It is often assumed that all skinny hardgainers have a fast metabolism. While it is true that many skinny hardgainers do have a fast metabolism, I do not assume that this is true of all skinny hardgainers as there are many who have a very normal metabolism, or a slow metabolism. Some skinny hardgainers are skinny because they don’t eat much, and they don’t eat much because they can’t tolerate high calorie diets without suffering all kinds of digestive disorders or other negative side effects. These skinny hardgainers must speed up their metabolisms if they ever hope to tolerate more calories than they can burn off. This explains the reasoning in this article behind some of the advice that is provided for hardgainers with either a normal or a slow metabolism. The article is based on an excerpt from chapter 15 of the book, Individualized Training Strategies For Hardgainers.
The Normal Metabolism
People who do not have a normal metabolism will tend to either be very skinny when they consistently eat a lot (i.e. over 4,000 calories per day), or they may be overweight, even though they don’t eat very much (i.e. under 1,500 calories per day). In contrast, if you have a normal metabolism, you will maintain a fairly even bodyweight when eating a normal amount of food that ranges somewhere between 1,600 to 3,000 calories per day. You may be overweight and still have a normal metabolism. If you are, the reason that you are overweight is not due to a slow metabolism, it is because you have been overeating (i.e. over 3,000 calories per day). You may also be very skinny and extremely lean. This doesn’t automatically mean that you have a naturally fast metabolism, it may mean that you eat less than normal (i.e under 1,500 calories per day) or that you are extremely active. However, when you eat a normal amount of food, and engage in a normal amount of daily activity, you are neither extremely skinny nor overweight.
I believe that hardgainers with a normal metabolism will tend to benefit most from the training in this section. The workout prescribed in this section includes a greater variation in terms of rep ranges. The variety of reps will develop different types of muscle fibers and the inclusion of higher reps will also tend to promote a pump. These factors make the workout in this section a better choice for muscle growth unless someone has a fast metabolism.
There are two things that are discussed in this chapter that are not necessary for the hardgainer with a normal metabolism:
The first is the additional aerobic workouts.
The second is a fast work out pace.
Both of the workout strategies listed above are specifically designed to accelerate the metabolism, which is not necessary for the hardgainer with a normal metabolism. Additional workouts and a fast workout pace probably won’t hurt those who have a normal metabolism, but these factors may not help much either. For those with a normal metabolism, the most important thing to consider in this chapter is to follow the guidelines for the number of sets, reps, and workouts per week. However, some hardgainers have a slow metabolism and the full spectrum of advice given in this chapter will be important for your success.
The Slow Metabolism
In a previous chapter, I pointed out that it seems to be widely assumed that all skinny hardgainers have a fast metabolism. I don’t make this assumption and I firmly believe that there are skinny hardgainers who have a slow metabolism. The reason they are skinny is because their bodies don’t tolerate high calorie diets without feeling stuffed, nauseated, and miserable. Those who feel like this when they eat a substantial amount of calories hate the discomfort that it produces, so they don’t eat enough to gain weight.
Other people appear soft or overweight in spite of not eating very much because they have a slow metabolism. Those who have a slow metabolism need to utilize training methods that will accelerate their metabolism whether they are skinny, soft, or overweight. The methods for accelerating the metabolism will first be listed, followed by an explanation of each method.
- Include some training in the 12-20 rep range.
- Train as often as you can without overtraining.
- Use a quick training pace.
- Do additional exercise sessions specifically designed to accelerate your metabolism.
Include Some Training in the 12-20 Rep Range
The workouts for the hardgainer with a slow metabolism may look very similar to the workouts for the hardgainer with a fast metabolism. However, one difference is that the hardgainer with a slow metabolism should include some training in the twelve to fifteen rep range for the upper body, and up to twenty reps for the legs. This is necessary to accelerate the metabolism.
