EXTREME HARDGAINER - Suggestions

[Jazzyjohn]

Hello everyone, just some background info.

I am currently halfway through my 18th year of life. I have always been a very skinny fella, and although it has always bothered me I've never let it get to me too much. I'm very intelligent and clever, so I've never had any trouble spittin' game and getting the ladies either.

However, this doesn't void the fact that I AM self conscious in physically revealing situations. I lack confidence anytime my shirt is required to be taken off, ESPECIALLY since I live in Florida now and the beach is a big thing. I want to look and feel better, plain and simple.

So keep in mind, I've had these personal demons stored up inside of me for a long time, and it wasn't until recently that they were let loose. I just got out of a long term relationship (She's EXTREMELY gorgeous I might add, I mean drop dead sexy! Which really kind of adds to that sense of personal doubt) that even involved living together and everything, the whole nine! Anyways, long story short, VERY shortly after we broke up recently (2 months ago or so) she was talking to one of her past boyfriends. So **** went down and we discussed everything and when I asked her to be honest with me in regards to who was more PHYSICALLY attractive, she responded " You're more handsome in the face, but he's much better looking as far as body is concerned." OUCHHHHH!!!! The truth hurts! I never seen the guy, but from my understanding he's a Navy guy so I figured as much.

Anyways, this brings me to my serious motivation. I am glad **** went down the way it did, because it finally forced me to confront my demons and tackle my genetics head on.
I am 18, I am 5'11, and I weigh 120lbs. I've been at that weight for a lonnng time, and as I grew taller I just got lankier and lankier.

Now I am ready to get bigger, and I have been at it for the past 3 weeks with no intentions of stopping.

I am no fool either, I educated myself first and foremost about dieting, body types, workout routines, creatine, etc. I learned that I'm an Ectomorph and that Nutrition and Rest is about 85% of the process!! I've spoken alot to the cats who work in the gym around here and they've given me great advice and I'm actually pleased with the little gains I've seen so far. Prior to working out, I was sick for two weeks, so I actually went down to 113 lbs!

So I started working out at 113, and 3 weeks in I am back to 120lbs, so I'm neutral now.
Let me give you guys first and foremost an idea of what I eat on a daily basis, for some reason I have lots of trouble fitting in a sixth meal!

Meal 1
2 whole Eggs, 1 egg white
Slice of cheese
Couple slices of Ham
2 slices of Whole Wheat Bread
Oatmeal with 1 1/2 scoops of Massgainer
Glass of OJ

Meal 2 (At work)
Egg Bagel with
full serving of Turkey Breast
Mayo
Lettuce
Tomato
Bacon
Bottle of Choc Milk

Meal 3
2 slices of Whole wheat toast
7 tbsp of Peanut butter
Half a banana + Honey

Protein Shake - 8 oz Whole Milk
2 Big spoonfuls of Greek Strained Yogurt
1 Scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream
Spoonful of rolled oats
2 1/2 scoops of Massgainer
(and just started throwing in an entire banana w/ 3 strawberries)

Meal 4
Grilled Chicken Breast
Mashed Red Potatoes (2)
Glass of Millk

Meal 5 (Post Workout)

Repeat Protein Shake

So that's my dieting pretty much every day. I am very flexible with it and am VERY open to suggestions, please inform me of anything I'm doing right or wrong, I'd love to fix it.

As far as working out goes, I am currently working out on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, rest till Monday again.

I'll show you my last few logs so you get an idea of what Im doing.

