newscandinavian
New Member
I'm looking to add mass all over but I want just a handful of exercises to concentrate on right now. I'm thinking bench press, dumbbell curls, squats, and leg extensions. Is that well-rounded enough?
MESO-Rx
Anabolic Steroids
Best Exercises for a Hardgainer
- Thread starter newscandinavian
- Start date
I'm thinking more along the lines of; bench press, squats, bent over barbell rows. Forget the dumbells and leg extensions. Bench and rows will also work your shoulders, bi's and tri's.
If you want to add a few more exercises to also hit those muscles specifically, then close grip bench for tri's, barbell curls for bi's and standing barbell shoulder press for shoulders.
Good luck,
MaxRep
If you want to add a few more exercises to also hit those muscles specifically, then close grip bench for tri's, barbell curls for bi's and standing barbell shoulder press for shoulders.
Good luck,
MaxRep
litterbox
New Member
Barbell Bench
Barbell Military Press
Squats
Deadlifts
Barbell Bent Over Rows
That's the most solid formula for overall mass imo.
Barbell Military Press
Squats
Deadlifts
Barbell Bent Over Rows
That's the most solid formula for overall mass imo.
Beefster
New Member
I like the following:
Monday:
Squats
Chest Press
Row
Wednesday:
Deadlift
OH Press
Weighted Pullups
Weighted Dips
Friday:
Squats
Chest Press
Row
You can pick the specific movement and rep range, but suggest a mixture of 5x5 and 4x10.
Monday:
Squats
Chest Press
Row
Wednesday:
Deadlift
OH Press
Weighted Pullups
Weighted Dips
Friday:
Squats
Chest Press
Row
You can pick the specific movement and rep range, but suggest a mixture of 5x5 and 4x10.
newscandinavian
New Member
Thanks guys. I especially like the idea of doing bent over barbell rows - don't know why I hadn't been doing those. The one thing you guys mentioned that I can't stand doing is deadlifts. Drives my back crazy.
Beefster
New Member
newscandinavian said:
What don't you like about deads? DL's are my favorite and I don't know how anyone could not like them.
Maybe it is your form? Nothing better than loading up a bar and pulling some heavy ass weight.
Grizzly
New Member
You're not a hardgainer, you're a shitty exercise selector. 
deathgrip07
New Member
DL's are not my favorite lifts either (Stiff Legged not included ), but maybe you just try to go too heavy too early on them. I do all sorts of stuff to help strengthen my lower back to help with increasing the effectiveness of my DL's. I'm a typical hardgainer as well, so I know how you feel. Stick with the aforementioned basic lifts and you should be ok. Also, don't neglect diet, and rest either, they play an important role as well. Oh yeah... don;t overtrain in hopes to overcome the problem, you'll only make it worse.
Good Luck!
Deathgrip.
), but maybe you just try to go too heavy too early on them. I do all sorts of stuff to help strengthen my lower back to help with increasing the effectiveness of my DL's. I'm a typical hardgainer as well, so I know how you feel. Stick with the aforementioned basic lifts and you should be ok. Also, don't neglect diet, and rest either, they play an important role as well. Oh yeah... don;t overtrain in hopes to overcome the problem, you'll only make it worse.Good Luck!
Deathgrip.
Probably a lightweight eater more than anything.Grizzly said:You're not a hardgainer, you're a shitty exercise selector.
While I like what the other guys have said, I like MaxReps selection the best. I did a program utilizing only squats, bench, and rows and have great results in size and strength. Hit those three movements 2-3x per week, eat a lot, and youll grow.
newscandinavian
New Member
True. All I could get down for breakfast this morning was a yogurt drink.Bob Smith said:
newscandinavian
New Member
A food journal?jmills said:
The age-old equation is true: Calories consumed - calories burnt = weight gain / loss. For you to gain weight, you will need to consume more than you burn. However, the quality and type of calorie you intake will largely determine what your body does with it. Simple principle, but often challenging to institute.
The idea behind a food journal is to track your daily average caloric intake. Take a little book to every meal and log the food and amount for one full week. Once you have a good idea of how many calories you average, you can increase your intake and watch for weight gain. I would recommend adding 200-300 calories, keeping with the same protein / carb / fat ratio scheme you have in place.
Assuming you are under your genetic mass potential and not on any AS, a realistic amount of gain is one pound per week. So, after you have followed your caloric intake for a full week, up your calories and see what happens. If you do not see a gain, increase intake by another 200 calories the following week.
Here are some things that I do to make this practical:
1. Do not count calories every meal. Just note the food and amount as you go through the day and tally everything up at night.
2. Follow some kind of diet. This will take some of the guess work out of what to eat. I like The Zone diet by Dr. Barry Sears or if you have a lot of money to dedicate to food read Dr. Perricone's '7 Secrets to Beauty, Health, and Longevity.' Neither of these programs are fad diets, rather lifestyle eating. With either program, you are going to need to bump the protein while on a cycle. (and Perricone is a dermatologist- thus the title. The diet is spot-on and he even talks about supplementation.)
