Beyond-Brawn-2nd-Edition

EXPECTATIONS—HOW MUCH MUSCLE AND MIGHT YOU CAN EXPECT…
your sixties, fifties or even forties, though you may find you can continue to
progress in a few exercises even while most regress. Nature takes its course
and toll.
Individualism
4.85 Working on specific weaknesses is an important part of bodybuilding, but if
you get too carried away with it—which would include undertraining your
strengths—you will fail to make the most of your natural advantages.
4.86 Probably all people have an exercise or two, and a body part or two, that
are more responsive to training than the rest of the package. To realize your
full potential you need to exploit to the fullest whatever natural bias(es) you
have.
4.87 You may be short-limbed, long-trunked, wide-waisted, squat and thick. Or
you may be longer-limbed, narrow-waisted, well-proportioned and classically
aesthetic. e former is never going to develop a “body beautiful,” but
he can become a powerhouse. e aesthetic cannot become a powerhouse,
but he can become a “body beautiful.” e first can probably become a terrific
squatter and bench presser, but always remain—relatively speaking—poor
at the deadlift. e aesthetic may have a terrific potential for deadlifting, but
be far weaker, relatively speaking, in the squat and bench press.
4.88 Satisfaction from weight training comes from getting good results. Hard
gainers have a difficult time gaining as it is, but if you swim against the tide
of your own body you will make the job far more difficult. Make sure you
discover what your natural biases are, and exploit them.
4.89 On top of the personal satisfaction that exploiting a natural advantage
produces, there is, at least to some extent, a carry-over and knock-on effect
throughout the body, especially if the natural advantage is in a major exercise.
4.90 ere are not just the three powerlifts to consider as exercises to focus on.
ere are other core exercises that are worthy of being focused on. ese
include the Trap Bar deadlift, stiff-legged deadlift, overhead press, parallel
bar dip, and pullup. is may mean exaggerating the differences between
your strong and weak areas, but by doing so you may develop an exercise or
two that is/are exceptional. Recognize your individualism and then exploit it
to the full.
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