Question about genetics

It's a variation in the expression of the phenotype due to environmental factors, i.e. the stress you're putting on your body by lifting.
 
With the first point, what I was trying to show is that our DNA changes naturally all the time. Bearing this in mind is it still imposible for us to guide the changes which take place purely through the way we lead our lives?

2) It's not quite the same because I'm talking about body composition not size of muscle or length of hair. You can get big biceps through hypertrophy but if you changed your body from being type 1 dominant to type 2 dominant through hyperplasia then you're dealing with a change in the way your body is designed. You've effectively given your body an engine change so surely it no longer reflects the original plans and new plans must have been drawn up

I'll tell you what, my first daughter born 3 years ago was born with my 'skinny' genes. I'll talk to my girlfriend tonight and see if she's up for making another baby so we can see if my change in body comp is now reflected in my DNA ;)

Phenotype is what you see, genotype is what your genes are.
Example:
If you got brown eyes, you might have gotten the brown gene (B) from your father and a blue gene from your mother (b). Your genotype is Bb but your phenotype is B.
This is because the brown colour eyes are dominant and it will "override" the blue gene. get it? So phenotypes are what you see, genotypes are what lay beneath.

like Mreik said, you can change your pheontype by training etc.
Change in phenotype won't carry over to genotype. Change in genotype however, can carry over to change in phenotype.


1) You mean our DNA change natrually all the time through mutations? That's correct. We can't really decide how to change it, unless we do it artifically (like I said, cutting and pasting etc).

2) you won't change your DNA because you grow new muscle tissue. Sure, the code for that muscle tissue is in your DNA (otherwise your body wouldn't have been able to make it), you have had some of that muscle tissue from birth. Every time you change something like that, your genes don't change.
Your body also grow new blood cells, new skin cells, scar tissue, putting together protein in the protein synthesis etc, all the time without altering our genes. It simply takes the "recipe" for these things from our genes and makes them.

Now, with this gene stuff we are all out on open water, because we haven't figured anything out yet. But there are no documented cases of peoples genes changing from training etc. Only mutations that can happen randomly or because people are exposed to certain dangeoraus stuff :p
 
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Mreik & Karky - Thanks for taking the time to explain it to me nice and slowly :)

My Biology teacher would be spinning in her grave if she saw my questions. Well she'd also need to be dead first
 
She'd probobly die, then spin in her grave from reading your questions :p

And no problem mate. This stuff can be quite confusing!
 
Muscle type ratios are a poor example of genetics if the subject has had any training in anything whatsoever.

I've heard people say that long distance runners have 80/20 and bbers have 20/80 or whatEVER ratio...well look, obviously you're going to have more of the other if you train one type over the other.

The ratio you were BORN with is the ratio you're going to pass on. Just like Mreik said, if you're going to stop training, you revert to your natural state.
 
This is the first that I've heard of the epi-genes (thanks! I'll have to do some reasearch on that...science major :beerchug:), but in the short run I didn't beleive anything you did could affect your childresn genes.
Your lifestyle prior to pregnancy will affect your childs healthy, absolutly, but the way you're going to birth a strong, fit child is to implament good work habits.

Finding a mate that has 'good' genes is also a way to try and have a child that will have a strong muscular makup and that will be naturally lean.

Sorry for any re-posts, i didn't read all of the replies.
 
Mreik & Karky - Thanks for taking the time to explain it to me nice and slowly :)

My Biology teacher would be spinning in her grave if she saw my questions. Well she'd also need to be dead first

No prob. I'm sure anyone that knows this stuff has had it explained a few times very slowly lol..
 
Here are a couple of points that I would like to make regarding DNA:

1. Mreik's assessment of Lamarckism is right on. Lamarck, who pre-dated Darwin, came up with the idea of the "inheritance of acquired traits" and believed that a giraffe could extend its neck to reach the higher leaves and would pass this trait onto its offspring.

This is analogous to a person becoming muscular through hard work and passing on this "trait" to his/her offspring. That just doesn't happen.

