Tom Venuto – Burn Fat Feed the Muscle – A Review

Did you know that there are 10 major genetic variables that can affect your ability to lose body fat, develop muscle, and increase strength?

And did you know that there are genetic averages that determine how easily you can loose body fat?

One of the major planks of Tom Venuto’s Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle fat loss book is the concept of the Genetic Bell Curve. Tom Venuto, a renowned fitness teacher and bodybuilder teaches that where you are placed genetically on the Genetic Bell can affect how easily or otherwise you can burn or loose fat. He teaches that with the Genetic Bell Curve, you are placed in one of three spot. According to Tom, most people, about 60 % of the population will be genetically average on the bell curve. This he explains, simply means that if you are among the 60%, you will “respond well and predictably to a properly constructed nutrition and exercise regimen”.

The 20% who are on the right side of the curve are “genetically above average”, Tom says. They are the over endowed. Tom maintains that this group “will lose fat very quickly and easily, even if their nutrition and training isn’t quite perfect”.

Now, the remaining 20% on the left side are not the doomed. They are just below average genetically and a little disadvantaged.

Tom advises that knowing the role of genetic heritage, your goal should be to “achieve your own personal best, while avoiding comparisons to others who may have totally different genetics than you.”

According to Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle, the genetic bell cure is not all there is to it. There are at least 10 other genetic variables that affect your success, some of which include,

Basal metabolic rate- How much energy or calories you burn while at rest

Number of fat cells- Each individual is born with a certain number of fat cells. In addition, fat cells can increase but can not be decreased but can be shrunk.

Muscle fibers- Like fat cells, you were also born with a pre-determined number of muscle fibers. The more muscle fibers you were born with the better your chances of developing muscles.

Other variables Tom says, include Limb lengths, Joint circumferences, and muscle insertions points.

And who would ordinarily think that limb length and muscle insertion points would have anything to do with how you loose fat and gain muscle.

In Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle, Tom Venuto identified three different body types the further affect your ability to loose fat and gain muscles. These are:

The Ectomorph: A naturally tall and skinny type with small joints and a small waist. Ectomorphs are naturally lean and usually never have trouble with excess body fat during

their entire lives. Many ectomorphs can maintain extremely low body fat while doing no cardiovascular exercise whatsoever, Tom says.

It is important because knowing your body type, where you are on the genetic bell cure and these other variables, will give you an idea of what you are up against. If you are one of the 20% on the left side, and also and endomorph, that simply means you have to work a harder than someone in the middle or on the right side and an endomorph.

The endomorph: This is the disadvantaged group. Most people who are working hard but still struggling to lose body fat are endomorphs. Endomorphs have a slow metabolism and are genetically prone to store body fat easily. They are usually, but not always, large framed with medium to large joints. Endomorphs generally have a very difficult time losing fat with diet alone, Tom maintains.

Why is all this important?

The mesomorph: A natural-born athlete and bodybuilder, the pure mesomorph is naturally lean and muscular with small waists, broad shoulders, medium-sized joints and large, round muscle bellies. According to Tom, most mesomorphs were lean and muscular before they even started working out.