As a hardgainer, if i follow a correct training program/diet can i see results on a weekly basis?
Monday, March 30th, 2009 at
12:23 pm
How to Measure Progress
asher j asked:
I’m 17, turning 18 and i’ve been underweight my entire life. When I do workout, I do look buff for a short while. I’m an ectomorph, slightly ripped, but with so little size it doesnt make a difference. I want to see gains on a weekly basis, is this possible?
Answer: An emphatic YES!!!
You may not see muscle gains every week, but what you will see if you’re persistent is strength gains. Endeavor to increase the weights you lift every workout. Part of the beauty of progressive resistance weight training is the ease by which you can adjust the poundages you lift. In most gyms, you can add as little as 2 1/2 pounds on each side of a barbell.
Read this for more details – How To Gauge Progress When Progress Is Not Obvious.
Here’s a great primer on how to train, eat, and sleep for maximum muscle gains – The Top Ten Muscle Building Tips.
Finally, here are some tips on building strength – 5 Ways to Get Stronger
If you follow the guidelines in these 3 articles, you will no doubt progress each week, but in every single workout!
Best of luck to you!!!
Tagged with: building muscle • Diet • hardgainer • muscle-build • progress • Workout
Filed under: Bodybuilding • Diet & Fitness • Hardgainer
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On a weekly basis? Probably not. Very few people -ectomorphs, especially- will see gains after just one or two workouts per body part. But you can make substantial gains if you follow a good exercise regimen with a sufficient caloric intake.
Okay, more specific now. If you’re not taking any bodybuilding supplements, I’d highly recommend stocking up on whey protein, creatine, and if you can afford it, an NO product. You can find these at Wal-Mart for pretty cheap, and for a Wally World choice they work very well. Follow the directions on the tubs, and don’t go overboard.
Next, you’ll want a sufficient caloric intake. This means that you should be taking in more (healthy) calories than you are burning. There’s a BMR calculator on this link: that will tell you how much your body is burning at rest every day. Then add around 200-500 more calories depending on you daily physical activity, and you have a bar to hurdle. Once again, don’t go overboard; a couple hundred extra calories a day should be plenty. Actually, while you’re at bodybuilding.com, check out some more of the articles to get a better grasp on things.
Lastly, keep a workout journal. You’ll probably notice strength gains faster than size gains, so use them to keep you motivated if you’re disappointed that you don’t look like Phil Heath after a week or two. Measure all you body parts (not just biceps; neck, chest, thighs, calves…) every couple of weeks to see what is growing and what is lagging.
The important thing is to stay motivated. Don’t quit just because you aren’t seeing results as fast as you want to. They’ll come, just give’em time.
Best of luck
I agree with Justin G. Those are great recommendations!
what you think about hit program by mike menzer?
@ Flex — it worked great–for Mike. For classic hardgainers, it would destroy them. But you can take his methods and apply them to the hardgainer. Basically, you don't go to failure but you do short workouts with heavy weights.