How to Get Lean Muscle: For Hardgainers

The "hardgainer" is someone, usually a man, who for some reason or another, is unable to gain lean muscle on their skinny frames. Try as they might, their body might show signs of improvement, but overall, seems physically unable to sustain more a few unimpressive strips of muscle.

The only reason this term exists is because these men believe that they will never become buff. They are not genetically gifted and they don't have the energy for a heavy workout. They also don't know how to get lean muscle in the first place. It might seem straight forward: lift weights, take supplements and get ripped, but the truth is that it's not that easy.

Gaining lean muscle is not the same as getting muscles. Getting muscles is simple working with the muscle that you have on your body. Gaining lean muscle is increasing the amount of muscle you have to work with, as well as working with it. Basically, if you're skinny, get bigger! How do you do that? Eat more foods rich in protein! What sort of foods are rich in protein?

This is where most "experts" will struggle and either tell you a myth or recommend their protein shake or supplement they're currently using. Not only can this possibly very expensive, but the overall gains you make on your lean muscle can be minimal.

Of course, simply eating food won't make your muscles bigger. You have to provide a metabolic force to "awaken" your muscles and make it grow. It all goes back to elementary physics: a stationary body has equal and opposite forces acting on it. Applying this to muscle, the weights your lift will cause your muscle to transform to better oppose it, ie. the bigger weights you lift, the more muscle you will gain.

Then again, simply lifting and lifting non-stop won't keep getting you more and more lean muscle. The body is not a machine; it needs physical, emotional and mental rest to continue improving. Your muscles have to be given time to essentially unwind so that the fibres can regroup and heal before the next work out. Of course, a lot of men who work out don't know that; they workout 8 or more hours in the gym, oblivious to the fact that they could actually be sleeping and getting buff in the process.

So if you consider yourself a hard-gainer, don't be discouraged. It might be hard for you to gain lean muscle with your current knowledge, but armed with the right information concerning how to get lean muscle, including things like diet, weight intensity and rest, you can and will get the body of your dreams.