3. Get an account at www.fitday.com. I use this mostly because it has a huge index of foods. So you just type in for lunch 'tuna' and it will show all the data for one serving of tuna. You adjust the amount and it does the math. There are a ton of other tools on this site as well, but the dieting tools are excellent. Oh and it is FREE.
4. HAVE A CHEAT DAY / MEAL. People get burnt out on eating so strictly. Take friday night with the family and eat whatever the hell you want to.
Hope this helps.
Ease
The idea behind a food journal is to track your daily average caloric intake. Take a little book to every meal and log the food and amount for one full week. Once you have a good idea of how many calories you average, you can increase your intake and watch for weight gain. I would recommend adding 200-300 calories, keeping with the same protein / carb / fat ratio scheme you have in place.
Assuming you are under your genetic mass potential and not on any AS, a realistic amount of gain is one pound per week. So, after you have followed your caloric intake for a full week, up your calories and see what happens. If you do not see a gain, increase intake by another 200 calories the following week.
Here are some things that I do to make this practical:
1. Do not count calories every meal. Just note the food and amount as you go through the day and tally everything up at night.
2. Follow some kind of diet. This will take some of the guess work out of what to eat. I like The Zone diet by Dr. Barry Sears or if you have a lot of money to dedicate to food read Dr. Perricone's '7 Secrets to Beauty, Health, and Longevity.' Neither of these programs are fad diets, rather lifestyle eating. With either program, you are going to need to bump the protein while on a cycle. (and Perricone is a dermatologist- thus the title. The diet is spot-on and he even talks about supplementation.)
3. Get an account at www.fitday.com. I use this mostly because it has a huge index of foods. So you just type in for lunch 'tuna' and it will show all the data for one serving of tuna. You adjust the amount and it does the math. There are a ton of other tools on this site as well, but the dieting tools are excellent. Oh and it is FREE.
4. HAVE A CHEAT DAY / MEAL. People get burnt out on eating so strictly. Take friday night with the family and eat whatever the hell you want to.
Hope this helps.
Ease
newscandinavian
New Member
Ease said:The age-old equation is true: Calories consumed - calories burnt = weight gain / loss. For you to gain weight, you will need to consume more than you burn. However, the quality and type of calorie you intake will largely determine what your body does with it. Simple principle, but often challenging to institute.
The idea behind a food journal is to track your daily average caloric intake. Take a little book to every meal and log the food and amount for one full week. Once you have a good idea of how many calories you average, you can increase your intake and watch for weight gain. I would recommend adding 200-300 calories, keeping with the same protein / carb / fat ratio scheme you have in place.
Assuming you are under your genetic mass potential and not on any AS, a realistic amount of gain is one pound per week. So, after you have followed your caloric intake for a full week, up your calories and see what happens. If you do not see a gain, increase intake by another 200 calories the following week.
Here are some things that I do to make this practical:
1. Do not count calories every meal. Just note the food and amount as you go through the day and tally everything up at night.
2. Follow some kind of diet. This will take some of the guess work out of what to eat. I like The Zone diet by Dr. Barry Sears or if you have a lot of money to dedicate to food read Dr. Perricone's '7 Secrets to Beauty, Health, and Longevity.' Neither of these programs are fad diets, rather lifestyle eating. With either program, you are going to need to bump the protein while on a cycle. (and Perricone is a dermatologist- thus the title. The diet is spot-on and he even talks about supplementation.)
3. Get an account at www.fitday.com. I use this mostly because it has a huge index of foods. So you just type in for lunch 'tuna' and it will show all the data for one serving of tuna. You adjust the amount and it does the math. There are a ton of other tools on this site as well, but the dieting tools are excellent. Oh and it is FREE.
4. HAVE A CHEAT DAY / MEAL. People get burnt out on eating so strictly. Take friday night with the family and eat whatever the hell you want to.
Hope this helps.
Ease
Thanks for that very informative post. Keeping track of my meals is a great idea, especially right now since it's summer and the heat has my appetite suppressed. I always try to keep a mental record of my food intake but it's too easy to lose track of things, especially if you're busy.
litterbox said:
I agree with this. Only thing I would change is instead of barbell military press, I would do dumbill military press, and I would add barbell curls.
IMO deadlifts are one of the most important. I would get someone to check your technique - if you dont have any diagnoses back problems of course. Some guys I know confuse the good burn you get in your lower back with "back pain". You would be surprised how much punishment you can give you lower back with the right technique.
Hemogoblin
New Member
I used to have the same problems doing deadlifts until I realized that the problem was with my flexibility, or more to the point, the LACK of it. Try doing some stretches before hand, and incorporate a daily stretching routine. Also, keep an eye on your form. Best done in front of a mirror too as you can watch yourself. And as was said, keep the weight low at first until you master the form, then go up from there.
Cheers
Cheers
