I voted yes but it's kind of mixed for me...my strange body I can gain fairly easily in upper body, but it is close to impossible on my lower body. I do gain there but it's definitely more difficult than upper.
Originally posted by Simon.: Probably not... My problem is more with the calorie and protein intake than genetics [img]smile.gif[/img]
I think this describes A LOT of people. Many are too quick to label themselves as ectos or hard gainers. I started out at 5'10 145 and got up to 210. Really all you need to do is eat. Stopped growing? Eat more. A lot of these hard gainers end up doing ridiculous volume and whatnot to work the muscle "extra hard" because they are "hardgainers."
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"It's a round hole, dammit. Everyone fits."--Anonymous Mod at Strengthmill
quote:Originally posted by Simon.: Probably not... My problem is more with the calorie and protein intake than genetics [img]smile.gif[/img]
I think this describes A LOT of people. Many are too quick to label themselves as ectos or hard gainers. I started out at 5'10 145 and got up to 210. Really all you need to do is eat. Stopped growing? Eat more. A lot of these hard gainers end up doing ridiculous volume and whatnot to work the muscle "extra hard" because they are "hardgainers." [/quote]Oh no I'm an ecto alright...
Starting at a pathetic 127lbs I managed to crawl my way up to the slightly less pathetic in less than a year 148 and got stuck.
Mommy and daddy won't let little Simon use any supplements either so little Simon is having a hard time trying to eat all the protein and carbs he needs...
I think alot of people declare themselves being hardgainers because they see all those guys around them packing on more an more muscle while they're struggling with the same weight for months. Trouble is those people never see the 'behind the scenes' where folks bust their asses not only at the gym but all day long trying to eat right.
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Weight: 155lbs
Age: 18
Height: 5'9
Bodyfat: ~12%
Max squat: ?
Max deadlift: 225x5
Max bench: 115x5
I think real food will be more beneficial while trying to gain weight anyway, so don't worry about supplements. I found that real food works better for me even immediately PWO as opposed to a liquid when it comes to gaining weight. I used to think I was a hardgainer, but I think it was mostly my age and the fact that I ate too little food and all the wrong kinds. Now that I'm a few years older and eating right I'm seeing more gains.
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quote:Originally posted by Simon.: Probably not... My problem is more with the calorie and protein intake than genetics [img]smile.gif[/img]
I think this describes A LOT of people. Many are too quick to label themselves as ectos or hard gainers. I started out at 5'10 145 and got up to 210. Really all you need to do is eat. Stopped growing? Eat more. A lot of these hard gainers end up doing ridiculous volume and whatnot to work the muscle "extra hard" because they are "hardgainers." [/quote]Oh no I'm an ecto alright...
Starting at a pathetic 127lbs I managed to crawl my way up to the slightly less pathetic in less than a year 148 and got stuck.
Mommy and daddy won't let little Simon use any supplements either so little Simon is having a hard time trying to eat all the protein and carbs he needs...
I think alot of people declare themselves being hardgainers because they see all those guys around them packing on more an more muscle while they're struggling with the same weight for months. Trouble is those people never see the 'behind the scenes' where folks bust their asses not only at the gym but all day long trying to eat right. [/quote]How old are you? Odds are youre a teenager if your rents are holding the monopoly on supp buying. Teenagers are the group that needs to eat the most. God when I was 18 I could pack a 1200 calorie meal in one sitting and not get fat. Your metabolism is on fire and you need to eat calorie dense food, which can include burgers pizza, etc. THe thing that makes people fat from these foods, esp at the teenage level is because A) most of them dont workout and B) some do not burn off as much as consume from these dense foods.
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"The strongest steel goes through the hottest fires."-Anonymous
"When you begin to believe nothing is heavy, all weights become light." -Rossbow
"Just remember, somewhere there is a little Chinese girl warming up with your max."-Jim Convroy
"It's a round hole, dammit. Everyone fits."--Anonymous Mod at Strengthmill
How old are you? Odds are youre a teenager if your rents are holding the monopoly on supp buying. Teenagers are the group that needs to eat the most. God when I was 18 I could pack a 1200 calorie meal in one sitting and not get fat. Your metabolism is on fire and you need to eat calorie dense food, which can include burgers pizza, etc. THe thing that makes people fat from these foods, esp at the teenage level is because A) most of them dont workout and B) some do not burn off as much as consume from these dense foods.
i can vouch for the part about eating massive amounts of calories in one sitting and not getting obese. the one time i recorded what i ate at fitday it said i ate about a 2100 calorie meal. ( i guess thats why my family calls me the garbage disposal. )
Ditto Deserve. I can gain fat with NO PROBLEM. Give me 2 weeks and I can pack on 5-6 pounds of fat.
