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Thread: Do Hardgainers Really Exist?

  1. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alexander Dargatz View Post
    I've never called myself a "hardgainer". It's true that most people are not willing to put in the effort required to eat a lot. For me it was always the hardest part. For others, it's easier. But it's also true that genetics play a big part in how fast and easy you gain weight.

    Anecdote time:
    When I was younger, 20yo, I did a 3 month contest prep for a bodybuilding show. I ate exactly the same every day for 3 months, about 5500 kcal* - and lost weight. I didn't use PED. I'm 6'1" and went from a very lean 190lbs to an absolutely shredded 176 (79.9kg = under 80kg class). My point is, I lost weight at 5500kcal. I "trained" (exercised) 4 or 5 times per week and did 1h LSD cardio/day. Bigger guys than me always marvelled at my ability to put away food. I only started to gain weight beyond 190lbs when I dropped my ridiculous training volume. I knew a guy who weighed 30kg pure muscle more than me and used 2800kcal for his contest diet.


    *
    - 875g of white rice = 3010 kcal.
    - 2.2kg of poultry = 2300 kcal (? there are a lot of different numbers to be found online, this is using a lower kcal one).
    - sometimes replace 400g poultry with 400g fish in one meal.
    - teaspoon of Olive oil (50 kcal) and an apple (80 kcal) a day

    I'd do it different nowadays... but it worked :P
    Did GOMAD make it into the equation

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Robert Santana View Post
    Did GOMAD make it into the equation
    No.
    This was in the 90s and I got all the information from muscle magazines. I ate a lot (meat, fish, eggs, rice, pasta were the staples), but had only about 1 litre of skimmed milk/day. It was a mistake to avoid most fats in the diet.
    I wish I had known about Starting Strength training back then. I started exercising at 17 when I was 6'1" and 140lbs and the "training" was ridiculous.

    I gained a few pounds after turning 30 and cutting down training volume and reducing reps in favor of load. But the biggest factor was discovering the Starting Strength books in 2016, I went from 190 to 225 since then (to be honest, been hovering around 220-225 for almost 4 years now. I'll be 44 soon).

    To sum up, I'm not saying "Hardgainer" means you can't gain weight (/muscles) no matter what you do and you're doomed to a skinny life. It just means what it says: it is harder to gain weight for some than for others (and most of the concepts in the fitness industry/internet are not helpful in understanding what you need to do, either).

  3. #13
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    I learned during the same era. Those muscle mags were great at convincing us that we needed a ton of supplements and programs done by Lee Priest and Ronnie Coleman

  4. #14
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    Ah yes, the 90's. The hey day of muscle mag bs. That's also when the low fat craze was all the rage. And yes, also the time of ghost written articles by "the pros" who got all their gainz from oatmeal, egg whites, chicken breasts (yet they all ate 10,000 cals a day) and X brand supplements. Good times.

  5. #15
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    Think of eating as part of the training. Getting in more needed food is just like getting that last rep.

  6. #16
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    Sure I'd be glad to chat privately with you about it. How would you like to go about it?

  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by grant_edwards View Post
    Sure I'd be glad to chat privately with you about it. How would you like to go about it?
    robert@weightsandplates.com

  8. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by dalan View Post
    Ah yes, the 90's. The hey day of muscle mag bs. That's also when the low fat craze was all the rage. And yes, also the time of ghost written articles by "the pros" who got all their gainz from oatmeal, egg whites, chicken breasts (yet they all ate 10,000 cals a day) and X brand supplements. Good times.
    Yes and trained their muscle groups 1x per week in jean shorts, work boots, and a stringer.

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