(2)
The Hardgainer Method of training
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2.1 What exercises should I do?
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The emphasis on "balance", "proportion", and "symmetry"
for the beginning bodybuilder or hardgainer almost always results in less
than satisfactory gains being made. The goal ought to be safely building
some muscle mass; then when one is able to move some impressive weight,
one can work on the sculpting and detailing that comes from doing isolation
exercises. To build some size and strength one should work hard over a
period of years on *basic compound exercises*.
Though the basic compound exercises are certainly the emphasis of this
program, there can be additions of small-muscle exercises like barbell
curls and calf raises. Injury-preventing exercises for the rotator cuff
as well as grip work can also be valuable, even necessary as one surpasses
200 Lbs in the Bench Press and 300 Lbs in the deadlift for more than 10-15
reps.
2.2.1
What are the basic movements?
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The basic movements are:
Squats
Deadlifts
Bench Presses
Overhead Presses
Rows and Pull-Ups
Bar Dips
(Each exercise must be performed with good biomechanics and not on an
injured or otherwise structurally-limited body.) Obviously, there are
many variations on the above exercises; they can and should be used for
variety from cycle to cycle. For example, one cycle could be centered
on the back squat while utilizing incline bench presses. The next cycle
could be based on the classic deadlift and use the regular bench press.
Weighted dips can substitute for close-grip bench presses, and supinated
pull-ups could substitute for biceps curls and pull-downs.
There is no rule to have to use barbells or machines: Use what works;
i.e. it adds muscle and helps you get stronger. Other exercises to take
beyond one's limits by progressive poundage are: Weighted Abdominal work
with an emphasis on spinal flexion instead of hip flexion, Bent-over Rows,
One Arm Dumbbell Rows, Leg Presses and Standing Calf Raises, and Medium
or Parallel Grip Pull-Downs.
If you have a movement that you like, and get results from, do it, but
do it within the hardgainer philosophy of fewer sets, fewer exercises,
and fewer workouts with intense effort and progressive poundage.
2.2.2
What movements can be ignored and why?
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The following movements can be ignored for the following reasons:
EXERCISE: The Good Morning Exercise
REASON: Given the Deadlift, Stiff Legged Deadlift and hyperextension
exercises, which all hit the lower back very effectively when done safely,
this exercise can be left from your schedule because it is hard to do
and can be very strenuous on the lower back, in a dangerous manner. With
the DL and SLD, when failure is reached it is easy to place the bar on
the ground and stop the set whereas in the 'good morning' a lot of harmful
stress can be placed on the neck and lumbar region.
EXERCISE: Rear deltoid
REASON: As Dr. Ken E. Leistner says: you can concentrate on your
rear delt when you are 220lbs of rock-hard muscle. Before that you should
concentrate on increasing your overall deltoid size using presses, benches,
and back exercises such as the row which involve the rear deltoid in order
to bring the arm back.
EXERCISE: Pulldowns with palms facing away (as opposed to the classic
chinning grip with palms toward you). REASON: In this grip, the
biceps are placed in a weak position where full flexion cannot be achieved;
this will translate to being able to use less weight and thus not being
able to hit the back as heavy and hard. The traditional grip provides
a more efficient and effective method.
EXERCISE: Upright Rows REASON: With very heavy weights this
exercise can easily hurt your shoulders and/or elbows. The shrug is a
much more effective and safer way to hit the traps. Other exercises which
can be avoided since they are not the large compound movements suggested
by the Hardgainer method of training include chest flyes, leg extensions,
leg curls, lateral shoulder raises etc.
2.3.1
How often should I work out?
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Training each lift in the all-out effort that comes at the end of a cycle
would very quickly result in overtraining for most normalgainers if it
were attempted three times a week. Training each movement once a week
while dividing all the exercises into three separate workouts can be productive,
but better still would be to divide all movements into two separate workouts
with several days for recovery in-between. For the confirmed hardgainer,
or at the end of a heavy Deadlift or Squat cycle, working an exercise
twice in three weeks may be required for full recovery.
Muscles grow in-between workouts after being stimulated by a specific
exercise. What good does it do to perform an exercise when not fully recovered
from a previous session? Showing up in the gym because one has become
"habituated" to bodybuilding has to be completely thrown out.
A good rule of thumb for the hardgainer is never to train while still
feeling systemically tired. Have one day completely free of systemic fatigue
before training again. While it is still possible to have some local soreness
from, say, Monday's Squat workout, you may be systemically fine and raring
to go for Friday's deadlift session.
"When in doubt do less, not more."
2.3.2
How many sets and reps are required?
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The answer to this question can vary from person to person and certainly
changes within the span of a cycle. First, if you know that you benefit
from high reps, low reps, or medium reps, use what works, but cut your
total workload per session to no more than 10 total work (heavy) sets
if you use low to medium reps. Do 8 or fewer work sets if you use high
reps. All of this also depends on how heavy (intense) the work is. The
more intense the workout, the fewer sets that can be done productively.
