Any hard gainers here who have managed to finally find a way to build muscle? Can share your experience?

[b_rabbit99]

Any one here who considers themselves a hard gainer (ie difficult to build muscle) here, but have managed to finally find a way to build muscle? 
OR
Are you a hard gainer and is still struggling to do so?

 

Really like to hear from either of you. I am a hard gainer myself. I am not super skinny la, I admit. But after training for 10 years+, since early sch days. I would expect more.. Dun understand why some can bulk up so much...

Lately, I've been exploring a lot of medical solutions, like endocrinology, and genetic testing. If you have looked into that before do share your experience too.

For those hard gainers still struggling,  you can share what you have already tried.

Edited August 13, 2021 by b_rabbit99

[Guest Wtf]

Fellow hard gainer here. Before you start down a route of genetic testing and so on, ask yourself the following:

 

- are you eating consistently in a calorie surplus, with your calories in the right proportion of protein, carbs and fat? Are you tracking what you eat (if so, how?) - you may not be eating as much as you think

 

 - are you adding volume with your strength training (ie. increasing reps and weight), again, on a consistent basis? If you have been training for ten years, you might be stuck in a rut

 

- are you doing quality ‘big lift’ exercises like squats, deadlifts, etc. ideally with free weights? 
 

- are you monitoring your progress by weighing scales and/or photos? Weigh yourself same time every day (in morning, after peeing), look for gaining over time 200-400g a week can be possible. Some people can go faster, some slower. If you don’t gain, you need to eat more.

 

Weight/muscle gain, for 99% of people, needs a calories surplus and the right training, applied consistently over time. It’s quicker for some people than others and age is a factor too. Of course, you may be in that 1% but be self critical with your answers to the above as the answer might already be there. 
 

Last suggestion: Rather than spending money on tests and what not, you might also want to try a few sessions with a PT if your training is stuck in a rut.

 

oh, and try not to compare to others! 
 

 

[b_rabbit99]

thx for your suggestions.. did you do all this and gained mass yourself?

[b_rabbit99]

i'd like to hear more on what people have managed to do successfully, rather than advice. I will write my answers to those questions bit by bit so that future people will know my background a bit more, bec there's quite a lot to write, but the short answer for now is that most of what you have suggested i have already done. Actually that's the most common/standard advice I hear.. in fact I trained to be a PT, and have the appropriate cert, but am not working as one now.

[Guest Mon]

On 8/15/2021 at 12:42 PM, b_rabbit99 said:

i'd like to hear more on what people have managed to do successfully, rather than advice. I will write my answers to those questions bit by bit so that future people will know my background a bit more, bec there's quite a lot to write, but the short answer for now is that most of what you have suggested i have already done. Actually that's the most common/standard advice I hear.. in fact I trained to be a PT, and have the appropriate cert, but am not working as one now.

Pls fix yourself before becoming a pt, Singapore has enough useless and trash scrawny pt who knows nothing. Getting a cert doesn’t mean shit especially if it’s ncsf, anyone can get it in 2 days.

[Guest Wtf]

On 8/15/2021 at 12:42 PM, b_rabbit99 said:

i'd like to hear more on what people have managed to do successfully, rather than advice. I will write my answers to those questions bit by bit so that future people will know my background a bit more, bec there's quite a lot to write, but the short answer for now is that most of what you have suggested i have already done. Actually that's the most common/standard advice I hear.. in fact I trained to be a PT, and have the appropriate cert, but am not working as one now.

i am doing successfully what I mention to you.

The reason it is the most common advice is because this is what is proven to work (without resorting to juicing etc.).

 

You say you ‘have’ done most of it. How long for and why did you stop? If you don’t continue to do these things consistently, then they’re not going to work.

[Guest Wtf]

On 8/15/2021 at 12:38 PM, b_rabbit99 said:

thx for your suggestions.. did you do all this and gained mass yourself?

yes, this is what I am doing. Adding about 1kg a month for the last six months - still want to add more and then will need to cut at some point but want to add more first. Some people can add faster than me but I don’t want to fully lose ab definition and get too flabby on the way, so just aim for regular consistent gains.

 

the other thing I didn’t mention is training frequency. This also makes a difference - need it make sure to hit each part regularly enough.

 

 

[mantin30]

I ate alot. Peanut butter bread. Milk (but eventually got eczema but go away once I stopped drinking milk). Egg (boiled, half boiled and raw). And go gym to lift weight. 

 

I gained muscle on upper body. But my lower body very hard to gain. More toned. 

 

So can see imbalanced btw my upper body and lower body. 

 

There was a time I lose alot of weight due to eat less. I can see a balance btw my upper and lower body. 

 

Now I dont have the dream to gain big. And tired to exercise too because of work. Cause work itself also like exercise. 

 

More important to stay healthy. 

[b_rabbit99]

@mantin30 thx for sharing. did you gain fat when you ate a lot?

[mantin30]

On 9/1/2021 at 7:17 PM, b_rabbit99 said:

@mantin30 thx for sharing. did you gain fat when you ate a lot?

