In bodybuilding, everyone uses the same factors when building up a physique. Food, training, nutrition, and rest all play key roles in the bodies we build and the muscle we carry. Let’s look at some common questions to determine your constitution, or ability to withstand a series of demands, in order to determine just how far you may be able to make it in bodybuilding.

What is your response to food?
What happens when you eat big? Do you get big, or do you get fat? The response to this questions – how your body responds to an excess of calories – might determine how big and muscular you are eventually able to become. Some guys just grow new muscle, and some guys grow fat, despite all the clean food selection and training in the world. How you respond to food will determine what kind of bodybuilder (or permanent bulker) you become!

How do you respond to heavy training?
So you finally get all your chips in orders and you get in the gym, training consistently heavy for 3 or 4 weeks. What happens? Do you get bigger and harder than you’ve ever been before, or do you always seem to tweak something and end up missing a few days healing, only to return to your previous lighter lifting style? The sad truth may be that despite your need to lift big in order to grow big, your frame might not be built for it.

Are you a hyper-responder?
A better question might be, ‘What is your gear response’? If you are the type of person who responds very well to medication, then you may be a hyper-responder. If one sip of cola keeps you up halfway through the night, or one small 81 mg aspirin alleviates any headaches you have, then maybe you have a very succinct response to medicine. This is both good and bad when applied to steroid use. You will likely have a very good response to steroids in that you will grow very easily from them. However, this responsiveness and sensitivity is a double-edged sword. You’ll also find that you suffer from the side effects equally as quickly. Keep this in mind as you design cycles and doses of medication along the way. Side effects may creep up on you quickly and surely. It is noteworthy that most professional bodybuilders are hyper-responders.

What is your immune system like?
Are you sick all the time, or do you very rarely fall ill? People with stronger immune systems are often able to build new muscle much better than those people who are sick all the time, as you can’t exactly build muscle when you’re laid up in bed. A strong central nervous system is essential for new muscle growth!

What are your natural strength levels?
What did you bench press the first time you hit the bench? Men like Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler, bodybuilders who ended up on top of the bodybuilding world as multiple Mr. Olympia champions, were able to move 225 pounds their first time on the weight pile. Were you from this ilk, or did you struggle to move 85 pounds your first time? We all have different starting lines and we can all make great improvements, but you can only move so far ahead of your starting point.