Tips For Gaining Muscle as a “Hard Gainer”

For some, gaining weight can be a challenge. For others it can be effortless. Everybody’s body is different. Personally, I always had a hard time gaining weight. Despite maintaining a consistent workout regimen and good eating habits, it still felt like I wasn’t quite getting the gains that I wanted.

However, this year I happened to reach an incredible milestone. For most of my adult life, being at a weight of 150 – 155 meant I was doing pretty good. In other cases, my weight stayed around 145. But, after not stepping on a scale for quite a while, I was very surprised to see my weight at 170 this past week!

In this article I would like to reflect on some of the things that helped me make these gains, and share some tips as well.

Start With Calisthenics

Most fitness experts agree that it is best to start out with calisthenics when getting started. This gives your muscles a chance to work with a weight that feels natural. When first starting out, it can be very easy to throw on more weight than is necessary. In those cases, a lot of the pressure gets placed onto your joints rather than the muscles you’re actually aiming to work. Working with your body weight is also a good way to get set up to perform successfully at sports and recreational activities.

For me, I started off doing 3 sets of 7 in cases such as pushups or dips, and sets of 3 when it came to pullups and chin-ups. From there I slowly worked my way up week by week, until I was doing sets of 30 pushups and 10 pullups. I would go out to a park near my house that had some recreation equipment, and would go through everything that was available.

Utilize Recovery Techniques

At the bare minimum, getting good sleep and maintaining good nutrition can play a big part in gaining muscle. But with today’s technology, there are so many other options available. I am fortunate enough to be apart of a gym that has a designated room for recovery, where I can utilize things such as hydro-massage, sauna, and massage gun. But even then there is a lot more.

Cold showers. Natural sunlight. Stretching. Maintaining a healthy water consumption. These are all factors that can play a part in muscle growth and development. When it comes to sleep, going to bed early and getting straight up early can help as well. For all of of this year I have gone to bed at 10:30 p.m. and I am usually up around 7-7:30. Getting straight up in the morning without snoozing or falling back asleep is a good way to keep your body energized, and that can serve well when it’s time to get your workout in.

Breathe

For as important as it is, you don’t hear many people list healthy breathing when it comes to health and fitness. Breathing not only while exercising is important, but also throughout the day and before bed at night. The way you breathe is tied very closely to the way your body manages stress. It can impact your digestion, sleep quality, and energy levels. For these reasons, I would say healthy breathing is pivotal when it comes to gaining muscle and growing stronger.

Most people tend to breathe very shallow and into the chest rather than the diaphragm. Some breathe through the mouth rather than the nose. Others almost allow their breathe to “freeze” by not breathing in a steady and natural way. If you really want to improve your health, and your fitness level, it’s best to start breathing through your nose, pulling air in through the diaphragm, and exhaling slowly. There are a number of different breathing exercises that you can find online. Even if you aren’t interested in making gains in the gym, I would still highly recommend checking them out.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to making gains in the gym, it comes easiest when your overall lifestyle is balanced and healthy. If you’re staying up late drinking beer and eating frozen pizzas one night, and then hitting the gym and working out the next night, you’re probably not going to get very consistent results. The more you start to monitor your day-to-day routine and optimize it for good health and wellness, the easier it’s going to be to make gains. Not just in the gym, but in all other areas of life as well.

Thank you for taking the time to read. I hope this article has served you well, and I look forward to seeing you on the next one!