Finally Hardgainers, See How to Build Big Muscles Quick. The Secret Revealed!
Attention all you “hardgainers” out there, are you ready to learn how to build lots of muscle in a short amount of time? Ready to find out the secrets professionals have been using for decades? Want to learn the one essential supplement that will boost muscle gains and give you an unbelievable muscle pump?
Here it is…..
The keys to success…..
Normally just 4 easy payments of $69.95 but yours today FREE!
Muscle Gain = Enough Food + “Progressive Overload” + Recovery
Wow and I mean WoW!
Ok, so I played it up a bit, but were you excited or actually let down to learn that is the secret? What exactly were you expecting to hear? Sadly this is the mainstream culture we live in today promising unbelievable results in no time at all. The old saying always holds true, “if it is too good to be true it usually is”.
But have no worries, as I am going to give you the real story of how people are putting on muscle (well at least the ones not using any additional anabolic hormones).
Can You “Handle the Truth?” There is No Quick Fix.
Ok, that was done in my best Jack Nicholson voice impression (thank goodness you couldn’t hear that over the web). But that is the honest answer, there is no “quick” fix to put on lots of real muscle.
Sadly I don’t think people want to hear that, some may actually keep looking for a quick fix while doing nothing right now. We overlook people who have spent years (and I mean lots of years) building up muscle and expect to just find it in a can or something. A person who keeps looking for the magic answer is just wasting their time.
It is time for people to get realistic about their muscle gains. First step is to realize how much muscle they can really put on, what their real weight is going to be and the time it is going to take. Here is a good part from an article by Lyle McDonald on how much muscle one can genetically gain.
Now I think part of this has to do with exceedingly skewed ideas about what’s achievable, a problem driven by pro-bodybuilding. After seeing a pro-bodybuilder stepping on stage at 260 pounds or more and shredded, the idea that a natural may top out at 180-190 pounds of lean body mass (if that) can be disheartening.
Of course, to the general public, an individual at a lean 180-190 pounds is still pretty enormous. It’s just that compared to the absurd size of a pro bodybuilder, it seems absolutely tiny. But it is reality.
People forget that Arnold Schwarzenegger competed at perhaps 230 pounds (assuming 5% body fat, that’s only 220 pounds of lean body mass) and that was with (admittedly low doses) of anabolic steroids in the mixture.
The simple real-world fact, which can be verified by going to any natural bodybuilding show is that you simply don’t see naturals coming into contest shape much above 200 pounds (the exceptions can usually be counted on one hand) and few even achieve that level of size. It’s always the lighter classes (e.g. 165 lb class) that have the most competitors at natural shows with fewer and fewer coming in at the heavier weights, especially in contest shape.
Even when people point to large natural strength athletes who might be 270-280 lbs. natural, by the time you figure in 28-30% body fat, that still puts them right back at a maximum lean body mass of 189-196 lbs. Certainly near the higher end of things but not by that much.
I have often thrown out the following values for rates of muscle gain.
Year of Proper Training Potential Rate of Muscle Gain per Year 1 20-25 pounds (2 pounds per month) 2 10-12 pounds (1 pound per month) 3 5-6 pounds (0.5 pound per month) 4+ 2-3 pounds (not worth calculating) Again, these values are for males, females would use roughly half of those values (e.g. 10-12 pounds in the first year of proper training).
So as you can see from above, a real novice (one who has not really put on much muscle yet) can make some great gains of 2+ pounds of muscle (not just weight, which includes fat) per month. After that it will tend to slow down and become harder as the body will resist putting too much on.
Also another good point is about how much a person really should weigh. I’ve heard people say that they want to be 220 lbs and ripped, and yet they are 180lbs and a bit chubby. Time for a little math. Say you are 180lbs at 20%BF, that means you have 144lbs of lean mass. If you think you can be 220lb and 6% BF, that means you will need 207lbs of lean mass. So we are talking about gaining 60+lbs of muscle? Well that may take a long while.
