I work out at a University gym, and it can be very educational at times. One thing that is obvious is how many students there achieve good body composition without a rigorous eating-and-exercise plan. For example, I see students eating candy bars before and/or after workouts. I see students working out hungover. I see women with muscular legs who never do any squats (and probably never any leg presses). I see guys who are very muscular who seem to only be doing cable curls of some sort.
So even in the absence of a disciplined plan, college students can often achieve good body composition. It is my feeling that this is mostly due to the hormonal environment that their body is currently in. The late teens/early twenties is prime evolutionary time, and all hormones are at full stength. At such an age, it appears that these hormones can overcome most of the negatives of less-than-stellar eating and exercise.
Of course, poor eating and exercise will catch up with most people eventually. But my point is that there should be more of a focus on the hormonal effects of actions rather than the mechanical aspects. For example, in terms of food many people focus strictly on the calorie count, leaving out the hormonal effects. Let's say a person eats 2500 calories per day in two different patterns: three squares or an intermittent fast followed by a feeding window. Though the total calories consumed are the same, the hormonal effects of these two feeding patterns should be quite different. The 2500 calories may not affect bodyweight, but the two different eating patterns may produce a shift in body composition over time.
In terms of exercise, we know certain exercises like squats and deadlifts produce higher levels of growth hormone. Anecdotally, many people say their strength in upper body exercises increased when their squat/deadlift improved. Here, the squat/deadlift appears to be invoking a total-body hormonal response, as opposed to just a local muscular response.
Instead of thinking about "getting into shape," it may be more productive for a person to think about "balancing their hormones."






