The Hardgainer Solution Part 1 - My Health & Fitness

The Hardgainer Solution Part 1: Weight Training for Skinny Guys to Build Size Fast

Few things feel less masculine than being rail thin, not being able to fill out a small sized tee shirt, and being so weak that if you could somehow attract a girlfriend she?d be able to beat you in an arm wrestling match.

Such is the plight of the hardgainer.

Hardgainers are typically on the extreme end of the ?type A? personality spectrum. They?re energetic (borderline hyperactive), tend to over-analyze things and have a lightning fast metabolism.

Some have a small, but noticeable amount of muscle, while others have what?s known as ?skinny-fat syndrome?.

Nevertheless, they all have one thing in common: the need to build muscle, and build it fast!

In this article, which is part one in a two part article series, I will break down the common training mistakes that prevent hardgainers from adding slabs of new muscle to their frames and will provide a training regimen specifically catered to the needs of the hardgainer.

Bad Information and Useless Instruction

When we want to achieve anything in life it makes sense that we would seek guidance from those who?ve achieved whatever it is we?re hoping to accomplish. To a hardgainer this translates into picking up a copy of the latest muscle mag containing a workout plan that promises ?sleeve ripping arms?.

And since the guy that wrote the program has 20? arms, you think you can trust what he tells you. Never mind the fact that he?s pumping his body with anabolic steroids.

He gives you a plan that has you working your arms 5 days a week with mostly isolated movements that leave you barely able to lift your backpack because you?re so sore the next day. The worst part is that your arms are still the same size 4 weeks later!

After 4 weeks of killing yourself with nothing to show for it you begin to think that you?re genetically destined to be skinny and weak forever.

Gaining size and strength doesn?t come from blasting your muscles into oblivion. It comes from the right combination of training, nutrition and recovery.

We?re going to cover the training aspect throughout the remainder of this article, with the elements of nutrition and recovery being covered in the next article.

Before we get into the specifics of training for fast muscle gains I want to quickly address the problem of having unrealistic expectations.

Unrealistic Expectations

Because a hardgainer?s desire to build muscle is so intense they will often feel like a failure if they haven?t built a set of arms like Arnold after a month or two of training.

You should absolutely expect results. After all, nobody wants to train firm for weeks on end with nothing to show for it. However, you need to have the proper perspective.

Arnold?s bulging arms were the result of more than a decade of consistent training and admitted intermittent steroid use.

You should absolutely expect results, but you can?t expect to do in 2 months what takes professional lifters ten years to accomplish. Besides, if you built muscle that fast you?d end up with a myriad of injuries as your tendons and ligaments wouldn?t have enough time to adapt.

That being said, by implementing the instructions I?m going to share with you, you absolutely can make significant muscle gains every month.

The Hardgainer Training Plan

Weight training for a hardgainer isn?t really any different than the weight training regimen that should be used by anyone else desiring to build muscle mass.

Many beginners make the mistake of doing hyper-targeted training exercises, like isolation curls, lateral shoulder raises and hamstring curls. These lifts are not nearly as effective for growth as compound lifts, such as squats, dead lifts, bench presses and power cleans.

Compound lifts train multiple muscle groups at once, activate a greater cross sectional area of muscle fibers and provide a hormonal response that?s unrivaled by isolation movements.

The most important lift for any hardgainer is the squat. Squats activate more muscles than any other lift and lead to a greater testosterone response as well.

In other words, hardgainers need to squat often.

In the next article I will cover the aspect of training frequency in greater detail, but here is a hardgainer weekly training plan that will allow you to build muscle as fast as possible:

Workout #1	Workout #2	Workout #3
Barbell Squats ? 5 sets of 5 reps	Dead Lifts ? 5 sets of 5 reps	Barbell Squats ? 5 sets of 5 reps
Bench Press ? 5 sets of 5 reps	Bent Over Barbell Rows ? 5 sets of 5 reps	Incline Bench Press ? 5 sets of 5
Power Cleans ? 5 sets of 5 reps	Bicep Barbell Curls ? 5 sets of 10 reps	Power Cleans ? 5 sets of 5 reps
Barbell Shoulder Press ? 5 sets of 5 reps	Barbell Squats ? 5 sets of 10 reps	Barbell Shoulder Press ? 5 sets of 5 reps

Make sure that as you grow stronger you are adding to the weights that you?re using for each lift. A good way to gauge when it?s time to add weight is if you can do 6 reps.

If you never add weight to your lifts your muscles will never be forced to adapt and will not grow!

You have to continually push yourself to performing more weight as often as possible. The more weight you can push, the larger your muscles will get.

Of course, training is only half the battle, as your body will also require the nutrition necessary for muscle growth.

Not to worry. I cover everything you need to know in part 2 of The Hardgainer Solution.

Tagged as: gain weight, hardgainer, muscle

Source: http://www.myhealthandfitness.net.au/the-hardgainer-solution-part-1/

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