The reality is that while people want to weigh more, they usually neglect to think about actual muscle gain. That and most bodybuilders/athletes/actors (or whoever you are comparing yourself to) are probably alot lighter than you think they are, or also have more bodyfat than you realize.
So understand that your journey for building muscle is a slow and steady one, and that you should be in it for the long haul. I mean imagine if you had this attitude 2 years ago with steady training and eating, what you could be today. So being in it for the long run mentally is the first step to getting there, otherwise you can be like all the others out there spending lots of money on things advertised for quick gains….and we know how that turns out.
Eat More…and more…
So you are skinny right now, so what? I’ve heard too many people wear the “hardgainer” badge with honor. Well if you ever plan on really adding muscle, time to throw the badge away and just get to work (namely with a fork). Ask many “bigger” people and they may tell you at some point they were also a skinny lad, but then did what it took.
You are not lacking more protein powders, nitric-oxide, or any other fancy supplement. Real food has been doing the job for ages so no reason to think it still doesn’t work. Just take a look at this outtake from an article entitled “Complicated” at Elite Lifts.
Whenever I’ve spoken with a group of up and comers—the local guys just starting to do competitions—the conversation always revolves around the “secret” cycles, the exotic compounds, the rare products, the combination of supplements that only the “top guys” must know about. That’s always what the conversation turns to.
Whenever I’ve talked to the “top guys” in bodybuilding or powerlifting, the discussion is never about rare compounds or exotic products. It’s always about eating—how much, how often, what to eat, when, the time they spent $120 on breakfast at Bob Evans. That’s the difference.
When a I meet a local guy at a show or at the gym, they never ask about food. It’s always about some exotic compound. The funny thing is nine times out of 10, I’ve never ever heard about the “magic” compound they’re talking about. I’m sure most of the top guys in the sport haven’t either probably because they were either in the process of chewing a big chunk of steak or their ears were ringing from the set of deadlifts they just finished.
If you really want more insight into the nutritional background of strongmen and bodybuilders, I strongly suggest also reading this article at Weston Price on it all.
Remember, the fork is your greatest tool to use outside the gym (or you can eat with your hands if you like too). If you do not eat enough, you will not gain real muscle even with tough workouts. Plain and simple. Stick to real foods and stay away from the all those overhyped muscle building supplements (as you don’t need them!).
Don’t Make it Complicated or Look for the “Holy Grail” of Workouts
Above we talked about the key to building muscle as being “progressive overload”. What does this mean? Simply that you are continually putting your body under a stress over time that is progressing and overloading your body with increasing volume/weights/tension. Your workouts are going to signal for your body to continually adapt to the ongoing stress and build more and more muscle. If you keep the same workout with the same weights, your body has no reason to adapt any further.
Here is the key, there isn’t just one way to achieve this. Ask 10 bodybuilders what kind of workouts they do, and you will probably get 10 different answers. Maybe one does HIT style, or German Volume Training, or 5x5s, or 20 Rep Squats…and the list goes on and on. What they will have in common is somehow they are adding weights/volume/tension over time. This is what is signaling the new muscle growth.
It is a simple concept that gets lost out there in the search for the perfect workout program. Too many are suffering from a severe case of information overload, and information is easy to come by nowadays. People are reading new workouts every month, week or maybe even every day. Whether it be on the internet or with the latest monthly issue of Flex. People are getting sidetracked and never sticking with one program long enough to allow the golden rule to apply of progressive overload.
So find a workout you will enjoy (as enjoying your workouts is important for consistency) and stick with it for at least 12 weeks. No changing it, no adding things, just stick with the plan and progress with either more reps or weight each workout. I don’t care if it is a simple 3×5 or 3×10 plan, it will work if you really challenge yourself and progress over time! Don’t make this more complicated as it needs to be, all you need is a plan, a pen and a book to write down your weights/reps. Then next time in, you beat it by a rep or with an additional 5lbs….and continue onward and upward.
