For hardgainers

[Oleg1975K]

Anti-Hardgainer. Тraining System for non-responders.

All written below is not for beginners.
If you honestly worked out in the gym for 2-3 years, eat well, get enough sleep at night, but your muscle mass does not grow, and the power does not grow for several months, then you should try the training strategy described below.
The system of training "Anti-Hardgainer" is very different from what is usually recommended for hardgainers and that is why it will work.
Usually authors recommend these options (rules) for hardgainers:
1.Train rarely.

If you train rarely, then at the expense of what you will grow? Training is the only active tool in a natural athlete (and the default surplus nutrition) to affect muscle growth. With rare training, you are very much limited in means.
The optimal frequency of muscle group training is every 48-72 hours.

2. Train with low volume

If only 1-2 working approaches would be very effective, then in power sports so everyone would train like that. However, in power sports the most widespread was the repeated method of training-the performance of SEVERAL approaches in the exercise on the muscle group.

3. Do every working set to failure every training session.

If you work with high (submaximal) weights, then all the motor units of the trained muscle are included in the work from the first repetitions, because there is no sense in muscle failure as a guarantor of inclusion in the work of all types of muscle fibers. In addition, failure work in the each training session spoils the technique of movements, tires the Central nervous system and provokes injuries.

4. Do only 2-3 basic exercises.

First, a harmonious muscular development cannot be achieved by doing only 2-3 exercises, what would they "basic" was not. Something will grow, where the load is direct, and where the load is indirect-there will be no growth. Your body will tend to the shape of a ball... or a penguin. )))
Secondly, uneven load on the muscles (and imbalance of muscle development, as a result) can provoke injuries, pain in the joints and spine.

5. Train briefly because hardgainers are not hardy.

The purpose of training and is to increase fitness and overall endurance to the required level including. And the necessary level in this case - "take out" at least 25 training approaches with "working weight" and the length of strength training 70-90 minutes.
If you not you can to train in necessary volume with "hummingbird feces"- weights, then as are going progress further, through 2-3-5 years, when training weight significantly will grow up?

6. Focus on building strength in core exercises.


I agree with that. But with reservations:
- local exercises should also be included in the training;
-in the training macrocycle there should be periods of training for strength endurance. ("classic" hypertrophic training).

So, the practical part:

Program #1

Day 1 (mon)
Squat 5x5 Progression
Bench press easy 5x5
Dumbbell row 4x8-10 easily
Legs curls 3x8-10
Press sitting 3x8
Biceps curl 3x8
Calves standing 4-5x15-20

Day 2 (Wednesday)
Pull-UPS (ore Lat pull-downs) 5x6 Progression
Leg press 3x8
Press sitting 3x8
Deadlift with stands 2-3x8 easily
Bench press narrow grip 3x8
Back Flys 3x8-10
Abs 2-3x15-20

Day3 (Friday)
Bench press 5x5 Progression
Squat easy 5x5
Lat Pulldown 4x8-10 easy
Upright rows with a wide grip 3x8-10 easily
biceps 3x8
Calves standing 4-5x15-20
Side bends with a dumbbell 2x(20 + 20)

The length of the cycle is 6 weeks, then rest 5-7 days and everything repeats.

In progression 3 exercises Squat, bench Press and pull-UPS (in gravitron or with weight)
Only working sets are indicated
The progression looks like this-
week 1 85%
week 2 90-92%
week 3 95-97%
week 4 100% weight, on which graduated the last program
week 5 100%+2.5 kg
week 6 100% + 2.5-5 kg (added or not added working weight according to the results of the 5th week)

-The best weight in the 5х5 Protocol (5x6 in pull-UPS) or 8-10PM is taken for 100%
Before "working sets" is done 2 warm-up approach-60% from "worker" on 10 reps and 80% from "worker" on 8 reps.
Or if the weights are higher 3 warm-up - 50% x8 reps, 70%X6 reps, 90%X5 reps.

-As a "easy" day, the weight of 80% of the best in the 5x5 (8 RM) Protocol is used)
- Rest between heavy sets 5x5 (5x6) 3-5 minutes, in easy training and additional exercises 1-2 minutes

In other exercises, weights are selected with a good margin, for example, in the bench press narrow weight "only" 70% of the best in 5x5 ordinary bench press.
On the next passage programs weight in additional exercises increase on 5%.

