Muscle Insertions and Genetics

Let’s talk muscle insertions and genetics in this post.  My greatest advice on this topic for everyone here is to stop caring about it.  Seriously, stop caring about it – this is an area that you have very little control over.  You have control over one there here when it comes to working out – how much muscle you are gaining.  The rest is up to your genetics – your pectoral insertions, your biceps peak, your height, even how many abs you have – all of that is completely out of your control.

Now if you’re wondering what people mean by muscle insertions, see below:

Taken from this youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H12yX_gOw9w

So the above is a picture of the biceps. Some people have a “long muscle belly” on the biceps (which means the muscle is longer), so when they flex, it doesn’t have as high of a “peak.” That’s the one on the left. Others have a “short muscle belly,” which means that when they flex, the biceps “peaks” higher, which makes it look bigger by some standards. If you take strength out of the equation, a lot of people think the one on the right looks like a more aesthetic biceps.

Now, let’s look at pecs:

Here, we obviously have a very fit mal, but you can see that in between his left and right pec, he has a “gap”. That’s called the “pec gap". Developing the pec muscles certainly helps, but it will NOT fill the gap (the guy above is jacked and still has the gap, for example).

Now, when you look at Arnold, he has no gap in between his pecs. This is “preferred” in the bodybuilding community, and which is why Arnold was constantly praised for his chest.

Now, let’s look at abs:

Taken from this video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joq7bWHGsSk

All three of these guys have low body fat — low enough to have visible abs. The person on the left has “uneven abs”. The person in the middle has 5 abs (4 on top, and 1 big long one on the bottom). The person on the right has your standard 6 pack abs. No amount of training can make the person on the left have even abs. No amount of training can make the person in the middle have 6 pack abs. It’s just genetics, period.

Now that we understand muscle insertions, I can finally say this: nobody cares. Unless you’re going on stage trying to be the next bodybuilding Olympian, nobody cares. All three of the ab guys above look great and are fit. Your average person isn’t really going to be able to tell the difference, and if they can, I question why they would care, and if they care, I question what is wrong with them.

Take me for an example.  We all know that we’re 50% our mom and 50% our dad.  Whatever mix that yields is out of our control.  I’m 5’7.  My dad was around 5’10 when he was my age.  Those are his hands versus my hands in the picture (yes, his are the bigger ones).  He is over twice my age but he could still kick my ass.  He’s built like a tank with these huge hands.  I didn’t inherit his hands or his height, and I could sit here all day and mope about it, or I could just keep moving forward and not let those kinds of comparative thoughts hold me back. 

If you have uneven abs, nobody cares.

If you have a pec gap, nobody cares.

If you didn’t inherit your parents’ height, nobody cares (seriously guys).

Go out there and have fun, and stop caring about muscle insertions and genetics. Use what was given to you and make the most of it.

As always, reach out if you have any questions.