Question from a client today: How will one know if they have reached their full genetic muscle mass?
I love that question.
My answer:
H U G E topic - pun intended ; )
Hyperplasia - some say possible, others say no. If it is possible, it's likely when young such as through adolescence with a great deal of muscle adaptation (training) being forced.....but extreme and rare.
Hypertrophy - different muscle fiber types, different ways to train them, different energy systems to train them through, but yes there's a genetic max. Look at the best drug-free bodybuilders on the planet. Take Dave Goodin at 52-3 years old. Been training since he was in his 20's. He won world titles, universe titles, masters cup titles, and even an IFBB pro card......all in his 160's. With a huge powerlifting background and 30 years of training....even gaining 2 lbs of muscle a year would put him over 200 lbs now.....but, still in the 160's.
Some guys will max out in the 140's, 150's, 160's.....common really to be in the 150's/160's as a 5'8"-9" male fully developed muscularly. Some will be in the 170's-180's (look at the world middleweight drug free champions....you start seeing freaky mesomorphic structures.) Then you see drug-free guys in the 190's and just over 200.....they're rare; like a T-Rex walking the earth. You just don't see those genetics often.
How will you know you maxed out your genetics? When you've trained as hard as you can, as consistently as you can until you die. Until then, even if you don't see gains on the scale, you will see appearance, density, and maturity changes that make you appear like you're bigger.
