“I just can’t seem to gain weight, no matter how much I eat - I’m a ‘hardgainer’, it’s in my genetics!”
- Is this you?
I understand how you feel, I’ve been there before.I was also once the guy who thought he was allergic to gaining muscle. I thought I had my nutrition all under control; but was constantly frustrated by my lack of progress in the gym, on the scales and in front of the mirror.
I was doing everything the gurus online had told me to; eating 6 x clean meals per day, smashing back ‘mass-gaining’ shakes and following a high protein diet.
But after almost 12-months, I looked nothing like them - I almost gave up…
But then I came to the realisation that I was just making excuses; it wasn’t my genetics that was holding me back, I had just been following outdated advice and needed to explore other options.
Once I pinpointed the 3 x mistakes I was making, I finally started to grow and now I’m able to help other ‘hard-gainers’ grow.
Helping to break their own beliefs ‘that it’s impossible to gain weight as an ectomorph’ and help them learn from my mistakes.
It’s been a long journey from where I started to where I am now..
Hard-Gainers Diet Mistake #1
Not tracking my food
Although I believed I was eating as much as I possibly could, I was inconsistent with my eating and after actually writing down what I would eat on an average day, it only equated to about half the amount of calories a guy like me should be eating.
If you aren’t measuring it - you aren’t managing it.
It’s basic body composition 101: Calories in vs Calories out.
Consume more calories than you burn each day and you’ll grow, consume less and you won’t. We know how important tracking and measuring your food is for fat-loss, but us guys who struggle to gain muscle seem to ignore this principle for growth.
It wasn’t until I tracked my food and met my intake consistently that I finally started to grow.
It’s not uncommon for us ‘hard-gainers’ to need 4000+ calories per day to gain muscle. Especially with our horse like metabolisms and active lifestyles. So don’t be alarmed by this and don’t complain about how you are ‘sick of eating food’.
(A guy who’s struggling to lose weight on 2000 calories may be a little annoyed to hear you say that.)
Enjoy the privilege and get eating! If you aren’t growing - eat more!
Measure it, Manage it and GROW
Hard-Gainers Diet Mistake #2
Overdoing the Protein
We all know the importance of eating protein for muscle-gain. But in my experience, most guys put too much emphasis on this and over-estimate how much Protein they need to grow.
Most guys should aim for 2.2g of Protein per kg of bodyweight.I.e. 70kg guy x 2.2g = 155g of Protein.
Some guys are known to take well in excess of this - even up to 3g per KG of bodyweight in a desperate effort to try and grow. BUT, in my experience it’s actually Carbohydrates that will provide the most ‘return on investment’ for guys wanting to grow muscle.
(Technical talk alert) - Carbs convert to glucose - the body's primary energy source, which will aid in superhuman performance in the gym. Glucose is stored in your muscles (glycogen) to help aid in increased muscle-mass. If your body is using Carbs for energy (which you should now have in abundance), that will spare your protein to help in your recovery - where growth occurs.
If you are over consuming protein, you’re not likely to be getting in as many carbs to fuel your growth.
Aim for only 1.8g of protein per kg of your body-weight and make more room for delicious carbs in your diet to fuel your quest for building muscle.
A full example calorie and macro-split for an 80kg guy looking to grow on 3500 calories could be:
150g Protein (18%),
95g Fats (25%),
510g Carbohydrates (57%)
As you can see, the Carb intake makes up an almost whopping 60% of this individuals intake, while Protein only between 18-20%.
Carbs are essential for growth in ‘hard-gainers’
Hard-Gainers Diet Mistake #3
Eating ‘too’ clean
As a young bloke slogging it out in the gym with little return, I would also be another guy who ate ‘clean’ every day.
Chicken, broccoli, rice, beef, potato, oats etc.
There’s nothing wrong with these foods but the only problem is - they aren’t very high in calories. And calories are what I needed to grow.I was trying to eat 4500-5000 calories (which isn’t cheap) and eating my ‘clean’ 500 calorie meals was going to mean, I would need to eat 9-10 meals each day.
Once I had gotten passed the idea that ‘gym bro’s’ had to ‘eat clean’ to grow - I started becoming more comfortable with eating higher calorie meals.
High calorie meals would typically be higher in carbs and fats - especially since fats are 9 calories per gram (double the amount of calories of carbs and protein). It was much easier for me to eat 4-5 x 1000 calorie meals each day which were a mix of ‘clean’ and ‘naughty’ foods to help me get my calories in, than to spend most of the day eating chicken & rice.
Some examples maybe:
Anything with Peanut butter on it
Homemade Fruit & Nut mixes
Cereal’s
Ice Cream or other sweets
Now that I was tracking my calories and macros, I could now fit this stuff into my diet without feeling guilty. And it certainly helped me get those calories in..
(I must still reinforce the importance of getting the correct micronutrients into your diet and not force feeding yourself ‘naughty’ foods for the sake of it. We want to grow, but productive muscle growth - not just grow our bellies right!?)
I’m a fan of calorie dense meals when I need to catch-up on calories
If you are in the frustrating position I was once in, struggling to gain muscle and nothing to show for all your hard work:
Start tracking your calories and tweak them as you continue to grow
Prioritise your carbohydrate intake to fuel your growth
Eat higher calorie meals to make meeting your bodies energy demands more convenient
If you have found this blog helpful, DOWNLOAD our Free ‘Skinny’ Guys Training Bible.
Where we share our top #3 tips to help ‘Hard-gainers’ grow in the gym:
Enjoy your growth!
Johnny Allen (Founder - PPS Gyms)