Are you a hard gainer, please read!
psuLemon
Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
Since one of the most common threads in this section seems to be that people struggle to gain weight, I wanted to create a one stop source for members to read on how to gain (particularly, specific foods to help and some techniques). First, you have to eat enough calories to get above your maintenance levels; you cannot add mass, if you are not providing a foundation to grow (i.e - calories). Once you achieve a surplus, and you want to minimize fat gains, you should consistently maintain a surplus (as opposed to huge calorie fluctuations) and ensure proper training (progressive overload lifting program that is focused on compound moves).
There are a variety of reason why people struggle to gain. One of the main reasons why people feel they are hard gainers is because they believe they have a high metabolism. Statistically speaking, the average person doesn't have a slow or fast metabolism, but rather have one of the following issues: 1. current eating style isn't conducive towards their goals, 2. psychological struggles or 3. high/active job/daily routine. What I mean by each is simple. Many people develop eating strategies, whether during dieting or habitual, that focus on many low calorie or "diet" foods. This in turn, makes it very difficult to add enough calories to get into a surplus. Also, bulking can be a huge psychological barrier for many people. It's hard going into a program where you are intentionally gaining fat and getting rid of the progress you previously had. And lastly, there are some people (teachers, construction workers, etc...) whom have jobs that are extremely active and will burn a ton of calories. This in turn, makes achieving a surplus a more difficult task than those of us who have desk jobs. Unfortunately, if you want to achieve the goal of gaining muscle, you must hit a surplus and ideally, in a consistent manor.
With that in mind, hopefully the below list of foods and some dietary strategies will provide you a guide to meet your goals:
Foods:
While above is not a full list and I can expand if people have other suggestions, there are a few other things you can try to get those calories up:
Favor recipe websites
Hopefully, this can provide a good start to a bulk.
There are a variety of reason why people struggle to gain. One of the main reasons why people feel they are hard gainers is because they believe they have a high metabolism. Statistically speaking, the average person doesn't have a slow or fast metabolism, but rather have one of the following issues: 1. current eating style isn't conducive towards their goals, 2. psychological struggles or 3. high/active job/daily routine. What I mean by each is simple. Many people develop eating strategies, whether during dieting or habitual, that focus on many low calorie or "diet" foods. This in turn, makes it very difficult to add enough calories to get into a surplus. Also, bulking can be a huge psychological barrier for many people. It's hard going into a program where you are intentionally gaining fat and getting rid of the progress you previously had. And lastly, there are some people (teachers, construction workers, etc...) whom have jobs that are extremely active and will burn a ton of calories. This in turn, makes achieving a surplus a more difficult task than those of us who have desk jobs. Unfortunately, if you want to achieve the goal of gaining muscle, you must hit a surplus and ideally, in a consistent manor.
With that in mind, hopefully the below list of foods and some dietary strategies will provide you a guide to meet your goals:
Foods:
- Avocado
- Nuts, granola
- Chia seed
- Olive/Coconut Oil (as a dressing or to cook in)
- Peanut/Almond/Pumpkin/etc butter
- Full fat mayonnaise
- Butter, dressing and spreads
- Greek Yogurt (higher fat options)
- Cheese (put that crap on everything or eat a brick of it)
- Creams (sour cream, cream cheese)
- Ice cream, chocolate, candy
- Chocolate/Strawberry milk
- Bagels (I use P28 protein bagels and top with peanut butter and jelly/jam)
- Pancakes (if you want a "healthier" version, then go protein pancakes)
- Waffles
- Muffins/Scones
- Syrup, honey, jams, fluff, Nutella
- Marinade all meats - especially oil based marinades
- Add sauces to foods
- High sugar fruits (pineapple, banana, mango, apples, etc...)
- High calorie protein bars (Cliff Builder, Cliff Energy Bars, etc...)
- High calorie protein drinks (put in milk)
- Red meats (Buffalo, Bison, Steak, 80/20 Hamburger, Duck, Ribs)
- Dark Fish (Salmon,Tuna)
- Bacon (thick cut)
- Eggs
- Starches (potatoes, corn, etc..)