So...I'm not a hard gainer. I can get heavier. I just can't seem to put on muscle! (I'm impatient!) I want it NOW! sniff sniff...I'll be okay. I feel bettewr now.
Gee, I seriously love being an almost perfect mesomorph!! I honestly don't have to do much in the gym or be very creative in my workouts as long as I'm eating enough calories to grow LBM. Just ask JP. The first time I met him and asked him to create a workout routine for me, he looked at my current routine, he looked at me, looked back at my routine, and said "That's not possible for anyone to look like you with this kind of routine."
Oddly enough, I've really been out of the gym for several months while recovering from my last shoulder surgery and my BF% only went up 2% in that time. Then, starting back, I was able to reduce my BF% back down to around 11 while still maintaining my current weight.
So, once again....I LOVE BEING A MESOMORPH!!!!
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Originally posted by Deserve: I was just thinking how I need some whine with my second breakfast.
I need to just shut up and eat... [img]smile.gif[/img] Not all of us can be Bond.
Actually, to echo what's been said before, I thought I was a hardgainer BEFORE I learned the importance of nutrition and BEFORE I starting reading John Berardi's literature, especially Massive Eating Parts 1 and 2. That really opened my eyes and opened the way toward incredible gains in LBM with minimal gains in BF.
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Originally posted by Bond007: Gee, I seriously love being an almost perfect mesomorph!! I honestly don't have to do much in the gym or be very creative in my workouts as long as I'm eating enough calories to grow LBM. Just ask JP. The first time I met him and asked him to create a workout routine for me, he looked at my current routine, he looked at me, looked back at my routine, and said "That's not possible for anyone to look like you with this kind of routine."
Oddly enough, I've really been out of the gym for several months while recovering from my last shoulder surgery and my BF% only went up 2% in that time. Then, starting back, I was able to reduce my BF% back down to around 11 while still maintaining my current weight.
So, once again....I LOVE BEING A MESOMORPH!!!!
Screw you, Bondy ! [img]tongue.gif[/img]
Heck, actually, great for you. Someone has to be able to enjoy it. But, since you're a meso with no excuses: "What's your excuse for _______________?" (fill in whatever area applies)
I tend to agree with GQ in that most people are hard gainers (meaning normal gainers) and the small number of the rest are easy gainers. That said, assuming a normal distribution, some of us seem to be a bit further to the right side of the curve in terms of having a harder time gaining muscle versus fat.
quote:Originally posted by Bond007: Gee, I seriously love being an almost perfect mesomorph!! I honestly don't have to do much in the gym or be very creative in my workouts as long as I'm eating enough calories to grow LBM. Just ask JP. The first time I met him and asked him to create a workout routine for me, he looked at my current routine, he looked at me, looked back at my routine, and said "That's not possible for anyone to look like you with this kind of routine."
Oddly enough, I've really been out of the gym for several months while recovering from my last shoulder surgery and my BF% only went up 2% in that time. Then, starting back, I was able to reduce my BF% back down to around 11 while still maintaining my current weight.
So, once again....I LOVE BEING A MESOMORPH!!!!
Screw you, Bondy ! [img]tongue.gif[/img]
[/quote]I was going to say the same thing [img]tongue.gif[/img] Na...you are one of the lucky ones...I'm just jealous.
Bond, thanks for posting a link to JB's Massive Eating. I know that is part of my problem. I know I need to eat more to gain more and it's a bit of a mental thing getting past gaining the weight. But I will do what must be done [img]smile.gif[/img]
quote:Originally posted by Bond007: Gee, I seriously love being an almost perfect mesomorph!! I honestly don't have to do much in the gym or be very creative in my workouts as long as I'm eating enough calories to grow LBM. Just ask JP. The first time I met him and asked him to create a workout routine for me, he looked at my current routine, he looked at me, looked back at my routine, and said "That's not possible for anyone to look like you with this kind of routine."