6/7 Chest
Flat Bench Press 1x8 1x6 1x4 - 85 lbs (embarassing, I know. The reps decreased due to failure)
Incline Bench Press 1x8 1x6 1x4 - 65 lbs 1x4 - 50 lbs
Pullovers 3 x 8 - 25lbs

Flat DB Flyes 3x8 20lb DB's
Incline DB Press 3x8 20's
Flye Machine 3x8 70lbs
Press Machine 1x9 50lbs 2x10 30 lbs

Tri's
Seated DB Tri Isolation
Then I circuit trained ( I believe it's called, no rest in between excercices, or are they called Super Sets?)
Tri Pushdowns (Cable)2 x 12 -10's 1 x 12 -20's (My first time doing these, I was experimenting with the weight, plus I was tiredddd)
Cable Crossovers 3x12 - 10's

6/6 Back (Routine was a tinny bit of cause of Grad week)
Deadlifts 3 x 12 - 145 1 x 10 - 155 1x8 - 165
Pullups 3 x 10 (Assited 25 lbs)
Bent over rows
Lat pulldowns
Straight arm pull downs

Bi's
DB curls,
Curl machne


etc, etc, this is very time consuming to type out. So there you have it guys, my inspiration, a bit of background about me, my dieting, and my workout routines. I try to focus mostly on Compount movements and throwing in Iso's at the end, ANY ADVICE IS HIGHLY APPRECIATED.

I hope to hear from you guys, and I will definitely be sticking around, Johnny.

BTW, I took before pics but I'll wait 3 months before I post them so I have some results to gloat, =)

[IGK5005]

Wait so what is your split looking like?

[claycrowley]

If you have trouble fitting in a meal #6, try just eating more in 5 meals keeping your daily calories the same. Meal frequency is not important, total calories/macros is.

[TheBull101]

seems like you get the necessary elements and u understand what is required of u, only thing u mus understand is tht rome wasnt built in 1 day, it takes time and being consistent. so to keep motivated, set short term goals, add more weight to ya lifts every week !, u need any help, il try help were i can ! tht what bb.com bowt !

[LiftEatSleepp]

Congrats on finding this awesome lifestyle.
All you really have to do is:

Eat quite a lot which it seems your doing, counting calories always helps for me:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

That routine looks ok, but mabye try Starting strength? Or even a Full Body Routine!
Here's a great routine i use:

Upper/Lower

Perform 2 days on, 1 day off, 2 days on, 2 days off, repeat

Upper:

Dumbbell or Barbell Bench Press: 3x8-12
Dumbbell or Barbell Incline Press: 2x8-12
Pull Ups: 50 reps (however many sets it takes, do assisted if you must)
Bent Over Rows: 3x8-12
Military Press: 3x8-12
Dumbbell Curls: 3x8-12
Skull Crushers: 3x8-12

Lower:

Squats: 5x8-12
Deadlifts: 2x8-12
Leg Press: 3x8-12
Glute Ham Raise: 3x8-12
Seated or Standing Calf Raise: 3x10-15

The schedule will look like this:

M: Upper
T: Lower
W: Off
T: Upper
F: Lower

Basically Eat, lift, sleep.
Don't worry if your doing anything wrong, just remember the main 3!
Also if you unfamilar with squats/deads then i suggest you watch some youtube videos and practice practice practice!

Hope i helped.

Here's a great sticky that helped me quite a lot when i first started!
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=133445133

Hope everything goes well mate, just be consistent and you'll do fine.

[DDon1996]

I read only the title...


Eat more.

[BitterBlossom]

I read only the title...


Eat more.

This.

[AustinBDay]

Speaking from personal experience the best thing to do when your an extreme hardgainer is end life immediately :/

[theclaybear]

Do Starting Strength and get in 5000 calories a day. Sounds cliched but it works BIG TIME. Using a bodybuilding split like you are is not good for a guy who's never touched a barbell. If you work out with a well designed,time tested program you will see the best gains of your life. Gains like 30-50 lbs. of good,solid muscular weight gain in 6-8 months. Yes there will be some fat there but if you gain 5 lbs. of muscle and 1 lb. of fat you improved your bodyfat percentage. Just do Starting Strength EXACTLY AS LAID OUT and get in 5000 calories a day from good sources of protein,carbs,and healthy fats and you will turn into one badass mofo in a very short period of time. You're one of the lucky ones too. If she says you're good looking and the only thing missing was your body that is very easily changed. You can change how good your body looks but you can't change your face! Good luck!