Caution: Limit the 12-20 Rep Range to One Set per Muscle Group
The hardgainer with a slow metabolism should still do some heavy training in the five to eight rep range. The twelve to twenty rep range should also be used, however, it should be limited to just one set for each muscle group. More than one set of high reps for a muscle group can push the body into an endurance adaptation at the expense of a strength and muscle building adaptation.
Train as Often as Possible to Accelerate Your Metabolism
Another very important variable for the hardgainer with a slow metabolism is to include sufficient training frequency. Hardgainers tend to have a short muscle growth activation period after workouts and require frequent workouts in order to keep the growth process consistently activated. The underweight hardgainer with a slow metabolism also needs to train often in order to accelerate their metabolism enough to tolerate a sufficient amount of food to gain weight. My recommendation is that the hardgainer with a slow metabolism should work their whole body three to six times per week while staying within the boundaries of training thresholds during their workouts. The exact amount of training sessions per week should be based upon experimenting to find what produces the best results.
Use A Quick Training Pace
Long rests between sets will not do much to accelerate your metabolism. A quick training pace is much better. The problem with this is that you need at least three minutes of rest between sets for the same muscle group in order for that muscle group to fully recover before doing the next set. In order to speed up your workout, alternate back and forth between exercises by working one muscle group while another muscle group is resting. For example, after doing a set for your chest muscles, don’t just sit there for three minutes and do nothing. Do a set for your back and/or legs during the three minute rest period for your chest before returning to the same chest exercise three minutes later. Another thing to consider is to take very brief rests between easy warm up sets because easy sets don’t require as much recovery time before doing the next set. If you do these things, your workouts will move quicker and tend to stimulate your metabolism more.
Additional Exercise
If weight training doesn’t provide enough stimulation to cause substantial metabolic acceleration, additional exercise is needed. The additional exercise should not be super hard, long, or exhausting, as this will lead to overtraining and hinder muscle growth. You can choose one of the options that are shown below for additional exercise, or you can engage in some other form of additional exercise that you prefer.
Do 10 minutes of daily kettlebell training with a light kettlebell.
Do 10 minutes of body weight squats each day.
Alternate between easy jogging for 2 minutes and sprinting for 12 seconds. Do this for 10 to 15 minutes each day.
Choose to exercise on either a stationary bike, a treadmill, or an elliptical trainer for 10 to 15 minutes each day. Alternate between going easy for 2 minutes and very hard for 20 seconds.
Jump rope for 10 minutes each day.
Jump on a rebounder or trampoline for 10 minutes each day.
Work Your Way Into It
If you do any of the suggested additional exercise, gradually work your way into it unless you have already been doing it. While I suggested ten to fifteen minutes of additional exercise per day, you may need to start with four or five minutes every other day and give yourself a few months to slowly work your way up to ten to fifteen minutes per day.
While this article is basically designed to provide some training principles that apply to hardgainers who possess a normal or slow metabolism, the next article will present specific workouts for this particular lifting population. Best of training to you.
Refer back to the previous thirteen articles if you want to read the series of chapters from Individual Training Strategies For Hardgainers that are lead up articles to this article.
Hardgainers Part 1: Four Types
Hardgainers Part 2: Physiological Characteristics
Hardgainers Part 3: Conditional Hardgainers
Hardgainers Part 4: Intensity Responsive
Hardgainers Part 5: Volume Responsive
Hardgainers Part 6: Volume Responsive Training
Hardgainers Part 7: 8 x 8 Training For Volume Responsive
Hardgainers Part 8: Misinterpretation Of Rapid Gains
Hardgainers Part 9: The True Hardgainer
Hardgainers Part 10: Training Tresholds
Hardgainers Part 11: How Much Training Intensityprecisionpointtraining.com/…/hardgainers-part-13-microloading
Hardgainers Part 12: Add Weight At The Right Rate
Hardgainers Part 13: Microloading
Hardgainers Part 14: Hardgainers With A Fast Metabolism
