http://www.t-nation.com/training/4-t...ments-resolved
A very interesting read in regards to strength training, diet, genetics and so forth.
An excerpt:
Genetics:
The 2007 study put 66 people of varying ages on a four-month lower-body strength training plan consisting of three exercises: squats, leg presses, and leg extensions. Each person was matched for level of effort as a percentage of their 1RM. A typical set was performed for 11 reps at 75% of 1RM.
At the end of the training period the subjects fell into three groups: those whose thigh muscle fibers grew 50% in size, those whose fibers grew 25%, and those who had no increase in muscle size at all.
Despite identical training, subjects had a range of 0% to 50% improvement. As David Epstein, author of The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance said:
"...differences and trainability were immense. Seventeen weightlifters were extreme responders who added muscle furiously; 32 were moderate responders who had decent gains; and 17 were non-responders whose muscle fibers did not grow. It seems that some people's bodies are better primed to profit from weightlifting as the subjects who made up the extreme muscle growth group had the most satellite cells in the quadriceps, waiting to be activated and build the muscle."