Bodybuilding Mnemonic
Remember It
Aesthetics is Genetics
We Strive for Size
Nutrition is the Condition
Aesthetics is Genetics
For the most part your aesthetics is determined by genetics. You can’t change your hips, your insertions, your clavicle length, etc. These are all genetically determined and to a very large extent determine your ultimate aesthetic potential. This is what separates 99.9% of good looking gym bros from IFBB pro bodybuilders. You should give zero fucks worrying about your aesthetics because it is out of your control. You can only be the best version of you. To be that person focus on the next two things…
We Strive for Size
One of the things you can exert control over is how big your muscles get. You can’t change their shape, but you can change their size. That is why you go into the gym and lift heavy shit up and down, say it with me fellas, PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD. I am characterizing this exertion of effort “STRIVE”. You cannot grow muscle without the Strive.
Nutrition is the Condition
When I say “Condition” I’m talking about your body fat level or leanness plus your overall health. This you can control through your diet and nutrition. This is where you decide to go into a deficit to get lean, go on a lean bulk to slowly add muscle without getting fat, or perhaps, do a dirty bulk when your 16 and skinny fat and it doesn’t matter how you eat you just want to get jacked as fast as possible and you’re not concerned about getting fat because you don’t even know how.
Now, of course, these aren’t exactly mutually exclusive categories. For example, if you eat like shit and get fat your aesthetics goes to shit. Same for lack of effort. Conversely if you Strive and adhere to a great diet you can improve your aesthetics. But by and large I’d say that 99% of the concerns and rules of thumb we come across in bodybuilding are summarized by this pithy little poem I wrote. So when you ask a question about your clavicles or whether you should cut or bulk or what should I work on or what your body fat is…remember it!
Aesthetics is Genetics
We Strive for Size
Nutrition is Condition
