Winter Mass Makeover

In Winter Mass Part 2, We Give You a Muscle Makeover With Targeted Body-part Troubleshooting!
 

- Eric Merlin Broser

Over my 25-year span as a competitive bodybuilder and physique transformation coach, one of the questions most often presented to me has been, “Can you change the shape of a muscle?” This is a rather complex query, and depending on which “expert” one asks, you are bound to hear a myriad of differing answers. Some will say you cannot do a darn thing about the actual shape the muscle will eventually display. Others claim that by simply using certain “magical” exercises one can somehow rewrite the biological script each of us possesses.

I fall somewhere in between those points of view. While I do not believe we have the ability to alter the predetermined genetic map of our individual muscles, I do feel that only by utilizing certain specific (and varying) movements, angles, grips, and planes of motion can a bodybuilder manifest the full potential (and development) of each muscle. While it is important to realize that we cannot completely isolate one area of a muscle no matter what exercise we use, one can affect varying groups of motor unit pools within a muscle, leading to accelerated growth in a particular “head” or section. Thus, the take-home message is to understand that you have more control over how your musculature develops than you may think. So before you shrug your shoulders and blame faulty genetics for your disproportionate physique or inadequate muscle shape, make sure you have explored everything possible training-wise to address your issues. In other words, the genetic blueprint for excellence might actually be there, but you have yet to actualize the potential of each individual muscle group.