Tips for Hard Gainers?

[dabuffguy]

It really doesn't matter. Don't focus so much on the smaller muscles, train heavy, add weight to the compound movements and your entire body will grow, including your arms.

Doing curls is a waste of time.

Yes, focus on the core excercises. squat, bench and deadlift.

Doing curls is not a waste of time though.

 

[djeclipse]

Yes, focus on the core excercises. squat, bench and deadlift.

Doing curls is not a waste of time though.

The Effect of Supplemental Isolated Weight-Training Exercises on Upper-Arm Size and Upper-Body Strength

Human Performance Laboratory, Ball State University, Muncie, IN.
NSCA Conference Abstract (2000)

The researchers compared the effects of a weight training program on 5RM strength and arm circumference and divided the subjects into two groups. Group 1 performed four compound upper body exercises, while Group 2 used the same program but included biceps curls and triceps extensions.

The results showed that both groups significantly increased strength and arm size

However, the addition of direct arm training to group two produced no additional effect on strength or arm circumference after 10 weeks of training.

The additional localized training did not result in anything that the bigger compound exercises didn't provide.

 

[SouthernLord]

No such thing as a 'Hard Gainer'
I call them, not-eating-enough-ers.
Thats all it comes down to.

+1
Calling yourself a "Hard Gainer" is a cop out. You are just not hitting the Kitchen hard enough lol. Focus on progressing your core lifts and eat until you want to die.

 

[monty2589]

Well I am a freshman in college so you know that they say that you gain "Freshman 15" which I have and it's not been fat either, mostly muscle but a little bit of fat as well. It's really a problem of eating anymore since I got into college because I eat a lot now. It didn't use to be that way. I use to not eat a lot so that did affect it but right now I think it's where I don't really have the time to take weight lifting serious and have enough time to do really good workouts. After my college tennis season is over, I'll be able to take it a lot more serious and put the time into it that I need to be able to grow and get stronger.

 

[dropkick_shanahans14]

hard gaining is a myth IMO. I'd say just eat red meat, lots of veggies and nuts, gallon of milk a day, squat and deadlift.

 

[dabuffguy]

The Effect of Supplemental Isolated Weight-Training Exercises on Upper-Arm Size and Upper-Body Strength

Human Performance Laboratory, Ball State University, Muncie, IN.
NSCA Conference Abstract (2000)

The researchers compared the effects of a weight training program on 5RM strength and arm circumference and divided the subjects into two groups. Group 1 performed four compound upper body exercises, while Group 2 used the same program but included biceps curls and triceps extensions.

The results showed that both groups significantly increased strength and arm size

However, the addition of direct arm training to group two produced no additional effect on strength or arm circumference after 10 weeks of training.

The additional localized training did not result in anything that the bigger compound exercises didn't provide.

I find some studies to be sketchy, including this one. I believe this same guy that wrote this article gave an example that someone doing only deadlifts will show as much bicep size development as someone who did just curls. That's a crock. Deadlifts do no stimulate the biceps, therefore giving it no reason to grow and it won't. You don't complete stimulate the bicep by doing rows and other pulling excrecises. Nor do you complete stimulate the heads of tricep by doing chest/shoulder presses. Therefore necessitating extensions and curls to obtain full stimulation and muscle growth and development.

I'll put it this way. Every hardcore famous bodybuilder does/did bicep curls and tricep extensions. Try and argue with one of them that they are wasting their time.

 

[ximor]

But he halves da prooof!! MuscleTech invented the curl to make us waste more money on NanoVapor >.<

 

[ryno9000]

No such thing as a 'Hard Gainer'
I call them, not-eating-enough-ers.
Thats all it comes down to.

That's total bullshit and extremely sad if you believe that

 

[ximor]

I disagree. I regarded myself as a hardgainer for almost a year. I came across gains and power went up but extremely slower than more gifted workout partners i had. True, some people recover better and can hold more ATP but to be honest as soon as i started OVER feeding (eating alot more shit i didnt have the appetite for but i scarfed down anyway in a last ditch effort for growth) I began to grow the way i wanted to. To be truthful is sucks like hell to force feed yourself to the point of gagging on the food as you eat it, but if its clean enough you will grow.

To get the body you never had train like you never have before and eat more than you ever thought you could.

 

[djeclipse]

I find some studies to be sketchy, including this one. I believe this same guy that wrote this article gave an example that someone doing only deadlifts will show as much bicep size development as someone who did just curls. That's a crock. Deadlifts do no stimulate the biceps, therefore giving it no reason to grow and it won't. You don't complete stimulate the bicep by doing rows and other pulling excrecises. Nor do you complete stimulate the heads of tricep by doing chest/shoulder presses. Therefore necessitating extensions and curls to obtain full stimulation and muscle growth and development.

I'll put it this way. Every hardcore famous bodybuilder does/did bicep curls and tricep extensions. Try and argue with one of them that they are wasting their time.

Are you serious?

The example was one twin brother does only curls for a year, and the other does 500lb deads for a year. Obviously the brother that did the deads gained size everywhere, including his bies, while the guy that did only curls did not grow at all, including bies.

The body adapts to the stress we put on it, greater loads on the body the bigger it has to be to adapt. You do not need to bend at the elbow and do a useless curl to stimulate the bicept.

Try doing a 2-3x body weight deadlift and then tell me your bies don't get any stimulation.