The Hardgainer’s Guide to Building Muscle and Strength: A Strength Foundation- Part 2

In the first part of this hardgainer series, I introduced 3 of the most important goals a hardgainer needs to look at to see progress in muscle and strength (fitness-wise).  Here, we'll go further in-depth on these 3 goals and show you how to first build that strength foundation for life-long fitness success.

One of the 3 most important things for a hardgainer to focus on is building that base of strength...that basic strength foundation allowing you to lift heavy weights with good form.  Consequently, getting that strength foundation is a hardgainer's first step to improving work capacity.  An as you read in part 1, improving work capacity is the third goal for a hardgainer and must be achieved if you want to see astounding gains in muscle an strength.

The Strength Foundation

So this is a step-by-step and methodical process of first building a base of strength allowing you to handle heavier and heavier weights, and then use that to your advantage to develop a capacity for working out more often, harder, and longer.  The results are compounded and synergistic.  Think of the biggest, most muscular, and ripped guy you see or know.   Is he weak?  I doubt it.  It is absolutely necessary to get stronger first before you get bigger.

Your body isn't going to allow you to pack on 20 pounds of muscle if your bones, joints, and connective tissues are weak.  And to strengthen those bones you will have to get stronger first.  This is a set point handicap that the body puts you on to prevent and reduce chances of further future injuries.

The skeletal components of the musculo-skeletal system needs that base frame of strength first before it'll allow your muscle fibers to adapt to the training loads.  The core of your strength comes from strong bones and joints.  If you have a weak structure, how do you expect to lift heavy weights without hurting yourself or feeling pain?

The body isn't going to allow that.  It's keen to protect itself first.  That's why you'll need to think in terms of building absolute strength, using good form, and applying some type of progression scheme into your workouts for muscle building success.

Further, muscle is very expensive to build and maintain because it burns a lot of calories every single day.  One pound of extra muscle on your body burns an additional 40-50 calories more than one pound of fat.  Now this is an added bonus for those looking to lose fat.  More muscle = faster fat loss.  But your goal is muscle gain, not fat loss or muscle loss.  You'll need to lift in a way that preserves your muscles.  This is achieved through heavy lifting.

If you can squat 300 lbs, bench 250 lbs, and deadlift 400 lbs, then you would definitely have a decent physique to match the strength level.  And imagine if you could handle even heavier weight for multiple sets of 5, 8, or 10 reps, would you still doubt you would be muscular?

Strength and muscle are not mutually exclusive.  So here's how a hardgainer should go about building a strength foundation and getting stronger.

1) Use compound exercises

Because a hardgainer has poor work capacity, it isn't too smart nor efficient to assign single exercises to each specific muscle group.   Hardgainer training should be kept brief and short.  Not to mention there's really no exercise that isolates each muscle 100%.  Compound exercises are your best bet as they work multiple major muscles at the same time.  They also allow you to use much heavier weights.  They're multi-jointed exercises involving more than one, usually two, three, or four major muscle groups at once during the execution.

They're efficient, saves time, and allows you to use real heavy loads. This also means more muscle fiber stimulation and greater gains in strength and mass as a result.

Here's a list of compound exercises with variations and the muscles worked (this list is not exhaustive but these are the tried and proven lifts that work for building muscle and strength),

• squats, front squats, hack squats, overhead squats, box squats, db squats, single leg squats: legs, buttocks, core/abs, lower back, traps
• deadlift, rack deadlift, stiff leg deadlift, db deadlift, dimel deadlift, suitcase deadlift: hamstrings, quads, buttocks, lower back/core/abs, traps, biceps, grip/forearms
• military press, db shoulder press, db arnold press, push press: triceps, shoulders, grip/forearms, core/abs, lower back
• barbell or db bench press in incline/decline/flat position: chest, triceps, shoulders, grip/forearms, core/abs, lower back
• chinup/pullup (can be done on elite rings or rope): grip/forearms, core/lower back, entire back, biceps
• barbell or dumbbell row: works the same as chinup and pullup but in a horizontal pulling position
• dips: same as barbell/db bench press but in a vertical pushing position

At the bare minimum, a hardgainer should be focused on 7 of the main compound exercises.  These are the squat, deadlift, military press,  bench press, chinup, barbell row, and dip.  Variations can be used for each of the main movements as well.  But as long as you focus on these big mass building lifts, you'll do exceptionally well in getting stronger and more muscular.

A hardgainer's routine should include most of the 7 main lifts.  No questions about that.  In fact, if you just take the squat, deadlift, and bench press together, you already have a well-rounded full body strength workout.  Applying weight progression, imagine being able to squat 400 lbs, deadlift 500 lbs, and bench press 350 lbs.  You'll sure be looking jacked if you can lift that amount of weight for all three movements.

