How might a person begin to figure out what her body is designed for or what her peak potential may be in order to create a suitable training program?

This is both a difficult and easy question. Often people will gravitate to what they are best at. Usually, this is because they try a number of things and it happens that they are more successful in a certain area. The reason someone is designed for different activities is due to the variation of muscle fiber types that make up each individual. Without getting into too much detail, 3 types of muscle make up the body, Explosive fiber, strength-driven fiber, and high endurance fibers. No one is made up of 1 type, but most people will have a higher percentage of certain fibers. Detailed biopsies can be done to assess fiber type makeup. Endurance tests can also look at someone’s potential for endurance. However, the easiest and relatively accurate way to look at someone is by their body type. Skinnier body types tend to be endurance-oriented, thicker frames tend to be prone to strength, High, wide calves are often indicative of explosive potential. There are also a couple of tests that you can estimate fiber type dominance that involves looking at a percentage of a 1 repetition max lift. Within the Performance EDU system, we can identify a person’s potential throughout the first phases of their program by seeing what aspects of their program they begin to excel at. No matter what exercise a person is designed for, everyone should start at a corrective level, and their program can develop as their body does. 

Ryan Golec - Director of Movement and Education