I am a hard gainer. I used to use the standard 3 workouts per week, different muscle group each day, etc. It worked, but since then I've found something better. Much better.
Now I only work out twice per week, and each workout is around 24 minutes in length. In 4 weeks I put on 17lbs of pure muscle. Not possible, right? Wrong.
Here's how you do it:
Diet
Take your total body weight and multiply it by 20. That's the total number of calories you must consume every day, in the following ratio:
30% Fat
30% Protein
40% Carbs
This means, for every pound of body weight, you must eat:
0.5 grams of Fat
1.5 grams of Protein
2.0 grams of Carbs
These are guidelines. You don't have to count every calorie (I don't) but your daily caloric intake should be somewhere close to these numbers. Spread it out as best you can. Everyone recommends you eat 6 meals per day. I eat 4 meals per day because it's more convenient and still works just fine. Do whatever you have to as long as you make sure your body is getting all the right calories it needs.
Post Workout:
Most people guzzle protein right after working out. Protein isn't what your body needs right then. You need at least 100 grams of carbohydrates within 30 minutes of finishing your exercise. I've found the best post-workout meal to be a full box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. If you're worried about the sodium, then just eat an equal amount of spaghetti instead.
Free Day:
Designate one day a week (a non-workout day) where you completely ignore the diet and consume less than HALF of the calories your body needs. This is important because it keeps your body from getting used to the higher calorie intake.
Exercises
Workouts should be no more than TWICE per week. I work out on Mondays and Fridays.
Each workout consists of 6 exercises: Pull-ups, Squats, Bench Press, Dead Lifts, Shoulder Press, Dips
Only perform ONE SET of each exercise, allowing 3 full minutes of rest between exercises.
Perform each exercise to complete failure. Aim for somewhere between 8 and 12 reps.
Every repetition should have a 5/5 cadence (5 seconds up, 5 seconds down)
Total workout should not exceed 30 minutes in length.
Change the order of the exercises every 2 or 3 weeks.
That's pretty much all there is to it. Be sure to constantly be adding weight to your exercises or beating your max reps from your previous workout. Also, switch around the order of your exercises every couple of weeks. Have fun!
Now I only work out twice per week, and each workout is around 24 minutes in length. In 4 weeks I put on 17lbs of pure muscle. Not possible, right? Wrong.
Here's how you do it:
Diet
Take your total body weight and multiply it by 20. That's the total number of calories you must consume every day, in the following ratio:
30% Fat
30% Protein
40% Carbs
This means, for every pound of body weight, you must eat:
0.5 grams of Fat
1.5 grams of Protein
2.0 grams of Carbs
These are guidelines. You don't have to count every calorie (I don't) but your daily caloric intake should be somewhere close to these numbers. Spread it out as best you can. Everyone recommends you eat 6 meals per day. I eat 4 meals per day because it's more convenient and still works just fine. Do whatever you have to as long as you make sure your body is getting all the right calories it needs.
Post Workout:
Most people guzzle protein right after working out. Protein isn't what your body needs right then. You need at least 100 grams of carbohydrates within 30 minutes of finishing your exercise. I've found the best post-workout meal to be a full box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. If you're worried about the sodium, then just eat an equal amount of spaghetti instead.
Free Day:
Designate one day a week (a non-workout day) where you completely ignore the diet and consume less than HALF of the calories your body needs. This is important because it keeps your body from getting used to the higher calorie intake.
Exercises
Workouts should be no more than TWICE per week. I work out on Mondays and Fridays.
Each workout consists of 6 exercises: Pull-ups, Squats, Bench Press, Dead Lifts, Shoulder Press, Dips
Only perform ONE SET of each exercise, allowing 3 full minutes of rest between exercises.
Perform each exercise to complete failure. Aim for somewhere between 8 and 12 reps.
Every repetition should have a 5/5 cadence (5 seconds up, 5 seconds down)
Total workout should not exceed 30 minutes in length.
Change the order of the exercises every 2 or 3 weeks.
That's pretty much all there is to it. Be sure to constantly be adding weight to your exercises or beating your max reps from your previous workout. Also, switch around the order of your exercises every couple of weeks. Have fun!
