The Pro Physique (What It Takes)

[mr intensity]

My favorite anecdote r.e. this point: last year, Dave and I are prepping in the summer. I'm trying to win my state show and Dave's on his way to winning the Tampa and is the defending 202 Mr. Olympia (I'm just gonna use that term for it).

We've just got done doing some posing, are beat to hell standing in front of the mirrors where we typically pose and Dave says, "Ya know, we've been training together for so many years now - same stuff - and our structures are so different..." This was said totally nonchalantly, as a casual observation without any intention other than just making small talk...

I was like, LOL - "Dave, no shit! You're friggin' Mr. Olympia and I've been trying to be Mr. Arizona for 7 years now!!! There's a little difference between our physiques..."



Wow - I think you're off there a bit - if I'm reading this right, I think most of the IFBB pro's recognized their potential early one. How many pro's have you heard who stepped on stage and won their first show (some without any training). Justin Rys (BigKiwi on professional muscle . com) put on 100lb in his 1st year of training! Debbie B. stated that she was outstandingly muscular and build for power and speed as a kid. I could go on and on, but I'd say MOST of guys who truly excel as BB'ers do so early on, and this includes gaining muscle and strength...



This gets at the finer points of what a competitive BB'ers physique along the larger spectrum...

A national caliber NPC BB'er has a physique (esp. the larger weight classes) that pretty much freaks the average person out: upper 0.5%... and is not near getting a pro card (I'm talking a guy who is middle of the pack at the Jr. national or pro card qualifying level)... Then there's the lower tier pro's... (maybe upper 0.05%... Just stabbing at numbers here)...

SO NOW we're talking IFBB Pro's: Within the Pro spectrum...


AMONG those guys are the guys who have toiled for years to get a card... They might place top 10 for years and then finally get a card at a lower weight class or maybe as a Master's competitor (this is getting a lot more competitive now) and then perhaps not even compete beyond a year or two past getting the card... Some of these guys maximized every damn genetic card they had, worked their asses off maniacly, became tremendous students of the endeavor and this all manifested in a once in a lifetime performance that got them a card, but would not perhaps land them a top 10 placing in a Pro show...

At the other end: TOP tier guys, from the lower end of this range who make the Olympia but are not truly in the running for the title... to the guys who put it all together: Genetics, training, rest, maniacal discipline, great support financially, personally, etc., supplementation, you name it and EVEN these guys all have their "flaws" as far as structure, muscle mass and conditioning (short waist, blocky waist, narrow clavicles, unresponsive back, trouble with lower body conditioning, water retention, etc...)

Only one guy really has put it all together and been thought of as having everything (not a universal opinion, of course): incredible mass, freaky proportion / symmetry, ridiculous bodyparts, tapered waist, unquestionable conditioning, mental fortitude and 100% committment... and he was able to hold all of those things in place for only < 10 yr before symmetry (waist, calves), injuries (lats, quads), etc. started to bring him down... (You can guess who I'm referring to...)

So, what it takes to be a Pro (think of a guy who wins his countries national championship and you never hear of him) vs. what it takes to be on the cover of Flex or MD, vying for the Mr. O title are a miniscule slice of the overall physique pie (of the species) and WORLD's apart in the echelon of Pro bodybuilding...

I think we're missing that in this discussion a bit...

-S

you mis understood me... i know people who are genetic freaks, the first name comes out is paul dillet... i guess in a years time his arms measured 20 inches....or big kiwi for that matter and many others, .... my point was all these pros did not know from DAY1 of training that they it is in their destiny to become ifbb pros....these pros when they first started their they showed excellent response to diet training and hormones and just like someone who excels in business by leaps and bounds and earns millions( the businessman when he first started did not know he would become a multimillionaire) ... same kind of thing happened with these pros...they got recongnition because they excelled, and as they got more and more acknowledgement and recgonition they went ahead kept doing the same work in progressive manner and then ultimately land up being the best in the world...

what i am trying to say is anyone with the who stays consistent with diet training and hormones will eventually come to know his own individual destiny.... it may be an IFBBpro or an avg gym rat....

[Scott Stevenson]

i dont think any of the pros could predict for themselves that they will gain 140 pounds of muscle in 7 years at a rate of 20 pound muscle/year... they just kept on doing things the way they thought was correct for them and then things happened as they were supposed to happen.

you mis understood me... i know people who are genetic freaks, the first name comes out is paul dillet... i guess in a years time his arms measured 20 inches....or big kiwi for that matter and many others, .... my point was all these pros did not know from DAY1 of training that they it is in their destiny to become ifbb pros....

Yes, indeed - I misunderstood you.

-S

[p.s.]

I know many people who have good work ethic and have trained for a long time and do all the right things and cant get big because they dont have the right genetics for it..LOL

I've known more than my fair share of these people as well. In fact I knew a young fella who at 198 or even 181 (yes PLing) was sooooo damned strong 600 pull and squat as a natty with a decent bench and yet looking at him you'd think ya he's in shape but you'd never EVER think he was that strong as he looked more like a tennis player. He ate a strict diet and ya he was muscular but for all his power/strength no freakish muscle size.

He was genetically designed for strength but not muscle size, and the same holds true for many BBs sure they're huge but for all that muscle they aren't very strong, so again genetics plays a huge role. So for the average person walking around sure with hard training, quality nutrition and loads of supps I'm sure they could look great but out of 200 normals I'd say you'd be lucky to find 1-2 that have what it takes to be a decent BB let alone a pro.