[BitterBlossom]

Speaking from personal experience the best thing to do when your an extreme hardgainer is end life immediately :/

[Shutupandliftt]

Didn't read, but I'll give you this piece of advice- If you have trouble gaining weight, eat moreee.

[Jazzyjohn]

seems like you get the necessary elements and u understand what is required of u, only thing u mus understand is tht rome wasnt built in 1 day, it takes time and being consistent. so to keep motivated, set short term goals, add more weight to ya lifts every week !, u need any help, il try help were i can ! tht what bb.com bowt !

Not sure what you mean by split but

Mon back
Wed chest
Thurs legs

I haven't incorporated abs, traps, shoulders or forearms in my workouts yet because I am mainly interested in building mass and strength.

So far I have increased weight every time, and I do understand that it takes time and patience. I'm in no rush, just want to make sure everything is being done right by my part is all.

Overall I am feeling great already and I can't wait to hit the gym everyday btw, yes I am familiar with square and deadlifts. I understand that these are mass builders supreme so I go extraaaa hard on these.

Thanks alot for the advice lift, your response was more or less along the lines of what I was looking for, informative.

Perhaps I should modify my training routine?

[BitterBlossom]

Not sure what you mean by split but

Mon back
Wed chest
Thurs legs

I haven't incorporated abs, traps, shoulders or forearms in my workouts yet because I am mainly interested in building mass and strength.

So far I have increased weight every time, and I do understand that it takes time and patience. I'm in no rush, just want to make sure everything is being done right by my part is all.

Overall I am feeling great already and I can't wait to hit the gym everyday btw, yes I am familiar with square and deadlifts. I understand that these are mass builders supreme so I go extraaaa hard on these.

Thanks alot for the advice lift, your response was more or less along the lines of what I was looking for, informative.

Perhaps I should modify my training routine?

Eat more.

[Jazzyjohn]

Do Starting Strength and get in 5000 calories a day. Sounds cliched but it works BIG TIME. Using a bodybuilding split like you are is not good for a guy who's never touched a barbell. If you work out with a well designed,time tested program you will see the best gains of your life. Gains like 30-50 lbs. of good,solid muscular weight gain in 6-8 months. Yes there will be some fat there but if you gain 5 lbs. of muscle and 1 lb. of fat you improved your bodyfat percentage. Just do Starting Strength EXACTLY AS LAID OUT and get in 5000 calories a day from good sources of protein,carbs,and healthy fats and you will turn into one badass mofo in a very short period of time. You're one of the lucky ones too. If she says you're good looking and the only thing missing was your body that is very easily changed. You can change how good your body looks but you can't change your face! Good luck!

Haha, good point.

This is interesting, I've ditched a few routines now and I dint want to keep plan hopping in a all honesty but this sounds appealing, where can I find this workout?

I think that for now I'll be sticking with

Mon - chest/tri
Wed - back/bi
Thurs - lower body

Repeat.

It seems like I'm doing everyone fine, all it takes is time. Creative seems to be working really well for me too. I take a tbsp after every workout with my shake before bed.

Thanks a lot guys, can't wait to post progress pics

[IGK5005]

Make sure you're getting enough rest, Keep up your eating, I suggest just eating as much as you can if you're truly an extreme hardgainer. Push yourself every workout session. The results will come, all in time. just say consistent.

[IGK5005]

Congrats on finding this awesome lifestyle.
All you really have to do is:

Eat quite a lot which it seems your doing, counting calories always helps for me:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

That routine looks ok, but mabye try Starting strength? Or even a Full Body Routine!
Here's a great routine i use:

Upper/Lower

Perform 2 days on, 1 day off, 2 days on, 2 days off, repeat

Upper:

Dumbbell or Barbell Bench Press: 3x8-12
Dumbbell or Barbell Incline Press: 2x8-12
Pull Ups: 50 reps (however many sets it takes, do assisted if you must)
Bent Over Rows: 3x8-12
Military Press: 3x8-12
Dumbbell Curls: 3x8-12
Skull Crushers: 3x8-12

Lower:

Squats: 5x8-12
Deadlifts: 2x8-12
Leg Press: 3x8-12
Glute Ham Raise: 3x8-12
Seated or Standing Calf Raise: 3x10-15

The schedule will look like this:

M: Upper
T: Lower
W: Off
T: Upper
F: Lower

Basically Eat, lift, sleep.
Don't worry if your doing anything wrong, just remember the main 3!
Also if you unfamilar with squats/deads then i suggest you watch some youtube videos and practice practice practice!

