Hardgainer Diet Plan – Top 3 Reasons You Aren’t Gaining Weight
3 Biggest Skinny Guy Mistakes You're Making. Click Here to Avoid Them!
Due to our naturally high metabolism, gaining weight may sometimes feel impossible. The problem with hardgainers is that they always feel like they eat enough…well at least until you challenge them to count their calories. You see, I was 115 pounds of skin and bones and I couldn’t move the scale to save my life. In my head, I was eating much more than the average person and my conclusion was that I was just not capable of gaining weight due to my genetics. Little did I know that I was failing to follow a proper hardgainer diet plan created for my specific body type. As someone with an ecto-morph somatotype it is crucial that we follow a few simple guidelines if we want to pack on slabs of solid muscle.
Hardgainer Diet Plan Rule #1 – Not Eating Enough
If you’re anything like me, you’re going to say “I definitely eat enough”. That was probably my main mistake, I simply assumed I ate enough because I consumed about the same or a little more than the people around me who all gained weight and packed on muscle. Problem was, they weren’t hardgainers…and I was. A hardgainer diet plan requires we consume close to double the amount of calories as the “average Joe”. This is due to the naturally lightning fast metabolism we were “blessed” with. The average person can put on muscle mass consuming about 12 times their body weight. Us on the other hand can require almost double that depending on our physical activity level.
No Physical Activity – Body weight (x) 18-20
Light Physical Activity – Body weight (x) 20-22
Heavy Physical Activity – Body weight (x) 22-24
Hardgainer Diet Plan Rule #2 – Consuming the Right Nutrients
Unlike other somatotypes, an ecto-morphs diet should consist of 40-50 percent carbohydrates. These carbs should come from mainly complex sources such as wheat, oats, and whole grains. However, higher glycemic carbs are extremely beneficial following our workout routine.
Example: 135 lbs x 20 = 2,700 Calories per day
2700 x .45 (percentage of carbs) = 1215 Calories from Carbs
Converting Carbohydrate Calories into Grams:
1 Carbohydrate Calorie = 4 Grams
1215 / 4 =303.75 Grams of Carbohydrates per day
Hardgainer Diet Plan Rule #3 – Too Much Gym, Not Enough Rest
Contrary to popular belief, muscle not created in the gym while lifting weights but out of the gym while we rest. The problem I had was that when I didn’t see results, I assumed that I wasn’t working out hard or long enough. This drove me to spend more hours in the gym and less time enjoying life. Little did I know, I was making matters worse. This resulted in overtraining my body causing me to lose muscle and not allowing me to perform at my peak in the gym. The solution is simple, spend less time in the gym in order to give your body enough time to rest, recover, and build more muscle. 3-4 days a week at about 1 hour per session should be more than enough.
A Few Extra Tips for Your Hardgainer Diet Plan
- Consume 6 meals per day
- 40 Percent of your Daily Calories from Protein
- Consume the best pre workout meal
- Consume simple carbs in your post workout meal
- Sleep at least 8 hours per night
- Make compound lifts your focal point in the gym
- Eat breakfast within 20 minutes of waking up
Following the proper muscle building diet plan will allow you to pack on 3-5 pounds per week. Make sure you are consuming enough, taking in enough carbohydrates, and resting enough to build new muscle. These hardgainer diet plan rules allowed me to start noticing results almost immediately and I feel confident that they will do the same for you.
Hardgainer Workout Routine
If you are looking for a solid workout routine, check out my FREE 12 week course “Mass in a Flash”. This is the same program I used to build a ton of muscle without putting on any unnecessary fat. It will be up for a limited time only so I suggest that even if you are currently in the middle of a program now, you download your free copy right now incase it’s too late later.
March 17th, 2011 at 9:59 am
I was in the same boat. I thought I was eating enough but I wasn’t. For me what worked was calculating my body weight x 20, and that amount of calories was what helped me to start gaining weight.
March 21st, 2011 at 2:47 pm
[...] Hardgainer Diet Plan Rule #3 – Rest is So Important [...]
March 23rd, 2011 at 2:08 pm
[...] into Grams: 1 Carbohydrate Calorie = 4 Grams 1215 / 4 =303.75 Grams of Carbohydrates per day Hardgainer Diet Plan Rule #3 – Rest is So Important Some people still believe that muscle is built whilst we [...]
March 23rd, 2011 at 3:10 pm
[...] Hardgainer Diet Plan Rule #3 – Rest is So Important [...]
March 27th, 2011 at 1:29 pm
[...] for the average person of your gender and age. and double this intake requirement, that is a hardgainer diet plan. Our naturally quick metabolism is responsible for this. The average person can put on muscle [...]
March 29th, 2011 at 1:35 pm
[...] for the average person of your gender and age. and double this intake requirement, that is a hardgainer diet plan. This is due to the naturally lightning fast metabolism we were “blessed” with. [...]
March 29th, 2011 at 2:14 pm
[...] on muscle. The problem was that they are not hardgainers, and you may be. When we talk about a hardgainer diet plan, this is a plan that requires you to consume double the standard amount of calories. This is [...]
