Future
Guest
by Iron Addict
First things first. MOST lifters that beleive they are hardgainers just don't have a handle on their diet and training. If all is dialed and results suck--then they just might be an actual hardgainer. Here is some info covering that.
I see posts very frequently by guys that are just completely CLUELESS about the role genetics play in how one responds to training. These posts USUALLY come from one of two types of people. Guys with great genetics that have never had training partners that didn’t, or have never worked with a group of lifters over the long-term, and young guys that REALLY, REALLY want to believe that they can be the next Arnold, Yates, or Coleman.
Here are just SOME of the factors that ultimately determine how big and strong you get, and what paths are appropriate to get you there:
Cortisol output
Adrenaline output
Insulin output
insulin sensitivity
Thyroid output
Thyroid sensitivity
Testosterone production
Testosterone/hormone sensitivity
Testosterone to estrogen conversion
SHGB sensitivity
Testosterone to DHT conversion
Estrogen sensitivity
Growth Hormone output
Growth Hormone sensitivity
IGF output
IGF sensitivity
Digestive capability
Basic protein synthesis ability
Muscle fiber composition
CNS output
CNS recovery rate
Digestive capacity
AND A WHOLE BUNCH MORE
ALL THESE FACTORS ARE ALL DETERMINED BY AN INDIVIUALS GENETICS. AND THEY DON’T VARY A LITTLE, THEY VARY A LOT. AND THERE ARE MANY, MANY MORE!
Take a guy that has very little fast twitch fibers, or just very little muscle fibers compared to the average person, or well above average person and this person is NEVER, NEVER going to have anywhere NEAR the growth potential of someone that has more fiber to begin with no matter HOW BIG they hypertrophy them.
Oh, just add steroids and the below average guy is even. WRONG again. In the Soviet Union where the state spent much time researching these issues, they determined that hormone (steroid) sensitivity varied as much as 2 to 4 times. Which means the response and thus results one guy might get from a gram of gear would take 4 grams for another person to achieve. And these were highly technical studies carried out with good controls. Not what a bunch of gym meatheads observed. YES, THAT IS genetics in action.
To say genetics only accounts for a small degree of the achieved results is just PLAIN FLAT OUT WRONG AND ANY GOOD STRENGTH COACH OR SPORTS PHYSIOLIGIST WILL TELL YOU THAT.
This does NOT mean you cannot make great progress or build a great body, but it does mean that most just simply don’t have the potential to be top bodybuilders. And EVERYONE responds differently. I am not trying to rain on anyone’s parade, and potential can only be known in retrospect AFTER you have tried. But all these posts by guys saying genetics are not important and guys just use them as an excuse is pure BS
OK, so maybe you haven’t been dealt the best hand. Well, you got what you got. Now you have to make the best of it, and guess what? Many hardgainers do a LOT of things that are CONTRARY to their goals.
I am going to deal with ectos’ this time and leave the endo’s for another article. We have two archetypical types on ectos. Skinny ectos, ectos and skinny-fat ectos. These guys are all over the place and are very often the types that are drawn to bodybuilding because they are dissatisfied with their skinny physiques. Then once entering the bodybuilding world they are quickly left out in the cold and alone as far as applicable information goes as the mainstream publications focuses on genetic elite lifters doing lots of steroids. Hardly the proper role model for a hardgainer with genetic disadvantages.
I look at quite a bit of lab results from hardgaining lifters and in a good amount of the cases thyroid levels are high, test levels are low, and cortical is high and in skinny-fat hardgainers estrogen levels are high, and glucose tolerance is in the toilet along with high cortisol levels topping things off. Sleep and stress are usually bad for both types. Pretty simple—you can’t get there from here. At least not at a pace that makes anyone even marginally happy.
From a physical standpoint work capacity levels are most often dismally low and CNS is very delicate. And most hardgainers make matters worse by doing either way too much tonnage or way too much intensity—bad mojo!
So what is the answer to this dilemma? Well it would take a book to cover all bases but in the most simplistic terms here is what has to happen.
Skinny Hardgainer
Training load suited to recovery. Usually low volume and frequency without training to failure.
Work capacity MUST BE BROUGHT UP—THIS IS CRITICAL!!
All stimulants cut out!
Stress reduction techniques used.
Sleep habits improved
Supplementation suited to needs
Eating brought up to a level that exceeds maintenance with at LEAST 1.5 grams protein per lb of bodyweight. THIS SOLVES MANY, MANY hardginers primary issue immediately. If thyroid is too high, diet must be higher!
Skinny-Fat Hardgainer
Training load suited to recovery. Usually low volume and frequency without training to failure.
Work capacity MUST BE BROUGHT UP—THIS IS CRITICAL!!
All stimulants cut out!
Stress reduction techniques used.
Sleep habits improved
Eating brought up to a level that at least meets maintenance with at LEAST 1.5 grams protein per lb of bodyweight
Supplementation suited to needs
GLUCOSE TOLERANCE/INSULIN SENSITIVITY BROUGHT UP!
One of the biggest mistakes hardgainers make is first understanding they are hardgainers, tailoring the workload to their limited recovery, and then NEVER attempting to raise their work capacity. While that approach works in the short term, it s poison over the long term. That type of loading is needed in the beginning, and may be needed for a long time, but if it is never raised you will find yourself stuck soon and again be blaming your genetics on something you had control over.
Another HUGE mistake hardgainers make is too high of intensity level training. MOST HG’s have pretty frail CNS recovery. QUIT BEATING A DEAD HORSE.
These steps will go a long way towards making one an “average gainer” if you will take the time to implement them.
