Hardgainers need not worry any longer. Part 1 of this 4 part series covers nutrition for real muscle building. Try it and leave your skinny past behind.
Without nutrition, building muscle isn't going to be possible.
Eating more often in the day is key to growing.
A nutrition log is vital to your muscle-building success.
There are millions of people out there that would love nothing more than to have a blueprint or a written plan on how to go from Steve Urkel to Ronnie Coleman. Skinny people out there are hoping, dreaming, and praying that someday they can be bigger, stronger, better looking, and more confident in themselves.
Well, I am here to let you know that it is possible and yes, you can do it. It is not easy, but it is possible if you want it bad enough and are willing to do whatever it takes to meet your bodybuilding goals. Believe me, I know. I graduated high school at 17 years old, 5'8" and 125 pounds. My upper arm measurement was ten inches, flexed!
Click Image To Enlarge. Skinny People Out There Are Hoping, Dreaming, And Praying That Someday They Can Be More Confident In Themselves.
I am going to give you the blueprint I used to develop my physique into something that I could be proud of. This four part series is going to cover every aspect and give you all of the tips necessary to do what I did or become even greater. Part one is going to cover nutrition. Part two will be supplements, followed by training, and finally motivation.
Growing Doesn't Occur In The Gym
When you think of bigger guys, you develop images of them benching 500 pounds, curling dumbbells that you would use as doorstops, and leg pressing what appears to be a small house. I want you to get these images out of your head right now.
Growing doesn't take place in the gym, it takes place at the table. I don't believe muscle building is 50% training and 50% nutrition. I want you to think that nutrition is 100% and training is 100% from now on.
RELATED POLL
Do You Consider Yourself A Hardgainer?
The smaller percentages translate to some people into that percentage of effort being needed. You must devote 100% to nutrition. I am not going to get into a major science lesson on nutrients. You can find all of that information all over Bodybuilding.com. I am going to give a quick definition of what they do and tell you how much you need.
Protein:
Protein are part of every cell, muscles, connective tissues, enzymes, etc. You need protein to build muscle. You need a lot of protein, straight and simple. You want 1.5 grams per pound of bodyweight.
Get Bigger With Milk! The focus of this article will be geared towards hardgainers who have tried everything and still can not manage to get the scale to where they want it.
If you weigh 125 pounds (like I did) that means you want 125-188 grams of protein per day. Good sources of protein can be tuna, egg whites, steak, protein powders, skim milk, or even 90/10 ground beef.
Carbohydrates:
Carbs are the key source of fuel for the body. Most carbs are either simple (fruits), complex (healthy breads, potatoes), or fibrous (veggies). You want to go for about 2.5 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight.
Click Image To Enlarge. Carbs Are The Key Source Of Fuel For The Body.
For the 125 pounders out there, that is 250-315 grams of carbs per day. Eat a veggie with every meal. Go for fruit in the morning, but stay away from them in the evening. You want to gain quality mass and you want the simple carbs in the morning so the body will burn them when they need them. Eating them in the evening could leave them unused and may be stored as fat.
Fats:
The fats you want are called Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's). They also contribute to energy, diffusion of oxygen into the bloodstream, and they can help regulate moods. There are many more benefits, but these alone should motivate you to eat them.
Get the notion out of your head that fats are bad. You need them, period. They can be found in salmon, tuna, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts. Stay away from nonessential fats. I took in a maximum of 80 grams of fat per day.
RELATED VIDEO: Video Tip Of The Week!
Tip #61: Jamie Eason's Dietary Fats Tip!
Bodybuilding.com Fitness Model Jamie Eason brings you this week's Video Tip of the Week. Don't be afraid of fats! The body needs good essential fats from a variety of foods on a daily basis for optimal health.
Water is essential for the human body anyway. Water clears out toxins, helps metabolize fat, and reduces water retention. Your body is 70% water.
As a hardgainer, you better learn to love it and not go anywhere without it. Drink one gallon a day. That is a lot, but since you are trying to literally build muscle that isn't there, you will need it.
Topic Of The Week: The Importance Of Water? Many people do not understand the benefits of water, and do not meet their recommended daily intake. Learn what the importance of water is and more.
You are probably reading that and thinking, "How can I fit all of that into three meals a day?" You don't. You get all that in six to eight meals to day. Every 2-3 hours, you eat. You eat a serving of protein, one or two servings of carbs (always a veggie), and drink water with every meal. A meal can consist of something like this.
The key is to eat as often as possible. Your body needs that nutrition constantly in order to grow. If you tried to cram all that food into three meals, your body won't use it all and store the extra as fat. That is not the mass you want.
Click Image To Enlarge. The Key Is To Eat As Often As Possible.
Eating more often and having smaller, balanced meals keeps the body running efficiently which goes a long way into growing. It takes some time to get used to, but in the long run, you will build muscle, have more energy, and feel healthier overall.
Keeping Track Of All Of This
Trying to take in so much food as often as you will need to is not easy and is hard to keep track of in your head. Are you sure you ate a couple of hours ago? Did you get enough protein today?
This is where a nutrition log is handy. You keep track of your food just like you keep track of what weight you lift in a training log. It is really not that difficult really. You just write down what time you ate, what foods you ate, and if you want, keep track of the calories, protein, carbs, and fats.
Bodybuilding.com Printable Logs: Free Printable Nutrition Log!
A diet log will help you track your eating progress, and give you a great base when looking back at your most valuable cutting and bulking phases.
