q&a corner...
q&a corner main page | view
all questions | submit
question
From William in Philadelphia, a
26 year old hardgainer whose goal is to put on lean mass. He wants
to know how often he should train a body part. His question is:
Dear
Mike:
How often
should I work a body part? I am considered a hardgainer. I
take in over 4000 calories a day and have problems gaining weight.
Dear
William:
Thank you
for the great question. I receive a lot of questions from
individuals who consider themselves hardgainers, those who just can't seem
to put on mass no matter what they do. Usually, people who have this
problem are 'ectomorphic', i.e. thinner, taller people with a lighter bone
structure.
If you fall
into this category, DON'T GIVE UP. I have seen many 'ectomorphics'
put on a lot of mass; however, it does take more work and dedication, not
to mention patience. In fact, I am currently training a 20 year old
who would be considered an ectomorphic (hardgainer). He was around
200-210 lbs. when he started with me 1 1/2 years ago and he now weighs
around 290 lbs.
Below are
the changes I made to his program that allowed him to pack on mass:
|
1.
|
Decreased
his training volume
|
|
2.
|
Cut out
his cardio
|
|
3.
|
Decreased
training days (from 6 to 4 times a week)
|
|
4.
|
Increased
his calorie consumption
|
|
5.
|
Increased
his training intensity
|
|
6.
|
Decreased
number of times body parts were trained per week
|
Specifically,
I had him increase his carbohydrate and protein consumption by 500
calories a week until he started gaining weight. I also had him
decrease his training time in the gym from 2 hours a day to 45 minutes a
day, and had him cut out activities that were expending energy outside the
gym (basketball, jogging, etc.) Lastly, I had him reduce the number
of times per week he was training each body part from two to one. If
you are training intensely, this will be more than enough.
As I always
stress, more is not better. Many people overtrain and this is a big
mistake, especially when trying to gain mass. When I was preparing
for the Mr. Olympia, my training sessions lasted around 45 minutes.
The key is to train intensely, not longer!
Try making
these adjustments and I know you will see great improvements.
Thanks
again for the great question. Good luck and keep training hard.
Mike Francois
Note: Before
embarking on any nutrition, supplementation, and/or training
program, consult with your physician or other licensed
health-care professional.
|
Multi-vitamin
