Hard gainers: Program to help you bulk up in only 3 weeks

[duke007]

I don't claim to be an expert on bodybuilding but through this intense program I designed I gained 3.5 kilos in 3 weeks. That's nearly 8 pounds. I'm a true hard-gainer and had been underweight for many months. Springboarding off this program I've now put on 7 kilos in 8 weeks.

I specifically intended the program to be intense - the aim is to gain a lot of weight, so if you want to cut up ignore this thread. There are seven exercises in a workout, and depending on how long you break between sets should take an hour or longer. You know you're doing it right if your muscles are still sore two days after you worked on them (particularly chest and arms).

Here is the program. Explanations will follow:
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MONDAY

CHEST
Dumbbell Bench Press
Flat Dumbbell Flyes
Cable Crossover

SHOULDERS
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
One-arm Front Dumbbell Raise
One-arm Side Laterals
Cable See-saw Press

(Warm down) Push ups

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WEDNESDAY

BACK
Back Hyperextensions (reverse situps)
Wide-grip Pullups
One-arm Standing Cable Row
One-arm Cable Twists

TRICEPS
Tricep Dumbbell Kickback
Cable Triceps Pulldown (with rope)
Dips

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FRIDAY

BICEPS
Standing Barbell Cull
One-arm Dumbbell Preacher Curl
Seated Dumbbell Hammer Curls

LEGS
Squats
Leg Extensions
Hamstring Curls
Seated Calf-raise

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SUNDAY

Abdominal Crunches

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Yeah I know it seems like a lot but this is an insane three week program. You might burnout if you went like this much longer. The essential thing, as you would know, is heavy weights low reps. No more than 8 reps for each exercise except for push ups and stomach crunches. You need to push yourself to go up in weight each time.

When I did this, if I could get 8 reps on my second set without too much strain, I'd go up in weight for my third set and be content with 6 reps. Then next week, start on this heavier weight and you'll be able to 8 reps (or so I've found for most of them). Don't chicken out....if you push your body without being unreasonable you'll get it to grow.

The key I've also found is rest between sets. I always used to be a slack bastard and take huge breaks. But with this I kept up the pace and got through each exercise as quick as I could. (That doesn't mean you should lift the weights quickly). This is particularly beneficial for the bicep exercises. If you're not motivated, go at night when there are queues for the machines and not enough benches for everyone. That will get you to hurry it along. On one Monday, I purposely put just enough money in the parking meter so I was forced to workout fast. The thought of a $50 fine hanging over you head should motivate most!

Now I'll go through each exercise with some comments

Dumbbell Bench Press
I find this so much better than with a barbell. You'll be lifting less but the considerable difference between balancing a barbell and dumbbell more than makes up for it. You don't need a spotter, you get better range of motion and can really feel your chest muscles working in isolation. I find sometimes when I use a bar my arms take more of the weight than they should. When you progress in weight with the dumbbells, you'll go up considerably with the barbell anyway.

Flat Dumbbell Flyes
This is an excellent exercise for full, wide pectoral muscles. Make sure you bring your arms right down below the bench so you can feel you chest stretching where it meets the armpit area. Keep your elbows well-bent (but not too much). You're working your chest not your arms. Nice and slow with good form is essential.

Cable Crossover
Following flyes, this is a real killer. Lean forward slightly and put your arms back as far as they can go without hurting your shoulders. It's a good warmup for your shoulders as well - you'll need it!

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
I must say I hate this exercise....once you start lifting heavy it gets bloody hard! So have a spotter handy to push you through the last few reps. Try not to arch your back. And the slower you go, the better it is.

One-arm Front Dumbbell Raise
I love this exercise! So good for packing on mass to the front of the deltoids and easy to keep good form. I like to do this one arm at a time to ensure you don't rest your arm at any time or start using your neck. With a bar I found my right arm started to dominate. Also your free hand can help the working arm on the last few reps. Try not to twist your torso.

One-arm Side Laterals
Another excellent exercise. It works the same deltoids as the previous exercise but is different enough so you can still lift heavy! One arm at a time lets you lift heavier, and with the other arm leaning against a wall for balance allows you to lift past the horizontal. I found doing two and a time is a strain on the back and neck and there is a tendency to swing the weights. I've gone up in weight considerably since doing the one-arm method.