I think have. but I do not know how determine the percentage of fats. When I check myself in the mirror whole body, I always feel something is amiss. Now I know why. Imbalanced. due to personal issue, I skipped a lot of meals, sometimes breakfast and sometimes lunch. in the end I lose a lot of weight. But I look normal though skinny. 

[Guest Wtf]

On 8/15/2021 at 12:42 PM, b_rabbit99 said:

i'd like to hear more on what people have managed to do successfully, rather than advice. I will write my answers to those questions bit by bit so that future people will know my background a bit more, bec there's quite a lot to write, but the short answer for now is that most of what you have suggested i have already done. Actually that's the most common/standard advice I hear.. in fact I trained to be a PT, and have the appropriate cert, but am not working as one now.

how about answering the questions with your background so people can give you more specific advice? My guess on why it has not worked for you is that you have not been consistent enough but if you share more details, you will probably get more helpful responses. 

[Zazu]

I am a hard gainer and i think the advice really is the same thing.

 

1. Focus on compound lifts and workouts that activate multiple muscle groups

2. Calculate your BMR and then add a caloric surplus

3. Eat, eat, eat and eat, weigh yourself at the same time everyday

4. Don't forget a bit of active recovery

 

getting a bit pudgy is going to be part of the process but if you are a hard gainer losing the fat should not be an issue, having said that getting a bit meatier makes you look a bit better in clothes i think. 

 

I would say, don't be in a rush to chiong on all the mass, don't force your body to do something it's not predisposed to.

If you do it slowly and the right way, you will get to enjoy fitness for a longer period of time injury free  

 

 

[Guest Wtf]

On 10/5/2021 at 12:30 PM, Zazu said:

I am a hard gainer and i think the advice really is the same thing.

 

1. Focus on compound lifts and workouts that activate multiple muscle groups

2. Calculate your BMR and then add a caloric surplus

3. Eat, eat, eat and eat, weigh yourself at the same time everyday

4. Don't forget a bit of active recovery

 

getting a bit pudgy is going to be part of the process but if you are a hard gainer losing the fat should not be an issue, having said that getting a bit meatier makes you look a bit better in clothes i think. 

 

I would say, don't be in a rush to chiong on all the mass, don't force your body to do something it's not predisposed to.

If you do it slowly and the right way, you will get to enjoy fitness for a longer period of time injury free  

 

 

Great advice

[Guest Yummy]

On 10/5/2021 at 12:30 PM, Zazu said:

I am a hard gainer and i think the advice really is the same thing.

 

1. Focus on compound lifts and workouts that activate multiple muscle groups

2. Calculate your BMR and then add a caloric surplus

3. Eat, eat, eat and eat, weigh yourself at the same time everyday

4. Don't forget a bit of active recovery

 

getting a bit pudgy is going to be part of the process but if you are a hard gainer losing the fat should not be an issue, having said that getting a bit meatier makes you look a bit better in clothes i think. 

 

I would say, don't be in a rush to chiong on all the mass, don't force your body to do something it's not predisposed to.

If you do it slowly and the right way, you will get to enjoy fitness for a longer period of time injury free  

 

 

your bod 😍😍

[begleitung]

On 8/26/2021 at 10:55 AM, mantin30 said:

I ate alot. Peanut butter bread. Milk (but eventually got eczema but go away once I stopped drinking milk). Egg (boiled, half boiled and raw). And go gym to lift weight. 

 

I gained muscle on upper body. But my lower body very hard to gain. More toned. 

 

So can see imbalanced btw my upper body and lower body. 

 

There was a time I lose alot of weight due to eat less. I can see a balance btw my upper and lower body. 

 

Now I dont have the dream to gain big. And tired to exercise too because of work. Cause work itself also like exercise. 

 

More important to stay healthy. 

Did u overcome the upper and lower body imbalance?

[mantin30]

On 10/8/2021 at 12:16 AM, begleitung said:

Did u overcome the upper and lower body imbalance?

Now that I have lost quite a bit of weight, my upper and lower body become sort of balance already. 

 

I did last time try to get my leg bigger. I did leg press. Cause I'm not very good with the squat things. Can see my quads and glutes more tones and maybe slightly bigger. But my calf and ankle still very small. I did some exercises to build my calf like calf raises and sprint uphill. But maybe not consistent, that's why still small. Some people says the size of the ankle is genetically fixed, cant do anything about it. 

[begleitung]

Thank you, i don’t think you can make your ankles bigger anyway?

[mantin30]

On 10/15/2021 at 3:42 PM, begleitung said:

Thank you, i don’t think you can make your ankles bigger anyway?

Yeah. That's why the imbalances occured like Mr Humpty Dumpty.

[begleitung]

Lol, that’s cute. 
 

i wonder eating things like chicken breast is sustainable  gain weight. 

[mulasapuso]

get your testoterone level check. 

low testo could hinder the muscle growth. 

[axefactor]

I think the area for me that is hard to gain is my forearm, wrist and legs as I used to be a competitive swimmer and swimmers are top heavy and lean in other areas. So i tend to looks a little disproportionate when I start to bulk up. Now I'm trying to do more forearm exercises and also squats to look more even overall. 

