People With Good Genetics Can Afford To Train Sub-Par

As unfair as it sounds, this is the reality. I'm sure you've seen clips of world-class athletes doing some of the whackiest and inefficient training known to man. The harsh truth of any physical pursuit, however, is that genetics plays a MUCH greater role than most people think. When we talk about 'genetics' in sports and lifting, we generally think of muscle mass, fast twitch fibers etc. But we often gloss over other significant attributes which are used highly during sports. For example, things like reaction time, ability to recover and sleep quality are all dependent largely on genetics.

You probably don't have good genetics. If you did have good genetics, you would already be competing at the state level in your sport (the state level is a BARE MINIMUM to be classified as having 'good' genetics). Tom Brady, during his first year at the NFL, ran a 5.28 40-yard dash and had a 24.5 inch vertical jump. Basically, he was extremely unathletic. But guess what, he STILL has better genetics than YOU!

People with good genetics can afford to not train optimally. Many top athletes hire the dumbest coaches known to mankind, and they STILL get more athletic! That's the power of genetics and the human body! However, someone like me or you cannot simply imitate the stupid training of these athletes and expect to get the same results. People like you and I actually need to invest time into learning about proper training.

People tend to disregard the 'optimal' movement in fitness and sport culture. Although some people can take the idea of 'optimal' training a bit too far, this doesn't deny the fact that optimising your training is a worthy goal. Why shouldn't we try to optimise our performance? In fact, for people who weren't winners of the genetic lottery, pursuing optimal training is probably necessary in order to see real progress. 

So next time you see some kid squatting 600lbs, please keep in mind that you are not that kid. You need to train properly. He doesn't. Of course, the kid could also benefit hugely from training properly. Maybe he should purchase a training program from the Cavern Of Creatures Gym!

- Hawtsauce