Race and Genetics

Off Topic
1

Before anyone calls me out as a racist, here is the deal I will call African American people black and Caucasian people white because I dont feel like writing the those two words over and over. So heres this question, do black people have better genetics for bodybuilding in general. I ask because some of the best in the sport at the moment are black and its super noticeable every where else.

I went to high school in Jersey City and a ton of guys in my graduating class were black. Most didnt lift except for very few that were on the football team. Most ate like shit like every other high school kid probably once or twice a day of shit food like chips, sodas, and candy but still remained an “athletic” look. Not saying these guys were gonna be Mr. Olympias but with their shirt off they looked like athletes. This was not the case with most white guys I knew.

Right now both of my training partners are black and the discussion came up. We have all been training for three months and although my diet and consistency are much better and I outweigh both by 10 pounds they’re physiques look a ton better. Muscle fullness, muscle separation, etc. I deff have decent genetics for a white dude so dont want you guys to think Im frail as shit. My dad is 210 pounds probably 14-15% bodyfat and never stepped in the gym a day in his life.

I have also noticed the difference in the majority of kids I know. Most white kids I know that dont lift look skinny, frail, or skinny fat. Most black dudes I know that dont lift look somewhat athletic and a bit ripped most of the time.

So what do some think? Does the average black dude have better genetics for bodybuilding then the average white dude? Please dont let this turn into a racial criticism thing? And any that feel the need to post some stupid comment, please dont and save it for another thread? And note this is not in anyway about me personally, just a question that I think would make for an interesting discussion.

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I don’t think this has ever been discussed, this should make for a good thread.

Oh wait, I think we have discussed this before. Like, I don’t know, a million times.

3

I suppose if you could include indians/asians in this, it might make it more interesting. With a third of the population being that, it could be useful. Any geneticists out there that specialise in comparative athletic subjects?

4

sorry didnt realize cant i get a link to the thread and i will delete this asap.

5

Here are a few.

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[quote]Hazzyhazz24 wrote:
So what do some think? Does the average black dude have better genetics for bodybuilding then the average white dude? [/quote]

Maybe, but what does it matter in the end since it doesn’t necessarily apply to any one individual of either race?

Besides, this sounds like the beginning of a great excuse for white some white guys can’t build muscle.

7

black people are the rox0rz and white people are the sux0rz…

8

There has been a scientific study which allegedly claimed people of African descent cannot swim and people of European descent cannot jump.

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[quote]LankyMofo wrote:
I don’t think this has ever been discussed, this should make for a good thread.[/quote]

AT first I was like “Okay, maybe it’s going to be good”

1 sec later read title…I scroll down

I LOL’d.

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Easily the dumbest fucking thread ever created. Like you’re looking for answers to explain mediocrity. Off-topic and pointless differ.

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[quote]Mikaj wrote:
There has been a scientific study which allegedly claimed people of African descent cannot swim and people of European descent cannot jump.[/quote]

http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/82/2/429

12

TUBESTEAK BOOGIE!?

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Ahh, this is actually a pretty interesting topic, if a little un-PC. For bodybuilding/powerlifting purposes its all crap, though. We are talking about people who are absolutely pushing the boundaries of the human body’s capability, in a way that it hasn’t necessarily evolved to do. Sprinting, jumping, long-distance running, carrying moderate loads, etc are all things that selection pressures placed a high priority on for various races at different intensities. Pushing a maximal weight, arguably, was not. For the muscle sports, I would argue that nutrition and training play a FAR more important role than genetics.

That said, there are very real genetic differences among different populations. Race is a stupid term that means nothing much. Africans and african-americans actually have the most genetic variability of any race. Do you really think the genetics of Michael Johnson and Usain Bolt are all that similar to the genetics of (insert Kenyan marathoner name here)? Of course not. North Indians and South Indians are very different genetically speaking. And Latinos also show population-level differences as you traipse from mexico down to the tip of chile. And also from the mountainous regions of Peru down to the plains of argentina and brazil. Southeast asians are very different from the chinese who are different from the japanese. And australian aborigines, who a lot of people have a tendency to think of as ‘black’ are actually most closely related to south indians.

Some generalities that you can make though, are that those africans who are typeI dominant, as well as asian indians, and to a lesser degree hispanics, have very different insulin sensitivities than white people. In general, brown people (I am one, btw) tend to have very good insulin sensitivity of muscle and very bad insulin sensitivity of fat. This is why we also tend to have higher rates of diabetes for a given body fat percentage. This kind of in-built nutrient partitioning mechanism (in which the high insulin sensitivity of muscle enables good muscle gains) is also why I have yet to meet a South Asian who could be considered a ‘hard-gainer’, even if we tend to be rather small on average.

South asians have some of the lightest bones relative to their lean body mass, which is why most people tend to overestimate our weight. Blacks tend to have the densest bones. In terms of subcutaneous fat proclivities, asians tend to put it on easier than other racial groups, and blacks are far less likely to store fat subcutaneously (instead storing it centrally). This is where a lot of ‘black envy’ comes from. At a given level of bf% (within reason) less is subcu and thus more muscle definition is visible. Whites lie somewhere in between.

Again, how much does it matter to people who push the envelope? Probably not much. It might make a difference in sports in which natural selection provides us tools, but when we are talking about the freakishly large and strong, it is not going to play a large role. It’s highly unlikely that a type-1 dominant person who has naturally low muscle insulin sensitivity will ever become freakishly huge or strong, but chances are that if you are in the iron game that doesn’t apply to you. But the guy’s at the O, on WSM, or at IPF Worlds have far more in common in terms of the attention they pay to diet, the intensity of their training, and their intelligence at programming than anything genetic.

14

^^ this is a bunch of shit.

these differences are not because of observable genetic differences but because of the specific diet that they have in different areas of the world.

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[quote]spyoptic wrote:
^^ this is a bunch of shit.

these differences are not because of observable genetic differences but because of the specific diet that they have in different areas of the world. [/quote]

Try again, kid. These differences exist even in the great melting pot of America despite broadly similar diets.

16

I’ve seen the occassional black bull in a sampling of 10, who matches the ideal ‘super-slave’ stereotype.

When you see college sports teams, these bulls come together in mass and give the appearance of genetic superiority.

However, it has been my experience, especially recently, that the average black teenage, is weak and/or obese. I lift at a high school gym, and it is not uncommon for 17 year old african americans to come in and not be able to do pull-ups…most like most of America’s youth are in terrible shape.

Further, most black men I know are rather weak. At any given gym, I see them doing some hi-rep bench press faster than shit, but perhaps maxing at 225 for the majority of the group.

I think you confuse, looks with actual muscular development.
It is evident that blacks are often taller, have longer fingers, and faces are longer rather than wider. I think you would be led to believe that the sharpness of their skeleton with the standard muscular development of a young man of their age, appears to be more developed because…
A) There is a plurality of them, that are extremely lean. Unlike whites which have a plurality which are neither obese nor lean, blacks seem to lack a middle ground between obese and lean in their population.Thus many appear to be, pure muscle.

B) They are dark. Darkness adds to definition and creates the appearance of enhanced muscularity.

C) As I said before, their skeletons, are usually less broad and more eccentrically angular, creating the appearance of bulging shoulders, when in fact it is just because the way these things grow on them.

I am suprised why noone has started a thread yet, on how whites are genetically pre-disposed to be superior hikers, becuase they always noticed that a european leg and ankle is often twice the size of their African descended counterpart without training.