[kaiser74]

On 3/15/2022 at 6:04 PM, axefactor said:

I think the area for me that is hard to gain is my forearm, wrist and legs as I used to be a competitive swimmer and swimmers are top heavy and lean in other areas. So i tend to looks a little disproportionate when I start to bulk up. Now I'm trying to do more forearm exercises and also squats to look more even overall. 

I’m struggling with the same 😅

[davlim76]

I watch my macros and keep at maintainence calories yet I wasnt gaining muscle mass but even losing my gains. I then realised I've been doing too much cardio and running too fast. 

[axefactor]

On 3/15/2022 at 8:58 PM, kaiser74 said:

I’m struggling with the same 😅

I envy those guys with thick forearms and calfs..it looks so sexy.

[axefactor]

On 3/16/2022 at 4:27 AM, davlim76 said:

I watch my macros and keep at maintainence calories yet I wasnt gaining muscle mass but even losing my gains. I then realised I've been doing too much cardio and running too fast. 

Yes, I've been there too. Too much cardio makes your body burn less fats to conserve energy so it is counter productive. These days I cut down on my swims and focus more on body weight exercise and I'm seeing results faster.

[davlim76]

On 3/16/2022 at 5:08 AM, axefactor said:

Yes, I've been there too. Too much cardio makes your body burn less fats to conserve energy so it is counter productive. These days I cut down on my swims and focus more on body weight exercise and I'm seeing results faster.

Can share what you mean by bodyweight exercises? But you still swim for cardio ya? Just reduce frequency? I've heard about staying in the fat burning heart rate zone. 

[axefactor]

On 3/16/2022 at 11:13 AM, davlim76 said:

Can share what you mean by bodyweight exercises? But you still swim for cardio ya? Just reduce frequency? I've heard about staying in the fat burning heart rate zone. 

body weight exercises like squats, pull up and push ups. Basically it's using the weight of your body to work out.

[kaiser74]

On 3/16/2022 at 9:06 AM, axefactor said:

I envy those guys with thick forearms and calfs..it looks so sexy.

me too! have soft spot for such physiques 😍

[davlim76]

On 3/16/2022 at 7:54 AM, axefactor said:

body weight exercises like squats, pull up and push ups. Basically it's using the weight of your body to work out.

Thanks. I'll take your advice and do these in place of running and maybe just run once a week on my off day. 

[Guest Wtf]

On 3/16/2022 at 4:27 AM, davlim76 said:

I watch my macros and keep at maintainence calories yet I wasnt gaining muscle mass but even losing my gains. I then realised I've been doing too much cardio and running too fast. 

you won’t gain at maintenance, you need a surplus for that. And, yes, you need to not do too much high intensity cardio if you want to gain. 

[Thatguy642]

Hard gainer here and I eat quite a shit load to be honest. Been working out for just a few months now and hopefully by the end of the year I’ll put on some real weight!

[davlim76]

On 3/17/2022 at 12:01 PM, Guest Wtf said:

you won’t gain at maintenance, you need a surplus for that. And, yes, you need to not do too much high intensity cardio if you want to gain. 

Thanks yeah gotta be in surplus but the last time I did that my fat % went up too. Now I'm actually worse off, not gaining muscle + fat % up even with high intensity cardio! Gotta revamp my program! 

[Guest Wtf]

On 3/17/2022 at 10:35 PM, davlim76 said:

Thanks yeah gotta be in surplus but the last time I did that my fat % went up too. Now I'm actually worse off, not gaining muscle + fat % up even with high intensity cardio! Gotta revamp my program! 

see my message above in this thread from august and check that list.
 

one note: Fat will always go up a bit when you gain/bulk, there is no way around this but you can keep it a bit in check with moderating your surplus. You basically need to decide which phase you are in at any one time and commit to that (ie. gaining or cutting) to get best results. Trying to do a bit of everything just keeps you where you are - maybe you would benefit from a trainer to review your goals and approach with you? 

[Thatguy642]

On 3/17/2022 at 10:35 PM, davlim76 said:

Thanks yeah gotta be in surplus but the last time I did that my fat % went up too. Now I'm actually worse off, not gaining muscle + fat % up even with high intensity cardio! Gotta revamp my program! 

I’m getting a bit more fat % too trying to bulk, but I read somewhere that it’s better to focus on one thing at one time so I’m trying that. Like if you try to bulk and cut at the same time your body will get confused. Good thing is that once you have discipline to bulk the cutting shouldn’t be extremely difficult so we’ll see!

[Guest Wtf]

On 3/19/2022 at 10:07 AM, Thatguy642 said:

I’m getting a bit more fat % too trying to bulk, but I read somewhere that it’s better to focus on one thing at one time so I’m trying that. Like if you try to bulk and cut at the same time your body will get confused. Good thing is that once you have discipline to bulk the cutting shouldn’t be extremely difficult so we’ll see!

yes, you can’t bulk and cut at the same time because bulking needs a calorie surplus and cutting needs a calorie deficit. What you can do if bulking, is moderate the calorie surplus to keep gaining muscle but minimize fat gains - you should aim to gain around no more than 1-2kg per month max - google lean or clean bulk.