I think if op gets strong, the waist will grow even if he stays lean. I wore 28 pants and had a small waist when I was ops size (same height at 170). My waist has gotten bigger even when I’m lean. I believe it’s mostly the erectors from squatting and deadlifting. Interestingly, I think my wrists have gotten bigger from heavy pressing.
Iirc, the average guy is 18" delt to delt. But the average guy also is fat (the data is from the US). You are past that and lean, so it’s a good start.
For now, I think you should focus your energy in getting strong. That will get you pretty far. I think the guys that have spent the time to get their big compound movements respectable have a big advantage. Stuff like rowing will be a lot easier if you are a good deadlifter. Once you have the strength, getting size is easier imo.
Once you get that size, I think arms are going to be your trouble spot, but don’t focus on that right now imo. It’s my weakness too. I just can’t build them like the guys with great arm genetics, and all the good bbers have great arm genetics.
Secondly, what will knowing if you have the right genetics do to change your approach ? You mentioned you have been interested in bodybuilding for 11 years now. If you like it that much, just train hard and see what happens. No one can answer from a picture what your genetic code is like and many people have built great strength and physiques with average genetics. Please stop worrying about minor details or seeking compliments from strangers online about how you look before you have even started.
I don’t want to invalidate you or anything, but if the answer was “no, your genetics are awful,” what would you do? Not train?
Whether you have great genetics or otherwise, the path forwards is the same. Lift, eat, condition, and be patient. Compete if you so desire. See how things turn out.
I think that sometimes the way you look before you start training can mislead you. This is especially true for those who do not have much muscle and think that they will not make much progress. When I was a student and then a young man, I practiced street fitness for a long time. I had great Biceps, Back and Shoulders. One of my classmates and friends, who didn’t seem to have a predisposition to look like a bodybuilder at all, kept telling me how happy he was to look at me, and he would be happy if he looked even half like me. Then, when we were about 17 years old, he started training seriously and in a short period of time he achieved so much that I was the one who would be happy to look half like my friend. Apparently he had genetics that predisposed to muscle growth, although his skeletal structure and the size of his muscles before he started training did not indicate that this was possible.
For example, this is what Kevin looked like when he was about your age. Yes, he used drugs, but whatever you use, if you don’t have genetics, you can’t look like that.
I go to work, not because i have any illusions of making more money than Elon Musk, but because i believe my life will be better with more money than less money.
I climb, not because i have any illusions of beating Adam Ondra, but because i enjoy it and i have a passion for it.
If you have a passion for things, or they bring tangible benefits to your life: do them. If they don’t, don’t do them. Genetics doesn’t even have to enter the conversation.
Well, some people need to hear that they have the gift and the predisposition. This is an incentive for them. Even CT talks about this neurotype, which seeks approval to move forward. Even if genetics is not the most important thing in this case, you better tell the person: Hey dude, you have a great skeletal structure, I think you can achieve a lot in bodybuilding. This is because a lot of people are hesitant and would give up training if you tell them they won’t accomplish much. It is better to encourage them to train, which will bring them many benefits. And when they see that things don’t work out, they will look for the mistake in them, but they will continue to train … because they have the gift to look like bodybuilders
Just to clarify that I speak in principle and this does not apply to the author of the topic and something is lying to him. I really think he can make progress.
I remember my mother, who worked as a teacher before retiring. And when a student performs very poorly because his intellectual level is low - stupid if I have to be precise, she does not tell this child’s parents that she is stupid. He tells them: He is smart, but he is tired of learning and he is not focused when teaching lessons. He needs to make more efforts and things will improve.
In fact, yes, there are people for whom this is not a hobby. Undoubtedly, you should like what you do, but I’m talking about cases where your goals are much higher than what you can achieve. The work and time you put in was guided by that goal, and you didn’t always enjoy doing it. But you kept going, simply because someone told you you had to train and you would look like a very advanced bodybuilder. But if you know that it was almost impossible to happen, you will not put so much effort, you will just train for pleasure.
I still disagree or maybe am misunderstanding you. If you are the sort of person who would give up if someone tells you that you may not have the best genetics. Then you would not have what it takes to make it to the top level of bodybuilding if someone told you that you had great genetics. The top people of any sport excel despite what anyone tells them. If you don’t have that mindset then forget it.
I’m not normally the tough love guy, but if you refuse to put any effort into something without knowing for sure you could be the best at it, life is going to be rough for you.
I have very little patience for minors posting shirtless photos on the internet, so I hope you take the advice given immediately after posting, which is ‘take these the fuck down.’
I also hope at some point, you get it through your thick skull that there is absolutely NO WAY to know how you respond to bodybuilding training without… bodybuilding training. I have zero clue what your potential is, and neither does anyone else here.
Instead of trying to find people who will congratulate you on work that you HAVEN’T put in, perhaps put in some work, come back, and ask how your PROGRESS has been.
Nobody’s starting point truly matters, in bodybuilding, or in life. I knew some goddamn morons in high school who have been HIGHLY successful in their adult life, because they work hard. Similarly, I knew very smart, very capable, attractive people who completely suck at adulting, because their end point wasn’t any better than their starting point.
Bottom line: disappear from internet forums for a few years. Get your ass in the gym. Ignore the outside noise. And put in the work. Then you’ll have your answers. There’s no shortcut here, you have to WAIT to get the answer to your question.
