effort, aka The Crucial 4.
I’ve known many self-described “skinny fat hardgainers” in their 20’s who just didn’t know how to apply the Crucial 4 to the “eat-sleep-train” lifestyle. Once they did, those labels soon disappeared, often replaced with comments like “if I had your genetics I’d be jacked too.”
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Confused yet?
Yes, genetics play a HUGE role in how you look and how successful your fat loss or muscle building efforts will be.
So for those who’ve been going hard for years and still don’t look anything like The Rock or his lunchable-loving old man, much can be attributed to something you can’t control.
However, you DO control the Crucial 4.
Are you attacking your diet & fitness plan with as much focus, discipline, consistency, and effort as you can?
Or are you skipping workouts, choosing take-out over cooking, and enjoying a drink “or two” a day because your job is so darn stressful?
You may not have the same DNA, time, money, or resources as the Rock.
But you’ll never know what you can do with what you have until you give it everything you’ve got.
“The harder you work, the better you eat, the more genetically gifted you’ll be.”
That much I do know.
Coach Bryan