40 yr old fit male looking to increase size and strength in weight room... two questions: 1) what should the sets and reps be for a hardgainer? 2) due to a "real-life" schedule, I must do my cardio work after i lift... Am I destined to have my flat bench max at 220??? Any advice for a hardgainer would be appreciated..I ingest protein and 5gms of creatine before a workout as supplements...

Thanks in Oregon

By chris on Tuesday, November 02, 1999 - 08:41 am: Edit

Hard gainer I feel a little weird giving advice to someone double my age however I feel qualified
am 19 years old and have one my first two contests in Canada.

Since your forty you probally will be a hardgainer simply because at that time in your life your ability to produce testosterone diminishes however that doesn't mean you can't become bigger and stronger. First off the bat double your protein consumption, even triple it to find out if your taking in enough protein try and eat your body weight in protein for example if you weight 200 pounds eat 200 grams of protein.

You do this be ingesting some kind of protein every 2-3 hours giving your body a constant supply of amino acids to aid in muscle growth and recuperation chicken, eggs, turkey, beef, protein shakes and make sure there lean soures, chicken breasts, egg whites, and in beef look for "loin" e.x.t striploin.

Overtraining is a big problem people run into and usually happens because people train to much,eat to little,don't get enough sleep,or other stresses in life. So try and avoid it.

Cardio should always be done after weight training so thats good. Depending on your fitnees level 3sets of 10reps should be fine if you feel the need to train heavy lower your reps accordingly

Usually hardgainers have an assumption that they don't have good gentics however anybody can look good you just have to be mentally strong enough and you can do it. HELL IN THE CONTEST TWO WEEKS AGO A 65 YEAR OLD ALMOST WON THE SHOW! AND AFTER 10 WEEKS OF SERIOUS DIETING!

Hey good luck to you and if you have any problems post a message and i'll get back to you

By chris on Tuesday, November 02, 1999 - 08:49 am: Edit

I almost forgot in order to get stronger your whole body must get stronger, what I mean by that is you should have a routine that enables you to lift as heavy as possible in all body parts. Have you ever seen somebody able to bench press 300 pounds and can't squat 300? sounds stupid doesn't it? Nobody wants a beach body big chest, shoulders and arms and tooth pic legs

However if you want to bench big weight you must strengthen the muscle that aid in the lift front deltoids, triceps once these muscles get bigger your bench will go up instantly.

Good luck again

By Pahrumpguru on Wednesday, November 03, 1999 - 04:52 am: Edit

Good advice Chris my hat is tipped to you!

By hardgainer on Wednesday, November 03, 1999 - 09:31 pm: Edit

Chris,

Thanks for the advice... I will try consuming more protein as you suggest...Would you suggest that I cut back my cardio to 3x per week maximum???

Oh, by the way, your age does not concern me regarding advice, just expertise... Thanks for your help...

By chris on Thursday, November 04, 1999 - 02:46 am: Edit

Hardgainer,

Always when trying to get bigger cardio should be cut back, have you ever seen a muscular endurance runner? probally not and there is a reason for it aerobics (with oxygen) when over done can be catabolic which eats up muscle tissue. Offseason bodybuilders always cut back on aerobics because their trying to put on bodyweight, that energy that is expended on the treadmill, or bike can be used to rebuild muscle tissue. When trying to get more muscular try and incorperate a low fat diet not put in more aerobics. When ever I try and bulk up I don't even do aerobics! But thats probally because am still young however since your older you should still do it since it's good for your heart.

Again good luck!
If you need help am always roaming through here just leave a message and i'll get back to you.

By noddys mate ( - 195.92.64.193) on Saturday, April 01, 2000 - 04:14 am: Edit

hard gainer,
first of all, props to you man for getting into the iron game.
i noticed that you havent posted your diet or routine.
alot of people say they are hard gainers, but when they are eating 3-4 meals a day and training their arms for 16 sets and not squatting or deadlifting etc etc it isnt news to me that they are not growing.
as chris has already said, genetics could have a little to do with it, but with good diet and training and rest genetics can be over come.
im 6'1" and my wrists are less than 7 inches.
when i first started training 4 years ago i was 130lbs, now im 225 pounds(but im still a long way off my goal)
if you wouldnt mind posting your stats jeff.
height weight diet routine goals.
il offer you any assistance i can.

