Nutrition for Hardgainers

All those of us who are hardgainers sure do get a rough deal. We eat like crazy, train till we drop dead, consume supplements for a hardgainers diet but are unable to tilt the scale. Why is gaining weight so hard? It’s because we have really fast metabolisms that we need to beat into submission. To gain weight, the hardgainer requires to overwhelm his metabolism with a constant flow of good food.

While bodybuilders eat ‘clean’ and restrict their fat and sugar content, when it comes to nutrition for hardgainers, diet is what matters, as does eating all the time. Try and eat six good sized meals spread throughout the day.

Proper hardgainer nutrition requires that you keep track of what you eat in terms of carbohydrates, protein, and fats. This will allow you evaluate whether you are eating enough calories to gain weight. Your aim is to consume 3000-4000 calories per day depending on your weight and how much weight (lean muscle mass) you expect to gain, and consume at least one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight (though I consume closer to 1.5).

For a hardgainer to grow, you should be eating things like chicken, fish, rice, whole wheat breads, pasta, fruits, vegetables etc. The key word is eat – eat with the goal of having six meals a day. If six meals are not possible then you must drink a weight gainer for one or two of those meals.

If you haven’t got the picture already, to overwhelm your metabolism you need to be constantly eating. But I know what you are thinking. There is only so many cans of tuna you can eat before you start hating tuna with a passion.

A few weight gaining foods for hardgainers which I keep coming back to when on a bulking diet include peanut butter, eggs, protein powder, brown rice, fresh fruit & veggies, and chicken breast. These foods should form the foundation of your meals so you feed your body with a constant supply of protein to build muscle.

If you learn how to gain weight in a healthy manner, there is no point bulking up if it’s all fat. It’s only when you start eating for muscle growth that you will see the results you desire.

Weight Gain Supplements - Do They Really Work?

All weight gain supplements are not created equal. Read this article to find out if the weight gain products you’re using are high quality or just over priced and full of hype!

Despite what you may have read, all weight gain supplements are not the same, they aren’t all equal, and you won’t get the same results with each one.

There are a variety of supplements for weight gain on the market like weight gain pills, protein powders, and weight gainers. They all contain different ingredients but all claim to make you gain weight fast. But do they really work if your objective is to gain weight and muscle? Good supplements for weight lifters will be healthy to consume and provide you with the desired results when taken with proper diet and training, while the bad ones are not effective and will leave you feeling sick and tired.

In medicine, pharmacokinetics is a word which is used to describe the way our bodies deal with an externally administered substance. The same principles apply to weight gain supplements, and it’s safe to say that a supplement is only as good as its pharmacokinetics.

Basically, you want to know how well the foreign substance is absorbed into the bloodstream, distributed to the appropriate tissues for utilization, properly metabolized (broken down), and successfully eliminated from the body. If the supplement is not properly absorbed and utilized by the body, then it’s next to useless.

In other words, what good is a weight gain supplement if you body can’t absorb it, use it, break it down, or get rid of it? For example, a low quality weight gain supplement which is not properly absorbed and used by the body is doing more harm then good.

So how can you know if a weight gain supplement is any good?

Well, first of all, you should look at how you feel when you’re taking the product? Pay close attention to your body, as you know your body better then anyone else. Make sure to note any changes that you experience, whether it be a good or bad experience.

Does taking the weight gain supplement make you feel sick or sluggish? If it does, then it’s probably no good and you should throw it out. If it’s not working as advertised, look to see if your diet and nutrition is in order. A good supplement should add to your nutritional program and speed up your progress, not make it worse.