This is part of the Real Talk With Client Series. Click here for the rules. Go here to see other topics.
Explaining genetics, or the limits of hard work
I had a client, John. He was 45 years old. He had been in the gym some, but never seriously. A goal was to bench press his bodyweight. For context, an impressive bench press is 1.5x your weight. If he could do it within a year, he’d be happy.
John did it in 6 weeks.
Anything I had John do, he was able to. Mid air switching grip pull-ups, behind the back clapping push-ups, lift this, lift that, it didn’t matter.
His only athletic background was dirt bikes.
I’d like to tell you it was all my programming, but half the time all I did was put more weight on the bar and he’d lift it.
That is what we mean by genetically suited for fitness. It smacks you in the face with how obvious it is. When John would train, other clients and gym members would stop to watch. You do not need genetic testing. Go lift or run for a couple months and you’ll know.
These people are rare, but they’re often who we see, read, hear about. Odds are, you’re not one of them. No amount of hard work will overcome that.
Posted on January 14, 2019