Don’t Let “Bad Genetics” Keep You From Building Big, Muscular Biceps   

No matter who you are, I believe that you can build thickly muscled and chiseled biceps regardless of your size or body weight.  Having said this, the fact remains that not all of us have the genetic potential to become Mr. Olympia (and most of us probably don’t want that much development anyway).  The exact role of genetics in bodybuilding is not fully understood.  One thing is certain – you’ve got to train smart to maximize whatever genetic potential you have to build massive, well-defined biceps.

Some people use “bad genetics” as a convenient excuse for quitting their training programs when they fail to see quick results. Don’t fall into this trap.  You must remember to set your own goals and work to achieve them without comparing yourself to anyone else.  Besides, how can you know what your genetic potential actually is until you’ve spent every effort and tried every available workout to maximize it?

Regardless of your genetic makeup, most of your biceps building success will depend upon the consistency and technical aspects of your training and proper nutrition.  Moreover, you should understand that not every workout is going to deliver your desired results because there is no single exercise or workout plan that works for everyone.  Depending on your body type and genetic abilities, some workouts will give you great results, some will work only modestly and others won’t work for you at all. 

Biceps Training To Fit Your Body Type

To maximize your genetic potential to build big, muscular biceps you’ve got to understand your body type.   In purest terms, the human body comes in three physiological forms: ectomorphic, endomorphic and mesomorphic.  An ectomorph is the typical “hard gainer” who has general difficulty in gaining weight, especially muscle mass.  Ectomorphs are usually tall with long, lean limbs, narrow shoulders and a relatively fragile bone structure.  Ectomorphs also tend to have a high metabolism that causes the calorie burn that can eat into protein stores needed to build muscle after a workout.

Endomorphs are at the opposite end of the body type spectrum.  Endomorphs tend to have rounded or “stocky” bodies with a slower metabolism that makes it easy for them to gain muscle.  Unfortunately, this slow metabolism also means that endomorphs can get fat very easily.  Endomorphs are particularly well-suited for powerlifting movements, but their tendency to hold on to calories makes high-repetition and cardiovascular training critical to their ability to achieve superior muscular shape and definition.

In between the ectomporhic and endomorphic body types is the mesomorph.  Mesomorphs tend to have a naturally strong, balanced and athletic physique with an ability to gain and display muscle much more easily than the other body types (think NFL linebackers or world class sprinters).   Although mesomorphs have a higher metabolism than endomorphs, they don’t have the ectomporhic ability to naturally burn calories and must therefore carefully monitor their food intake to avoid getting fat.

While pure ectomorphs, endomorphs and mesomorphs theoretically exist, the reality is that most people have mixed body types (e.g., “mesomorph-endomorph”).  When it comes to training in a way that best fits your body type, there are subtle but important differences depending on whether you’re primarily an ectomorph, endomorph or mesomorph.  If you’re mostly ectomorphic, you should emphasize low repetition mass building techniques with extended training intervals that minimize cardiovascular exercise. 

On the other hand, if you’re primarily endormorphic you should emphasize high repetition training cycles with extended intervals that regularly include high intensity cardiovascular workouts.  Finally, if you’re mostly mesomorphic your biceps should respond well to both low and high repetition training with moderate amounts of high intensity cardiovascular training for enhanced muscularity.  The bottom line is that you must work with whatever genetic potential you have to build the big, muscular biceps that you desire.  And you’ll never reach that potential if you quit too soon because of “bad genetics."