2. Instead what happens, according to Darwin's "natural selection" is that there is a wide genetic variability among individuals (e.g., red hair, blue eyes, colorblindness, male pattern baldness, taller, shorter, more muscular frame, less muscular frame, faster runner, etc.) because of differences in the dna of the parents and during the development of sex cells (sperm and ova). Some of these traits are more advantageous than others which benefits the offspring. Over time, these traits will become more prevalent and negative traits will eventually become extinct.

3. A mutation is a change in the sequence of DNA. Think of dna as a very long string of beads consisting of only 4 types of beads. The combination possibilities are endless. One change in this sequence, e.g., removing one of these beads changes a sequence from TAATGCCCTG to TATGCCCTG.

4. There is dna in almost all cells (red blood cells are an exception), however, if the dna of a non-sex cell (i.e., any cell in the body other than ova and sperm cells) is altered, it can cause problems (e.g., some types of skin cancer have altered dna) but these traits will NOT be passed onto the offspring.

So, CCR, in your question, if someone develops a tumor from a cell phone, he/she could die from that but his/her offspring would not inherit that trait.

But, if the sperm cells or ova are altered, the offspring could be seriously altered. That is why they radiation tech drapes a lead apron over your private parts when you get an xray at the dentist. You could theoretically get a brain tumor from that xray but at least your kids will be okay...

So, how does this affect fitness? Some folks, e.g., Lance Armstrong, have freakishly strong lungs. That is not a result of fitness - that is a result of genetics. Theoretically, his kids could have this trait as well, depending on the genes of the mother. Others have a frame that can carry a lot of lean muscle. These folks have a genetic advantage and if they train as hard as others they will be superior, which isn't to say someone who trained HARDER couldn't be even more superior.

Richard
(former biology professor and community college instructor)
 
That convo should go like this CCR, I've perfected it:

CCR: Wanna make another baby?
CCRess: No.
CCR: Well you wanna practice for when we do?

I just pray she doesn't say yes to the first Q, cause then I'm fvcked.
 
not to sound rude or anything but is it REALLY genetics? the way i think of it: if the parents are fat they're going to feed their child a ton of food and the child gets fat. if the parents are fat, have a kid, and put it up for adoption and two fit parents take the kid, he/she will be fit. i don't know anything about genetics, but im just using common sense.

all that genetics stuff might be true but i stand with my thoughts
 
Genetics play a role. Obviously it's not all genetics or no one would lift/train/diet. People are predisposed to things, that's not always an end point.
 
I don't even care about genetics. I think people use it as an excuse too often, if you really want something whether to get thin or gain muscle mass or w,e it's you thats got to put in the hard work. When i was a fatty i always blamed genetics and my slow metabolism and now i am thin and trying to gain muscle mass a perfect example genetics dont mean Sh*t!
 
If genetics don't mean ****, then why is your eye colour the what it is? Why are you a girl or a boy? why can you make protein at all (our DNA decides what proteins we can make) so tell me again genetics don't mean ****, and I'll tell you again that you are wrong. If you want to know where I stand on the whole genetics and muscle building issue, I refer to the post I made in PB's "30 pounds in 6 weeks" thread.

the example with fat parants or skinny parents can be true. That's called enviornment, it plays a huge role.
For example, someone might have the right genetics to be 6'8 but they only become 6' because they diden't eat enough/good enough.
 
Lol, I don't think he meant the genetics play no role, I think he just meant that despite your genetics you can achieve whatever goal you want with correct motivation and training

People are getting a little touchy on here ;)
 
Then he/she (?) should have said just that, instead of "genetics dont mean Sh*t!" because that is plain wrong.

even our personality is by far decided by genetics (and as with everything else, enviornment just so you don't bitch about that) maybe there's a gene for refusing to give up? thus getting better gains in the gym?
 
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Lol, I don't think he meant the genetics play no role, I think he just meant that despite your genetics you can achieve whatever goal you want with correct motivation and training

People are getting a little touchy on here ;)

Correct. Whether you have horrible genetics or great ones, we can all achieve the ultimate goal, what ever it may be
 
That was a good read...
 
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