“If you’re a skinny guy, having a fast metabolism feels like a disadvantage, a curse. It’s not.”
In this article, we will review the factors of being a hardgainer, and you will be able to answer the question: Am I a hardgainer?
I believe that being a hardgainer is usually not a genetic anomaly, but a phase. Many individuals, unfortunately, don’t grow out of this phase, become stuck before they even get started. There are many factors and variables to consider, so let’s break them down and understand why one would be a hardgainer.
Audit your goals and expectations.
The only reason anyone would ask a question such as this is if they’ve been putting in the effort but not seeing the expected results. You must first ask yourself if your goals are realistic and achievable naturally. We all scroll through Instagram and see the jacked gymshark models, the shredded celebrities prepping for a role. Steroids are possible, but superior genetics is likely the culprit (not to mention photography). If your goal is to look like one of these models, great. But treat that as an end goal- something to strive towards over the years. For now, set smaller easy-to achieve goals like, gain/lose 5lbs or add 10lbs to your bench press.
By breaking up your end goal into smaller achievable checkpoints, you’ll find the motivation that’s been missing.
Don’t compare yourself to others. You’ve probably heard this before. Everyone is on their own journey, and you don’t know anything about them aside from their specially curated social media. I see skinny guys struggle to bench press 95lbs on a weekly basis and let me tell you, no one cares. Many of us have been there or even started off worse. Personally, when I see a newbie put the effort in at the gym, it inspires me and often gives me the motivation and drive to push through the rest of my workout.
We are surrounded by social media, television, and ads showcasing beautiful people with beautiful bodies. Behind the scenes are camera tricks, lighting, anabolic steroids, makeup, and more. If you want to move past the veil and see what is achievable naturally, visit a natural bodybuilding show- or just Youtube it! Try “amateur bodybuilding show” in the search bar and you’ll begin to form a perspective of what a few years of training looks like on a real person.
Are you meeting your dietary requirements?
If you haven’t already, check out my free How To Track Calories guide. To gain weight, you must be in a caloric surplus. If you aren’t, start now. If you are in a surplus but not seeing results, there are a number of aspects we can check.
Most individuals count their calories in 24-hour blocks. However, some find it helpful to count by the week. For example, 3,000cal a day adds up to 21,000cal a week. Taking on this perspective can help you bend the rules a little bit. If you’re trying to hit 3,000 a day but you fall short, don’t be hard on yourself, just make it up the next day. As long as you hit 21,000 by the end of the week, you’ve succeeded.
Are you getting enough protein? I mean are you really? Your goal is 0.8-1g per 1lb of body weight per day. That’s a lot of protein and if you aren’t pushing yourself to consume that much, you likely aren’t. Many individuals work a five day work week and work out on those days, taking the weekends off. Are you consuming enough protein on your off days? No matter how you split up your workouts, don’t forget to hit those protein goals on your days off the gym.
Similarly, remember to hit your caloric goals on your days off. I personally struggled with this early in my training career, strictly adhering to my diet Monday through Friday and then spending Saturday and Sunday on my ass playing video games and not hitting my caloric goals. Just because it’s your “day off” doesnt mean you get a break. If anything it should be easier to get those calories in.
Let’s go back to the 3,000cal/day and 21,000cal/week example. If you are eating in a surplus but you slack off and only eat 1500 on the weekend, you’re destroying your own goals by subtracting 1,000 calories from your weekly 21,000.
Check out my article on 9 Tips To Add Calories, or How To Break The Barrier And Eat More, where you’ll find strategies to pack in that extra 100-400 throughout the day. The one tip you’ll find everywhere on the internet, and rightfully so, is to drink your calories. This means big fat shakes, sometimes twice a day.
Resistance training and volume.
If you’re strictly looking to gain weight, you might think you don’t need to train. Well, you do. Resistance training has countless benefits beyond hypertrophy including health benefits such as the reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, mental health wellness, and so much more.
It can be simple, too. I’m not telling you to join a gym and pump iron at 5 AM Monday- Friday,. Just some form of mid-high intensity training 3-5 days a week will do. It can be as simple as jumping rope and push-ups to start.
