INTRODUCTION:
Hello bhais I've been doing research on athleticism and how genetics plays a role in it and these are some of my findings.
How genetics plays a role in Athleticism:
•Genetics obviously play a role in Athleticism and it significantly influences it by factors such as muscle fiber type, cardiovascular capacity and injury risk. These factors set the foundational potential for sports like sprinting (fast twitch, ACTN3 gene) or endurance (slow twitch ACE gene). Although genes supply a blueprint for athleticism, environmental factors and training still remain.
What are fast twitch muscle fibers:
Fast twitch muscle fibers are cells in your muscles that allow you to make rapid, explosive movements. In general how many fast twitch muscle fibers you have depends on what you arrived with at birth. After that, three main factors affect the muscle fibers in your body.
•Age
-Muscles age like the rest of our bodies. Most people reach their peak muscle mass around age 30
•Fitness
-If you regularly lift weights or play sports requiring explosive movements, you probably have larger fast-twitch muscle fibers.
•Genetics
-Spme studies show that genes can affect athletic performance and overall muscle composition with some people more likely to have more fast-twitch muscle fibers than others.
What are slow twitch muscle fibers:
Slow twitch muscle fibers are endurance-focused, fatigue-resistant cells that use oxygen for fuel (aerobic) to power prolonged, low to moderate intensity activities such as, walking, jogging, cycling, and maintaining posture. Of course you are born with both fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers. But everyone has a different ratio of these fibers that was determined at birth and environmental factors like:
•Age
-In general older people have more slow-twitch fibers. As we age many people lose muscle mass through sarcopenia (Age related progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass, strength and function). Sarcopenia affects your fast twitch muscle fibers more, so your slow to fast twitch ratio increases.
•Exercise
-A long distance runner will have more slow-twitch fibers than a sprinter. Doing a mix of longer, moderate intensity exercises and short, high intensity exercises will help you keep a healthy amount of both types of fibers.
•Genetics
-Your genes play a role in your muscle composition. However how you train and the stimulus you place on muscles can also impact muscle fibers.
Cardiovascular capacity (VO2 max):
Cardiovascular capacity measures how efficiently your heart, lungs, and blood vessels supply oxygen to your muscles during sustained physical activity.
•Heart and muscle function
-Genes control how strongly your heart contracts, the efficiency of your muscles (mitochondrial function) and how well your arteries work.
•Oxygen transport
-Your body's ability to carry oxygen, partly determined by hemoglobin levels, has a genetic component
•Exercise response
-Genes influence how much your fitness improves with training (trainability), with variations in genes like AMPD1 and ACTN3 linked to endurance or power.
•Heart rate regulation
-Genes affect your heart rate's response and recovery during and after exercise
Injury risks:
Genes like COL1A1 (Collagen for ligaments) and ESR1 (Bone density) can affect ligament strength and fracture risk, influencing injury susceptibility.
COL1A1 (Collagen type I Alpha 1)
•Role:
-Codes for type I collagen, a crucial protein for the tensile strength of tendons and ligaments.
•Injury link:
-Certain variations (polymorphisms) in the COL1A1 gene, particularly the rs1800012 SNP, are linked to a higher risk of tendon and ligament injuries (ACL tears, Achilles tendinopathy, shoulder dislocations).
•Protective/risk alleles:
-The T allele (TT genotype) in rs1800012 is often associated with reduced risk of soft tissue injuries.
-The G allele (GG or TT genotype) in rs1107946 may be linked to increased muscle injury risk but potentially lower bone density, indicating a bone-muscle injury trade-off.
ESR1 (Estrogen Receptor 1)
•Role
-Influences bone mineral density (BMD) and potentially estrogen's impact on muscle function and repair
•Injury link
-The rs2234693 polymorphism in ESR1 has shown associations with muscle injuries, with certain genotypes (like CC or CT) potentially reducing the risk compared to the TT genotype, especially in male athletes.
•Impact
-Estrogen plays a role in stress response and muscle integrity, so ESR1 variations can affect how well tissues remodel and repair after stress
How they work with each other (and against eachother)
•Collagen vs. bone
-A variant COL1A1 might make tendons weaker but protect bones (higher BMD), while another might increase muscle injury risk but lower bone fracture risk.
Personalized Risk
-These genes help explain why some athletes consistently suffer from specific injuries (recurrent ACL tears) while others in similar sports remain healthy.
Future applications
-Identifying these genetics predispositions could allow for personalized training, targeted rehabilitation, and tailored recovery strategies to minimize injury risk.
Body structure:
Height, limb length, and bone structure are genetically determined and impact performance in many sports such as basket ball and swimming
CONCLUSION:
Genetic markers can guide training to match your predispositions, showing if you'll respond better to power respond better to power or endurance work. Some gene variants might favor one sport but not another, creating natural advantages in specific disciplines. Genetics arnt destiny; factors like nutrition, access to facilities and dedication can heavily influence outcomes, sometimes more than innate traits in some cases.
Don't be sad if your genetics are holding you back from your dream sport if you'd really want to play sports find which sport goes good with your genes and work on that sport. At least that's my take on it.
This marks the end of the thread thank you for reading or viewing.
