Not Seeing Results in Your Workout? Blame Your Genes..

Phys Ed: The Workout Enigma  

     A recent study performed by Dr. Timmons, professor of systems biology at the Royal Veterinary College in London, attempted to answer the question as to why people have vastly different responses to exercise. According to his research, a large factor in this may be one’s genetic makeup. While performing this study, “researchers accurately predicted who would respond most to endurance exercise training based on the expression levels of 29 different genes in their muscles before the start of the training”. These genes are not all directly associated with exercise response, but appear to be related to the development of new blood vessels in muscles and “may or may not have initiated the response to exercise”. The researchers are still not sure why this is the case, but are attempting to find out. Data from this and previous studies have led some to the conclusion that up to half of our aerobic capacity is due to genetics. According to Timmons, the other half may be a result of our diet, epigenetics—“a complicated process in which the environment (including where you live and what you eat) affects how and when genes are activated”, and/or other factors.
     This new information, however, should not be used as an excuse to not exercise regularly. There are additional health benefits to exercise besides an increase muscle tone and VO2 max that can greatly improve one’s health. Also, perhaps in the future they can use this new information to create workouts that would stimulate positive reactions from your body based on your genetic makeup.