Cable See-saw Press
Really tough after the last three. Bodybuilding.com describes this as "a powerful exercise of yesteryear that will thicken the torso-up" Using the cable cross is good because it becomes difficult to balance toward the end of your set. The sideways lean with each arm extension works your lats as well.
Push ups
I do this in the warm down to prevent injuries to shoulders and chest. PLus is a real challenge after a workout as intense as the one you just did. To use the words of the "towel Nazi" at my gym, make sure you "put your hooter to the ground!" And none of this clapping rubbish on the way up either.
Back Hyperextensions (reverse situps)
This is a great exercise for straight posture and goes hand-in hand with squats. Strengthening my lower back makes it much easier to keep good form while squatting, enabling me to go up in that exercise as well. Make sure everything above the hips has free movement and keep your back nice and straight. Push yourself and grab more weight to hold on to with each set. I started using one 5kg plate 4 weeks ago....now I use three of them.
Wide-grip Pullups
I use the weight-assist machine for this because it's so hard. Way better than lat-pulldown for big lats. On the way down at the lowest point, lock your arms perfectly straight so your lats really have to work hard to get you back up again.
One-arm Standing Cable Row
I couldn't find this in bodybuilding.com so I must have invented it! I started doing this because I didn't like seated row. Stand upright with one arm outstretched and grab the cable handle so your arm is pointing slightly upwards. Lean slightly back (not too much) and pull back to your chest until your hand touches your chest. Go back to starting position very slowly..you can feel it working. Leaning back provides balance and allows your arm to pull back at a 90 degree angle to your body, which intensifies the effect on your back muscles. Seated row is harder to keep good form in my opinion. After doing this exercise for 4 weeks though, I went back to seated row and I'd gone up 10 kilos!
One-arm Cable Twists
This is probably the wrong name but I don't know how else to explain it. For this exercise, I adjusted the cable arm so the handle was at about shoulder height. Reach your arm across your chest and grab on to the handle. Then pull away from your body with a straight elbow, ending up in the position where your arm is outstretched to the other side. It takes real strength to pull the cable the last few inches in the last set.

Tricep Dumbbell Kickback

I've found this exercise extremely effective for working triceps. It's strange that I see so few people doing it at the gym. Put your knee up on a bench and lean forward with a straight back. Tuck your elbow right into your side so the upper arm stays put. When you do this right you can really feel the muscles squeeze at the horizontal arm position - it hurts even with reasonably small weights!

Cable Triceps Pulldown (with rope)

Attach the rope to the triceps machine - it's considerably more difficult to balance than the fixed metal handle and is better at isolating the target muscle group. At the lowest point of the motion pull the rope ******ds slightly until you feel the squeeze, and hold this position for a short moment to really get the benefit. On the way up you only need to go as high as your arms at 90 degrees to your body. Any higher is a waste.

Dips
Uh-oh not dips! This is probably the most dreaded gym exercise...and after the previous two exercises you'll feel like ending Wednesday's session early! You'll be surprised at how good you can get though. The muscles are nice and warmed up by now. Do three sets until failure and you'll really start to notice the difference.

 

[duke007]

continued

Standing Barbell Cull
First of all, you need to check your ego at the gym door before you do biceps. I see so many guys grab huge dumbbells and swing them like crazy, not to mention dangerous stuff like back arching and use of the shoulders. Sure, they may sweat like crazy and look like strong tough guys but bicep work with poor form does jack all.

I get a decent weighted barbell that allows me the full range of motion but is still a struggle in the last set. A bar helps cut down on swinging, which admittedly is hard to avoid when you're striving for the last few reps. I stand with one foot forward and one back to stabilise and keep my back nice and straight. With elbows at your sides and nice slow movement you'll feel the bulge in your biceps after three sets.

One-arm Dumbbell Preacher Curl
A true bicep bulker that will really test you. I do one arm at a time so that my right doesn't dominate, plus I've found that with a bar I can't help but use my shoulders to get the weight up. It's too easy to lock your arms in that way. Also I once got a wrist injury with a bar on preacher. I alternate arms with no rest in between, going up 1 kilo each set. The third set is a real struggle, but it's amazing how helpful a slight tap from your free hand can be when straining to complete the distance.

Seated Dumbbell Hammer Curls
This ensures the all-important outside of your biceps isn't neglected. After 6 six sets of the last two, you'll be going down considerably in weight, but you left your ego at the door remember? Sitting down ensures your arms do most of the work, and having one arm rising as the other one lifts becomes pretty taxing after 16 reps.


Here comes legs. Make sure you thoroughly stretch every part of your lower body beforehand or you won't be able to lift heavy.
Squats
Ahhh squats! I can really notice what they've done to my legs in the short time I've been doing them. With bad form you'll fvck up your back, but if you get into the rythym you can't go wrong. If you've never done squats before you'll be surprised how rapid your progress will be. I began with an empty bar and now I'm more than double that - 45 kilos (yeah I know probably not very much still but I'm a small bloke). Look straight ahead and stick your bum out.

Leg Extensions
Ouch! After squats and three sets of these your quads will feel like stone. Do these nice and slow and you'll be reaping the benefits in no time.

Hamstring Curls
Another exercise I've made rapid gains in. Make sure you adjust the machine to suit your height - if not you won't have good form. It's important once again to go slow, not swing and squeeze your hammies as far as they'll go. Best when you do it until failure.