- Pizza
- Rice
- Couscous
- Honey Buns
- Pudding
- etc...
While above is not a full list and I can expand if people have other suggestions, there are a few other things you can try to get those calories up:
- Increase meal frequency
- Limit cardio while you bulk
- No diet foods (stay away from low calorie dense foods - again, aim for the veggies/fruits that are higher in sugars)
- Limit "clean" foods
- Drink calories (protein shakes, flavored milks, occasional juice)
- Recognize this is mental and that getting nutrients in a bulk is a lot easier
- And trust the program and the math.
Favor recipe websites
- www.theproteinchef.co
- www.mccormick.com
- https://www.muscleforlife.com/category/recipes/
- https://www.ketofocus.com/
- https://cleananddelicious.com/
- https://www.thedietchefs.com/
- https://downshiftology.com/
Hopefully, this can provide a good start to a bulk.
366
Replies
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thanks 3 -
Where is the pizzas? It can turn turtles into ninjas!63
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can you add that hard gainers are a myth too please?22
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Yeah, no list is compelete without the pizza!10
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Another point in "hard gainers" is that they often live very active lifestyles, which naturally increases their TDEE. They rarely have desk jobs or if they do they rarely sit still at their desk. Reducing their non-exercise activity can help lower their daily calorie burn and help put them into a surplus.23
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Another point in "hard gainers" is that they often live very active lifestyles, which naturally increases their TDEE. They rarely have desk jobs or if they do they rarely sit still at their desk. Reducing their non-exercise activity can help lower their daily calorie burn and help put them into a surplus.
Good point.8 -
I'd also add the suggestion to "drink" calories if you're having trouble eating enough to your second list (I'll leave the exact verbiage to you).13
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juggernaut1974 wrote: »I'd also add the suggestion to "drink" calories if you're having trouble eating enough to your second list (I'll leave the exact verbiage to you).
I had that in my food list, but I added it to the strategies as well to make it more clear. Thanks.4 -
Bump2
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Great thread.
I see a lot of these questions...
What is the best hardgainer workout routine?”
“I’m a hardgainer and need a good meal plan!”
“What supplements are recommended for hardgainers?”
I would like to add and talk about GENETICS...
There’s no question that genetics do play a large role in determining how slowly or quickly someone can build lean muscle. And it's true that some lifters will require more time and patience to build the physique they’re after.
But whether you’re a naturally gifted bodybuilder with elite genetics or you’re starting off on the complete opposite side of the spectrum, the same basic muscle building principles still apply.
-You need to train hard in the gym using correct form and focus on progressive overload by adding more weight to the bar over time…
-You need to create a proper calorie surplus each day that revolves around high quality sources of protein, carbohydrates and fats…
-You need to understand which supplements could help you accelerate your progress and which ones to avoid…
-You need to track your progress, remain focused and motivated, and stay consistent to your program over time…
When someone call themselves a “hardgainer” and seeking out a specific hardgainer workout, meal plan and supplement approach is not only unnecessary, but it backs you into a corner and leaves you with the false background feeling that gaining muscle is going to be next to impossible.
Sure, you may not have been particularly blessed in the department of muscle building genetics, but so what? How does paying attention to this fact do anything to help you move forward and achieve your goals?
As with anything in life, you need to put your focus on the things you can control and forget about the things you can’t. Pre-occupying yourself with your genetic makeup is a complete waste of time, as absolutely anyone can achieve a strong, impressive, muscular body if they truly want to.
The only difference is that for some people the process may be longer or shorter. And whether you have “good genetics” or “bad genetics”, the overall structure of your bodybuilding approach is essentially going to be the same.
My advice....
Take the entire idea that you require a specific “hardgainer workout” or “hardgainer meal plan” and toss it out the window.
Find your individual calorie/protein/carb/fat needs, structure a workout plan that allows you to properly recover and make consistent strength gains over time, and simply move forward from there.65 -
This content has been removed.
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Great thread.
I see a lot of these questions...
What is the best hardgainer workout routine?”
“I’m a hardgainer and need a good meal plan!”
“What supplements are recommended for hardgainers?”
