Do Genetics Matter in CrossFit?
December 7, 2022 | Words by Gabe Yanez
And just like that, we’re kicking off December and entering our third week of EOE Newsletter reader Q&A.
We have received some great questions so far, but we’re still looking for one or two more topics for the next three weeks of the newsletter. If you have any topic suggestions, questions, or ideas, message us on social media and ask away! We want to hear from our readers as we head into the new year.
This week, we’re answering a question from Edgar P.:
“What’s more important: Genetics or mindset to go on to qualify for the CrossFit Games?”
That’s a great question! While everyone might not have competitive fitness aspirations, we can answer a broader version of this question that almost everyone can relate to: What role does genetics play in achieving a specific body composition or performance goal?
Genetics Matter, But Not as Much as you Think
To answer Edgar’s question directly, we went to the only person on the NCFIT team who hasn’t just qualified for the CrossFit Games but actually won.
“It takes genetics to qualify and mindset to win.”
That’s how the Cali Bear, Jason Khalipa, answered that question.
To expand on Jason’s answer, genetics do play a role in determining who makes it to the CrossFit Games. At that level of the sport, everyone is training hard, following a quality program, dialing in their nutrition, and optimizing their recovery. This isn’t to discount the hard work that goes into qualifying for the Games. Still, each athlete has to come into the sport with the proper genetic makeup to outperform everyone fighting for so few qualification spots.
Once it comes down to executing against the most genetically gifted and best athletes in the world on game day, that’s where mindset can be the differentiating factor.
So how does this apply to the average gym-goer who wants to just look and feel their best?
When it comes to any fitness goal, genetics plays a role. Some people will naturally gravitate towards a leaner physique, some will have an easier time putting on muscle, and others will have a more challenging time getting rid of excess body fat.
Because of these genetic differences, some people might have a harder time achieving specific body composition or performance goals than others. However, blaming genetics can sometimes be a lazy excuse for not wanting to do the necessary work to accomplish a fitness-related goal.
Regardless of genetics, consistency with your training and nutrition over an extended time will always drive results. Those results may not come as fast as you’d like, but with enough patience, your EFFORT over a long enough period will almost always trump genetics.
One Thing to Try This Week: Finish the Year Strong
December is usually not the month that lends itself to the best EFFORT and consistency in the gym and with your nutrition.
People often mail it in at the end of the year because they think they need to be perfect to make significant progress toward their goals, but you’d be surprised just how much you can get done with a bit of consistency.
Commit to finishing the year strong. Pick two or three habits we’ve covered this year to stick with for the rest of 2022. Need a refresher on some of the healthy habits we talked about? Check out our NCFIT Edit blog for all past content we’ve put out!
