Hard Gainer Tips

5k!

2007-05-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

So randomly in the last week or two my wife and I decided that we are going to start to train for a 5k run sometime in the fall. Some of you may be thinking "but to train for that you'll have to do cardio!" Yes that is true. Most of the time you'll hear that if you're a hard gainer you should do as little cardio as possible so you don't lose any additional muscle. But I also remember when reading Arnold's book that he recommends doing quite a bit of cardio no matter what mainly for overall health. So as long as I don't overdo it there shouldn't be any problems.

To train for this 5k we're using a plan called the Couch-to-5k Running Plan. No, I'm not exactly a couch potato but I still decided on using this plan mainly because it's been a long time since I have done any serious real running (not on an elliptical or treadmill) so I felt it would be best to gradually work my way into. We've been doing this for 2 weeks now and its a pretty good plan!

More Interesting Advice

2007-05-08T07:42:00.000-07:00

I read some other interesting advice from another column by Vince DelMonte (read here). He makes an interesting comment that if you can't even control your own bodyweight you really have no business lifting heavy. While it may sound a little harsh I think he makes some really valid points.

Vince recommends shooting for the following goals:
60+ Pushups
20+ Wide Grip Pullups
40+ Dips
20+ Chin Ups
10+ One Leg Squats (deep)
and if you're really ambitious 5+ Handstand Pushups

Can you do those? What about for 2-3 reps? Sounds like a good goal to shoot for no matter what just for functional training!

Skinny Guy Article

2007-05-08T07:38:00.000-07:00

I read a good article from Vince DelMonte that gave some good advice to us skinny guys and hard-gainers. Check it out!

Defeat Your Skinny Genetics and Own 2007

Wednesday Morning Workout

2007-04-18T11:16:00.000-07:00

Another good workout this morning. Since it looks like I'll actually be able to work out 3 times this week I'm doing a bit more of a normal 'split'. Monday I focused on the chest (still threw in some squats, but the focus was the chest), and today I focused on the back and arms. So Saturday will be some type of a leg focused day.

Today for the arm workout I did a curl tri-set. Basically what you do is three different curl sets together for one set. It looks something like this:
Barbell Curl: 6-10 reps
Hammer Dumbbell Curl: 6-10 reps
Reverse Barbell Curl: 6-10 reps

That's one set! Do about 3-4 sets of that and you'll feel a really good pump in your arms!

Chest Intensity Workout

2007-04-17T06:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I read about a great chest intensity workout from Tom Venuto and it was such a good workout that I wanted to pass it on here!

Essentially you end up doing 12 sets of different dumbbell presses disguised as 4. Each group is done at a different angle, so you really get to blast all different angles of the pecs. But that's not all (heck, that alone would be a really good workout), after doing all of that you then go and hit an isolation exercise like the pec deck, dumbbell flyes, etc. for 3 sets of 20-25 reps each. Talk about a pump! After a workout like that, you feel like you just added an inch to your chest in 15 minutes!

Here's a link to the workout, check it out and give it a try!

Build A Bigger Chest In 3-4 Workouts Or Less.

Deadlifts Revisited

2007-04-12T06:53:00.000-07:00

So lately I've been experimenting with the different ways of doing deadlifts to see which one I like better. I'm mainly experimenting with just using a regular barbell and using one of those special bars where you can actually stand in the middle of it for your deadlift. So far I'm not sure which one I like better. I figure I'll go back and forth between the two for the next couple of workouts before I make my final decision. Either way, its good to have a couple of different options to mix it up from time to time.

I've also been working on getting myself in the habit of doing at least some pushups every morning before breakfast and every night before I go to bed. Its been a great way to at least get in some exercise every day since I don't have time to go to the gym more than twice a week. Now I just need to find a good way to do bodyweight squats or something like that.

Keeping Motivated

2007-04-05T05:58:00.000-07:00

It seems that one of the biggest things that defines someone who is successful in something versus someone who isn't is motivation. Who knows, it could be the single most important factor! One thing that I've noticed is that when I'm excited and motivated about something I do it with more excitement and tend to do much better at it. So what does one do to keep their motivation up? I don't have all the answers about this, but I do have a few ideas:

1- Keep your eye on the goal

Do you have a goal? Do you keep you eye set on it? It seems that in every book I read about achievement they always talk about setting a goal and then going gang-busters for it. Goals are essential to achievement.

2- Set yourself up to win

Maybe you need to change some habits or friends, but don't put yourself in situations or with people who won't help you reach your goals. Do everything you can to keep yourself on top of your game.

3- Follow a plan

I believe its a good idea to leave room for some flexibility, but you've gotta have a plan to reach your goal. Without a plan, how do you know what you're doing?

Anyway, there's a few thoughts on keeping motivated. I'm mainly writing about this today because over the last few days I've noticed my own motivation lacking somewhat. These are all things that I've done in the past, so its time to put them back into action!

Back Again - Still Going Strong!