I would like to add and talk about GENETICS...
There’s no question that genetics do play a large role in determining how slowly or quickly someone can build lean muscle. And it's true that some lifters will require more time and patience to build the physique they’re after.
But whether you’re a naturally gifted bodybuilder with elite genetics or you’re starting off on the complete opposite side of the spectrum, the same basic muscle building principles still apply.
-You need to train hard in the gym using correct form and focus on progressive overload by adding more weight to the bar over time…
-You need to create a proper calorie surplus each day that revolves around high quality sources of protein, carbohydrates and fats…
-You need to understand which supplements could help you accelerate your progress and which ones to avoid…
-You need to track your progress, remain focused and motivated, and stay consistent to your program over time…
When someone call themselves a “hardgainer” and seeking out a specific hardgainer workout, meal plan and supplement approach is not only unnecessary, but it backs you into a corner and leaves you with the false background feeling that gaining muscle is going to be next to impossible.
Sure, you may not have been particularly blessed in the department of muscle building genetics, but so what? How does paying attention to this fact do anything to help you move forward and achieve your goals?
As with anything in life, you need to put your focus on the things you can control and forget about the things you can’t. Pre-occupying yourself with your genetic makeup is a complete waste of time, as absolutely anyone can achieve a strong, impressive, muscular body if they truly want to.
The only difference is that for some people the process may be longer or shorter. And whether you have “good genetics” or “bad genetics”, the overall structure of your bodybuilding approach is essentially going to be the same.
My advice....
Take the entire idea that you require a specific “hardgainer workout” or “hardgainer meal plan” and toss it out the window.
Find your individual calorie/protein/carb/fat needs, structure a workout plan that allows you to properly recover and make consistent strength gains over time, and simply move forward from there.
Very well written and great advice. Thank you for the input.9 -
PlantBasedKnight wrote: »Aren't we supposed to clarify what we mean by a hard gainer?
I am pretty sure no one wants to be fat or gain fat weight.
thus we should never say to a hard gainer (if you want to gain weight...) it should be (if you want to gain muscles...)
Actually, there have been many threads in here where members just needed to gain weight... and by that, I do mean fat as well. In many cases, those members are severely underweight and the benefit of fat/weight, outweighs their current situation.
In the overall circumstance that tend to occur on MFP, the people who suggest they are hard gainers, generally blame it on a fast metabolism. As you continue to dig into the situations, several common factors start to arise: they don't log calories, they still eat a lot of low calorie or "diet" foods, very active jobs, or exercise a lot. And once you address those (especially the first two), you see they generally fall within the standard deviation.
Obviously, if one's ultimate goal is to gain muscle and minimize fat gains, then yes, we should help develop a plan for them to enable that. Generally, this means a small surplus of either 10% or 250 over TDEE. They should also have a solid progressive lifting program and be eating foods, in the specific ratios (or more specifically the correct grams based on lean body mass) to enable or maximize growth.20 -
bumping0
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bumping again6
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Something to put "fast" and "slow" metabolisms in perspective.
https://examine.com/faq/does-metabolism-vary-between-two-people/Extending this into practical terms and assuming an average expenditure of 2000kcal a day, 68% of the population falls into the range of 1840-2160kcal daily while 96% of the population is in the range of 1680-2320kcal daily. Comparing somebody at or below the 5th percentile with somebody at or above the 95th percentile would yield a difference of possibly 600kcal daily, and the chance of this occurring (comparing the self to a friend) is 0.50%, assuming two completely random persons.5 -
This should be added to the Most Helpful Posts section11
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Unstoppable_She_Is wrote: »This should be added to the Most Helpful Posts section
I am working that angle
. 6 -
Unstoppable_She_Is wrote: »This should be added to the Most Helpful Posts section
I am working that angle.