This is why the squat, deadlift, and bench press are called the "Big 3" in powerlift-speak. Powerlifters put most of their focus on getting the big 3 up because the competitions involve seeing who can bench, dead, or squat the most weight for one rep.  And these powerlifters are huge, jacked guys after years and years of perfecting form and consistently moving heavier and heavier poundages.

Machines aren't necessarily bad but the tailored resistance they provide reduces recruitment of stabilizer muscles, which reduces neural recruitment of neighboring muscle groups.  Show me one natural bodybuilder who has gotten big from training with machines ONLY and I'll hand a million bucks in a fruit basket.  Free weights are absolutely superior to machines for building a strength foundation for maximum muscle gains at the beginning of your bodybuiding career!

To round off the routine, throw in 1-2 isolation movements for each major muscle group.  I'm talking exercises like barbell/dumbbell/cable curls, calf raises, abdominal movements (crunches/reverse crunches/situps, v-ups, side bends, ab wheel, plank holds/bridge/superman/back bends, leg raises, wrist roller, wrist curls, grippers, finger extensions, etc.

But remember, the bulk of your workouts should include multi-jointed (working more than one major muscle group in one go) compound exercises, exercises that allows you to move the most weight and recruit the most muscle mass.

2) Focus on weight progression

Progression is just basically lifting heavier and heavier weights with more reps, sets, frequency, or lifting speed.  The workouts have to be harder over time with progressive overload.  That's what strength-based training is all about here.  Your body will have no reason to get stronger and bigger if you don't provide a challenge by using heavy loads from workout to workout.  You have to do it in a systemic way using a series of progression methods.  The progression methods include,

• 1) adding more weight while keeping sets and reps constant

• 2) adding more reps while keeping weight an sets constant

• 3) adding more total sets while keeping weight and reps constant

• 4) reducing the rest periods between sets of the same exercise

• 5) increase the lifting speed of each rep of an exercise; good for building explosive and speed strength for athletic and sports pursuits

• 6) increasing the frequency of workouts or the amount of times you work out each muscle per week

So these are the 6 main progression schemes available in fitness training.  Hardgainers, however, should place emphasis on weight progression and repetition progression, that is, strive to add more weight to the bar and doing more reps per exercise.

Above, we talked about squatting, deadlifting, and benching huge amounts of weight.  This is what weight and rep progression will do.  It'll help you do more reps and use heavy weights if you apply them to your strength workouts.

Basically, it works by first setting a rep range target to achieve for each movement for several sets.  The goal is to strive to hit that top rep number from the rep range assigned for each exercise.  Once you've reached the target number of reps in all sets, you add weight to the bar and continue the rep and weight progression until you get stuck.

Eventually you will get stuck unable to add more weight or reps to the workouts so you'll have to take a short one week break.  Then you cycle back down using lower weights and build your way back up again using the same progression schemes.

This could go on and on for years and help you get extremely strong and muscular if you do it right.  And this model is perfect for hardgainers since it's simple and direct to the point.  Just add reps, then weight, and repeat.

Repetition and Weight Progression

Here's how it works by applying weight and rep progression together,

For example, take bench press for 3 sets of 8-10 reps, combining weight progression and rep progression would look like this,

• workout 1: 100 pounds 8 reps, 8 reps, 8 reps, you only did 8 reps for all 3 sets, your goal is to get 10 reps for all 3 sets before adding weight, so

• workout 2: 100 pounds 9 reps, 9 reps 8 reps

• workout 3: 100 pounds 10 reps, 9 reps, 9 reps, still not there yet

• workout 4: 100 pounds, 10 reps, 10 reps, 10 reps, you finally hit the target so add weight for the next workout, 5 pounds will do,

• workout 5: 105 pounds 8 reps, 8 reps, 8 reps, and then work your way back up to 10 reps for all 3 sets

• workout 6: 105 pounds 9 reps, 9 reps, 8 reps

• workout 7: 105 pounds, 10 reps, 9 reps, 9 reps

• workout 8: 105 pounds, 10 reps, 9 reps, 9 reps, you stalled but don't worry, just keep at it for a few more workouts and you will likely break away

• workout 9: 105 pounds, 10 reps, 10 reps, 9 reps

• workout 10: 105 pounds, 10 reps, 10reps, 10 reps, bingo! you've hit your target again, now add 5 pounds again

• workout 11: 110 pounds, work your way back up to 10 sets of 3 again

This is the most basic linear model for combining weight and rep progression into your hardgainer routine. If you stall on a weight, keep that weight for 2-3 more workouts and try to progress from there, if you still stall or plateau, then cycle back down to a weight that's slightly higher than when you started, so taking the example above, if you get up to benching 125 pounds and plateau, then start the cycle again at 105 or 110 pounds instead of 100 pounds.

