Genetic testing to predict potential sprint performance

There are too many involved genes that interacting to comprise sprint potential for anyone to be able to predict performance except maybe to rule out elite sprint talent if one is found to be absolutely essential.

an Objectivist wrote:

There are too many involved genes that interacting to comprise sprint potential for anyone to be able to predict performance except maybe to rule out elite sprint talent if one is found to be absolutely essential.

You have no idea what you're talking about...

It's not that difficult to analyze a bunch of sprinters' genes and figure out which ones correlate with sprinting ability and which ones don't. It's a very easy statistics problem. The gene collecting and sequencing is the only difficult part.

ACTN3 is pretty much necessary for elite sprinting

Correlation isn't good enough. You could have the perfect muscle proteins for sprinting, but if you have short muscle bellies, poor leverage, soft tendons, or an inefficient nervous system, forget it. Good luck isolating the genes responsible for all of those factors.

an Objectivist wrote:

Correlation isn't good enough. You could have the perfect muscle proteins for sprinting, but if you have short muscle bellies, poor leverage, soft tendons, or an inefficient nervous system, forget it. Good luck isolating the genes responsible for all of those factors.

You still don't know what you're talking about. Isolating all those different genes is not a difficult problem in statistics. The only problem is collecting enough samples and sequencing them.

The best genetic test is the one that shows that Bolt is your father.

Anybody want me to try to post a link to a description of the patent application and its alleged underlying logic as presented?

BTW it has to do with endurance prediction, too.

You'd get far better predictions by having the kids do one sprint. Free too.

Manchester wrote:

You have no idea what you're talking about...

I didn't even read your post, I just saw this and feel obliged to call you a jackass.

Bad Wigins wrote:

Manchester wrote:

You have no idea what you're talking about...

I didn't even read your post, I just saw this and feel obliged to call you a jackass.

It's Be Nice on Let's Run Day, Wigins. That means let's everybody not be mean on here.

Sorry, "science guy" but no scientist would make that statement. ACTN3 has little to do with sprinting, everything to do with bodybuilding. If you do the research, you'll see that all ACTN3 does is enable muscle hypertrophy (growth).

It works like this: In general, your fast and slow twitch muscles have different characteristics. Slow twitch muscles never hypertrophy. Only fast twitch muscles can grow. But even fast twitch muscles can only grow if they have the ACTN3 gene which allows for the needed production. So you could be all "fast twitch," and probably really fast, but very skinny, with no ACTN 3. I suspect a lot of elite high jumpers are mostly fast twitch but don't put on muscle, owing to lack of ACTN 3. By contrast, a lot of big, slow bodybuilders would have double-expression of the ACTN3 gene.

I believe around 80% of people have the ACTN 3 gene--hardly an accurate indicator of world class sprint times.

Incidentally, I suspect there are an inordinate number of skinny people on this site. If you are someone who has difficulty gaining muscle, then you probably have mostly slow-twitch muscle. If you find it IMPOSSIBLE to gain muscle, no matter how much weight you lift, then you're one of the 20% (like me) with no ACTN3. You can still be mostly fast-twitch, however.