How To Determine If You Are a Hardgainer
Defining a Hardgainer
A hardgainer it typically a person that consistently works out with weights but can’t seem to add bulk and muscle. No matter how much they work out or how long, they have trouble achieving any gains, as far as size goes.
If this is the true definition than the majority of the population would fit under this category, because it is difficult to put on muscle and weight. As with a lot of things the easiest time to be able to add muscle is during puberty when we are growing and we are filled with hormones and testosterone.
As we get older it becomes much more difficult especially after the age of 25 to 30. That’s when our hormonal production starts declining on a yearly basis.
Did You Just Call Me an Ectomorph Somatype?
If you ask me a hardgainer is a person who is born skinny and no matter how much he/she eats they can’t gain weight. I’ve known a few in my day and its gets to be frustrating as I get older and they stay skinny. But back to the hardgainer names.
A Dr. William H. Sheldon referred to as an “ectomorph” somatotype when he came up with the theory sometime in the 1940’s. Sheldon’s theory states that human bodies are divided into three main somatotypes;
the ectomorph, the endomorph and the mesomorph. In a nutshell, the ectomorph is the naturally skinny person who has trouble gaining weight, whether in the form of muscle or fat. The endomorph on the other hand has the opposite problem, it is too easy for a person with this body type to gain weight. While endomorphs are easy muscle gainers, provided they diet and train correctly, they are cursed with a slow metabolism, which makes it imperative that they be strict with their diet year round if they wish to have any abdominal definition. The mesomorph, however, is the naturally muscular person, who also has a higher metabolism than the endomorph. Mesomorphs make excellent bodybuilders and for them, gains in muscle and reduction in body fat come rather easily provided they maintain a great training and nutrition program; life is not fair.
If You Think That You Are in Hardgainer Hell, Keep Reading
I know that if you have been trying to get out of Hardgainer Hell and so far it hasn’t worked you are probably pretty frustrated. Are you stuck there forever? No. But you are going to have to make some serious changes to beat your genetics.
You are made differently than others so your diet must be different too. Forget everything you’ve read before about nutrition because it doesn’t pertain to you. This is what you must do to overcome your metabolism.
You have to take in at least 50% of your nutrition in carbohydrates, 25% in proteins and the other 25% in good fats. That is different from what most people need for their diet, but you have to fight your genetics.
This is the tough part. A typical person can get results on a caloric intake of 12 times their lean body mass, but you must shoot for 24 calories per pound of your body weight, not your lean body mass. At first this will be difficult.
As an example lets say you weigh 150 pounds. You will need to eat 3600 calories (150 x 24) per day. Now break this down by the percentages I gave earlier and you will have to get 450 grams of carbs, your protein and good fats will be 225 grams each. You must break this down over 6 to 8 meals so that you are eating every 2 to 3 hours while awake.
As you may have guessed by now your best strategy is to maximize your caloric intake while minimizing your caloric expenditures. This is essential if you want to overcome your hardgainer genetics. Your metabolism is like a furnace that doesn’t shut off, even while you sleep you are burning calories and when the fuel source is gone your muscles must pay the price.
Finding the Road Out of Hardgainer Hell
As you can see being a hardgainer isn’t the end of the world nor the end of your chance to get big muscles. There are several hardgainers who have overcome their genetics and even participated in bodybuilding competitions. Vince DelMonte is a great example of this.
Vince DelMonte Before
Vince DelMonte After
He went from 147 pounds to 189 pounds and won a competition. It will take a lot of work and a willful determination but you can achieve whatever it is that you believe. That is the truth. Look on the bright side, whatever weight you put on will be muscle so you won’t have to diet to get ripped like the rest of us.
It is essential, the most important aspect of your plan that you eat regularly and that you eat the proper foods. You must plan out your meals and always have a back-up plan in case you have to work late or stay at school longer than you thought. Carry with you protein bars and shakes and always have fresh fruit at the ready. Eating is the key to overcoming the hardgainer life.
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Tags: bodybuilding, build muscle, gaining mass, Hard Gainer, Hardgainer, muscle building, Vince Delmonte, weight gain
June 25th, 2009 at 3:18 am
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