Building Muscle - How to Build Massive Muscle For the Hardgainer

Hard gainers often if not always fall into the body type category of ectomorph. People that fall into this category are usually very skinny, and have a small frame. They often have a hard time gaining weight, and can eat almost anything and not gain an ounce. It is often very difficult for these individuals to bulk up, as the more the eat the faster it seems their metabolism goes. It however is not impossible to bulk up, although you will not get all that big, you can still develop an impressive physique.

The biggest thing when trying to bulk as a hard gainer is going to be your nutrition. You have to eat and eat a lot. Just when you think you're full you need to eat another helping. What you need to do is figure out what your daily caloric needs are and then add another 1000-1500 calories on top of that. So if you need 2500 calories a day to maintain you current weight you should be getting about 3500-4000 calories a day. The foods you should be eating are good complex carbohydrates and protein. If you find that you are unable to get this through solid food you can purchase some weight gainer supplementation and some protein powder as well. But the bulk of your daily nutrition should come from solid wholesome foods.

Hard gainers (ectomorphs) when lifting weights should stick to compound exercises such as the bench press, military press, squats, dead-lifts, skull-crushers etc. These exercises focus on more than one muscle group at a time which will induce more growth within the muscle. It is also important to stick to the 6-8 rep range with about 3-4 sets. Every once in a while just to give your muscles a change you can substitute some power sets into your workout, where you stick to the 6-8 rep range 2-3 sets.

Rest is essential as with ectomorphic bodies, your muscles tire very easily and take longer than the other body types to heal. Hard gainers have been known to spend hours in the gym and usually end up seeing little to no results and in some cases have seen a loss in muscle and strength.

Being a hard gainer, when it comes to weight lifting less is more. It is recommended that you only work 1-2 body parts a session and that you get 1-2 days rest in between your workout sessions. Cardio should only be included 2-3 times a week and for no longer than about 30 minutes; as you cannot afford to burn off any extra calories.

Supplementation should include a multivitamin, protein powder, and some oil containing omega 3-6 fatty acids. These will help to replenish your body with the vitamins and minerals that are lost during your workout sessions. This will help to heal your muscles quicker as well.

Gaining weight for hard gainers is never easy and takes a lot of hard work and determination. However if you are consistent with your nutrition, weight lifting sessions, and rest you will definitely start to see results in no time.