Here are some additional basic tips on workouts:
- If you want to train more for strength (with size), reps should be around 3-5
- If you want to train more for size (with strength), reps should be around 8-10
- Do mostly compound movements using biggest muscles first (chest, back, legs)
- Do not focus on isolation workouts (like most BB magazines would have you doing)
- Keep workouts about 45min at most and 2-3x a week
- Keep track of weights and reps and make sure they are progressing (progressive overload)
- If you see you are not progressing (or going in the opposite direction), take a couple days off to recover some more
Stay Healthy and Don’t Get Injured
Smart training means knowing how to take it slow and steady and not put yourself in worse condition. That means keeping optimal health for the immune system and your muscles/joints.
Staying healthy means a strong immune system and making sure you are not suppressing it. Eating real foods and staying away from sugar and processed crap is a good start. Also making sure to get plenty of sleep it vital as well.
Being smart in your workouts also matters. As once you do something to injure yourself, everything comes to a halt (I’ve been there and know what it is like). So instead of continually making progress on your gains you are now on the sidelines waiting to heal up. You will only set yourself back and depending on the injury, it could be for a while.
Remember that part of growing muscle means being consistent (and progressively overloading), which is hard to do if you aren’t able to lift any weights for the next 6-12 weeks.
Forget the Post Workout Insulin Spike
“The first law of nutrient timing is: hitting your daily macronutrient targets is FAR more important than nutrient timing…..the second law of nutrient timing is: hitting your daily macronutrient targets is FAR more important than nutrient timing.” – Unknown from internet forums
Great quote from somewhere on the net, and it is so true. What is means is that what you eat in a day (total macronutrients, calories) is more important that the “science” of nutrient timing. Namely the “post workout” window and insulin spiking.
But what about restoring muscle glycogen you may ask? Well unless you are a full time athlete in training or need to go again with muscle glycogen in the next 6-12 hours, it is not needed. Your muscles will be fully restored within 24-48 hours anyways with a proper diet.
In fact in a study (The effect of high carbohydrate meals with different glycemic indices on recovery of performance during prolonged intermittent high-intensity shuttle running; Erith S) with professional soccer players, it was found that there was NO difference in performance on 2 consecutive days with one group consuming high GI carbs and another low GI carbs after their workout.
So insulin sensitivity and muscle glycogen is not a factor really anymore, what about a certain window for more protein synthesis? What we do find is that increased protein synthesis lasts much longer than some immediate post workout window (so no need to chug down that sugar/whey shake right in the gym).
The response to the amino acid-carbohydrate drink produced similar anabolic responses at 1 and 3 h. Muscle protein breakdown did not change in response to the drink. We conclude that essential amino acids with carbohydrates stimulate muscle protein anabolism by increasing muscle protein synthesis when ingested 1 or 3 h after resistance exercise.
An oral essential amino acid-carbohydrate supplement enhances muscle protein anabolism after resistance exercise;Blake B. Rasmussen; J Appl Physiol 88: 386-392, 2000;
It has been shown that muscle protein synthetic rate (MPS) is elevated in humans by 50% at 4 hrs following a bout of heavy resistance training, and by 109% at 24 hrs following training.
Resistance training alters the response of fed state mixed muscle protein synthesis in young men; Tang JE; Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2008 Jan;294(1):R172-8. Epub 2007 Nov 21.
We conclude that exercise resulted in an increase in muscle net protein balance that persisted for up to 48 h after the exercise bout and was unrelated to the type of muscle contraction performed.
Mixed muscle protein synthesis and breakdown after resistance exercise in humans; S. M. Phillips; Endocrinology and Metabolism, Vol 273, Issue 1 E99-107
So what is the end result?
- There is NO need to spike insulin after a workout
- You don’t have to immediately worry about replenishing muscle glycogen after a workout (unless you need it later that day again)
- It is more important to make sure you are eating enough calories and protein during the whole day (not just windows after a workout)
Focus More on Your Lifestyle
Muscles do NOT nor will they EVER grow in the gym. Not possible, as you are there creating a muscle catabolism environment, just so they will respond by growing over the next 48+ hours. Which can mean only one thing, you grow muscles only when you are not in the gym.
