Hi everyone I’m new to this thing so any help would be great.
I have been training now for the past 2 years but for some reason I struggle to gain weight I have a very fast motabolism which sucks xos I an eat pretty much what I want and not gain any weight.
I’ve tried loads of different weight gainers and I still can’t gain any weight I seem to hit 12 stone then I can’t seem to get past that mark. My training is very heavy weights with low reps between 6-8 reps.
If anyone has any great advice in regards ro mayb changing my training or any supplements that would help me gain some mass it would be much appreciated.
You are not a hardgainer. You just have a fast metabolism that may require you to consume more than average calories to put on weight. That is an advantage when leaning up.
If it takes counting calories to keep track then you may have to do that. The first time I did a true bulk I learned how hard it was but you have to do what it takes for results. It gets a bit easier later on when you know what to do. The first time I gained 12 lbs of mostly lean mass over 12 weeks.
I cut down to about 10% body fat at 144 and then bulked up to 156. I tracked my weight each week to shoot for 1 lb. I ate +500 calories over baseline the first week and added an additional 200-300 calories each week after. The final week I averaged 5000+ calories. I started off eating mostly clean foods and eating 4-5 meals per day, getting in protein and fiber with every meal, and by the end I had to start including fast foods.
High calorie shakes do make it a bit easier. By the end I was force feeding myself to the point where I didn’t want to eat but still did it anyways. I would get close to gagging on some meals but I still pushed the food down - basically the opposite of anorexia. By the end I learned that I wasn’t really a hard gainer and respected body builders a lot more for their commitment to diet.
As was mentioned, eat more. I have a fast metabolism as well, and felt stuck at around 165-173 lbs for about two years. The past several months I’ve started consuming an average of 300 grams of protein daily, and I’m slowly but surely gaining. I was at lean 178 (am) at the beginning of my current cycle, and hope to break the lean 180 barrier in a month’s time. You may also look into varying your rep ranges a bit. I don’t know if you are using a professional program from this site, but if you aren’t you should be if you’re currently on a program you designed yourself. If you pick a program from this site, be sure follow it to the letter.
Eat more. I don’t understand how this is such a hard concept. “I eat whatever I want.” Ok well eat what you need, I don’t care if you already eat 5000 calories it is obviously not enough so go 6000 and guess what if that doesn’t work looks like you you should try 8000 calories. Chances are if you wind up eating 6000 calories and you can’t grow at all you are lying about eating 6000 calories.
Every single person I’ve met who is thin thinks they eat a lot and never put on weight. Usually turns out they skipped breakfast, ate like a sandwich for lunch then ate a decent amount of dinner. In their mind, they think they ate a lot because at dinner they probably do and they somehow block out the previous 10 hours of the day.
Unless you have the fastest metabolism ever, lift weights daily, go through 2-a-days football practice every day, run extra sprints after, work construction, and help a family member move every weekend you’ll be able to eat enough to grow. If this description fits you, well, you’re probably screwed.
If your serious then start tracking your food intake. Plenty of good ones online that will show you your macro nutrient numbers plus overall calories. Do this for a while and you will see what your base is. From there you will then need to increase. Usually it’s the protein that needs to come up.
For hard gainers like yourself it can seem hard to eat enough food however with good planning you can start by having more meals. 3 meals a day probably wont work for you as you will fill up too easily. Having a meal every 2 to 3 hours on the other hand is a good way of getting in the required amount of food without having that full feeling that eating a large dinner can give.
It doesn’t always have to be an actual meal. For example in between breakfast and lunch you could have a protein shake and then another in the afternoon and another after training . Just doing that alone will see you start putting on some weight.
When you begin to eat more, make sure to increase that caloric intake over time because the gradual increase will allow your appetite and metabolism to increase over time as well. Eventually you’ll get to the point where you really have to stuff yourself but that’s further down the road. If you try to rush it and down 6000 calories daily in the first week, you’ll probably feel and look like shit from gaining all the fat and not wanting to eat anymore.
Lots of solid advice so far, and the gist of it is all pretty much the same, which should be a huge indicator.
My two cents worth of “advice for hard gainer”:
Stop saying you’re a hardgainer. It’s a made-up, nonsensical, copout of a term.
A dozen whole eggs a day is a better investment than a gallon of whole milk a day.
If you’re not eating at least three large meals seven days a week, there’s no supplement that’ll help you gain weight.
If you didn’t eat at least three large meals today, you don’t get to workout tomorrow. Nutrition is that important.
Review your training plan to make sure your volume, frequency, and exercise choice are efficient. Diet is the overwhelming priority, but you could still be screwing things up in the gym.
If you can get 6-8 reps, it’s kinda heavy, not very heavy. Adjust your perspective and expectations.
[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
Lots of solid advice so far, and the gist of it is all pretty much the same, which should be a huge indicator.
My two cents worth of “advice for hard gainer”:
Stop saying you’re a hardgainer. It’s a made-up, nonsensical, copout of a term.
A dozen whole eggs a day is a better investment than a gallon of whole milk a day.
If you’re not eating at least three large meals seven days a week, there’s no supplement that’ll help you gain weight.
If you didn’t eat at least three large meals today, you don’t get to workout tomorrow. Nutrition is that important.
Review your training plan to make sure your volume, frequency, and exercise choice are efficient. Diet is the overwhelming priority, but you could still be screwing things up in the gym.
If you can get 6-8 reps, it’s kinda heavy, not very heavy. Adjust your perspective and expectations.[/quote]
This should be pinned at the top.
I’d especially like to see the term “hard gainer” die a painful death.
And I’d second what Reed said above. This isn’t hard. Eat moar.
Most “hard gainers” don’t know what 200+ grams of protein looks like, let alone how much it is. That’s 2 dozen eggs. Or 4-6 full chicken breasts or large steaks. Or over a gallon of milk.
We haven’t even gotten any real mention of carbs or fat. It’s a lot to consume. A lot more than the typical “hard gainer” eats.