Learn how to exercise, rest, and eat if you are struggling to gain muscle mass. Recommendations will increase the weight by at least 10 kg. For some athletes, gaining mass is a very difficult process. They are called hard gainers. Even when consuming a lot of calories, they may not gain a single gram of mass. However, there is a way out, and to help you, here are some important tips for a hardgainer in bodybuilding.
Tip # 1: Get enough sleep
The recovery process for hardgainers tends to take longer than other body types. If you don't get enough sleep, then you don't even have to think about the mass. A minimum of eight hours of sleep during the day.
Tip # 2: Consume Gainers
Liquid calories are more digestible than solid ones. By consuming high-calorie drinks, it will be much easier for you to gain weight. After class, take not only protein, but also gainers, adding nut butter, oatmeal, fruit, cottage cheese, etc. to smoothies.
Tip # 3: Eat Heavy Foods, But Avoid Overeating
Don't eat low-calorie foods. Other than being heavy in your stomach, they won't do you any good. To gain weight, you need to consume at least 40 calories daily for every kilogram of body weight. Eat mashed potatoes, eggs, steaks, oatmeal, etc.
Tip # 4: training one muscle group interferes with gaining mass
Don't just use any of your exercises. Try to pick ones that use a lot of muscles.
Tip # 5: Use Cardio Properly
While it is often said that hardgainers should exclude cardio from their training program altogether, in practice this is not entirely true. It is important to use your aerobic activity wisely. Perform no more than three cardio sessions during the week, the duration of which does not exceed half an hour. Remember that cardio has a beneficial effect on the work of the heart muscle.
Tip # 6: More Weight with Fewer Reps
In order not to waste energy, work with large weights in a low-reps mode. For you, the most acceptable repetition range is from 6 to 10.
Tip # 7: Get More Rest Between Sets
Since you have to work with serious weights, you will have to increase the pause time between sets. If you are used to resting for half a minute, then the body will not have time to recover and the intensity of the training will decrease. Rest for two to three minutes.
Tip # 8: eat fat
You should have less control over your fat intake. Of course, they should be useful. Don't trade fats for carbohydrates.
Tip # 9: Carbohydrates Must Be Right
After completing the training, take carbohydrates without fail. This will help the body recover faster. The best options for you are dextrose, waxy corn, and maltodextrin.
Tip # 10: Don't blame everything on bad genetics
Today it has become fashionable to attribute all failures in bodybuilding to genetics. Some athletes do not pay attention to this at all and achieve their goals. Of course, the role of genetics should not be minimized, but you have leverage that can help you. Remember to eat well, exercise, and be patient.
Tip # 11: Overtraining
Very often, overtraining is the reason for the lack of progress. Most often, athletes find themselves in this state when using training programs that do not match their current level of fitness. Many beginner builders like to train according to pro-athletic programs, which cannot be done. It should also be remembered that perhaps the whole point is not overtraining, but not enough time to rest.
Tip # 12: Determine Your Optimal Loads
Very often, hardgainers are advised to use shortened training programs. This is fully justified, but may not always work. If they do not bring you results, then you should start gradually increasing the load, but do it gradually. It is important to remember about such a parameter as performance. If yours is small, then high-volume training will not bring results. On the other hand, performance can be increased through training. This is achieved by systematically increasing the load.
Tip # 13: Choose the Most Effective Exercise
There are a lot of exercises today, and they can all be divided into two groups:
- Psychologically easy for you.
- Allowing to progress working weight.
If the movement does not suit you psychologically, then it probably does not match your physiological characteristics. Do not use them, as you will not see the result. It is very important to find the exercises that will work for you. Of course, this will take some time. Also remember that the legs are a stimulant of the muscular growth of the whole body. If you want to have big arms, then you need to swing your legs, no matter how ridiculous it sounds.
How hardgainers gain weight, learn from this video:
