4 Steps to Put The Label of "Hard Gainer" to Rest!

If any of the following apply to you, you might be classified as a “hard gainer.”

· Can eat whatever you want and don’t put on any weight, good or bad.

· Put in endless work weight training and experience minimal to no results.

· Have an ectomorph dominant body type. (Naturally Skinny)

Well, you “hard gainers” are in luck. I put together a cheat sheet that includes 4 important steps that will have you seeing results and feeling stronger than ever, putting the “hard gainer” label to rest. Let’s start with step 1, achieving a calorie surplus!

1.) Achieving a Calorie Surplus Achieving a calorie surplus is the first and foremost important step when your goal is to put on muscle mass. You must be consuming more calories than you’re burning. For “hard gainers”, achieving a calorie surplus can be tough since you’re constantly dealing with a high metabolism which keeps you in a catabolic state. Which is why I recommend being in a calorie surplus between 20-25%. This swings your body into an anabolic state long enough to achieve and maintain new gains. To find out what it takes to calculate your basal metabolic rate and reach your calorie surplus, visit https://www.bodybuildingmealplan.com/calorie-surplus/

2.) Nutrition Timing: Proper nutrition timing means everything to a “hard gainer.” Making sure you aren’t catabolic for an extended period of time, especially before and after your workout. It’s important to head into your workout in an anabolic state. A healthy meal of lean protein and starchy carbohydrates will do the trick both pre and post workout. This will fuel your body, providing you with energy heading into the lift and initiating recovery mode post workout. I recommend eating a large meal, centered around a lean protein source every 4 hours. While snacking on food sources centered around protein in-between large meals.

3.) Appropriate Workout Routine: Choosing the appropriate workout routine is essential when being a “hard gainer.” Keep the duration of your workout around an hour while resistance training and including progressive overload. So bring the intensity and make every set a working set, working up to a set of between 4-6 reps during your heaviest set. The reason for keeping the duration short is because working out in general puts you in a catabolic state. Shorter time being catabolic and more time being anabolic is the ultimate goal.

4.) Anabolic Sleep: So the overall goal of the first 3 steps all revolve around becoming more anabolic and step 4 is no different. While you sleep, your body goes into repair mode. Meaning the more quality sleep, the more gains. I recommend getting a minimal of 8 hours of sleep.

In conclusion, if you can focus on these 4 steps, I can guarantee you the results you can sustain and grow from! If you're looking for help calculating these steps and how to apply them to your daily routine, contact Dylan Kosek by filling out the Flight Physiques Questionnaire on the home page! Dylan will respond back to your questionnaire submission within 24 hours to set up your FREE 1 on 1 consultation!