Something I’ve been thinking a lot about recently is the role that genetics play when it comes to fitness, response to exercise, and also response to androgenic stimulus.
One easy citable example of how genetics impact our physiology is response that is typical of folks of South American origin who are very susceptible to have their bodies react to sugars, especially processed sugar. It’s not been a great part of their diet until very recently (in bio/evolutionary terms). However, even that impact seems to be individualized in response.
I was thinking about this topic specifically with regards to response to TRT and other androgenic stimuli. Personally, I seem to respond very strongly to my TRT protocol while staying within sensible ranges (900-1100 Total Test). It’s not clear to me how much of my response is due to the fact I had been living with very low (sub-200) levels through natural production, my training work ethic, diet, or a genetic response mechanism. I am curious if there’s ever been any studies to see how response differed from androgenic stimuli across different men with other conditions kept the same.
It’s funny that when pro bodybuilders talk about their own rise, they often cite genetics as a key driver to their success. I’ve never been able to differentiate whether they mean genetics that enable that amount of muscle to look good on their frame (for an example of someone to whom heavy muscle does not naturally sit on frame, see Sam Sulek), or whether they are referring to their own genetic response mechanisms to the various stimuli as being a key differentiator…. Maybe it’s both.
I guess what I’m really asking is opinions as to how markedly different responses are to TRT and other anabolic stimuli?
Of course, we all only have our own experiences to go off, but I feel that I have responded unusually strongly to TRT (before and after pic 15 months apart attached), though I was both a model candidate and I have kept a good diet and training ethic with heavy loads along the way. I have cut about 30lbs fat and added 30lb muscle in just over a year (for ref I’m 40y/o, 6’4, 255lb) . I am trying to figure out if I’m just lucky with genetics or whether my results are replicable by the masses with good work ethic and nutrition.