So this means your lifestyle outside of when you train will either help or hurt your muscle growth potential. If your lifestyle is full of stress, alcohol, little sleep and excessive/intense activity you can bet you will be wasing more muscle than building. But if you get plenty of sleep, control your stress, keep inflammation low and keep activity lower intensity, then you can allow your body to build more muscle (not too mention help reduce chances of any injuries as we have seen above being important).
One of my favorite activities nowadays is just walking (outside, inside, anywhere) as I covered the benefits to it in a previous article on how to get bigger muscles by walking.
So If You are Still Not Gaining, Do the Checklist
Whenever things look like they are not working, just go over the things below and ask yourself:
- Have I given it at least 6-12 weeks to progress in weights? (or are you hopping around to different programs and not allowing any “progressive overload” to happen?)
- Do I eat enough (not just protein, but all calories)? How much is enough? Well most people can start at about 15-20x their lean mass (lbs) in calories and go from there. If you want to know how much protein you really need, then read this past article.
- Am I getting enough sleep? Don’t overlook this powerful anabolic event at night!
- Is there too much additional stress or activity getting in the way (are you running around too much while increasing stress on your off days and not allowing your body to relax and grow)?
There is your simple checklist. Most people fail to make progress because of those 4 things. That is where most all of your gains will come from, not from different grips on the bar while you curl.
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Here is wisdom!
Good post guys.
[...] Start paying more attention to the good old-fashioned fundamentals than the flashy magic potions and secrets. You’ll be better [...]
Good Stuff.
re: post workout eating, years ago when I was really starting to research BB on the net, I was reading a thread regarding insulin spiking along with protein, the best insulin spiker, the timing window post workout, etc etc. Multiple internet warriors spewing in their take. Along comes a veteran lifter (older, and ripped) who simply posts something to the effect of “After I workout, I go home, relax, and make a nice dinner of chicken and mashed potatoes”. I’ve never forgotten that.
Oh, one more thing: I too noticed much later in life, that the actors/models/celebs you see totally ‘ripped and huge’ on the screen or in print, are truly much, much smaller than we think. I’ve seen 22yr old guys that from a distance look ripped (which they are more naturally chiseled at a young age), but when you get close, you realize that all they are is skinny and you’ve been berating your own size for no reason. I get a kick nowadays out of watching MMA and the stats of the fighters before the fights. Pretty interesting stuff to analyze these guys, since they are tested to be natural obviously, and the stats display their age, weight and height. As you stated, most of the leanest/ripped looking are in the 155-165 range. The 180′s begin to be a bit softer, the light heavy weights around 205 definitely get softer, unless they are giants 6’4″+.
Mike OD Reply:
Geoff – So true. The more “ripped” one is the bigger they actually look…yet are probably 20lbs lighter than what most people think. Case in point I have a powerlifter/BB buddy who was 240lbs walking around a few months ago (with higher BF%)….he cut down to 8-6% BF and is now around 215, but everyone who sees him now thinks he put on tons of muscle since they last saw him….funny how that happens. The reality is most people are not going to be that heavy when low bodyfat (without the help of anabolic steroids). One should just worry about putting on lean muscle and not just “weight”, unless they need the additional weight for a sport and/or do not care about leanness in the first place (like if you are just powerlifting or a lineman in football).
[...] Full Article [...]
Hi Mike,
This inquiry is about maximizing growth hormone secretion post-workout (PWO) while also anabolism/maximizing protein synthesis.
Regarding maximizing growth hormone levels PWO and also trying to put body into anabolic mode simultaneously: I’m reading that its glucose levels—not insulin—that will blunt the secretion of growth hormone post-workout (this is Rob Faigin’s work I believe). Thus a CHO+PRO PWO shake will blunt/stop GH secretion (degree of blunting assumed to depending on the glycemic load of the carbs ingested), while in theory just PRO should not (Faigin writes that PRO enhances GH secretion I believe).