Rep is always appreciated
Hello bhais I've been doing research on athleticism and how genetics plays a role in it and these are some of my findings.
How genetics plays a role in Athleticism:
•Genetics obviously play a role in Athleticism and it significantly influences it by factors such as muscle fiber type, cardiovascular capacity and injury risk. These factors set the foundational potential for sports like sprinting (fast twitch, ACTN3 gene) or endurance (slow twitch ACE gene). Although genes supply a blueprint for athleticism, environmental factors and training still remain.
What are fast twitch muscle fibers:
Fast twitch muscle fibers are cells in your muscles that allow you to make rapid, explosive movements. In general how many fast twitch muscle fibers you have depends on what you arrived with at birth. After that, three main factors affect the muscle fibers in your body.
•Age
-Muscles age like the rest of our bodies. Most people reach their peak muscle mass around age 30
•Fitness
-If you regularly lift weights or play sports requiring explosive movements, you probably have larger fast-twitch muscle fibers.
•Genetics
-Spme studies show that genes can affect athletic performance and overall muscle composition with some people more likely to have more fast-twitch muscle fibers than others.
What are slow twitch muscle fibers:
Slow twitch muscle fibers are endurance-focused, fatigue-resistant cells that use oxygen for fuel (aerobic) to power prolonged, low to moderate intensity activities such as, walking, jogging, cycling, and maintaining posture. Of course you are born with both fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers. But everyone has a different ratio of these fibers that was determined at birth and environmental factors like:
•Age
-In general older people have more slow-twitch fibers. As we age many people lose muscle mass through sarcopenia (Age related progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass, strength and function). Sarcopenia affects your fast twitch muscle fibers more, so your slow to fast twitch ratio increases.
•Exercise
-A long distance runner will have more slow-twitch fibers than a sprinter. Doing a mix of longer, moderate intensity exercises and short, high intensity exercises will help you keep a healthy amount of both types of fibers.
•Genetics
-Your genes play a role in your muscle composition. However how you train and the stimulus you place on muscles can also impact muscle fibers.
Cardiovascular capacity (VO2 max):
Cardiovascular capacity measures how efficiently your heart, lungs, and blood vessels supply oxygen to your muscles during sustained physical activity.
•Heart and muscle function
-Genes control how strongly your heart contracts, the efficiency of your muscles (mitochondrial function) and how well your arteries work.
•Oxygen transport
-Your body's ability to carry oxygen, partly determined by hemoglobin levels, has a genetic component
•Exercise response
-Genes influence how much your fitness improves with training (trainability), with variations in genes like AMPD1 and ACTN3 linked to endurance or power.
•Heart rate regulation
-Genes affect your heart rate's response and recovery during and after exercise
Injury risks:
Genes like COL1A1 (Collagen for ligaments) and ESR1 (Bone density) can affect ligament strength and fracture risk, influencing injury susceptibility.
COL1A1 (Collagen type I Alpha 1)
•Role:
-Codes for type I collagen, a crucial protein for the tensile strength of tendons and ligaments.
•Injury link:
-Certain variations (polymorphisms) in the COL1A1 gene, particularly the rs1800012 SNP, are linked to a higher risk of tendon and ligament injuries (ACL tears, Achilles tendinopathy, shoulder dislocations).
•Protective/risk alleles:
-The T allele (TT genotype) in rs1800012 is often associated with reduced risk of soft tissue injuries.
-The G allele (GG or TT genotype) in rs1107946 may be linked to increased muscle injury risk but potentially lower bone density, indicating a bone-muscle injury trade-off.
ESR1 (Estrogen Receptor 1)
•Role
-Influences bone mineral density (BMD) and potentially estrogen's impact on muscle function and repair
•Injury link
-The rs2234693 polymorphism in ESR1 has shown associations with muscle injuries, with certain genotypes (like CC or CT) potentially reducing the risk compared to the TT genotype, especially in male athletes.
•Impact
-Estrogen plays a role in stress response and muscle integrity, so ESR1 variations can affect how well tissues remodel and repair after stress
How they work with each other (and against eachother)
•Collagen vs. bone
-A variant COL1A1 might make tendons weaker but protect bones (higher BMD), while another might increase muscle injury risk but lower bone fracture risk.
Personalized Risk
-These genes help explain why some athletes consistently suffer from specific injuries (recurrent ACL tears) while others in similar sports remain healthy.
Future applications
-Identifying these genetics predispositions could allow for personalized training, targeted rehabilitation, and tailored recovery strategies to minimize injury risk.
Body structure:
Height, limb length, and bone structure are genetically determined and impact performance in many sports such as basket ball and swimming
CONCLUSION:
Genetic markers can guide training to match your predispositions, showing if you'll respond better to power respond better to power or endurance work. Some gene variants might favor one sport but not another, creating natural advantages in specific disciplines. Genetics arnt destiny; factors like nutrition, access to facilities and dedication can heavily influence outcomes, sometimes more than innate traits in some cases.
Don't be sad if your genetics are holding you back from your dream sport if you'd really want to play sports find which sport goes good with your genes and work on that sport. At least that's my take on it.
This marks the end of the thread thank you for reading or viewing.
Rep is always appreciated