Maybe the mods should be notified. 4 -
If a fast metabolism is a myth than why do I poop after every meal?? I've been skiny my whole life, as a kid I used to eat over 10 pb&js back to back and remain skinny. I used to eat lettuce bowls of ice cream to myself, 2 large burritos from Alberto's to myself and after all this, I still ate more as a kid. And I am the same way now, except I go to the gym now and eat more beneficial foods. As a kid, I ate more than anyone in my family. And I literally pooped after every meal, 4+ times a day. My dad told me he was the same way as a kid, and his dad was the same aswell. If this is not a fast metabolism than what is it??? Yes I was active as a kid, but aren't all kids active. I'm 8 months into my body building journey and I am confused about this topic, because I believe I have a fast metabolism because I poop 4-6 times a day (after eating 4-6 meals a day). If it's a myth than is there something wrong with me internally??can you add that hard gainers are a myth too please?
5 -
If a fast metabolism is a myth than why do I poop after every meal?? I've been skiny my whole life, as a kid I used to eat over 10 pb&js back to back and remain skinny. I used to eat lettuce bowls of ice cream to myself, 2 large burritos from Alberto's to myself and after all this, I still ate more as a kid. And I am the same way now, except I go to the gym now and eat more beneficial foods. As a kid, I ate more than anyone in my family. And I literally pooped after every meal, 4+ times a day. My dad told me he was the same way as a kid, and his dad was the same aswell. If this is not a fast metabolism than what is it??? Yes I was active as a kid, but aren't all kids active. I'm 8 months into my body building journey and I am confused about this topic, because I believe I have a fast metabolism because I poop 4-6 times a day (after eating 4-6 meals a day). If it's a myth than is there something wrong with me internally??can you add that hard gainers are a myth too please?
I believe that people who poop regularly have good gut bacteria and their colon responds to the stomach filling up by relieving the pressure.
Not all kids or people are as active as others. Hard gainers tend to be people who are not only active through sports, but are the kind of people that rarely sit still for long periods of time. You might also eat more at each meal, but less snacking through the day. I have friends who were hard gainers until they started desk jobs.4 -
Unstoppable_She_Is wrote: »This should be added to the Most Helpful Posts section
You can nominate a post here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10260479/nominate-posts-for-announcement-status-stickies#latest (this one has already been added) but they only adjust the stickies every 6 months or so. May have to wait a while.0 -
If a fast metabolism is a myth than why do I poop after every meal?? I've been skiny my whole life, as a kid I used to eat over 10 pb&js back to back and remain skinny. I used to eat lettuce bowls of ice cream to myself, 2 large burritos from Alberto's to myself and after all this, I still ate more as a kid. And I am the same way now, except I go to the gym now and eat more beneficial foods. As a kid, I ate more than anyone in my family. And I literally pooped after every meal, 4+ times a day. My dad told me he was the same way as a kid, and his dad was the same aswell. If this is not a fast metabolism than what is it??? Yes I was active as a kid, but aren't all kids active. I'm 8 months into my body building journey and I am confused about this topic, because I believe I have a fast metabolism because I poop 4-6 times a day (after eating 4-6 meals a day). If it's a myth than is there something wrong with me internally??can you add that hard gainers are a myth too please?
I believe that people who poop regularly have good gut bacteria and their colon responds to the stomach filling up by relieving the pressure.
Not all kids or people are as active as others. Hard gainers tend to be people who are not only active through sports, but are the kind of people that rarely sit still for long periods of time. You might also eat more at each meal, but less snacking through the day. I have friends who were hard gainers until they started desk jobs.
This makes sense to me. I am always bouncing my legg up and down or shaking my feet when I lay down. But can this activity be so active that it's like cardio to me and others that have as much energy as I do? I understand that this movement will burn more calories but does it truly make that much of a difference? I don't really pay attention to my movement, my wife will have me realise that I'm shaking my leggs because it bothers her. It just happens because I have a lot of energy and don't know what to do with myself2 -
If a fast metabolism is a myth than why do I poop after every meal?? I've been skiny my whole life, as a kid I used to eat over 10 pb&js back to back and remain skinny. I used to eat lettuce bowls of ice cream to myself, 2 large burritos from Alberto's to myself and after all this, I still ate more as a kid. And I am the same way now, except I go to the gym now and eat more beneficial foods. As a kid, I ate more than anyone in my family. And I literally pooped after every meal, 4+ times a day. My dad told me he was the same way as a kid, and his dad was the same aswell. If this is not a fast metabolism than what is it??? Yes I was active as a kid, but aren't all kids active. I'm 8 months into my body building journey and I am confused about this topic, because I believe I have a fast metabolism because I poop 4-6 times a day (after eating 4-6 meals a day). If it's a myth than is there something wrong with me internally??can you add that hard gainers are a myth too please?