By Skip on Sunday, April 02, 2000 - 08:46 am: Edit

Hey guys!

I would greatly appreciate any advice on creating a meal program. I'm 6'7" and weigh approximately 265lbs. I would like to increase my weight to about 310lbs. I currently have a track and field physique, somewhat lean, long, and lanky. Trying to get rid of the lanky, but want to pack on weight and a little more mass, without the body fat.

What is an approximate guideline that I should use to meet a desired weight? For example, how much of the following per day:

- Calories per day per body weight? (currently consuming about 12 calories per lb. of my body weight)
- grams of Protein? (currently 1.5g)
- grams of Carbs? (currently 1.5g)
- grams of Fat? (currently about 40g)
- Ounces of water per day? (currently 162 oz.)

I've heard that these amounts may vary depending on the individual, but was curious of a general guideline, since I can never find the answer in books and BB magazines:

Could any one also recommend if I should work out each major body part once a week, or twice a week? And, approximately how long should each work out be to achieve some growth. I'm currently working each body part twice a week, and the workouts are taking too long, about 2.5 hrs. I would like to get a high intensity workout in no more than 1.5 hrs. or less, just so I won't get mentally burnt out, and dread going to the gym.

I'm also curious about the amount of cardio I should or should not be doing. Currently I do about 25 minutes per session (3 days/wk.) right after my weight training. I've read that doing cardio in the morning on an empty stomach is the best way to go, but I find it almost impossible to squeeze it in at this time.

I appreciate any feedback, and good luck to all of you with your goals!

Sincerely,

Skip Smith
Chicago, IL

By Rico ( - 207.150.6.149) on Sunday, April 02, 2000 - 09:30 am: Edit

Well Skip I wish I could help but the truth is I'm
also intrested in the same answers. I'm 6'2 and
205 but my arms are only 15". I've been working
out for about a year I have got alot stronger but
not much bigger. I know nutrition is a huge part
of it along with supplements but I don't know the
specifics. I hope someone will answer your
question. I work on 2 body parts a night doing
that work out twice a week putting me in the gym 6
times a week. For example;
1 chest & triceps
2 back & biceps
3 legs & shoulders
4 rest
plus doing calves and abs everytime
Does anyone have any better suggestions on a
workout program or does this seem like a good
plan. Thanks for any input on this.

By Skip ( - 216.79.105.24) on Tuesday, April 04, 2000 - 09:24 am: Edit

Hey Rico!

Good luck to you with your goals. Maybe someone will have some good advice for the both of us.

Take care!
Skip

By robbigraham on Sunday, April 23, 2000 - 04:12 pm: Edit

rico.
cut back to 50% of your work load.
any one can email if you want to know more about me

By n_m ( - 62.252.237.2) on Sunday, April 23, 2000 - 06:12 pm: Edit

skip and rico, if you are both natural then training a body part twice a week is likely to be too much.
skip, i would up your caloric intake, 12 grammes per lb bodyweight is a bit little, up it too about 15-16 grammes per pound.
i would also cut the cardio back.

for both of you i would split your routine into push/pull/legs.
looking at ricos routine, you do chest and triceps then two days later you do shoulders, your riceps are being overtrained with this routine, as they have no room to recover.

if you follow the push/pull/legs route, each should be done once per week, this gies each body part a full week to recover.
your workout should take no longer than an hour.
and i would do the cardio on a day were you are not weight training.
good luck
post again if you need any further assistance.

By Skip ( - 216.79.105.20) on Friday, April 28, 2000 - 12:29 am: Edit

N_M,

Thanks for your feedback!

Sincerely,

Skip Smith