Bodybuilding For Hardgainers
Bodybuilding for hardgainers is not easy. That I will say without hesitation. When compared to the average genetically gifted person, a hardgainer has to work twice as hard. But since most people who were blessed with good genes have no idea how to maximize their results, a hardgainer who works hard and smartly with usually see better results than the average person. The problem comes when a hardgainer follows the wrong advice and works against himself. The problem comes when he makes his situation worse and makes it almost impossible for him to gain mass because of incorrect principles.
When you are a hardgainer and also have no idea what you are doing, you are more likely to use the term “hardgainer” as an excuse to your inability to gain muscle mass. When you do see a hardgainer who knows what he is doing, you simply see someone who has decent mass along with low body-fat. Many of the “big guys” are happy with their size, but they also desperately wish they could lose all the body-fat that comes with it. So being a hardgainer isn’t the end of the world, it has its advantages. At some point, many of the non-hardgainers wish they were hardgainers. Especially when they start to age and their metabolisms slow down even further, because that’s when it becomes hard to keep the excess fat off your frame.
I personally have struggled with gaining mass for many years. I had many reasons in my head for my misfortune, but ultimately, I notice in hindsight that it all came down to the fact that I wasn’t educated enough about my body and how to make it grow as a hardgainer. I read a lot about bodybuilding in general, but I never learned (until later on) about bodybuilding for hardgainers. Not many things in bodybuilding work for everybody as we have different bodies that have their differences. As you can imagine, the frustration grew more the harder I worked, simply because I was following a formula that didn’t work for me. The money wasted on supplements that promised me heaven and now cannot be returned. The mediocre ended the day I discovered bodybuilding for hardgainers.
The first thing I learned was that food, nutrition, is the sole most important thing to a hardgainer. This was a surprise to me as I had spent most of my time trying to perfect my training, exercise and workouts. I was working-out with full dedication and high intensity but I was seeing no significant gains in strength. This was to be expected of course as you cannot expect to gain much strength if there isn’t much food you’re consuming. It is clear that even the success of the strength training depends on good nutrition, especially if you are a hardgainers. As a hardgainer, you must go past the phase of eating for sustenance and start eating for muscle growth. This means eating more food of a higher quality and calorie density.
Once you know how to properly feed your body for the intended purpose of making it grow, you have to go to the gym and redefine the word “intensity.” Get to the gym, work hard and safely and get out of there. Aim for short, intense workouts; if the intensity is high enough, the duration of the workout will be short by default. A short workout means you won’t have to waste your time doing every exercise in the book. Concentrate on what works. Pay attention to compound, capacity-building, exercises and give them your full attention. Work progressively, increasing the weight every now and then, making sure not to hurt yourself.
Another thing to remember when it comes to exercise is that not everything works for everyone. If something in the gym is not working for you, first make sure that you are doing it the way it is supposed to be done and with proper form. If it still doesn’t work for you, drop it and try something else. Only you can truly know what works for you. As you gain more and more gym experience, you’ll start to get a grasp of what you prefer and what brings in the best results for you. It’s not about doing what everybody does, but about discovering what works for your body.
Knowing that you have to ultimately choose what works for you does not mean that there no rules of thumbs that are fundamental and work in every situation. For example, no matter who you are, 4 hours of non-stop weight training will not do you much or any good, especially if you are a hardgainer. As a hardgainer, there are certain aspect of bodybuilding that you have to ignore and some that you have to turn on their heads. This is not just about being different, it’s about being smart. Being smart enough to know what works and what doesn’t. Not through hearsay, but through common sense and direct experience.
Most hardgainers are simply in a confused state as to what works and what doesn’t. This is why you often hear them say, “Give me the perfect hardgainer workout” or “What supplement should I buy next?” Perfect things don’t exist in bodybuilding for hardgainers.
When you are a hardgainer and also have no idea what you are doing, you are more likely to use the term “hardgainer” as an excuse to your inability to gain muscle mass. When you do see a hardgainer who knows what he is doing, you simply see someone who has decent mass along with low body-fat. Many of the “big guys” are happy with their size, but they also desperately wish they could lose all the body-fat that comes with it. So being a hardgainer isn’t the end of the world, it has its advantages. At some point, many of the non-hardgainers wish they were hardgainers. Especially when they start to age and their metabolisms slow down even further, because that’s when it becomes hard to keep the excess fat off your frame.
I personally have struggled with gaining mass for many years. I had many reasons in my head for my misfortune, but ultimately, I notice in hindsight that it all came down to the fact that I wasn’t educated enough about my body and how to make it grow as a hardgainer. I read a lot about bodybuilding in general, but I never learned (until later on) about bodybuilding for hardgainers. Not many things in bodybuilding work for everybody as we have different bodies that have their differences. As you can imagine, the frustration grew more the harder I worked, simply because I was following a formula that didn’t work for me. The money wasted on supplements that promised me heaven and now cannot be returned. The mediocre ended the day I discovered bodybuilding for hardgainers.
The first thing I learned was that food, nutrition, is the sole most important thing to a hardgainer. This was a surprise to me as I had spent most of my time trying to perfect my training, exercise and workouts. I was working-out with full dedication and high intensity but I was seeing no significant gains in strength. This was to be expected of course as you cannot expect to gain much strength if there isn’t much food you’re consuming. It is clear that even the success of the strength training depends on good nutrition, especially if you are a hardgainers. As a hardgainer, you must go past the phase of eating for sustenance and start eating for muscle growth. This means eating more food of a higher quality and calorie density.
Once you know how to properly feed your body for the intended purpose of making it grow, you have to go to the gym and redefine the word “intensity.” Get to the gym, work hard and safely and get out of there. Aim for short, intense workouts; if the intensity is high enough, the duration of the workout will be short by default. A short workout means you won’t have to waste your time doing every exercise in the book. Concentrate on what works. Pay attention to compound, capacity-building, exercises and give them your full attention. Work progressively, increasing the weight every now and then, making sure not to hurt yourself.
Another thing to remember when it comes to exercise is that not everything works for everyone. If something in the gym is not working for you, first make sure that you are doing it the way it is supposed to be done and with proper form. If it still doesn’t work for you, drop it and try something else. Only you can truly know what works for you. As you gain more and more gym experience, you’ll start to get a grasp of what you prefer and what brings in the best results for you. It’s not about doing what everybody does, but about discovering what works for your body.
Knowing that you have to ultimately choose what works for you does not mean that there no rules of thumbs that are fundamental and work in every situation. For example, no matter who you are, 4 hours of non-stop weight training will not do you much or any good, especially if you are a hardgainer. As a hardgainer, there are certain aspect of bodybuilding that you have to ignore and some that you have to turn on their heads. This is not just about being different, it’s about being smart. Being smart enough to know what works and what doesn’t. Not through hearsay, but through common sense and direct experience.
Most hardgainers are simply in a confused state as to what works and what doesn’t. This is why you often hear them say, “Give me the perfect hardgainer workout” or “What supplement should I buy next?” Perfect things don’t exist in bodybuilding for hardgainers.
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