March 30th, 2011 at 1:42 pm
[...] gained weight and packed on muscle. Whereas you might be a hardgainer, they may not be at all. A hardgainer diet plan requires we consume close to double the amount of calories as the “average Joe”. [...]
March 30th, 2011 at 1:45 pm
[...] gained weight and packed on muscle. Whereas you might be a hardgainer, they may not be at all. A hardgainer diet plan requires we consume close to double the amount of calories as the “average Joe”. [...]
May 27th, 2011 at 4:35 pm
[...] Hardgainer Diet <= How Many Calories YOU Need to Build Muscle [...]
June 28th, 2011 at 4:15 pm
[...] of you who read my stuff on a regular basis are familiar with the hardgainer diet formula. This is a calculation that allows you to calculate exactly how many calories YOU should [...]
July 7th, 2011 at 3:10 am
In this article you say to multiply it anywhere from 18 to 24 depending on you activity level but then in another one you say to multiply your weight goal by 14 or 15 depending on how many times a week you go to the gym,so which one is it.
I also tried multiplying my weight goal which is 160 (I weigh 136) times 15 and I get 2.400 plus the added 500 calories and I get 2.900 but when I multiply it by .45 to get the grams I get 1.305?…what is that suppose to mean?
Please Alain help me understand which formula is the right one? I have emailed you countless times and you just keep sending me some stuff talking about something else.
Thanks
July 7th, 2011 at 3:21 am
Dorian, the 18-24 formula is a basic hardgainer calorie calculation. The other formula (which you seem to not understand very well) is a NON-hardgainer formula that I have adjusted to fit hardgainers. My advice to you is PICK ONE. You are making yourself crazy with too much different information.
I have recieved your email, and I have given you the link to the “Mass in a Flash” program. This is the perfect program for you Dorian, it has everything laid out for you step by step. Read through it and I promise you will get a much better understanding of how it all works. If you can do one thing, it should be to pick one program and stick to it, dont worry about reading everything because you wont get anywhere…believe me. Remember, there are countless formulas and routines that all work, your goal should simply be to find one that fits you and your body type.
If you need that link again, feel free to email me. Dont forget to save it to your desktop once you open it up. Good luck!
July 19th, 2011 at 2:21 pm
[...] of you may have experimented with my Hardgainer Diet Plan, most of you have seen extreme results, others mediocre (which is still good), but some have failed [...]
July 19th, 2011 at 6:42 pm
[...] of you may have experimented with my Hardgainer Diet Plan, most of you have seen extreme results, others mediocre (which is still good), but some have failed [...]
August 19th, 2011 at 1:54 am
[...] friend, Alain Gonzalez. He’s the owner of Muscle Monsters dot Com, and he first posted this hardgainer diet plan. I love Alain’s method because it is simple, and it includes your level of physical activity [...]
August 21st, 2011 at 6:02 pm
Hey, I agree with you on the note that the main reason why people think they are hardgainers is becuase they just arent eating enough! I know several people who also have tried a protein called Dymatize Elite Mass, its pretty good.
December 9th, 2011 at 3:39 am
[...] Follow this hardgainer diet plan [...]
December 31st, 2011 at 5:31 pm
I just wanna comfirm the calculation.
I weight 121lbs, so I need ( 121 x 20 x 6meal)calories per day?
December 31st, 2011 at 5:33 pm
Michael, the calculation would actually be 121 x 20 = 2420 calories per day…these calories should be divided up into 6 meals.
January 6th, 2012 at 7:38 pm
Im skinny i have been working out for 3 months but my biceps are not that much as i expected…..im more conciouse about the size of my biceps please help me out tell me the best exercise to gain max muscle in weeks!!!!for biceps Thanks
January 23rd, 2012 at 6:24 am
I was definitely this type of person i weigh 115 lbs and i definitely think that way too, before i go to the gym and eventually i stop because i don’t see some results.. I almost eat a lot and seems am not gaining weight, plus contrary to that i sleep for about 8 hrs in a day and i have a little exercise but no results are happening so am kinda losing hope… so i am more conscious out gaining a normal weigh just proper to boost my confidence.. Please help me what to do, thanks for the advice you will give that would help me a lot Thanks
January 23rd, 2012 at 3:09 pm
Michael, a few things you MUST focus on is being in a caloric surplus, training with the proper exercises that are going to trigger anabolic effects in your body, and adequate rest. It would take me hours to sit here and tell you step by step what to do to build muscle, so i’ll do us both a favor. Here is my free program, it is called “Mass in a Flash”…it has an entire meal plan and workout schedule you can follow and it explains everything in detail. http://musclemonsters.com/massinaflash Just click the link, out in your email, and download the program…Once you have done that, then feel free to ask me some more specific questions regarding the program.
August 23rd, 2012 at 2:29 am
[...] out how many calories YOU need in order to be in a caloric surplus with my simple hardgainer diet plan. Once you have calculated your calorie and macronutrient intake, it’s time to figure out where [...]
September 11th, 2012 at 9:07 pm
[...] surplus by getting enough calories into your body during your “feeding window”. Use my simple hardgainer diet plan formula to calculate exactly how many calories YOU will need in order to maintain a caloric [...]