Oddly enough, I've really been out of the gym for several months while recovering from my last shoulder surgery and my BF% only went up 2% in that time. Then, starting back, I was able to reduce my BF% back down to around 11 while still maintaining my current weight.
So, once again....I LOVE BEING A MESOMORPH!!!!
Screw you, Bondy ! [img]tongue.gif[/img]
[/quote]I was going to say the same thing [img]tongue.gif[/img] Na...you are one of the lucky ones...I'm just jealous.
Bond, thanks for posting a link to JB's Massive Eating. I know that is part of my problem. I know I need to eat more to gain more and it's a bit of a mental thing getting past gaining the weight. But I will do what must be done [img]smile.gif[/img] [/quote]Boy, such violence around here.
Seriously, though, you're very welcome, TG! I wish you the best of luck with Berardi's advice. I know it worked very well for me.
Besides, life isn't always great. I do have 2 bad shoulders. I've got to be able to "crow" about something, right???
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Jamie: What caused your shoulder problems to begin with? I may not have some genetic gifts, but my body has pretty much been healthy and whole throughout my first 45 years. I should thank God for that.
Let's face it...after 40 we are all hard gainers when it comes to lean muscle mass. (generally speaking)
Eating smart and training smart after 40 is tougher and it's yields are sub par to most people who are younger. I guess there are a lot of reasons for this not the least of which is the decrease in certain hormones.
I know I'm making generalized statements here...so I hope somebody straightens me out if I'm dead wrong. But I think after 40...real muscle mass gains are very difficult. One does well just to maintain his muscle mass after 40.
Originally posted by Chris Correia: Jamie: What caused your shoulder problems to begin with? I may not have some genetic gifts, but my body has pretty much been healthy and whole throughout my first 45 years. I should thank God for that.
Overuse from years of competitive swimming (I started at 5 and continued until 18), stength imbalances, and very little sub-acromial space, at least that's what my doc supposes. I have Shoulder Impingement Syndrome and had a partial acromioplasty in both shoulders, healed too quickly, grew too much scar tissue, and had to have both shoulders "cleaned" out. So, 4 surgeries total. Thank GOD both rotator cuffs are in perfect condition and I have no evidence of any arthiritis yet. Now, I just have to be careful with strength gains and make sure that I keep everything in "balance".
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Unfourtantley, I am a hard-gainer cus I have low T-levels. They are coming back up, but I guess I did some damage to my body from not eating enough calories for almost a year(back in late 2003-late 2004). It really sucks cus I workout consistently with a great program(thanks to everyone here) and I eat clean all the time, but I still find it hard to put on LBM cus of the low T-levels. Hopefully they continue to come back up to normal(as they are so far) as I continue to eat enough calories over the past 6-8 months.
I don't really consider myself a hardgainer because the first few months after i started, i really gained a lot of muscle and dropped a lot of fat. then, the last time i lifted, i was lifting for strength (3x3). i really did add pounds to my squat :30 and deadlift: 120 + (since last time i had maxed out at least-last summer). my bench is my weakpoint-dam long arms. anyway, i've never really lifted to look better-i'd rather put up a big bench, pull an insane amount of weight or hit a big squat.
that was of course until now , summer's come and i'm thinking about cuttin a bit and then bulking towards the end of the summer and into the winter for basketball. so, ask again at the end of the summer, and i'll give you a better answer.
but you have to ask youself this: does being a hardgainer mean that you do everything right nutritionally and lifting-wise and still have a problem packing on the muscle? or, does it mean that you don't have the will, intelligence, or patience to eat right and lift right, therefore seeing little gains, and thinking that you're a hard gainer? IMO, building muslce and lifting is sometimes more mental than physical.
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I don't know what i am. I used to be so hard to gain muscles, but now i'm so easy to gain muscles & lose muscles... I can be so big, & then when i'm not training for a week i'll look like as if i've just gotten deflated..
I can gain fairly easily in upper body, but it is close to impossible on my lower body. I do gain there but it's definitely more difficult than upper.
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