Some of the traits I think of when I think to myself “they’ll have a hard time gaining”.
Poor communication in the post that is asking for help. Like bad punctuation, lots of slang etc. But even then it might just be a language barrier. The big one for me is the patience thing and the lazyness.
The ones that basically say “Is this stuff for real? I don’t have time to read this forum, I don’t really care about all this stuff but tell me the secrets to a big dick? I’ve already searched and I didn’t find anything, help me please. How do I do the exercises and how long should I do them for? I need to gain 2 inches in the next month before I tie a rock to my leg and jump off the bridge! HELP!! ” etc.
I don’t really want to get into the smart thing or not but I think you have a good point. I don’t think smart is the right word. I taught myself guitar using the internet as a key resource, I had a few lessons from a friend in the early days, but that was nothing in the big picture. It was before learning things more complicated like music theory and more complex songs, and the harder stuff which was all by myself. Not all people are capable of this. Some need a teacher to keep them focussed and disciplined, and don’t mind spending money to pay for it. Some people have said to me “you had to at least get a few lessons” but all I did was watch as many good guitar players as possible and try to figure out why they position their hands and wrist the way they do. How they do what they do in other words. And analyse my own positions and over time become more effecient. I guess some don’t have the patience for this. Some have it and some don’t. I think there is another “thing” involved though.
I don’t know what this “thing” is.. this thing that makes some people able to teach themself and others NEED a teacher. But I think a part of PE also requires this and it could be a factor for those who gain and those who don’t. I think whether it’s guitar, a sport, weight lifting, or PE.. to succeed you have to REALLY want it. And get almost obsessive about it and focus yourself on it quite hard. And then you have to learn the right way to focus this energy. So that you aren’t wasting your time and are focussing it into the right areas. Wanting it alone isn’t enough because if it is not focussed all you will do is injure yourself or burn out and give up. I’m not the biggest gainer or anything, I’m sure there are lots of other big gainers here who could contribute alot more. But that’s what works for me.