Hardgainers - 8 Tips to Gain Muscle Fast

Aug 11
13:10

2011

John Baines

John Baines

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Gaining weight for hardgainers has always been a challenge for many. Too much food to eat, not enough time to train, too busy with other things in life and not motivated enough to train are just some of the many factors that limit the potential for muscle growth. Look no further as I'll reveal to you the 8 Tips to Gain Muscle Fast.

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When it comes to gaining muscle mass it's important to do some research on reputable health and fitness resources. By taking misguided advice from someone who has an easy time building muscle mass you'll surely limit your muscle building potential.

One - Set a goal weight. A rule of thumb is at least 1kg for each cm above 1m. Anything below and your appearance will remain skinny. Examples of minimum weight goals:

  • 7m (5'7") at least 70kg (154 pounds)
  • 75m (5'9") at least 75kg (165 pounds)
  • 80m (5'11") at least 80kg (176 pounds)
  • 85m (6'1") at least 85kg (187 pounds)
  • 90m (6'3") at least 90kg (200 pounds)

Two - Eat every 3 hours. You need at least your bodyweight in pounds x 20kcal to gain weight. For example if you weigh 138 pounds,Hardgainers - 8 Tips to Gain Muscle Fast Articles 20 x 138 = 2740 calories per day. If you have a physical job or move a lot you'll need even more.

Three - Make sure that you eat within 15-30 minutes of getting up from bed. Get into the habit of eating breakfast to ensure a steady intake of nutrients and calories for the day and for the prevention of catabolism whereby your muscles breakdown as a result of a lack of calories. Examples of foods you could consume for breakfast include oatmeal, bananas, milk, scrambled eggs on wholegrain toast, omelette or boiled eggs.

Four - Eat calorie dense meals at every meal. High calorie foods makes it a whole lot easier to acquire all the nutrients and calories needed to fuel the body.

Five - Focus primarily on getting stronger rather than bigger. The reason for this is that it takes a significant amount of time to see physical changes whereas it's relatively quick to see strength gains especially the first six weeks of weight-training.

Six - Choose compound exercises. Compound exercises recruit more muscle fibres than isolation exercises thereby stimulating even more muscle building hormones. Examples of compound exercises include deadlifts, bench press, squats, pullups, chinups and dips.

Seven - Use correct form. By using correct form when lifting weights, you'll minimize the risks of injuries. During the eccentric (lowering) phase, allow 3 seconds for the weight to lower, as for the concentric (rising) phase, allow 1 second for the weight to rise.

Eight - Get plenty of rest. It's important to get plenty of rest to allow your body time to recuperate. Muscle building hormones such as IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor 1), Melatonin and HGH (Human Growth Hormone) are released when you're at rest. Around 6-8 hours of sleep per night is sufficient for your body to recuperate.