[musclemilf]

Genetics rule. All the drugs in the world isn't going to change the shape of your muscle bellies/insertions or skeletal structure. You need to pick better set of parents next time you're reincarnated.

[raylove]

Genetics rule. All the drugs in the world isn't going to change the shape of your muscle bellies/insertions or skeletal structure. You need to pick better set of parents next time you're reincarnated.

As stated and argued above, this is the statement with the most authority and reality in describing bodybuilding and how far one can go. Im pretty sure its safe to say that what it takes to be an IFBB pro is genetics. And an elite IFBB pro, exceptional genetics.

[musclemilf]

As stated and argued above, this is the statement with the most authority and reality in describing bodybuilding and how far one can go. Im pretty sure its safe to say that what it takes to be an IFBB pro is genetics. And an elite IFBB pro, exceptional genetics.

I have crappy genetics, but it still doesn't deter me from trying to continually transform my body (as they say in wiki- bodybuilding is another form of body modification ). It's my own personal journey. i have and always will support the sport.

My good friend who won the USAs years ago with that fella..Flex Wheeler showed me his pictures today of first BB show at 17. I was floored on how his superior genetics was so obvious at such a young age even as a newbie bodybuilder.

[tiramisu]

The whole supplement industry relies on and sells the democratic myth that if you work hard enough you can be anything you want (if you buy the bucket of fairy dust).

Personally I prefer the truth that a good diet and a good strength program make me stronger, fitter and just a little bit harder to kill.

[HammerStrength12]

The way I see it, genetics for getting big and ripped are mostly tied to your hormonal makeup. The thyroid gland regulates your metabolism, and testosterone/growth hormone largely influence how much muscle you can build. So a guy in the low normal range for T (say 400ng/DL) will certainly benefit from getting his levels up to 800 (which would be an EXTREMELY low dose test cycle). This will undoubtably allow him top ut on more muscle. Same goes for someone with a TSH level over 10 when it comes to losing fast...

[bigjavs]

The whole supplement industry relies on and sells the democratic myth that if you work hard enough you can be anything you want (if you buy the bucket of fairy dust).

Personally I prefer the truth that a good diet and a good strength program make me stronger, fitter and just a little bit harder to kill.

This.

[newgoal300]

Achieving a pro physique is 100% about genetics. And I'm talking about how your body responds to stimuli in the form of training, certain nutrients and hormones. Getting to a pro level is all about genes. Some people just can never wrap their head around that.

100% correct, no other answer fits here, just like throwing a fastball 100mph, it's a gift from God. everyone can improve but, there is just a few genetically superior people out there. in the womb God touches them and makes them special......

[newgoal300]

I don't believe so. If you take the proper drugs, eat right and train right for 15 years, ANYONE is going have a huge ripped physique. Some will end up like Batista and Branch, other like Dexter and Phil. You just need to take it to the next level.

lord i wish that was true, i'd take bautista or branch's physique if i really had too, lol

[p.s.]

So many people just want/need to believe that it's the drugs that make a Mr Olympia or just a decent pro. However if one took the drugs out of the equation the top guys would still be on top...WHY? Because they have the genetics plain and simple. So what I'm saying here is drug usage is the excuse guys make so they feel better about their less than stellar physiques. We've all heard it on many occassions some kid/guy stating that he could look like Ronnie, Jay etc if he did all those drugs, and in reality these people just aint got the genetics or the drive to even look like a decent BB (never mind a pro), even if they did take truck loads of AAS!

[chrism50]

Get over it bodybuilding is a sport determined by genetics...It has been said that 1 out of 100,000 men have the potential to be a Mr. Universe winner. Like Steve Reeves said some people are meant to play ping pong while others have the genetics to be a bodybuilder !!!! That does not mean that you still can not improve your own body and look good.

[raylove]

The way I see it, genetics for getting big and ripped are mostly tied to your hormonal makeup. The thyroid gland regulates your metabolism, and testosterone/growth hormone largely influence how much muscle you can build. So a guy in the low normal range for T (say 400ng/DL) will certainly benefit from getting his levels up to 800 (which would be an EXTREMELY low dose test cycle). This will undoubtably allow him top ut on more muscle. Same goes for someone with a TSH level over 10 when it comes to losing fast...

No doubt you need proper levels of hormonal makeup and output in your body, but the results of your efforts in the gym is always still tied to your genetics. Even a guy with outrageous test levels probably wont go far if he doesnt have muscle insertion, makeup and roundness for bodybuilding.

[Quadsweep]

This gets at the finer points of what a competitive BB'ers physique along the larger spectrum...

A national caliber NPC BB'er has a physique (esp. the larger weight classes) that pretty much freaks the average person out: upper 0.5%... and is not near getting a pro card (I'm talking a guy who is middle of the pack at the Jr. national or pro card qualifying level)... Then there's the lower tier pro's... (maybe upper 0.05%... Just stabbing at numbers here)...



I think we're missing that in this discussion a bit...

-S

This is pretty much me. I do freak people out it seems from comments I hear from people after they get to know me or what folks say when they come into my gym to sign up. It always suprises me because I do not think I look that big at all. I land in the middle of the pack most times in heavies and Lt Hvys at National level but have 1 national level trophy and you would be in a fight if you tried to take it from me! I will prolly never get another! Rita however has like 10 of the damn things! I try not to hate her!


Jeff