Ultra- Hardgainer Routine

For those who seem to have no genetic gifts in the area of body mass gain there is still hope.
By: Shannon Pittman
Over the years I have met many bodybuilders who did not gain on standard bodybuilding programs as shown in the various
muscle magazines each month. I am one of those trainees. After following such "mainstream" programs for more than six
years I decided that there had to be a way of training that would not drain my body so much and would allow me to finally
gain the muscle that I had been craving. In my search for a more productive way to train I found a number of authors who
had written on just such topics. With material in hand from writers like tuart !c"obert# Arthur $ones# and "andell trossen I
began to formulate routines that would become the mainstays of my training life.
%ike myself# most such trainees gain rather well once they switch to an abbreviated routine as outlined in many of my
articles. &very so often however there is a trainee who still does not seem to gain even on such peered down programs. 'or
most the temptation is to say that basics first training does not work for these people and they are doomed for failure in the
iron game. (his need not be the case)
There is Still Hope!
'or those who seem to have no genetic gifts in the area of body mass gain there is still hope. As many of you will have
noticed I always subscribe to the idea that there is rarely a need to add more to a program but always room to remove
something in an effort to get results. (he same holds true in this instance. (he *ltra +ardgainer is a prime example of the
application of such reasoning. (his is the little guy who trains for many years without a single shred of muscle to show for it.
(he frustration of being in this group of trainees is unimaginable to many. (he vast majority in this group will give up training
eventually with the impression that bodybuilding is just not for them and something that they can never excel in. 'or such a
person the answer then is to further decrease training volume and# possibly# fre,uency even from within the realms of
abbreviated training.
In such cases a program must be adopted which works the entire muscular structure of the body with as few exercises as
possible. (he basic needs are to include- a press# a pulling movement# a s,uat.leg press variation and usually a form of the
deadlift. With that in mind the program should only include the bare minimum of exercises necessary to stimulate all of the
major muscle masses of the body. /ery little time should be spent training muscles individually. In fact individual muscle
training is to be left entirely out of mind for the *ltra0hardgainer. (he idea instead is to train groups of muscles as a whole.
'or example the bench press works the deltoids# pectorals# and triceps in just one movement. (his is the way training should
be viewed. 1ick exercises that work the largest number of muscle groups in one movement thereby eliminating the need for
a large number of exercises to work the entire body.
(he recuperative abilities of the *ltra0hardgainer are so low that training must be high in intensity but extremely low in
volume in order to just stimulate the muscles and get out of the gym. +ere2s an example training routine very similar to one
printed in the book Beyond Brawn by tuart !c"obert 3a book which I very highly recommend)4.
Day 1 Day 2
,uat 5 x 67
8hin01ullups 6x9
:ench press 6 x ;
tiff0legged <eadlift 6 x 56
=verhead 1ress 6 x 57
+anging %eg "aises

%earn how to perform these exercises and more here.
>ou can notice that I have included the 67 rep s,uat. I am of course assuming that you know how to properly perform this
exercise. It is ?=( a low intensity# high rep# "pumping" movement. <one correctly it is one of the most anabolic movements
available to the natural bodybuilder. >ou can see from the above example that overlap in exercises is almost totally
eliminated in favor of only stimulating the necessary muscle groups and then move on to the next exercise. &ach workout
consists of less than 57 sets total to work half of the entire musculature of the body. 'or those of you who subscribe to the
use of 67 sets per body part training then you are in for a big shock here. +owever after having done the high volume
training for many years I can honestly say that the feeling of overall fatigue is much more prominent on abbreviated
programs as compared to volume training protocols because the total percentage of muscle being worked is very high.
(hat2s it. (he person should train at most twice per week and even less if results are still not being obtained. <o not judge
such a system by its simplicity. It is very effective as long as the person really gives there all to each and every set in the
program. If you have a lot of trouble adding muscle to your frame or even if your gains appear to have staled give it a try and
you can thank me for it later) -04
@eep life +&A/>)
nutrichemAhotmail.com
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