Seated Calf-raise
Use the full range of motion and pause slightly when your toes are pushing up. Makes your calves really sore afterwards. If not, check your form because your probably cheating a little. Look out for cramps after the last three exercise.

After all this you must stretch to warm down! Otherwise you'll be walking like a cripple for two days afterwards! Not to be rude to cripples by the way

Ab Crunches
Just quickly do this on your day off. No special twists or machines...just good old crunches. I do only one set until absolute failure. Remember it's what you eat that controls how good your abs get.

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Okay, now probably the most important part. Eating.
You have to boost your intake of food to gain weight. I had fairly low fat levels and at only 49 kilos I didn't care too much about slashing carbos.

Eat good breakfasts everyday at about the same time to get into a routine. Muesli and other health food cereals with different grains and sultanas and stuff are good.

On gym days I made sure to have a filling lunch with carbohydrates about 2-3 hours before my gym session. Then straight afterwards I ate a can of tuna. Dinner that night is something big and protein-filled - a nice big fresh fish, a steak, chicken breast fillets. One night I made a really nice tuna pasta bake that seemed to taste nice and fatty but actually had barely any fat in it. For dessert I'd have a tub of low-fat yoghurt with fruit. Cottage cheese is overrated.....yoghurt has plenty of protein and tastes way better.

On non-gym days I'd try to get a decent amount of protein around lunchtime. The off-days is when the muscle actually grows so it's important to take advantage. Footlong subways on the off-days were an occasional lunch idea. (I'm a hard-gainer...I'm allowed!). I ate a lot of pasta for dinner on the off nights to get some carbs into my body for the next day's session. Because of this, as well as good breakfast habits, I was always full of energy in the gym which helped me get through the marathon session.

Drink LOTS of water during and after your workout as well. None of this sports drinks rubbish.

So after all this effort, it finally worked for me. I'm putting on weight and I haven't felt this healthy for a long time. A friend who I hadn't seen for a while said I "look way bigger...I can't tell why, you just look big" . Another guy said I look buff! Personally I don't see it as much as they, but it must be doing something.

It may not work for everyone but if you're a skinny bastard like me give it a go and you might get somewhere.

 

[AFK Protector]

Great stuff. Looks appealing...I'mma try it for 3 weeks...which is how much I have until school starts.

 

[DJBen]

The back is weak. No bent rows? No deads? No wonder you're calling yourself a hardgainer.

Tricep kickbacks? Close Grip Bench!

Come on man, bigger lifts, more compound lifts.

Leave the tricep kickbacks for the people on roids/women

A NOTE ON HARDGAINERS:

Hardgainer is a frame of mind. Anyone can start seeing good results when they start training PROPERLY. A lot of this hard gainer stuff comes from people that think they're doing it right - but they arent.

Fact; some people find it easier to put on more muscle than others.
Fiction; you were born hardgainer and thats it, so you need more respect for gains.

The way me and all my gym mates see it, is that if someone says they're a hard gainer out in the open, we lose respect for them right away. It's much better to see the guy doing everything he can and not hiding behind the words that make us gain respect for them.

Diet is most important. Is it in check? Are you eating protein and carb meals pre and post workout? Are you getting fast absorbing protein right after your workout? How many of your meals are carefully selected protein and fats? Are you eating a shedload of vege's and fruits with almost every meal? How about your ratio's. Sure you read 40/40/20 is good on a lot of .com sites. But what about YOUR body's needs?

Are you feeling like you've really worked your muscles during the workout - are you completely satisfied with what you've done? Are all the big lifts in your workout? Another thing is that lifting weights is a very MENTAL game. It takes more strength of the mind than you'd believe. Thinking you're hardgainer makes you think you wont increase gains very fast, wont gain muscle etc.

Hows your weight been? Pretty constant, even though you're eating a hell of a lot? Eat more carbs! fuel the body with carbs and some fat, and leave the protein to do its real job - dont let it be broken down and messed about with to get a bit more energy.

If you say you're hardgainer and you're doing all of the above, you're just not doing it right. You're missing something.

Think of it this way. As an AFC, you think she doesnt like you... you think that the real hot ones are for those 'special guys'. You've already lost because of your mentality - even though if you were a bit more confident, you'd be able to easily get that hot chick. A DJ understands this. As a hardgainer, you make yourself believe you'll not make gains and only those special guys make gains. You dont have that material. Well guess what all you self confessed hardgainers:

Get the fvck up off of that seat, go to the gym and go do a heavy PROPER workout. Drink your protein shake afterwards and go prepare your next meal. You're not a hardgainer. You're now the meanest fvcking thing to walk into your gym. Before you know it, you'll be squatting more than what anyone has ever seen in that gym. THEN who's the man? THEN who's one of those 'special guys'? you are because you've put your balls into it.

