Written by Jamie Bantleman
Are You A Hard Gainer?
A hard gainer is a term used for a person that struggles to increase muscle mass and weight. It seems that what ever you eat, how ever much you train you just don’t put real top quality muscle mass on, however, reasons may lie a whole lot deeper than just what you are eating and how well you are training!
Whilst you may not be a competitive bodybuilder, if you are participating in weight training for the reason of being more aesthetically pleasing you are in fact, bodybuilding. I often see many people training hard in the gym, spending quality time training the right way, however they still look as though they’ve never stepped foot in the gym. Why?
Whilst there is a host of different reasons that can be found to stop the growth of quality muscle, a major issue, is post workout nutrition.
What Is The Best Post Workout Regime?
Nutritional protocols post workout in most cases consist of a blend of carbohydrates and protein. Before you eat your post workout meal, when looking to increase muscle mass and general weight, the best thing to consume is a shake consisting of protein and carbohydrates.
From personal experience, I chose the Hard Gainer Extreme by MyProtein in Chocolate Mint. As well as the other tasty flavours it offered me a way to consume both a whole lot of extra calories in what was an off season bodybuilding preparation, which I increased my weight to 90kg (I usually sit around 85kg and competed at 83kg) and maintained my body fat below 11% and therefore had a lot of lean mass that enabled me to really have a top quality off season when I was taking part in bodybuilding.
Increase Muscle Mass
Many people opt for heavy sugar loads when looking to increase muscle mass and in turn they actually increase their body fat to the point where they begin to become insulin resistant and when it comes to getting lean again makes the job much harder. As well as this, the increased glycemic load actually becomes a burden on the digestive system and makes it much harder for you to utilise the nutrients that you are desperately consuming to try and increase muscle mass.
A perfect carbohydrate that is in the Hard Gainer Extreme shake is Inulin; a type of carbohydrate that helps improve the digestive system. As well as this, you are taking in another quality source of carbohydrate by consuming maltodextrin. In the recommended 3 scoop dosage, you are taking an amazing 46g carbohydrate alone.
The Power Of Protein
A nutrient that is widely known as the one thing that improves muscle tissue and recovery is Protein. Whey Protein is made from milk and has one of the fastest absorption rate of the macronutrients, it is perfect for quickly taking effect on the muscle cell. This shake has 32g of protein as well as making up a calorie intake of 382k/cals which goes a long way towards supporting weight gain.
Remember, increasing muscle mass and weight is tough going but ensuring you are taking in the key nutrients is massively important when supporting such goals.
Whey ProteinLean muscle
Hard GainerExtreme
ZMAImproved Sleep
BCAA'sMuscle recovery
Our articles should be used for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to be taken as medical advice. If you're concerned, consult a health professional before taking dietary supplements or introducing any major changes to your diet.