First things first. MOST lifters that beleive they are hardgainers just don't have a handle on their diet and training. If all is dialed and results suck--then they just might be an actual hardgainer. Here is some info covering that.
I see posts very frequently by guys that are just completely CLUELESS about the role genetics play in how one responds to training. These posts USUALLY come from one of two types of people. Guys with great genetics that have never had training partners that didn’t, or have never worked with a group of lifters over the long-term, and young guys that REALLY, REALLY want to believe that they can be the next Arnold, Yates, or Coleman.
Here are just SOME of the factors that ultimately determine how big and strong you get, and what paths are appropriate to get you there:
Cortisol output
Adrenaline output
Insulin output
insulin sensitivity
Thyroid output
Thyroid sensitivity
Testosterone production
Testosterone/hormone sensitivity
Testosterone to estrogen conversion
SHGB sensitivity
Testosterone to DHT conversion
Estrogen sensitivity
Growth Hormone output
Growth Hormone sensitivity
IGF output
IGF sensitivity
Digestive capability
Basic protein synthesis ability
Muscle fiber composition
CNS output
CNS recovery rate
Digestive capacity
AND A WHOLE BUNCH MORE
ALL THESE FACTORS ARE ALL DETERMINED BY AN INDIVIUALS GENETICS. AND THEY DON’T VARY A LITTLE, THEY VARY A LOT. AND THERE ARE MANY, MANY MORE!
Take a guy that has very little fast twitch fibers, or just very little muscle fibers compared to the average person, or well above average person and this person is NEVER, NEVER going to have anywhere NEAR the growth potential of someone that has more fiber to begin with no matter HOW BIG they hypertrophy them.
Oh, just add steroids and the below average guy is even. WRONG again. In the Soviet Union where the state spent much time researching these issues, they determined that hormone (steroid) sensitivity varied as much as 2 to 4 times. Which means the response and thus results one guy might get from a gram of gear would take 4 grams for another person to achieve. And these were highly technical studies carried out with good controls. Not what a bunch of gym meatheads observed. YES, THAT IS genetics in action.
To say genetics only accounts for a small degree of the achieved results is just PLAIN FLAT OUT WRONG AND ANY GOOD STRENGTH COACH OR SPORTS PHYSIOLIGIST WILL TELL YOU THAT.
This does NOT mean you cannot make great progress or build a great body, but it does mean that most just simply don’t have the potential to be top bodybuilders. And EVERYONE responds differently. I am not trying to rain on anyone’s parade, and potential can only be known in retrospect AFTER you have tried. But all these posts by guys saying genetics are not important and guys just use them as an excuse is pure BS
OK, so maybe you haven’t been dealt the best hand. Well, you got what you got. Now you have to make the best of it, and guess what? Many hardgainers do a LOT of things that are CONTRARY to their goals.
I am going to deal with ectos’ this time and leave the endo’s for another article. We have two archetypical types on ectos. Skinny ectos, ectos and skinny-fat ectos. These guys are all over the place and are very often the types that are drawn to bodybuilding because they are dissatisfied with their skinny physiques. Then once entering the bodybuilding world they are quickly left out in the cold and alone as far as applicable information goes as the mainstream publications focuses on genetic elite lifters doing lots of steroids. Hardly the proper role model for a hardgainer with genetic disadvantages.
I look at quite a bit of lab results from hardgaining lifters and in a good amount of the cases thyroid levels are high, test levels are low, and cortical is high and in skinny-fat hardgainers estrogen levels are high, and glucose tolerance is in the toilet along with high cortisol levels topping things off. Sleep and stress are usually bad for both types. Pretty simple—you can’t get there from here. At least not at a pace that makes anyone even marginally happy.
From a physical standpoint work capacity levels are most often dismally low and CNS is very delicate. And most hardgainers make matters worse by doing either way too much tonnage or way too much intensity—bad mojo!
So what is the answer to this dilemma? Well it would take a book to cover all bases but in the most simplistic terms here is what has to happen.
Skinny Hardgainer
Training load suited to recovery. Usually low volume and frequency without training to failure.
Work capacity MUST BE BROUGHT UP—THIS IS CRITICAL!!
All stimulants cut out!
Stress reduction techniques used.
Sleep habits improved
Supplementation suited to needs
Eating brought up to a level that exceeds maintenance with at LEAST 1.5 grams protein per lb of bodyweight. THIS SOLVES MANY, MANY hardginers primary issue immediately. If thyroid is too high, diet must be higher!
Skinny-Fat Hardgainer
Training load suited to recovery. Usually low volume and frequency without training to failure.
Work capacity MUST BE BROUGHT UP—THIS IS CRITICAL!!
All stimulants cut out!
Stress reduction techniques used.
Sleep habits improved
Eating brought up to a level that at least meets maintenance with at LEAST 1.5 grams protein per lb of bodyweight
Supplementation suited to needs
GLUCOSE TOLERANCE/INSULIN SENSITIVITY BROUGHT UP!
One of the biggest mistakes hardgainers make is first understanding they are hardgainers, tailoring the workload to their limited recovery, and then NEVER attempting to raise their work capacity. While that approach works in the short term, it s poison over the long term. That type of loading is needed in the beginning, and may be needed for a long time, but if it is never raised you will find yourself stuck soon and again be blaming your genetics on something you had control over.
Another HUGE mistake hardgainers make is too high of intensity level training. MOST HG’s have pretty frail CNS recovery. QUIT BEATING A DEAD HORSE.
These steps will go a long way towards making one an “average gainer” if you will take the time to implement them.