I often get asked this question — how many meals a day should I eat if I’m a hardgainer?

The answer is an emphatic, “As many as you can, but no less than 5!”

Why? The answer really lies in keeping your muscles bathed in amino acids, the building blocks of proteins and of muscle.

It’s far better to take in 40 grams of protein per meal, 5 times per day, than 3 meals of 70 grams. It’s hard to say, without a lot of testing, how much protein any given individual can digest and assimilate in a single feeding, but I’d error on the low side (20-50) rather than on the high side (50+).

Why? It’s expensive and puts a greater strain on your kidneys.

I often tell people to “graze.” Eat as often as a horse (or cow), which means all day long. Act like you’re in the hospital on a feeding tube, getting a constant drip of nourishment, only with eating, you’re taking in food you like, such as meats of all kind, poultry, fish, nuts, bread, milk, eggs, and potatoes and pastas. All the good stuff!

Gaining weight is hard work! It takes concerted effort to maximize your eating, and you may feel like you’re going to explode. It’s also hard to keep from getting bored with eating the same foods.

This is why I recommend the following practice:

Every 4th day, forget about food. Don’t try to eat 6 or 8 times a day. Eat what you want, when you want, and don’t take any supplements. Let your body detox, let your mind go free.

You don’t know how effective this method is, until you try it.

Here are some articles that mention eating frequency for hardgainers:

• How Many Times Per Day Should A Hardgainer Eat?
• How Many Times Per Day Should A Hardgainer Eat ? | Build Muscle Tone
• Hardgainer Read This
• How Many Times Per Day Should A Hardgainer Eat ?
• How Many Meals A Day Should A Hardgainer Eat?
• How Many Times Per Day Should A Hardgainer Eat?

Obviously, this is a well-covered topic!

Q: I really want to improve my chest and arms to look better for the summer. Also my abs need toned up a little as well. Can I just do all chest and arm exercises as well as ab exercises and improve those areas?
Yes, you can! Unlike fat, which you cannot spot-reduce, muscle can be build on a body part by body part basis. So, you can absolutely build up your chest, arms, and abs to be in great shape by summer time.

But, I have to ask, why would you want to build a poorly-proportioned body? I’m jumping to the conclusion that your back, legs, and shoulders are at the same level of development as your chest, arms, and abs…

I’m not sure what kind of access you have to free weights; they are your best route to gaining size in your chest and arms. However, even if you have zero access to barbells, dumbbells, and benches, you can make HUGE improvements in your upper body just by performing simple body-weight exercises like Push-ups (for the pecs), Chin-ups (mostly for the biceps but they hit the upper back and shoulders, too), and Pull-ups (mostly a lat/upper back exercise).

Of course, you can do sit-ups, crunches, and planks for your abdominal region; these exercises require nothing more than you and a floor.

Work up to 3 sets of each exercise for as many reps as you can do. Do the whole routine once per day, 3-4 times a week. I wouldn’t even worry about adding any weight until you can do 5 sets of 25 or more for the upper body exercises mentioned.

Best of luck to you. You should be able to get a beach body in no time!

numero uno asked:

I’ve gained about 9 pounds from 1.5 months of moderately-intensive gym training (lifting of weights using machines ‘n stuff). I play tennis for about 3 hours, 3 – 4 times a week.

Can I eat more fast food? I mean, they’re so delicious… I ate KFC and Pizza Hut today.
I think both meals add up to just over 2000 calories… but I played tennis!