2007-04-03T15:28:00.000-07:00

I haven't written here for a while now, but things are going rather well. As I've mentioned previously based on my schedule I really only have 2 days that I can actually make it to the gym. So I'm setting up a current program to make sure that I at least do some pushups, bodyweight squats, and crunches just about every day. Then when I hit the gym on Wednesday and Saturday the basis of those workouts is the big 3 lifts: bench press, squats, and dead-lifts. Then I work the rest of the workout around those based on how much time I have. Essentially following some of the exercises recommended in Arnold's book. There's the update for today! I'll start writing here more frequently as it helps to keep me on track.

Getting Enough Sleep

2007-03-12T07:44:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to realize more and more how important it is to make sure that I get enough sleep. Over the last few months I've been doing just fine on about 6 hours of sleep. Apparently I'm not one of those people that has to get 8 hours in order to function. But last night for example I was woken up many times because my baby boy was crying or something else would happen to wake me up and I've had very low energy today because of it. I'm starting to think that it would be much better for me to shoot for 7 hours of sleep, that way if I wake up from time to time it doesn't cut in to my needed 6 hours. Of course, 8-9 hours would be ideal but with my current schedule it just doesn't seem to be that feasible.

The sad thing is that I know from the reading that I've done how important sleep is for overall recovery and also energy maintenance. Shoot, I'm almost falling asleep as I'm writing this post.....

Another thing that I've been thinking about lately is that I really really just need to focus on the main lifts like squat, bench and dead lifts. With my current schedule I only really have time to workout at the gym about 2 times a week, so I'll have to make the most out of each one of those workouts. I'll be documenting how it goes. To gain muscle like I'm planning on doing, I really need to get more sleep!

Back to the Blog

2007-03-05T14:44:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been a bit of a slacker and haven't posted here for awhile. Mainly because for the last few weeks I've taken a break from working out. This is a good thing to do from time to time, in fact I've read some articles that say that you should take as much as a week or two off for every couple of months that you exercise. I don't know of any exact number for this, but its a good idea to give your body a longer break from time to time. Starting this week though, I'm back to the gym so I'll be back to this blog more as well.

What if you can't make it to the gym?

2007-02-15T08:30:00.000-08:00

I'm starting to realize more and more that with my current schedule I just don't have much time to really go to the gym. At least not as much as I'd like to. And with some upcoming situations, I may have even less time. So, I need to find some other things I can do at home rather than going to the gym. Here are few ideas that I've come up with but if anyone reads this and has some more ideas I'd appreciate them:

Varied Position Pushups
Pullups (probably on the park equipment near my apartment)
Get a set of around 30lb dumbbells, that would allow for a decent workout for arms and shoulders.
Chair Dips
Lunges
Calves on the stairs.

That's all that I can think of right now. I'm just hoping that I can gain the muscle I'm after by doing more of these kinds of workouts, but I'll still need to find a way to work in some good bench work and squats.

I Think I Really Like Dead Lifts!

2007-02-07T13:52:00.000-08:00

I have to admit something. I've read a lot of articles that claim that dead lifts are one of the main lifts that you have to be doing to help pack on muscle. But the only type of dead lift I've done until today are straight-leg dead lifts. So today I decided to do the real ones and I can see why they would be important! Talk about an exercise that works out your whole body!

For those of you who don't know what a regular dead lift is, basically you place a barbell on the floor in front of you with the right poundage. Then, you bend down and grasp the bar with one hand in an overhand grip and the other in an underhand grip. This was something that I wasn't aware of until I looked into it in Schwarzenegger's book The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding : The Bible of Bodybuilding. Next you stand up with the bar! So, as you stand up you have to use your back to straighten out and your legs to lift. Holding the bar takes arm muscles as well. Now, this isn't a very good description I know, but after doing just 2 sets I was breathing pretty good. I'm now a believer that dead lifts are important. Check them out and work them in to your routine as well!

Self Education = Protection

2007-02-05T11:19:00.000-08:00

I read a very interesting post on another blog today that I think I should comment on a bit. Here's a link to it.

Basically, this post went off on how you have to be aware of certain things when you're going to walk into a GNC. Thinks like how their sales associates know nothing, they're going to push their own brand, and they're overpriced when compared to online prices and other stores. I don't mean to sound rude, but when I read this I basically said "well, duh!"

Here's something I've learned: before making just about any purchase you have to be educated yourself on the product our you're going to get either ripped-off or given incorrect information. In my mind its sad that people will take time to get a CarFax report, check out consumer reports and other things for big purchases like cars, houses, furniture, etc. But when it comes to their own health and well-being they'll just talk to the local store clerk who really does know nothing. Go out, spend some time, and educate yourself.

Along those same lines, make sure you look at more than one website when looking online for information as well. Actually do some research. Then, when you go to the store you're not looking for advice from the clerk, you're just asking them "where is such-and-such". That's what they're really there for.

Here's a funny example of this. I had been doing some research on ZMA, and thought it was worth trying. So I went into GNC, looked around and couldn't find it, then the sales guy came up and asked me what I was looking for. I told him, and he didn't even know what I was talking about. Luckily, I found it right then and he was nice enough to ask me what it was for. So instead of being a jerk and saying "he works here, he should know this" I took a few minutes and told him all about it. Was that so hard? No! I found what I needed because I had been researching it, and maybe helped someone else out in the process.

