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so what exactly is a hardgainer?

skinnyfat

New member
I have a hard time gaining muscle and getting stronger. I'm thin, but flabby. The thing is, I can gain weight, just not muscle. In general, people think of me as an ectomorph, but I don't really have abs, or that super lean, ripped appearance--does this mean I'm just a thin endomorph? Or an ecto-endomorph?
 
i have never been into this defining of body types.
to many just use it as an excuse "I cant gain wiegth, because im a hardgainer" what they forget is there only eating 2000 cals a day.
Just try to be the best you can be is my motto. I always complained and on occasion still do that i got shit genetics (okok, all the time :p). But hey i did put on 30 pounds too so its all possible :D
 
I used to be a hardgainer... a prime Ectomorph... then i tried THE BEAST!! Yes the bottle w/ the vicious looking ape on it, and i became a 233 pound animal. ;) j/k

Hardgainers just don't gain weight because of their high metabolism. In a way they are blessed w/ that high metabolism so they can cut up faster than the endomorph. I used to be an ectomorph and a hardgainer, then i learned about diet and training and kicked myself in the gym and w/ diet and made the results i was looking for. Jaap is right, it's all about diet. And you're never going to get where you want to be if your diet is not in check. :)
 
A lot of "hardgainers" just haven't found the right diet and training protocol for their body. Now I'm sure there is someone out there with genetics so poor that drugs wouldn't even help. I'm lucky, mesomorph, most any diet/exercise program works for me.:D
 
Yeah, I know you have to eat more to gain weight, but I don't even know if that's what I should be doing. I am skinny, but I have this layer of flab--not a ton, but enough to obscure definition. I see this layer of fat, so I assume I should be cutting. I don't know if I am really an ectomorph-type. If I eat enough, I can gain weight, but it isn't all muscle.

Is it possible to be an ecto-endo? I mean I've heard of being an ecto-meso or endo-meso, but I wanna know why I'm skinny, weak, AND fat all at the same time, and what I can do to stop it. It's rediculous.
 
bro are you new to lifting. It sounds like you are, or maybe the picture you are portraying of yourself is inacurate. You need to find yourself a good diet you can stick to. If you want to avoid fat, you have to regulate carb intake. Many times i don't or may not change protein intake, fat intake changes very slightly, but carbs is what i either increase or decrease according to my goals. If you are new to all of this you will make incredible gains your first 6 months, even by eating crappy. The muscle will come w/ time, dedication, and proper dieting. If you're worried about the fat, like i said lower your carb intake, and maybe 1 day a week have a cheat day. Other than that you can try running after you lift or running on empty stomach. Slowly start increasing intensity and duration of your cardio. Most important thing to do is listen to your body. You will see changes in your body, if you see too much fat gain then do diet modifications. That's what it's all about. You see when thing work for you and when they don't. And when they dont' you need to modify. Keep us posted.
peace for now
 
Thanks, Risky Business. I gave you some karma.

Anyway, I've been training for a decent amount of time. When I first started, I was basically lifting only, and doing little cardio. I made some gains, but never was able to get big, strong, and ripped. Two years ago I started running, just for fun, and doing some intervals, and really started to like running, and have continued to lift while increasing my mileage. I guess my body just loves running--I get runner's high much more than I get a pump in the gym. Now, I am much more goal-oriented towards my running, but I would like to have that paper-skin look, which I think should be possible given my high cardio training, even though pure size may be difficult (the Bruce Lee look is what I want). My diet always has been low fat, though now I eat much less carbs and a lot of protein, and have had results, but haven't been ripped to shreds.
 
Oh, and after I ran my first marathon last June, I decided that I wanted to put on some muscles, and gained about 20 lbs in 3 months, going from 6.5% bodyfat to 9.5%. I now have chipmunk cheeks and a big gut (up 2 inches), but am hardly stronger at all.
 
My experience has been if I do too much cardio I lose a lot of muscular size and strength. I know they say this is a myth but for me it is a fact. You might want to try HIIT training as outlined in Bill Phillips Body For Life... DO some sprinting instead of all that long distance work. If you look at the typical marathoners physique it is almost devoid of muscle. Look at sprinters and you will quickly see the difference. Also lift with intensity, get plently of sleep, and eat clean (no processed crap). Put on the muscle first then cut up second, to put on the muscle you have to eat big! This will crank up your metabolism and make cutting up much easier.

Hope this helps
 
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