Gains for "Hard-gainers"
Gaining muscle mass is the goal of many of us and achieving the body we all dream of is not always as easy as you first think.
For some of us piling on the muscle is as simple as adding a little extra protein to our diet and going to the gym two or three times a week. But for the majority of us this is not the case.
Gaining muscle mass is the goal of many of us and achieving the body we all dream of is not always as easy as you first think. For some of us piling on the muscle is as simple as adding a little extra protein to our diet and going to the gym two or three times a week. But for the majority of us this is not the case.
We are the hard-gainers.
Lets look at that definition. Firstly categorising yourself as a hard gainer is not exactly a positive out look and if we’re not too careful we become a self-fulfilling prophecy. So lets start by defining our body types and try and avoid the term ‘hard-gainer’.
There are three generally used categories for the human body – Ectomorph, Endomorphs and Mesomorphs.
What is the difference?
Well broadly speaking an ectomorph is skinny, can eat what they like and never put on weight and also find it incredibly difficult to put on muscle however hard they train. Whereas an endomorph is someone who has to watch what they eat or watch the scales shoot up. They generally find it easier to put on muscle than ectomorphs. Lastly are the Mesomorphs. This group is the envied group. Put simply they have a relatively high metabolism and so burn off excess fat but also can increase muscle size rapidly and with relative ease.
So now we have found our category what can we do to increase muscle mass. Well the good news to all ectomorphs is that you can put on muscle mass, just not as easily as the endo or mesomorhps. Look on the bright side, because of the lower body fat any muscle gains are shown in perfect definition!
So what is the Key to Muscle Mass Gains ?
Calorific intake. It’s as simply as that. Minimise your calorific output whilst maximising your input. Your metabolism is burning calories at an incredible rate and therefore you must constantly fuel it. If you do not meet the calorific requirement then muscles pay the price.
How many calories should I take daily?
Of course we are all different but as a rough guide for Ectomorphs, try taking on around 20-24 calories per pound of body weight.
And the best way to take that is through 6-7 meals a day rather than the standard 3 meals.