It would seem that given this, and ignoring the non-paleo aspect of Whey protein, the intake of just whey PWO would not blunt GH levels despite its ability to spike insulin (glucose levels will remain low tho b/c no ingestion of carbs). (Milk proteins have extremely insulinogenic properties, and I don’t think their mechanism for elevating insulin so quickly is well understood yet). Thus, it would seem that insulinogenic Whey intake PWO is complimentary (even synergistic) to GH release to help turn this into an anabolic window w/o blunting the GH response. This is how I interpret this. I realize lean animal protein is a better source (although much slower digesting), but sometimes its not feasible (where to store in gym?) and whey is very convenient in these times.
What is your take? Do you mind one insulin spike per day so long as GH secretion isn’t blunted? Or is this just flat out wrong? This is fascinating stuff and I’m not sure we have enough conclusive evidence to determine a “right” answer.
Any help would be much, much appreciated.
Thanks,
Kyle Schneider
Mike OD Reply:
Kyle – Yes you are correct, high blood sugar will lead to lowered GH. High insulin is a response from the elevated blood sugar, so hence why an “insulin spike” from sugar is not the goal pwo. Insulin can elevate some from BCAAs, enough to help increase protein synthesis. You don’t need a huge spike. As far as whey protein helping to “elevate” GH levels, I have not seen studies to back that up but I have a suspicion it may just have something to do with blood level amino acids increase. Hence why you also see some studies to suggest BCAAs PRE-workout is more advantageous than any pwo drink (as it will slightly elevate insulin and increase delivery with blood flow from the workout….or that is the claim). Lastly is the role of GH for muscle building (in this case/article focus), while important is not the sole hormone vital to the process. Spikes after workouts are small and not lasting compared to what can happen overnight and in a 24-48hr period after intense lifting. So in the end, I think a huge insulin spike, especially from high GI/sugar carbs, is not needed pwo (unless you have 2x/day training needs) but along with proper nutrition having some aminos pre-workout may be better idea. Keep in mind high insulin clears the blood of amino acids, so that means less protein synthesis over the long run as long as it remains high. That and studies show faster digesting proteins are not even absorbed/utilized as well as slower digesting ones (esp casein), so I would take milk any day over whey protein shakes.
The hormonal boost (GH+Test) that comes from training does nothing for muscle hypertrophy. The spikes are too short-lived to amount to anything.
It was doubtful in the first place, but was recently shown once and for all in an elegant study.
See:
West, et al. Elevations in ostensibly anabolic hormones with resistance exercise enhance neither training-induced muscle hypertrophy nor strength of the elbow flexors. J Appl Physiol. 2009 Nov 12.
Mike OD says it best. The guys ripped up the most look huge and weigh much less. I have noticed this most watching and follow MMA. There are guys at 155lbs that are ripped, but just look huge.
Nicely put dude, however there is one part of the equation I believe you’re missing and that’s flexibility, SPECIALLY after a workout, while you have an incredible pump.
Some people are un-sure and skeptics are saying BS but go stretch the hell out of your chest after a solid bench workout and you tell me that your chest isn’t looking rounder and fuller a week later.
As for progressive overload. PARAMOUNT
I am spending too many hours researching this good topic for the “hard gainers”. I am going to follow the format in this article for 12 weeks after I recover from elbow tendinitis.
I am 56 years young and trying to gain lost muscle due to aging, jogging, lack of resistance training, and bad food choices, too many bad carbs!
Now, I crossfit at a great business, probably the best “box” in the area but can’t seem to gain. Weigh 154 lbs. @ close to 6′ in height. Workout 5 to 6 times a week. Sleep 5.5 hours to 7 hours a day. Eat 70 to 110grams of protein a day, consume60g to 85grams of fat a day, and eat hardly any starchy carbs (30g to 60g a day).
This has been my system for one year. No change. Any suggestions or reminders would be appreciated
!!
