Not all men are created equal

You can't swing a gym towel these days without knocking over a dozen hardgainers drooling over the idea of of looking in the mirror and seeing their face on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s body. Ironically, Arnold spent most of his adult life dodging the heckles of streusel-eating pessimists who simply could not understand why a man would want to build a physique worthy of becoming a cultural icon. Schwarzenegger trained for his first competition while in basic training for the Austrian army, often without access to a weight room. He quickly grew into every t-shirt's biggest nightmare, all the while accused of being foolish, useless, and embarrassing. His peers literally scoffed at the notion of ever looking like him.

“Don’t worry. You never will." he said.

The world had no idea that it would someday aspire to fill out a t­-shirt with that Schwarzenegger oomph, but it did get a dose of premonitory truth when it heard Arnold's cool retaliation. Try as they might, most men will never rock Arnold's shirt-splitting chest, no matter how many egg whites they scramble into their daily routines.

A country founded on the pursuit of happiness, America must have forgotten about the bodybuilding industry when it said that all men were created equal.

Hardgainers all over the world are painfully aware that when it comes to gains, this world is anything but equal. Scientists are just starting to make headway with this concept, and are discovering that the “edge” some bodybuilders so effortlessly yield, may be attributed to a muscle stem cell known as a satellite cell.

When we lift, we make tiny tears in our muscle fibres that then need to repair. Our body sends protein to the affected areas to aid in the reparation of those muscle fibre casualties. The more often we repeat this process, the thicker (and more plentiful) our muscle fibres become. This is what goes on behind the scenes of our gym-­induced­-physical transformations. Crazy huh.

What scientists have recently become more aware of is the relevance of a muscle stem cell known as a satellite cell. These self replicating cells are significantly responsible for the restoration of our muscle fibres. Satellite cells are located on the outside of the muscle fibre, and activate when muscles become distressed. The cells divide and bind with damaged fibres in order to repair existing myofibrils (or create new ones) while leaving behind replicate cells for future necessity. When muscle fibres cannot repair themselves quickly enough, the result can be an aesthetic plateau or even muscle atrophy. This restoration process is imperative to the pursuit of muscle mass.

In a recent study done by the P​asteur Institute in Paris, scientists killed only the satellite cells in select mice, and then monitored their ability to repair muscle fibres after exercise. Despite the fact that other repair­ cells were present and fully functional, these mice were unable to repair their damaged muscle tissue sans satellite cells.

Here’s the kicker. Not everybody is born with an equal amount of these miracle cells. Furthermore a hormone called Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) may be responsible for the activity level of your satellite cells. A whole new reason to buy a lottery ticket for the genetic jackpot. This explains why some lifters have all the luck when it comes to gaining muscle mass, while others struggle to fill out their wife ­beaters, despite relentless regimens.

You can combat your genetic predispositions to an extent by intaking enough protein (about 1.6 grams per pound of body weight), eating protein within 30 minutes of a workout, distributing your intake over the course of the day, and allowing yourself at least 24 hours before re­-working a muscle group. Being attentive to your diet and lifting regimen obviously has a huge impact on your results, no matter how plentiful your satellite cells or how efficient your HGF production. But be weary about comparing yourself to the hulk on the squat rack next to you. He might just be backed by a mafia of hardcore satellite cells created to bash all notions of fairness or equality.

Not everyone can have Arnold genes but anyone can have Arnold heart, and that's where the magic is truly made. Getting shredded is about feeling good, staying healthy, and being in control. It doesn't hurt that it can also get you laid, but you know what's better than getting laid? Not suffering heart failure or type 2 diabetes. Just saying.

There is definitely something to be said for hard work and persistence, but some people are just genetically blessed, and should be hated on! Because let’s face it­, that just ain’t right.

Love this article by Jade, check out her other entitled, "In Defense of Vanity!"