Muscle Diet

What’s going on with your new genetics project? How does it work, and when can athletes get started on it? Details please!

Our new genetics project is called FitnessGenes and I can honestly say that this may be the next big thing. Of course, everyone knew that gene testing would come to the fitness/sports world eventually, and now it actually has! The benefits are what you’d probably expect—certain genes determine how each person reacts to different stimuli, such as training, diet, and supplements. FitnessGenes tests you (with a simple mouth swab sent by mail) for several of the best-studied genes and then sends you research-supported advice on the specific training, diet, and supplement combination that will yield the best gains for your gene profile.

The best way to explain what FitnessGenes is may be to tell you how it evolved. My business partner, Dr. Dan Reardon, got a call from an old university pal named Dr. Stuart Grice a little over a year and a half ago. Dr. Grice has been researching genetic neuromuscular diseases at Oxford University. He also happens to have a girlfriend, Dr. Samantha Decombel, who is also a PhD geneticist at the University of Birmingham. Anyhow, they knew that Dan was involved in fitness, and they wanted to discuss the prospect of doing genetic testing in athletes.

Before the meeting, Dan and I had the general opinion that if there was enough research to substantiate gene testing and to give evidence-based recommendations to bodybuilders and athletes, then some big company would already be doing it, but we thought it would be a great opportunity to discuss this fascinating field with these two hugely intelligent geneticists.

At the meeting, we discovered several very convincing studies that revealed one’s athletic potential and important information about his or her metabolism. So we came away from the meeting having agreed to look into whether there was enough evidence to give people specific recommendations about training, diet, and supplementation based upon the results of the testing of several of their genes. After having thoroughly reviewed the research on this topic, we strongly believe that there is!

In fact, there are actual studies that show that based upon your results of just one of the several genes we are testing, you can decide upon specific numbers of sets and reps that work better for your gene type! We can also determine whether you’re carb-sensitive and whether you will respond more dramatically to nitric oxide pre-workout supplements and much more.

FitnessGenes could literally save you years of training, eating, and supplementing the wrong way for your gene profile! After reviewing thousands of published studies and discovering many ways to apply this technology to athletes, we can’t wait to start helping people get maximum results from their efforts in the gym and the kitchen! For more information, visit FitnessGenes.com.

(Editor’s Note: To read more on how to maximize your health, check out this piece written by Canada’s premier fitness expert John Cardillo.)