Some form of training will help your weight gain journey.
If you are training already, and not seeing the results you anticipated, consider the volume of your workouts. High volume= hypertrophy. As I mentioned in 7 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Lifting, I began with low volume strength training and I wish I had begun with high volume instead, to build a base of muscle mass and overall size.
Consider your training split. A classic bro split could be the culprit, only training one muscle group per week. For example, Monday- chest, Tuesday- arms, etc. This is effective for most beginners, but some individuals need more volume from the start. A training split designed to optimize volume per muscle group could be the difference between skinny and swole. The PPL routine is very popular. Push, Pull, Legs split up all your muscles into three groups, giving the user the ability to train every muscle two times per week, essentially doubling the volume of a bro split. This can be effective since studies show that muscle groups are fully recovered after 48 hours, so why not train them again?
There are hundreds of variables to play with when designing programs. You will learn many of them in time, and even more if you’re passionate about it. However, this isn’t the key to success.
The key to training success is consistency. Go ahead and study your face off, learn all about training frequency, periodization, etc. but try to never miss a workout. If you just show up every day, and exercise, you’re going to see gains. I promise you will.
Actual genetic disadvantages.
Statistically, you’re normal. You’ll respond to resistance training and a caloric surplus, just like everyone else. Scroll through Instagram for five minutes and you’ll see the fitness models and bodybuilders who are genetically blessed, to say the least. But the truth is, there is an inverse of those demi-gods. Many individuals will have a genetic disadvantage.
Those of us who have to work harder to achieve what the average person can, only have two roads to take: Quit, or just work harder.
So you were dealt a weak hand. Does that make you a hardgainer? No, a hard worker.
No doubt you’ve heard of metabolism and someone has likely told you that you have a fast metabolism. But what does that mean?
Every cell in your body is working and processing chemical reactions constantly, and this takes energy. A lot of these processes are linked together like a production line. All of these chemical reactions are collectively called “metabolism”.
Some of us simply have bodies that are more efficient and faster at these processes. If you’re a skinny guy, having a fast metabolism feels like a disadvantage, a curse. It’s not. Having a fast metabolism is absolutely key for health. You’ll experience benefits like a better immune system, cleaner blood, eliminate toxins faster, and have more energy. All of this translates to better gains, so don’t worry.
That being said, it makes things harder when it comes to gaining weight. In this sense, and only in this sense, it is a disadvantage. But again, it is the hand you were dealt and you are going to work with it.
Fast-twitch vs. slow-twitch muscle fibers is something to consider. No two of us are the same. We all have a different combination of both slow and fast-twitch muscle fibers throughout our bodies. Research shows that high rep training produces more hypertrophy in slow-twitch fibers, and the opposite is true for fast-twitch fibers. Some people believe you have either fast or slow, but this is incorrect. We all have a different mix of both, and we need to diversify the way we train to optimize the effect.
Low interleukin-6 levels could be one explanation for stunted hypertrophy. IL-6 is a gene in our seventh chromosome, a cytokine regulating satellite cell-mediated hypertrophic muscle growth. You could ask your doctor to check your IL-6 levels with a blood test, but confirming that you have a genetic disadvantage doesn’t benefit you in the end. Besides, there’s evidence supporting the idea that low IL-6 levels could be a key factor in successful aging. Also, this is rare and highly unlikely to be affecting you.
Now, it may not be genetic but getting insufficient sleep can absolutely harm your gains. Most people feel best with 7-9 hours of sleep a night. If you are having trouble sleeping, please see a doctor. Many things can harm our sleep quality such as, caffeine close to bedtime, a room with too much light, staring at our phones before bed, or stress. Building muscle comes from causing micro tears and then repairing those tears. If you don’t sleep, you don’t repair.
Be patient.
It takes time. With Amazon Prime shipping, streaming services, and food delivered to your doorstep, we’re the most impatient generation to date. Gaining weight and building muscle takes time, no matter what. You can optimize it, but it’ll never be overnight.
Focus on your goals, don’t forget why you started. Celebrate the small victories, and have fun with them. If you’re not having fun, it’s going to feel like forever.
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