When I Can't Make it to the Gym....

2007-01-29T14:55:00.000-08:00

I try to get in some sort of workout at home anyway, if I can!

So, this Saturday I slept in and didn't make it to the gym. Being that with my current schedule I can only make it to the gym twice a week, I didn't want to miss out completely. So here are some exercises you can do at home without a lot of equipment if you aren't able to get to the gym.

1- Pushups
Use different hand placements for a varied workout.

2- Chair Dips
Grab a chair and do some dips on it!

3- Resistance Curls
My wife has a set of 10 lbs dumbbells. A little light for doing curls. So, to pre-fatigue the muscle, I would hold them in place for as long as I could, then do some regular curls. This made it a lot harder to do the curls and also gave me a bit of a pump even though I was only using 10 lb weights.

4- Crunches
You just need a floor to do these.

The whole point here is that even though I wasn't able to make it to the gym this Saturday, at least I was able to do something. When it comes to motivation and dedication I've found that at least doing something is much better than doing nothing.

Looking for Tips

2007-01-26T06:22:00.000-08:00

Being a hard gainer, I'm always on the lookout for tips and advice. And after reading as much as I have, I feel I'm getting better at being able to cut through the crap and the same old same old stuff. So every now and then I read something that actually makes me go "huh, that's interesting...."

So here's the article that I read, check it out sometime and it may make you go "huh" as well.
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1608/is_9_20/ai_n6242981

The interesting things that I took from this was the concept of not doing as much bench but doing dips instead. I sort of disagree with this because everything I've read over the years recommends that the bench is great for building mass. But, I do agree that I need to incorporate more dips into my workout. So really, in the quest to gain muscle, I'm willing to experiment from time to time but I'm also smart enough to not revamp my whole routine based on every article that I read!

The Big Lifts!

2007-01-22T07:13:00.000-08:00

One of the biggest mistakes I made early on when I started lifting is that I focused a lot of my time on isolation exercises. Things like preacher curls, flyes, and others that really only target smaller muscles. After doing more reading and studying about what is the best way to gain muscle, I realized that I really was doing things wrong. But even then, it took a while for me to actually start doing those things!

So what are the big lifts that you need to focus on if you're going to gain muscle? Basically, you need to focus on what are usually called multi-joint lifts. The standard big lifts include the bench press (barbell), squats, dead lifts, and others that involve more than one muscle group at a time. Focus your time on these and you're much more likely to gain muscle faster and more effectively than you ever will just doing isolation exercises.

Just to give you an idea on how important this is, lets take a look at Arnold Schwarzenegger's Basic Workout from his book "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bobybuilding". Here are some of the lifts that he recommends for the basic level (basic bulking):
Chest - Bench Press, Incline Press, Pullovers
Back - Chin ups, Bent Over Barbell Row
Legs - Squats, Lunges

Of course, he also includes in this some curls and other such exercises, but most of your time if you're really trying to put on some mass is with the bigger exercises.

Body Types

2007-01-19T07:01:00.000-08:00

If you're a hard gainer, you're most likely an ectomorph body type. Many of you probably already know this, but just in case let's go over what an ectomorph really is.

In the topic of body types, there are 3 basic types: ectomorph, endomorph, mesomorph. A mesomorph is the body type that is more naturally athletic. In high school, the pure mesomorphs were the ones that looked quite a bit older and more mature than everyone else, and they also don't seem to have to work as hard to have a great physique. This is a bit of a misconception, but they do tend to gain muscle a bit easier than most. The endomorph tends to be a bit on the rounder, heavier side. And the ectomorph are your skinny guys. Granted, these are very broad generalizations, but hopefully you get the point.

Most people are not 100% one body type, but rather a mix of different body types. There are some little questionaires you can take online that will help you decide what type you are, but if you're a hard gainer you most likely have quite a bit of ectomorph in you. Here's the good news: just because you might be mostly ectomorphic doesn't mean that you can't gain muscle and build a great body, you'll just have to work at it differently than some of the other body types! And here's the good news: there have been several pro body builders that have also been rather ectomorphic. These include (but are not limited to) Frank Zane, Flex Wheeler, Larry Scott (who considered himself a 98 lb weakling growing up) and Arnold Schwarzenegger himself. So take heart and motivation from guys like this that even ectomorphs can build good muscle!

What is a Hard Gainer?

2007-01-18T06:39:00.000-08:00

The point of this blog is to offer comments, tips, and advice for hard gainers to help them to build and gain muscle. So sometimes people wonder, "What is a hard gainer?" Basically, a hard gainer is anyone that seems to have a hard time putting on muscle mass, or even any weight at all. Many people would suggest, and I agree with this, that people should avoid labeling themselves as hard gainers. But, for the purpose of this blog it works so you can decide if the information offered here is really for you. Sometime hard gainers could be considered your ectomorph body types, skinny guys, '98 pound weaklings', and so forth. So if you find that you have a hard time putting on the mass or weight that you'd like to, then I hope that you find this blog to be useful!