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I am wondering if my physical limit is already set in stone (lifting)? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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So I am a beginner (male) in the gym and honestly I am feeling really good. 2 Months ago I started my cable lat pulldown at about 29 kg and was exhausted mid set 2 and went down with the weight.

Now my warm up is basically 35 kg and now I am at 47 kg.

Almost all exercises I increased my weight by a lot and while I don't really notice physical difference besides my body fat vanishing and my strength going up by numbers I am still excited and will keep going on.

I am 80 kg and 175 cm tall, my goal is losing more fat and gaining a bit more muscles but in general I'd say my goal is about 72-74 kg because I want to start climbing again soon.

Now my question of this topic is something else that makes me wonder. My wrists and fingers are so small, I mean really small for a male. I work as a nurse and I use size "S" in germany gloves.

I don't want to but even if I would want to can I actually become a Hulk? Like is that even possible? It seems I would look really weird if I had huge muscles because of how small my wrist, fingers and my head is. It would look so hilarious.

My goal isn't to become bulky anyways but I am just wondering what if it was my goal? Would that be possible? I seem to have very skinny bones.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

A lot of what people think of as just being bone includes a lot of connective tissue, and small muscles.

Look at an x ray of a hand. https://radiopaedia.org/articles/hand-radiograph-an-approach

All of that which is not bone can expand, and probably will if you keep rock climbing. I used to take medium gloves as a teenager, grown to my full height, and after close to 20 years of judo on and off there's no way I'm getting my hands in anything smaller than an XL, and even that's a squeeze.

The same is true of your wrist, there's a bunch of tendons and small muscles that run down the palm side of your wrist and they can get bigger and also your back. The shoulder blades might be bone but they just kind of float there and expand apart as you get stronger and bigger.

What you can't do, without surgery, is get taller, and your fingers can't get longer, but yeah, everything you're talking about could get thicker with enough training. There are genetic limits on how big you can get, but as someone relatively untrained you'll be very far from them

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Your bones got nothing to do with it. If you pushed your training and dieting to the maximum, you could look like the Hulk… if you started to abuse steroids. Else-wise, the most you’ll do is look fit.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I found this and someone wrote this in a topic once:

"Honestly - no, it's not possible to out-train a shit frame. Your bone size are THE deciding factor as to how much potential muscle you can attach to them

A small frame and thin wrist means you'll never ever be considered "big"... by bodybuilding standards.

You can still get enough progress to live a life with a totally different, nice to look at and healthy, strong body."

I don't know what to think of that statement

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

So the issue is that there are SO many factors. Bones have nothing to do with it, it’s more about genetics. Things like myostatin proteins limit muscle growth. Animals that have mutated disruptions to the development of the protein have higher muscle mass - look up Belgium Blue cattle, you’ll see some BIG cows there.

Steroids help you recover more quickly, making it easier for you to work out more, and therefore put on more muscle. Not everyone is going to look like Arnold or Channing Tatum, your muscle distribution is going to vary entirely on your genetics, but you can absolutely look like a monster. You might just put on mass easier on your quads and your chest than your shoulders and calves, for example. Hyper-focusing on these elements will also warp your perspective. Sizes for gloves are arbitrary, so you might also be severely distorting your self-image. There’s a lot of different factors to consider.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Do you want to be a Body-builder? Are those standards* your goals or are you just interested in strength?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

No just interested in strength. I want to start bouldering soon so big muscles aren't really my goal. I am just curious if it would be possible though

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

It is always easier and simpler to lose muscle than to gain it. If you find you start to look too "Hulk-like", then just stopping for a few weeks will bring you back. Bonus is the muscle memory you gained from reaching "Hulk-like" will make it even easier to maintain the level you want to be at.