hardgainer | The Hardgainer Manifesto

Jul 20, MY FULL BODY WORKOUTWeight Training Exercises Blog

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010 at 12:20 am

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Shared by billspaced

Is this guy a hardgainer? Or has he imposed an unworkable routine on himself? He’s doing 20 sets for chest…and doing full-body workouts.

Either he isn’t a hardgainer and is actually building muscle

OR

He’s a hardgainer and not helping his situation AT ALL by training the way he is.

bench-3*20,15,10; incline bench-3*20,15,10; decline-3*20,15,10; front/lateral raises-4*15; upright rows-4*15; shoulder press db-4*15; db bench/ flys-4*15;
Is this guy a hardgainer? Or has he imposed an unworkable routine on himself? He’s doing 20 sets for chest…and doing full-body workouts.

Either he isn’t a hardgainer and is actually building muscle

OR

He’s a hardgainer and not helping his situation AT ALL by training the way he is.

Jul 20, MY FULL BODY WORKOUTWeight Training Exercises Blog

Build Legs for a Massive Upper Body?Muscle Monsters

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010 at 12:18 am

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Shared by billspaced

THIS is the good stuff! Squat for overall muscle size and strength!

What if I told you that if you build legs, you would maximize the potential of increasing overall muscle size? You would probably laugh, think I’m crazy, close this article, and go back to the gym to get minimal results. Fact is, building legs is more than just keeping a proportioned lower body in comparison to your upper body. So, for those not interested in the appearance of bigger quads, hamstrings, and calves, you might still want to pay attention. If you choose not to, you could be doing yourself and your body a serious injustice. Now, are you ready to find out how building legs will help produce a massive upper body?

Compound movements
If you know anything about bodybuilding, you know that compound movements are the foundation to building bigger and stronger muscles. So what compound movements are necessary to build legs? None other than the largest, most effective muscle building workout known to man…..the mighty squat. No matter what you read, where you read it, squats will always be listed as the number one mass building workout, period.” What is the second” you ask, the deadlift, that’s right! Another leg exercise that you should never leave out of your leg routine, ever. So what do these big lower body compound movements have to do with building an upper body? It is simple, although the main focal point of these workouts is to build legs, they are compound exercises that also target some areas of the upper body in a big way.

Increasing GH levels for rapid fat burn
Still not convinced to build legs? What if I told you that building legs would increase GH levels naturally and rapidly? You see, big compound movements not only target the upper body, but they help produce certain hormones (GH) that will turn your body into a fat burning machine, keep you looking and feeling younger, increase strength and endurance, and build muscle mass.

Producing the “mother of all muscle building hormones” – Testosterone
If you weren’t convinced to build legs after the first 2 points, then surely number 3 will seal the deal. Increasing testosterone levels naturally can result is steroid like results without the negative side effects. I mean, this is a hormone that people pay hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars to increase with sketchy pills that label horrible side effects. Not only can you increase your testosterone levels naturally and without negative side effects, but you can do it free of cost. When it comes to building stronger and harder muscles, no other hormone holds a candle to the all mighty testosterone.

Now, Build legs!
By now you should no longer be reading, instead you should be up and on your way to the gym on a mission to build legs. Yes, building a big upper body without working legs is possible. But building a massive upper body at an alarming rate while burning fat, benefiting from increased muscle endurance, and explosive strength gains without working legs is impossible.

THIS is the good stuff! Squat for overall muscle size and strength!

Build Legs for a Massive Upper Body?Muscle Monsters

Help a Hardgainer Build Muscle

Monday, July 19th, 2010 at 2:11 pm

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Take a look at this video and then make suggestions in the COMMENTS. I'll give you a hint: He's overtraining 🙂

He's doing 20 sets + for nearly every body part! That's about 5-10 TIMES too much! He needs to simplify, get really good at a couple of lifts (okay, 5 – Squat, Bench, Row, Press, and Deadlift) and don't ever do anything to failure! Leave one in the tank.

Why? As a true hardgainer, you run an increased risk of overtraining, which, in short, means that you're not giving your body the resources it needs to rebuild and grow bigger and stronger.

Tell me what else is wrong in the Comments! (It's a long list.)

Braced Leg Squats for the QuadsUploads by nilssonnick

Friday, July 16th, 2010 at 11:01 pm

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This is a video by Nick Nilsson.

Nick is the author of Powerful Training Secrets as well as many other muscle-building courses, many of which are perfect for hardgainer training.

How Many Meals a Day for a Hardgainer?

Sunday, September 13th, 2009 at 1:01 pm

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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:

Obviously, this is a well-covered topic!