Let's use breakfast as an example. You had breakfast at 8:15 this morning. You ate egg whites, had a couple slices of whole grain toast, and some walnuts. You also drank water. You just post this as an entry in your log.
8:15 AM: Breakfast
4 scrambled egg whites
2 slices whole grain toast
1 handful of walnuts
Water
You just do that with each meal throughout the day. If you happen to miss a meal, don't sweat it. Just post you missed it and move on. Also keep track of your weight in your log. If you notice you are having trouble gaining mass, look back at your log and you may notice something you are missing.
Logs are a great tool and are very valuable to your success. If you have a BodySpace account, you can use your BodyBlog. It is a great tool and others can see it so it will keep you motivated to stay on track. If you don't have a BodySpace account, signing up for one is free.
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1 of 9: Your Profile Page: BodySpace is more than just a MySpace for bodybuilders. It's your best tool for staying motivated over the long term. On BodySpace, you can create a profile with your photos, your body stats, your progress, and much more.
Other Things To Keep In Mind
Just because you don't see pizza, burgers, ice cream, or other treats listed in this diet does not mean you can't have them. This is going to take a lot of effort and a reward every now and then doesn't hurt.
I would treat myself to one cheat meal every two weeks. I would buy a pizza, or eat a couple of double cheeseburgers, and then get back on track. If you start cheating more than that, your gains may not be all muscle and what is the point of gaining muscle if it is going to be covered by fat?
RELATED VIDEO: Train Insane With Kane
Episode #28: Cheat Day!
Kane's been changing up his workout routine lately, possibly to avoid alienating his audience with his strange antics. First up is some slow incline bench work with Ascent 81 coaching from the sidelines before taking his turn, and as usual not a word from Kane in return. The fun continues with heavy side laterals and a bit of shameless cheating.
Also, if you have to choose between eating something not on your plan or not eating at all, always eat. Skipping meals will not help you. If you have to stop at a fast food restaurant, find something relatively healthy on the menu and order it.
There are healthy choices at most restaurants, so you don't have to suffer too much. Just avoid temptation and stay away from the Big Macs and Baconators.
Healthy Fast Food! I'll go over some of the more popular establishments and outline the healthiest options to choose from, as well as some you should stay away from.
Please do not take nutrition lightly. The foods you eat and how often you eat them is a direct influence on how you get bigger and stronger in the future. You follow this plan and you will be well on your way to your ultimate fitness destiny. If I can do it, trust me, you can do it.
The next part of this series is going to cover supplementation. What are the essentials to gaining mass? Which ones should you avoid? I will cover these topics and more.
Testimonial
Just wanted to say thanks for the motivation, and game plan to finally put some size on.
Quite a few years back I was a "gym rat". I spent 3-4 years there, and never seemed to be able to put any size on. Long story short I got discouraged and quit 135lbs and disgusted with my genetics.
About 4 years past, my metabolism slowed a bit. I was walking around a weak 135-140 natural. Earlier this year I had a bout with food poising, and lost a ton of weight. I went down to 121 to be exact. After that I couldn't seem to get back to my old weight, I just stayed at 130, it was so frustrating.
Then one of my buddies started lifting, and I vowed to get back into it and get results. He later ended up flaking out but I kept lifting at home.
A few weeks later I stumbled onto your hardgainer article, and was immediately drawn in. I mean here is someone that came from where I am, and put on some real size then wrote an article about how to do it. Unlike every other one I read from some "genetically inclined" guy that to be honest has no idea what its like to be a small guy.
Thanks for taking your time to break it down and get me motivated. I've been following your guidelines quite closely, and I am seeing great results! I'm at 153 and going strong, I've never been so big and seeing results just motivates me more and more. Sorry for the long message, but I wanted you to get a little backround as well.
When I first started to hit the gym i was terribly small! 5' 10" and 108 pounds..i would hit the gym nearly every day..a minimum of 5 days a week! Pounding my body relentlessly with 2 hour workouts with a foolish mentality that more time spent in the gym is more time getting bigger! Proper nutrition never crossed my mind..after months i found myself a bit toned but my weight was stagnant...moving up and down around 110 pounds! I got discouraged after 6 months and quit.
3 months ago i was done with high school and decided to give the gym another go. This time i decided to go about it the smart way! Luckily i stumbled across your article prior to my comeback and for the past 3 months I've been spending much more time in the kitchen than the gym! Ensuring i get at least 5 meals in every day and also my training at the gym never goes longer than 1 hour and 15 mins.
Thanks to you I've gained over 12 pounds in these few months and my muscle mass has significantly increased! I'm still skinny compared to others at my gym..but in my mind i'm not competing with them, i'm competing with myself! I'm nowhere near my goals but others have been noticing the results of the work I've been putting into my body which further motivates me to move forward!
I hope others see this article and learn that it isn't impossible for us hard gainers to build muscle!
I have a question. I'm student and only have a chance to eat four times a day. What is a method or a thing I could could to still get the same calories to gain weight?
When I was in college I faced the same dilema. I found that packing up fruit, nuts, sandwiches, protein bars, and protein shakes were a great way to maintain my calorie intake while walking to class or during that lag time before and after lecture. Don't get held up on the "meal" concept... Hope this helps!
Thanks for the great comment, Matthew. Glad it worked for you. Phili93, do your best to at least squeeze a shake or something in for a 5th meal. 4 will not be enough. As davis 561 said, don't worry about a "meal", just get good calories in.
Nutrition is key totally..I try to take in 30-40 grams if protein every 3 hrs.this is truly the hardest thing to do when ur on the move and have a busy schedule like I do .
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