Age, Gender and Variability in Results

Guest Post by Vince DelMonte

Vince DelMonte has kindly agreed to do a couple guest blogs in order to help all of us understand how our individual differences effect our attempts to lose fat and gain muscle. In particular he is addressing the Heritage College personal training students as they put the staff of the college through a ten-week transformation contest. For most of the students this represents their very first client.

Let's look at the results Vince has gotten with himself and with clients so you'll understand why I asked him to be a part of this first time endeavor at the school. In his own words here is Vince: 

Why Would You – Or Should You – Listen To Me? 

Hi. My name is Vince DelMonte. The man who was once destined to be remembered as “Skinny Vinny.”But that seems like a lifetime ago...Now I'm a personal trainer who became famous for building myself from that thin, scrawny, sickly-looking runner, into a world class, champion fitness model and author. And I did it in record time. The safe and natural way.

Age, Gender, and Variability In Results 

By Vince DelMonte

If you’re like most people, at one point or another, someone has caught your eye.  They have the exact body type you are going for, whether it’s lean and toned, strong and muscular, or thin and willowy.  As you look on with envy a greater part of you wonders if you’d ever be able to obtain that type of physique.  Or, is it simply that they have the genetics for it and you’re destined to look more as you currently do regardless of what type of training program you happen to be on. 

Here’s what you need to keep in mind. 

Bone Structure Limitations 

If there is one single thing that’s going to pose the greatest limitation as far as obtaining the physique you might be going for its bone structure limitations. 

If you are naturally big boned, you’re going to be very hard-pressed to obtain the body shape of someone who is much thinner.  Even if you lost all the body fat you are currently carrying (an unrealistic expectations anyway), you’re still going to be limited by size of your bones.  Since there is nothing you can do to physically make these smaller, they will provide some limitation in that regard. 

Being realistic about your current bone structure and what it will allow will make sure you’re approaching your training with the correct mindset and expectations. 

Family Metabolic History

The next thing to factor in is the type of family history you have with regards to obesity or thinness.  In some cases, thinness does tend to run in the family.  While personal habits can definitely overpower if you have ‘naturally thin genes’, you will stand a better chance of maintaining the lower weight if this is the case. 

Similarly, if many people in your family are overweight then you may have to watch a little more carefully with your own eating and exercise habits.  In some cases, the cause of the overweight trend in the family is just lack of proper eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle (family members can often have similar habits so the issue carries over from person to person), so if that’s the case, then you need to make sure you are not following suite and you should be fine. 

If the family members that are overweight are generally active though and are eating healthier, then it could be that you genetically have a slower metabolism or could have hypothyroid issues that you should probably get checked out. 

While you can always work on improving your metabolic rate through exercise and eating habits, so even if you are unfortunate when it comes to that department, being aware that there may be issues there is still critical. 

Gender Related Hormonal Differences

Moving on, there are massive differences between the two different genders when it comes to hormones that are present in the body that impact things such as fat loss rates and ability to build muscle. 

Females typically have much higher levels of estrogen, a hormone that can promote fat storage, while males have higher levels of testosterone, which will help to promote greater muscle building. 

For this reason, males in general can set goals of obtaining a much more muscular physique and will experience a faster rate of muscle development (males can add about 1-2 pounds of pure muscle each month), while females will build muscle at a slower rate (closer to half that of males). 

Most females don’t want to become overly muscular in the first place, but by keeping these growth rates in mind you can better set realistic goals for yourself.   

Personality Traits

Finally, the last thing to consider is individual personality traits.  Some individuals do have a very determined personality and will really do well with strict goals they set with themselves. 

Others tend to have a much more relaxed personality which will show in their approach to their training and diet.  They will not hold themselves as accountable and because of this, they may not get quite the same amount of results in the same time period as someone who is more persistent. 

Again, personality traits are something that can be adjusted yourself, however often these traits are so ingrained that is going to take a great deal of effort in order to make changes that last. 

So, be sure you’re keeping these points in mind as you set your sights on what you wish to accomplish with your health and fitness goals.  It’s always important to aim high and give yourself something to work towards; however, you must also be realistic in your approach so you don’t get discouraged from a goal that is simply just out of reach for this time. 

Some individuals do tend to have naturally good genetics behind them and are going to progress a little more easily, but with a good amount of hard work, regardless of who you are, you can make significant changes to your figure as well.

- Vince