Are You Jealous of Muscular Guys at the Gym?

Do you ever feel jealous over guys who seem to gain muscle easily?

This is a very common issue, but one that’s rarely talked about. But the truth of the matter is that there is a lot of jealousy and envy in the bodybuilding world.

Now a little bit of “healthy envy” over someone who is bigger, stronger, and more muscular is actually a good thing because it can provide motivation for you to train harder and push yourself towards improving your own physique.

But jealousy can be taken too far and may lead to having a poor body image, eating disorders, and even depression. I recently made an Ask Lee Video Q & A about the topic of Jealousy In Bodybuilding that you can watch below…

The Truth About Bodybuilding…

When it comes to bodybuilding and our potential for building muscle, we are NOT all equals. Some people can make better progress than others and this can be a hard pill to swallow.

You need to realize that there are several reasons why some people are going to progress faster and have better muscular development than others…

Top 4 Reasons Why Some Guys Are More Muscular Than You…

#1 – The guys who seem to be getting better gains may have been training longer and thus have had more time to develop their body. Slow steady progress over the course of several years can add up to Big Muscle Gains.

#2 – They maybe working harder and are more consistent with their diet, training, and lifestyle. Even though you think you are working really hard, it’s possible that others are working harder and / or smarter, and thus making better progress.

#3 – They could be taking performance enhancing drugs such as steroids, growth hormone, and other anabolic substances that help speed up their rate of muscle growth. There is no denying that these types of drugs to work and they do play a role in how fast someone can build muscle.

#4 – They may have better genetics for building muscle! <<--This Is A Big One

Now the first 3 reasons are all things that we have control over. You can maximize your training, nutrition, supplementation, and you can be consistent over the long term. You could even push the envelop and take muscle enhancing drugs to speed up the process if you wanted to.
(I don’t recommend it, but you could).

However, the biggest factor that will determine your ultimate potential for building muscle is your GENETICS.

The 80 / 20 Principle & Bodybuilding Genetics…

Bodybuilding Genetics can fit in with the 80/20 principle. I’m sure you’ve heard of Pareto Principle where 80% of the effects are from 20% of the causes.

If you take any group of people, say the members at your local gym, it’s safe to say that 80% of them are “genetically average” and only 20% have what we would call good genetics for bodybuilding. The people with good genetics are generally going to progress faster and make better muscle gains than those with average genetics.

But this 80/20 principle doesn’t stop there, because you could then take that top 20% and break those people down into another 80/20 group. Of that group, 80% of them have good genetics, but 20% of them have “great genetics”.

And this can be broken down even further. But you’ll probably have to look at a much broader scope of people than just your local gym. If you took the entire world as a whole and started breaking down the numbers it would look like this…

Of all the people with great genetics, 20% have exceptional genetics.
(i.e. national level bodybuilders)

Of all the people with exceptional genetics, 20% have elite level genetics.
(i.e. pro bodybuilders)

Of those with elite level genetics, 20% have world class genetics.
(i.e. Mr. Olympia caliber bodybuilders)

That’s why someone like our current Mr. Olympia Phil Heath can rise so fast and dominate the world of bodybuilding. With millions of bodybuilders in the world you can rest assured that that are guys out there who are training just as hard, eating just as strict, and taking just as many (or more) performance enhancing “supplements” as Mr. Olympia. But they will never become a Mr. Olympia simply because they don’t have the genetics to reach that level.

To put it in perspective, I started competing in bodybuilding before Phil Heath ever did. I did my first competition back in 1995 and it took me 12 years of bodybuilding to win my first local level competition. Whereas Phil Health went out and won the overall title in his very first show, and within a few more shows turned professional, and he even won his first 2 pro shows.

I’m down in the “average genetics” category, whereas Phil Heath is up in the “world class genetics” category. Even if I followed the same diet, training, and supplementation program as Phil Heath – there is no way I’d be able to duplicate his success simply because I don’t have the genetic potential to do so.

(NOTE: I’m not knocking Phil Heath or saying he has it “easy” by any stretch. He has to work incredibly hard in order to maximize his genetic potential. Someone in this situation would actually work harder because he has the genetics to be the best. Having world class genetics can be considered both a blessing and a curse because of the high expectations that are placed upon him.)

Now whether you feel the whole genetics thing is fair or not, it’s just the way it is and you have to learn to accept it and do the best you can with what you have.

But the key thing to remember is that there will always be people who are better than you, and people who are not as good as you. So while you may look at others who are in better shape with jealousy. Keep in mind that there are probably others out there who are not in as good of shape as you, and who maybe looking at you with jealousy. It goes full circle.

The best thing you can do is just accept things the way they are and focus on your own individual progress. Try not to get hung up on whether or not someone else can progress faster than you, because you have no control over anyone else, all you can do is maximize your own potential.

If you enjoyed this blog post, I encourage you to watch the video posted above. Because in that video we’ll go into the topic on a deeper level with more real life examples of how genetics play a role in your success.

About the Author:

Lee Hayward started working out in 1990 and began competing in bodybuilding competitions in 1995. Then in 1999 he started www.LeeHayward.com the very website you are reading right now. Over the years Lee has committed himself to helping aspiring bodybuilding and fitness enthusiasts improve themselves by gaining muscle, burning body fat, and developing a strong healthy body. If you would like Lee to help you get in your personal best shape with personalized diet and training advice. Then you should become a member of the Total Fitness Bodybuilding “Inner Circle” Coaching Club.

As an “Inner Circle” member you’ll get access to the Workout Of The Month Program, Muscle Building & Fat Loss Diet Plans, and you’ll be able to chat with Lee Hayward personally through Live Video Chats and the Private Members Only Discussion Forum.

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