Have you actually had your metabolism measured? I'll bet you are very surprised. There are some that are naturally higher than others and you might be one, but odds are you aren't outside 3 standard deviations like the rest of us. And metabolism has nothing to do with how fast you have bowel movements.5 -
If a fast metabolism is a myth than why do I poop after every meal?? I've been skiny my whole life, as a kid I used to eat over 10 pb&js back to back and remain skinny. I used to eat lettuce bowls of ice cream to myself, 2 large burritos from Alberto's to myself and after all this, I still ate more as a kid. And I am the same way now, except I go to the gym now and eat more beneficial foods. As a kid, I ate more than anyone in my family. And I literally pooped after every meal, 4+ times a day. My dad told me he was the same way as a kid, and his dad was the same aswell. If this is not a fast metabolism than what is it??? Yes I was active as a kid, but aren't all kids active. I'm 8 months into my body building journey and I am confused about this topic, because I believe I have a fast metabolism because I poop 4-6 times a day (after eating 4-6 meals a day). If it's a myth than is there something wrong with me internally??can you add that hard gainers are a myth too please?
As a child, who is growing, you will have a more active metabolism than a grown adult who is not longer growing. As a teenager i was regularly drinkiing 72 oz sodas, quarts of ice team (yes from the container), huge bowls of ice cream every night and could eat a large pizza or 3 big macs at one sitting. I have multilple bowels daily as well. None of that i contribute to a metabolism but rather a high thermal effect from activity. I play soccer and ice hockey. I never deviated from my 175 lb mark. A few years in college i had to quit ice hockey due to an illness and that is when i gained. My dad was 115 lbs until he got out of the air force. So for most, its activity level, not metabolism.5 -
If a fast metabolism is a myth than why do I poop after every meal?? I've been skiny my whole life, as a kid I used to eat over 10 pb&js back to back and remain skinny. I used to eat lettuce bowls of ice cream to myself, 2 large burritos from Alberto's to myself and after all this, I still ate more as a kid. And I am the same way now, except I go to the gym now and eat more beneficial foods. As a kid, I ate more than anyone in my family. And I literally pooped after every meal, 4+ times a day. My dad told me he was the same way as a kid, and his dad was the same aswell. If this is not a fast metabolism than what is it??? Yes I was active as a kid, but aren't all kids active. I'm 8 months into my body building journey and I am confused about this topic, because I believe I have a fast metabolism because I poop 4-6 times a day (after eating 4-6 meals a day). If it's a myth than is there something wrong with me internally??can you add that hard gainers are a myth too please?
As a child, who is growing, you will have a mlre active metabolism than a grown adult who is not longer growing. As a teenager i was regularly drinkiing 72 oz sodas, quarts of ice team (yes from the container), huge bowls of ice cream every night and could eat a large pizza or 3 big macs at one sitting. I have multilple bowels daily as well. None of that i contribute to a metabolism but rather a high thermal effect from activity. I play soccer and ice hockey. I never deviated from my 175 lb mark. A few years in college i had to quit ice hockey due to an illness and that is when i gained. My dad was 115 lbs until he got out of the air force. So for most, its activity level, not metabolism.
Exactly. I was skinny as a teenager and couldn't gain weight to save my life (I desperately wanted to gain weight for football). I ate staggering amounts of food, it was almost like a sideshow to amuse people with how much I ate. But I was also highly active - played sports year round (football, basketball, track and field, raced bicycles, rode dirt bikes, etc.) and was constantly on the move. After I graduated high school and got into college, where I was eating the same but not anywhere near as active, it became obvious that it had nothing to do with my metabolism and everything to do with my activity levels, as the pounds started piling on. All of a sudden I wasn't a "hard gainer" anymore.6
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