The difference of this training system from any abbreviated 5x5 is that there are more exercises for the swap because it is closer to bodybuilding goals.
You can use other exercises to progress. For example:
-front squat, bench press, row
- squat, bench press inclined, row
-squat, standing press, lat pull-downs
etc.

Program #2
Day 1 (mon)
Squat 5x8 Progression
Bench press easy 4x8
Dumbell row 4x10-12 easily
Legs curl3x10-12
Press sitting 3x10
Biceps 3x10
Calves standing 4-5x15-20


Day 2 (Wednesday)
Pull UPS heavy 5x8 Progression
Leg press 3x10
Press sitting 3x10
Deadlift with stands 2-3x10 easily
Bench press narrow grip 3x10
Back Flys 3x10-12
Abs 2-3x15-20

Day3 (Friday)
Bench press heavy 5x8 Progression
Squat 4x8
Lat Pulldown 4x10-12 easy
Upright row 3x10-12 easily
biceps curl 3x10
Calves standing 4-5x15-20
Slopes sideways with dumbbell in hand 2x(20 + 20)

The construction of the cycle is the same as in the previous 5x5:
Start the program with light weights (approximately 85% of the best in the 5x8 Protocol and build up from week to week.)
The length of the cycle is also 6 weeks, of which the last two are devoted to improving personal records in the "core" exercises in the 5x8 Protocol.
Warm-up - 2 sets of 8 repetitions with 60% and 80% of the working weight.
Rest between sets in the "core" exercises-2-3 minutes. In the rest-1-2 minutes.

Periodization looks very simple: one 6-week cycle 5x8 (program number 2), followed by two 6-week cycle 5x5 (program number 1). After passing each 6-week program is done rest in 7 days and move on to the next program. The total length of the macrocycle (including rest between 6-week mesocycles) is 21 weeks.

[Oleg1975K]

That's interesting... People leave 20 or more comments in the topics of newbie jerks who compose "genius" splits. And here the real program, following which at least a dozen people have already received real gains in strength and muscle mass, is not interesting to anyone. )))

[OldFartTom]

Nope, I'm here to add my usual poorly written comments. And as someone who is a "hard gainer" (although now I prefer to say "slow gainer") I'm definitely reading with interest

I agree with all your principles, frequency of training, a little more volume driven earlier on for hard gainers, avoid failure (especially due to higher training frequency), intelligent variety

I like both programs but just a first glance program 2 looks simpler, and simpler is often better, especially for beginners. That's my only criticism really, that beginners need simpler programs to help them comply. I'd want simpler programs here.

You will get less comments though... If you wrote something truly ridiculous you'd get way more comments from outraged people. Does the number of forum comments reliably indicate how sensible the post?

[Oleg1975K]

Tom, thanks for the review. I want to emphasize that "anti-hardgainer" is not a training system for beginners. For beginners-starting power or all "PRO", etc.. And this program with small changes can be used even by very experienced athletes. For example, I have two students who easily bench press 120 kg (265 pounds) in a 5x5 protocol with their own weight of 82-83 kg and train according to programs with small differences from this one.

[OldFartTom]

Ha ha, my fault!
The start, I completely misread it like you'd said "is a training system for beginners" and I was thinking maybe after they had run something like Stronglifts (which I know you don't favour) for a while already.

Maybe I need to get tested for glasses

[air2fakie]

You didn’t ask any questions or ask for advice, and promoted it as the “real program” that’ll work for all hard gainers without any room for debate. So not sure what kind of comments you were expecting.

You may want to address the diet side of hard gaining as well though.

[Oleg1975K]

You didn’t ask any questions or ask for advice, and promoted it as the “real program” that’ll work for all hard gainers without any room for debate. So not sure what kind of comments you were expecting.

You may want to address the diet side of hard gaining as well though.

Just a similar topic on the Russian forum caused quite a strong reaction from the "couch experts". )))
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And the food once again, it's pretty simple. In this case, I am a supporter of a flexible diet+ calorie surplus.