DJB

 

[duke007]

DJBen: thanks for the feedback.
You're right about deadlifts. This is something I left off because there are only so many exercises you can do in a program. Also having never done these before I wanted to get my body used to squats before I attempted them.

But your criticism of tricep kickbacks? I'm no weightlifting expert, and Ive never had anybody explain the benefits/disadvantages of any exercises. I see or hear about an exercise, give it a go, and decide for myself if it works or not.

I don't know about you but kickbacks really work for me. The back of my arm has really grown since starting them because I'm barely using my arms or shoulders while flexing. If you think they are only for guys on roids/women then so be it. But if they work, do them!

About hardgainers:
Sure hardgainers is a bad word. I know some people use it as an excuse and it's a negative way of looking at yourself.
But there definitely are people who find it harder to put on weight than others. Call them what you like but not every man was born equal.

Are you someone who has permanently battled being underweight? Or did you have muscles before going to the gym? And what's your metabloism like? If you're not what others call "hardgainer" then it's hard to criticise those who are. I don't expect to understand the problems of fat people.

I may not be a "hardgainer", but it sure is hard for me to put on weight. I was born with a chronic illness. This stunted the growth of my bones, making my frame very slight. This disease also affected my metabolism. I loved eating, but nutrients would not be absorbed properly, making me an underweight kid.

I played junior football (Australian) as an 8-11 year old. Kids that age don't do weights, but some are stronger than others. Everyone in the team did the same exercises - some developed hard upper bodies and strong legs (from simply kicking the ball and running). But I was just a skeleton wrapped in skin...my legs were matchsticks. My coach said I need to get some big steaks into me. I was eating them though dammit! They did nothing to me

Sure I had the illness to contend with but many other kids I knew were the same skinniness. Things grew worse and eventually I weighed only 59 pounds as an 11 year old (yes you read correctly). It took steroids to bring me near the 100 mark but still after that my body didn't absorb the nutrients from food as others did.

You can tell who are the guys who are blessed with good bodies. They are the ones who are strong as 14-15 year olds (not fat, not thin). They are the guys who are broad and have a healthy build but have never been to the gym on a regular basis. (Don't know about the US...LA especially...but in Aus not every normal-looking young male goes to the gym).

Even though someone like me has more strength - you'd never guess if we were stood fully clothed side by side and weighed on some scales. The moment they go to the gym, BANG. Even machine weights give these guys noticable muscle.

Never me. Both before going to the gym and after. Until now when I decided to pull out all the stops and really work my butt off.

Of course hard-gainers can put on weight, and I know that's your point, but it is extremely difficult.

To say that it is a mental state where you make yourself believe you'll never make gains is ridiculous. If anything, skinny guys are MORE determined to have buff bodies than others.

 

[DJBen]

Well, you're a special case I wasnt trying to call you a **** for saying you're a hardgainer either, it's just that so many people dont live what they love - and moan when something doesnt come easy.

In contrast, my body gains fat very fast. I dont know why, it's no condition or anything, but I naturally have quite a gut. If I go out and have a pint or two, my stomach isnt flat for quite some time after that. It's truely bizzarre. So I know how hard it is to keep weight OFF, I can imagine [but not truely comprehend, as it's never been a problem for me] what its like gaining weight.

To say that it is a mental state where you make yourself believe you'll never make gains is ridiculous. If anything, skinny guys are MORE determined to have buff bodies than others.

Firstly, I didnt say anything about skinny guys not gaining. I never said they were less determined. Simply that a mental state can hugely effect your performance.

I didnt say they'll never gain. They'll gain slower. I've experienced it myself. Lift when you're not feeling up to it one day and try and psych yourself up. You wont get amazingly psyched up. Hit the weights with the fire of desire in your eyes, I dont know about anyone else, but at times like that I lift a good 10KG more than I thought I could. Thats just a tempary mental state.

Well, whatever works for you works man. Good luck with it

 

[Heizen]

I should add that in the Tricep pulldown with the rope, at the bottom you should try to flare the ends out. It works alot of your deltoids this way, and parts of your back.

 

[true|hockey]

I reccomend doing abs before workouts, almost as a warmup. I try change these up very often. some days, ill use the resist ball, others ill just do a combo of crunches, leg raises or whatever else.

also, before any workout, especially legs, stretch before and after to ensure you dont get injured.

I don't claim to be an expert on bodybuilding but through this intense program I designed I gained 3.5 kilos in 3 weeks. That's nearly 8 pounds. I'm a true hard-gainer and had been underweight for many months. Springboarding off this program I've now put on 7 kilos in 8 weeks.

Don't be too dissapointed if the gains do not increase as fast, as those are called newbie gains. We all had them, and all know how great the feeling was to get extra weight. but also, do not get discouraged when the gains arent as drastic. Alot of weight lifters hit platau's, especially kids who are still in school with alot of work.