fitness answers

These questions always amuse me—probably because they remind me of a much younger version of myself. To preface (and give credibility to what I am about to share), this is me: (I apologize to those that have seen this before. It always feels like a new story every time I tell it.) When I was the skinny kid on the left, I wanted so badly to be the shredded guy on the right. In my mind, I held that image and forced myself to go to the gym, hoping one day, one day, the dream would manifest itself. My original intention was simple:  I just wanted people to like me. I wanted girls to want to go out with me. I wanted guys to respect me. I wasn’t so much interested in being the center of attention. I just wanted what was fair, and what I think every human being wants—a little validation, and a sense of self worth. The photo on the left was taken when I was ~15 years old. The photo on the right was taken when I was ~24. By the time I actually became that person on the ...

I have written about this before but I like the poignancy of this question. The introductory answer to this question for me is the fact that when I turned 18 years old, I had a couple major shifts happen in my life: 1) I was diagnosed with an early form of arthritis called Ankylosing Spondylitis.  Essentially, if I don't stay physically active, my muscles (particularly the ones around my spine) will start to cramp in on themselves.  Every once in a while I have a spasm and it's extremely painful to breathe, so much so that there have been times where I have had to take painkillers for a day or two. 2) For the first 18 years of my life I didn't know that I was allergic to wheat.  Just after my 18th birthday, I was diagnosed with having Celiac Disease and went on a gluten free diet.  This was back in 2008 when "being gluten free" was almost unheard of.  I thought my only options for food were chicken, rice, and vegetables. Pair a sudden need to st...

Bad genetics is a pretty open field. In terms of muscle bellies and insertions, look at a YouTuber called “traintolookgoodnaked”. He has some bad bicep bellies and insertions, due to the fact they start almost halfway up his humerus. In terms of proportions, in the bodybuilding world the V-taper is the most aesthetically pleasing and sought out for look. Bad genetics in that field would mean that ones shoulders are the same width as ones waist. For example this guy As you can see, the width of his shoulders is exactly the same as the width of his waist. Another sign of bad genes is having a hard time building muscle. Phil Heath, the top bodybuilder in today’s world can build muscle much faster than the average person can. He also has a natural “3D” look. He is, not coincidentally, also called “The gift” for his one in a million genes.