In this current advancement of lifting techniques and information around the world, you would think building muscle would be easier than ever. Yet many people find it hard to, especially those who label themselves as hardgainers.
What is a hardgainer?
The hardgainer finds building muscle difficult and challenging. They are usually ectomorphs and have extremely fast metabolism. To them, they train extremely hard and eat a whole lot but fail to gain weight. Why is that so?
- They train too much – Yep. Spending more time in the weight room for a hardgainer is detrimental to their weight gain. Their metabolism is already raging and burning calories at such a fast pace, any more wasted in the weight room is considered bad. That’s not to say that you can’t weight train, it just means that you have to do things differently.
- They don’t eat enough – As much as someone says he eats a ton and still remains skinny, he’s not. Obviously, their ‘eats a ton’ is simply breakfast for real bodybuilders. To eat enough is the hardgainer’s biggest problem. If you don’t eat, you can’t grow.
How to solve the problems
First of all, as long as you label yourself as a hardgainer, you probably can’t grow big. That’s because your mindset has already predetermined itself that you’ll have a hard to time to grow muscle. Get rid of that mindset right away and stop calling yourself a hardgainer.
Training will be different for a hardgainer. The volume of the workout should be relatively low. You should ideally be training around 45 minutes or 1 hour the most. Anymore will be taking up too many calories and you want to save as much of those. Concentrate on the ‘main’ lifts, money exercise, whatever. The point is to hit it hard and hit it fast then go home and eat. To compliment your training, you may also try supplments like testogen. Basically, Testogen is a natural supplement that supports you in building your muscles.
Sample training workout: Squats 5×5, Bench press 3×8, Pull-ups 3×8
Start to eat at least 5 meals a day. Don’t question it, just do it. Eat calorie dense foods such as peanut butter, milk and meat. This doesn’t mean you can eat junk food excessively. But it won’t kill you if you do eat junk food once a day. Get in some vegetables and fruits every meal and eat more protein. If you can afford a good reputable meal replacement, buy them and drink them every day before bed.
The hardgainer is a term which has been abused by people who simply refuse to believe that they themselves have done something wrong in their training. They prefer to blame it on genetics. That doesn’t mean that there are no hardgainers out there. A true hardgainer is just so darn rare nowadays. By keeping your training short and sweet and eating constantly, I guarantee that you will get the best gains in your life!