Hope i helped.

Here's a great sticky that helped me quite a lot when i first started!
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=133445133

Hope everything goes well mate, just be consistent and you'll do fine.

And do this split.

[NP603]

how many calories you getting a day? you may have mentioned it but i just skimmed thread.

[DarrylBulk]

nice man as an ectomorph myself OUR WHOLE PURPSOE IS TO EAT AS MUCH AS WE CAN!! and lift heavy with great form but nice progess mate

[KufiSmacker]

I used to think I was a "hardgainer" when I weighed in at 130lb at your height. What I realized is I was being a Beta ******* who kept blaming his believed body type for his weight. In all honesty, however, it was because I ate like a ten year old girl. You will read it a million times, EAT MORE! Everyone believes they eat a lot, until they log their calories. It helps tremendously in realizing how much more you need to eat. You are an intelligent guy and seem to have the determinantion, but wanting it is much different than doing it. I hope you achieve everything, and just remember, it will take time, grueling hours in the gym, but if you really, REALLY want it you will do it. Now excuse me, I am finishing my 5th McDouble at McDs......you brahs jelly I am bulking?!?

[Jazzyjohn]

I used to think I was a "hardgainer" when I weighed in at 130lb at your height. What I realized is I was being a Beta ******* who kept blaming his believed body type for his weight. In all honesty, however, it was because I ate like a ten year old girl. You will read it a million times, EAT MORE! Everyone believes they eat a lot, until they log their calories. It helps tremendously in realizing how much more you need to eat. You are an intelligent guy and seem to have the determinantion, but wanting it is much different than doing it. I hope you achieve everything, and just remember, it will take time, grueling hours in the gym, but if you really, REALLY want it you will do it. Now excuse me, I am finishing my 5th McDouble at McDs......you brahs jelly I am bulking?!?

I hear a lot about calorie counting, it sounds rather difficult because I cook on the whim so to speak. Just throwing In a bunch of everything, but I will start logging calories as it sounds rather important.

The bulk of my nutrition calculating thus far is ensuring that I have atleassstb25 grams of protein per meal, but usually about 40 - 50. And making sure there are plenty of carbs too.

But enough beating a dead horse, Im going to log my calories, lift hard, eat and sleep. You'll see progress pictures in a few months, and I will start the strength training curriculum on Monday, rest till then I suppose.

Thanks guys

[theclaybear]

Haha, good point.

This is interesting, I've ditched a few routines now and I dint want to keep plan hopping in a all honesty but this sounds appealing, where can I find this workout?

I think that for now I'll be sticking with

Mon - chest/tri
Wed - back/bi
Thurs - lower body

Repeat.

It seems like I'm doing everyone fine, all it takes is time. Creative seems to be working really well for me too. I take a tbsp after every workout with my shake before bed.

Thanks a lot guys, can't wait to post progress pics

Search Rippetoes starting strength and do EXACTLY what he says (which is just what I said.I pretty much just repeated what Rippetoe has said). If you do what he says to do as far as diet is concerned you don't HAVE to drink a gallon of full milk a day. You should if you can but that's pretty expensive and if you're not a beginner and on Starting Strength you won't be turning the wonder food that is milk into muscle. Ignore all the bodypart split bull**** and just do Starting Strength for know and ride that train until you can't make anymore gains on ALL your lifts. You'll grow like you're on the juice and experience the best training of your life. JUST DO RIPPETOES STARTING STRENGTH. Good Luck!