Mike OD Reply:
@Dave – Here’s my bullet point for gaining weight:
- Eat more (esp protein, healthy fats, and starchy carbs…aka sweet potatoes are great). Calorie load will determine whether your body will want to start building more muscle or not. You usually need a bit more than your maintenance level (roughly around 18x your lean BW). Adding whole milk can be an easy way to help boost calories (the whole GOMAD thing), although you don’t need a whole gallon a day…could just be a quart/half to start.
- You will gain muscle only if you continually signal muscle growth at the cell level. Doing the same thing with no increase or progressive overload to the muscle will not give it a reason to grow. This is best done with increases in strength over time (lift heavier weights and your body will grow).
- Keep your workouts simple, a simple 1×10 full body workout can grow muscle and a 3×5 one can as well…all depends on whether you are able to increase the weights over time (I like the more strength based and keeping reps 5-8).
- You may need to get a more planned schedule of lifting heavy (starting strength is a good place to start) and use the metcons less often
- People who make serious gains have a plan and make sure it keeps working, they don’t just “wing it”. Keep it simple, make sure your weights keep going up and be in it for the long term (as real muscle gain is slow and steady). You can do it, once you get the plan down and just stick with it.
Thanks Mike.
From our good friend, Mark Sisson, and few other bloggers, starchy carbs are not that good for you as they tend to increase the insulin level. I’ve avoided starchy carbs because of this (haven’t eaten a potato in 2 years and hardly ant fruit).
Milk? It’s been said to avoid this on the paleo websites.
But, I’ll follow your instructions. Other suggesstions from bloggers have helped in the past, but just a little!
Can you tell me what is meant by”strength based” (keeping reps at 5 –
when lifting ??
Appreciate your time and input, Mike.
Dave
Mike OD Reply:
@ Dave – Sorry, I meant to say “starchy vegetables” like sweet potatoes (not white). Good time to use is primarily after a workout. There is nothing wrong with fruit too, as it has more fructose to slow absorption down (although I don’t eat a ton, esp in the winter). Milk while not Paleo, is still doable for many people who want to add lbs. If you try it and it doesn’t feel right for you, then don’t use it. Go with “whole” and never skim/2%. You mayl find it hard to put on more muscle while eating 100% Paleo unless you can really start eating a surplus of meat/veggies/fats a day, and that can be very expensive. You can google “starting strength” and see the workouts he has, it’s a good way to build up strength and mass for most people starting out. Bodyweight exercises can build muscle, but again there has to be a progressive overload of stress to the muscles overtime (and can be hard unless you keep making your bodyweight heavier somehow like with a vest or do more volume/tension work like a gymnast). I would think for tendonitis high rep work would not be something to embrace either, so lower reps with more weights may be a better idea. Take fish oil for the tendonitis and lay off pullups for a week (as those esp high reps are an issue for many).
Mike,
Since I have “elbow tendinitis”, thought about using body weight workouts. This may be slower to develop muscle gowth but safer for my body. What do you think? Worth my time to do BW workouts?
Okay, Mike. Thanks again for your assistance! I will continue to follow your site. It’s informative and practical. Great to read the comments, too. Most comments do add to the posted article.
Mike OD Reply:
@Dave – Just remember there is always more than just one set way (nutrition, exercise) to build muscle, but if things are not progressing…you have to be able to modify and change it up to see if that fixes it (eat more, different workout plan, more weights/volume, etc). Doing the exact same thing that has given no results in the past and expecting a different outcome in the future, is a form of insanity I believe. Keep sane and find what works for you!
When i saw the picture i thought you where going to sell a magic pill .
When I started out and new nothing of weight training, my biggest problem was ignoring the importance of rest and sleep. (I thought training daily would get me to my goal quicker!) Good article. Though I think the importance of rest and sleep should have been explored a bit further.
[...] Building muscle is more about steady progression than quick gains (unless you are in a state of under-trained). There are people always looking how to build muscle in 12 weeks…and then those building it year after year slow and steady. [...]
[...] Building muscle is more about steady progression than quick gains (unless you are in a state of under-trained). There are people always looking how to build muscle in 12 weeks…and then those building it year after year slow and steady. [...]