What type of athlete are you? Find out.

Ever wonder someone is naturally a fast runner — what makes them run fast? There are many factors that determine athletic performance, including nutrition, training, and most importantly genetics.

You may achieve the speed of the Lighting Bolt but before you start training you need to under your DNA.

One of the most studied genes in athletics is the ACTN3 gene (ACTN3* is a gene that encodes for alpha-actinin-3, a protein expressed only in type-II muscle fibers (North et al., 1999)), sometimes referred as “a gene for speed” most likely what Usain Bolt has… but recently with emerging research, it’s now called as “athlete gene” — because studies have shown impact other “exercise-associated variables including training adaptation, post-exercise recovery, and exercise-associated injuries”*

In our bodies, our muscles are made up typically of two main types of muscle fibers — slow-twitch and fast-twitch fibers. The Slow-twitch fibers are less powerful but endure longer, whereas, fast-twitch fibers react quickly and strongly but soon tire out. The ACTN3 gene controls which type of fibers are more frequent in your skeletal muscles.

Once you get your DNA test analyzed you can find out what type of athletic profile you are made of to take advantage of and find out how to optimize your workouts, recovery time, and what types of sport(s) you can pick to give your best.

For example:

ACTN3 C/T — if you have a copy of both the T allele and C allele, heterozygous; it means that you have a mixture of muscle types associated with both sprinter and endurance athletes.

ACTN3 T/T — if you have copies of both T alleles, so it’s homozygous recessive, meaning your genetic profile has been associated with endurance athletes.

ACTN3 C/C — if you have copies of C alleles, so its homozygous dominant; meaning that your genetic profile has been associated with sprinting athletes, so you have better performance muscles.

*ACTN3 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5741991/

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By Ric S Kolluri CEO & President, BitCare