If you are reading this article then the chances are that you already know what a hardgainer is. If you are nor sure what it means then really it just refers to a person that has extreme difficulty increasing their weight be it fat or muscle! This is normally said to be because that person has a high metabolic rate.
Metabolism or metabolic rate refers to the rate at which your body burns up the calories it has taken on whilst performing the natural reactions of the body. If your metabolic rate is very slow then it is easy to gain fat tissue as you are not using up as many calories at rest as someone who has a higher metabolic rate.
For supporting muscle gains we should be trying to creat a surplus amount of calories, this is difficult for hardgainers as they rapaidly use up their calories even at rest. So, what can hardgainers do to counter this? Here is our how to build muscle quickly guide for hardgainers:
1) Keep the cardio workouts to a minimum. Cardio work actually speeds up the bodies metabolism, as well as using up calories whilst doing the exercises, you will also be increasing the rate at which you are burning up calories at rest after your workout. You do not want this as you are trying to create surplus calories.
2) Eat for two people! You need to take on board heaps of calories. To do so, double the portion of food that you would normally consume. Use oversized bowls so it is impossible to forget this.
3) Eat 5-7 meals per day. This is critical to build up muscle. Your body can only absorb a certain amount of nutrients at anyone sitting so spreading out the meals is also a good thing and ensures that your body is never waiting for its next meal. Eating 2-3 meals per day is claimed to slow down the bodies metabolism which is true but this doesn’t mean it is something that hardgainers sould do. Why? Because your body can flip into a starvation state where it releases particular chemicals that actually inhibit the muscle building process.
4) Make use of supplemements. Take full advantage of the numerous excellent supplements that are available such as protein shakes and meal replacement powders. These contain very high dosages of exactly the right things that you need. Ideally you should consume them just before and just after your training session when your body will benefit from them the most.
Quit performing exercise movements that are not mult joint exercises like concentration curls, only do compound exercises. Your sessions need to involve: dead lifts, pull ups, squats and bench presses. These are the best and quickest method to build muscle mass in the right places fastest.
6) Reduce the number of sets. Muscle mass growth can be ignited by performing just 10 sets per session with only 3 sets per body part. More is often worse for hardgainers! Stimulate growth then leave the gym as soon as possible and asve your calories for supporting muscle growth.
7) Drink ample amounts of water. It is crucial for many important reactions in the body so don’t forget to do this. Drink lots and often.
There we have it, try those tips out. Be persistent with these for a couple of months before your judge them. Go for it, if not now when? I hope you found our how to build muscle up tips useful.