If you just seriously started lifting weights in this simple manner, you'll find that you will get a hell lot stronger in your first year of real and serious/committed lifting.

3) Limit strength workouts to 3 times per week and 45 minutes maximum per workout in the gym, due to your low work capacity potential in the beginning

Check out the 3x5/5x5 Back-to-Basics strength routines for a detailed look at how hardgainer's should train initially to build that foundation.  There are a number of different routines you can do as a hardgainer but I've found the most efficient routine can be structured around full body workouts done three times a week, with a limit of 40-45 minutes per session.

You want to be in and out of the gym in under one hour flat.  If it takes you more time, then you're either resting too much or fooling around and not concentrating on your workout.  Studies indicate that catabolism (body process of breaking down muscle tissue due to stress) increases

Exercise programming for a hardgainer

The programming is simple for this hardgainer workout.

1) You'll have two separate workouts, workout A and workout B.  Alternate workout A and B every other day and leave weekends free from weight lifting.  So workout A is done on Monday, workout B on Wednesday, and workout A again on Friday.  Tuesday, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays are rest days.  Train 3 times a week.

2) Assign 3-4 compound exercises an 1-3 isolation exercises to workout A.  Assign a different set of 3-4 compound and 1-3 isolation movements for workout B.  You may also throw in another 1-3 exercises for your abs and lower back/overall core.  Each workout, you're doing different movements and you will be repeating those movements alternately since the scheme is A B A B A B A B and on and on.

3) Use a rep scheme of 6-8 reps, 8-10 reps, or 10-12 reps on compound exercises depending on your fitness and strength level.  If you're new to lifting, go with 10-12 reps so you can get your form down.  If you're a little more experienced, try 6-8 or 8-10 reps.  For isolation exercises, any rep range from 5-15 will do.

Additionally, you can use a separate rep range for each workout.  For example, use 8-10 reps for workout A compound exercises and 6-8 reps for workout B compound exercises.  See the example routine below.

4) Limit the number of sets per exercise to 4 sets maximum.  3 sets is a nice balance.  This goes for both compound and isolation.

5) Use repetition and weight progression, as outlined in the example above.  Progression is where the magic is.  Use it.

6) Rest 2-3 minutes between each set and 3-4 minutes between each exercise.

Taking these 6 rules into account, here's a sample routine (with workout A and B) that's very basic but highly effective hardgainer routine for strength and size,  You can use this same template and substitute exercises but make sure they're compound movements,

Workout A

• squat 3 sets of 8-10 reps

• military press 3 sets of 8-10 reps

• one arm dumbbell rows 3 sets of 8-10 reps

• weighted crunches 2 sets of 15 reps

• hammer curls 2 sets of 10-12 reps

Workout B

• deadlift 3 sets of 6-8 reps

• pullups 3 sets of 6-8 reps, do them weighted with a belt or weight vest if body weight becomes too easy

• dips 3 sets of 6-8, do them weighted with a weight belt or weight vest if body weight becomes too easy

• db shoulder press 2 sets 6-8 reps

• glute ham raise or lying leg curls 3 sets of 12-15 reps

• v-up 4 sets of 12-15 reps

For more information on how to properly design a hardgainer workout routine, I strongly recommend you buy Stuart McRoberts "Beyond Brawn" and  "Brawn" titles. ( you can pick it up at amazon.com for a cheaper price).  He goes through all the basics of eating for mass, training, and proper exercise form.  The Brawn series also list dozens of different examples of hardgainer workouts you can use for strength and mass.

Follow the 6 rules and apply the progression schemes into your workouts.  Train with consistency and eventually you will start seeing results.  The next step is to increase the amount of work you do by improving your work capacity.  You'll be able to train more frequently with a higher intensity allowing for more gains.  Let's move on to the next part on building your work capacity for even better gains.

Train Hard.  Train Safely.  Train Smart.

• The Hardgainer's Guide to Building Muscle and Strength- part 1
• The Hardgainer's Guide to Building Muscle and Strength- part 2
• The Hardgainer's Guide to Building Muscle and Strength- part 3
• The Hardgainer's Guide to Building Muscle and Strength- part 4

If you have any questions, comments or input you want to add to this article, don't hesitate to leave a comment below or email me at ZQH245@gmail.com or ZQH250@gmail.com

photo credits:
jontunn
jontunn
jontunn
jontunn
ladyb

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Tagged as: beyond brawn, brawn, compound exercises, strength foundation, stuart mcrobert