*When in doubt do less, not more*
There are certain exercises that seem to work best when performed with
high reps; the Squat and the Deadlift fall in this category with hardgainers
getting excellent results with 15 to 20 reps. Training these two "giant"
movements with high reps allows one safely to correct problems with form
early in a cycle that might occur, without risking life and limb under
a super-heavy bar. However, others prefer low-rep work, not only because
it can be easier to do, but because it can be darn effective in its own
right.
There is no rule on the exact number of sets and reps to use. But try
for low volume (10-30 work sets A WEEK) over a few (4-8 exercises).
2.4
What equipment is required?
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With just a barbell, a bench, a safety stand for squatting and an overhead
bar for pull-ups, a hardgainer can get great results. Other equipment,
like a good leg press machine or even Nautilus equipment, can be used
for compound movements as long as progressive poundage and abbreviated
routines are adhered to. At least one noted hardgainer trains the squat
with no stand at all; he cleans and presses the bar to start, then presses
it again after completing 15-20 slow reps!
2.5
What does an example Hardgainer workout look like?
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The 'classic' hardgainer workout is a full-body workout done at most twice
a week, and in some cases once every 4-5 days. The routine might look
something like this:
10-20 minute whole body warmup used beforehand to get the body thoroughly
warmed-up (use stationary bike or calisthenics etc.).
Squat 2x20 (or Deadlift(DL) )
Stiff Leg DL 1x10 (don't do this if doing DL)
Bench Press 2x6 (or Dumbbell press / dips)
Dumbbell Rows 2x8 (or barbell rows/chins etc.)
Shoulder Press 1x6 (or Dumbbell Press etc.)
Calf Raises 1x15
Arm Curl 1x6
Only the WORK sets are shown. 1-3 warmup sets are used. Abs are worked
for 1-2 sets to absolute failure before & after the workout. Doing
a whole-body routine infrequently, yields the most recovery time.
Another abbreviated routine might look like the following:
Mon |Wed |Fri
deadlift
5 x 6 /lat pull-downs 5 x 6 /leg press 1x8,2x12/calf work 3 x 15
incline bench press 5 x 6 /barbell curls 3 x 6 /weighted dips 3x6 /weighted
ab work 3 x 12
shoulder press 5x6 /side bends 3 x 12 /calf 3x20
Here warmup sets are shown as the first 2 sets of a 5 set exercise and
the first set in a 3 set exercise. As the weights increase through the
cycle, two things can be done to optimize the workload to prevent overtraining.
The first is to drop 1-3 sets from each exercise, and the second is to
eliminate the Wed workout and split its exercises between the other days.
Finally one might eliminate all but the main exercise (deadlift in this
case) and one or two others in order to squeeze an extra 5-10 pound increase
for the focus lift out of the cycle.
A very abbreviated routine might look like this:
(only work sets shown, 1-2 warmups done prior to these)
Day 1: Squat 1x15 (affects whole body, thighs) Weighted Pressups
1x6 (Triceps, Pecs, front-delts) Arm Curl 1x6 (isolation for biceps)
Day 2: Deadlift 1x15 (whole body, back) Pulldowns to Front 1x15
(upper back) Shoulder Press 1x6 (delts, triceps)
One or two more warmup sets might be added to each exercise above especially
near the end of a cycle as the weights are getting very heavy. Though
this may seem extreme, a cycle like this could easily result in a 25-30
lb increase in the poundage of the two focus lifts over the one's previous
max by the end of a 12 week cycle. This type of schedule is also appropriate
for the ultra-hardgainer who must limit total sets to the minimum.
There are many exercise routines in "Brawn", some with as many
as 7 exercises per workout. Some routines in "Brawn" are based
on doing ONE exercise in a workout! A maximum of 15 total sets early-
to mid-cycle, and around 8 total sets at the end of a cycle constitute
the abbreviated routine. The fewer sets you do, the more weight you'll
be able to lift, and the better you'll respond. If you get into an overtrained
state, you are not responding (growing) optimally and you may very well
regress!
2.6
What must hardgainers focus on and what can they ignore?
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The emphasis is progressive poundage in basic exercises, cycling of intensity,
good exercise form, and complete recovery from the previous workout before
lifting again.
Progressive poundage means adding an appropriate weight to the bar each
week. An appropriate weight may be less than the smallest plate that your
gym makes available. Craig's whole body can adapt to 5lbs per week for
most of the cycle, while his biceps can handle 2.5lbs per week only early
in the cycle; later the appropriate weight increment for curls is 1 lb
or -less- per week. The less you add, the longer you'll keep adding, whilst
maintaining good form.
REP SPEED:
Rep-speed arguments are a waste of time. As long as the weight is not
bounced around, and is in full control, with very little abuse of momentum,
then use whatever rep speed feels comfortable and then do reps until your
eyes pop out. Basically the authors believe that explosive training is
not advisable, however super-slow training may hold some benefits for
some people (but not the majority).
BREATHING:
Make sure to breathe as often as you need to: breathe in on the easy part,
out on the part that requires most effort. You may take several breaths
between reps if required.
