With size comes power, self-esteem and respect from others. But, what if you’re genetically cursed? What if the genes you got mean that you’ll never gain mass like the big guys?
Fear not! While it’s true that there’s a hard-wired genetic component that, if you do nothing beyond your normal existence, you’ll stay small. But there are countless examples of guys out there who we’re small but changed everything and became huge. This is the principle of phenotypes versus genotypes.
SIZE MATTERS AND DON’T LET ANYONE TELL YOU ANY DIFFERENT!
Genotypes are how, if you do nothing different, you’re doomed to be small and stay that way! Phenotypes on the other hand is where the promise of mass gaining future can come true for you. In a very small nutshell, genotype is your genetic code and phenotype is the physical expression of a combination of your genotype and environmental factors. In essence, if you change the forces that your genetics react to, you can literally change how your inherited DNA is expressed.
In this article we’ve laid out key tips on how to create the change that your genetics react to; this will not happen overnight and you must commit yourself to maintaining the increased calories, increased quality of the calories (i.e. superior protein sources) and progressively more intense training.
Big bodies are the result of big weights being moved in the gym. You have to attempt to be stronger each week, whether it’s increasing the weight or the reps. Handling more weight on all your exercises or doing the same weight but increasing the reps are great indicators that you are gaining more muscle and you’re well on your way to being one with the masses!
It is important that you keep the weight heavy and the sets shorter. Your goal is to continuously expose your genotype (your DNA) to heavy weight for relatively short bursts. As you get used to the weight, progressively increase that weight. You will always need to be forcing your body to adapt to and overcome new levels of resistance (weight).
If your a hard gainer, as in you have a very difficult time putting on mass and keeping it on, you have to realize that your genetics predispose you to degrading any muscle that you put on. To prevent this, you have to dramatically increase the amount you eat per meal and you have to increase the frequency of the meals. Hard gainers who have successfully gained mass eat between 5 and 7 meals per day and aim to have their calorie intake at 4,000 to 5,000 calories per day with their protein intake at 2 or more grams of protein per pound of bodyweight per day (if you’re 150 lbs. aim for 300 g of protein).
This sounds tough, and it is. Your body will fight you every step of the way. But that’s how you know that you’re doing the right thing. If it was easy, you would already be huge, right?!
I hear this all the time. Guys who are smaller than they want to be are worried about getting a belly. Don’t worry! Here’s why. When you up your calories (of high-quality food – NOT ICE CREAM!) your body receives the signal of abundant food and your metabolism along with dozens of other metabolic processes kick into high gear.
In addition, with the consistent increased level of resistance training, you are forcing your body to repair and grow muscle tissue rapidly. This is something that only happens when you are eating tons of food on a regular basis. Your body cannot simultaneously put on solid muscle mass when you are in a caloric deficit (i.e. not eating enough).
Flat Bench Press: 5 Sets 8 Reps (4 to 6 on Sets 4 and 5)
Incline Bench Press: 5 Sets 8 Reps (4 to 6 on Sets 4 and 5)
Lateral Raises: 4 Sets 8 Reps
Upright Rows: 4 Sets 8 Reps
Triceps Dips: 4 to 5 Sets 8 to 10 Reps
Skull Crushers: 4 to 5 Sets 8 to 10 Reps
Squats: 3 Sets 4 to 6 Reps
Squats: 2 Drop Sets Drop 50 LBS for 4 reps x3
Leg Presses: 5 Sets 4 to 6 Reps
Leg Presses: 2 Drop Sets Drop 50 LBS for 4 reps x3
Stiff-Legged Deadlifts: 4 to 5 Sets 10 Reps
Standing Calf Raises: High-Rep Warm-Up Set 50 to 100 Reps
Standing Calf Raises: 3 to 4 Sets 10 Reps
Wide Grip Chins: 4 to 5 Sets 6 to 8 Reps
Barbell Rows: 4 to 5 Sets 6 to 8 Reps
Deadlifts: 4 to 5 Sets 6 to 8 Reps
Barbell Shrugs: 4 to 5 Sets 6 to 8 Reps
Straight Barbell Curls: 4 to 5 Sets 6 to 8 Reps
Dumbbell Hammer Curls: 4 to 5 Sets 6 to 8 Reps
After you have completed this rotation, it’s time to do it all over again, but this time try using heavier weights or performing more reps on all your sets. A good tip would be to keep a training journal to chronicle the weights you used, so you’re not guessing and short-changing yourself and your gains.
To build massive amounts of muscle, you have to eat massive amounts of food and supplements with the appropriate products to back up your efforts.
Keeping the levels of protein and calories high enough with the right frequency isn’t easy. What a lot of successful mass gainers have done is take a Mass Gainer like QUICKMASS. It quickly and easily adds 1010 calories in just 4 scoops (for this program we recommend taking 1 serving in the morning and 1 serving post-workout), complete with 60 grams of high-quality protein!
Your can also try stacking HVOL (optional), AMINOCORE, CVOL (Powder or Capsule), CARBION+, VITASTACK and GLUTAMINE (optional) for unbelievable gains in size and strength. Combining these products will not only give you the boost you need to hit the weights hard, it also has all the ingredients needed for repair and growth of new muscle tissue.
IF YOU’RE A HARD GAINER, THERE’S STILL HOPE.
Being large and in charge is not for the faint-at-heart and only the hardcore will take mass to new levels. If you’re a hard gainer, there’s still hope. You have to be consistent and persevere, even if gains are slow. If you tend to put on mass fairly easily, be careful of the type of mass you are putting on. Remember, you can’t flex fat, and quality before quantity counts when you are a bodybuilder looking to get huge.
Train smart, supplement accordingly and enjoy stretching the sleeves of your shirt and having to shop for a whole new wardrobe!