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The Hardgainer Attitude Adjustment

Sound advice to put you on the path to success and keep you there

Even if he used all the Joe Weider principles, Woody Allen could never achieve the physique of Arnold or the strength of Paul Anderson. Woody could do squats with Louie Simmons, lift under the direction of Chinese weightlifting coaches, and be personally trained by a Level 5 PICP coach – but he would still look unmistakably like Woody Allen. If any man deserves the label of hardgainer, it’s Woody Allen.

Scrawny movie directors aside, the problem I have with the label hardgainer is that it often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy; that is, one of the primary reasons these individuals have such a difficult time making gains is they believe they are hardgainers. The result is they become frustrated and constantly change their workouts, often after only a few days.

Building strength and muscle mass is never a matter of being fickle with your training. Yes, it is certainly partly an art, but it is primarily a science. Hardgainers, or rather those who believe they are hardgainers, need to learn how to train properly, develop a plan and stick with that plan to get them out of their training doldrums. Here are four tips that will help.

Tip #1: Enlist the help of an expert who has a record of producing results. One of the tools of those who practice the behavioral modification method called neuro-linguistic programming is to copy the behaviors of those individuals who have succeeded in a specific area. Gymnastic coach Bela Karolyi produced Olympic champions in his native country of Romania and then came to the US and duplicated the accomplishment. Parents who wanted their daughters to reach the highest levels in gymnastics would mortgage their houses for the opportunity to hire Coach Karolyi. Athletic talent prevails, but there is no substitute for superior coaching.

In bodybuilding seldom do you hear about the top bodybuilders thanking those trainers who got them started – but the truth is there have been some good ones. Don Ross was one of the best, and both Vince Gironda and Bill Pearl have trained Mr. Olympias: Larry Scott by Gironda, and Chris Dickerson by Pearl. Two PICP coaches who immediately come to mind for their expertise in knowing how to pack on slabs of muscle quickly are Milos Sarcev and Juan Carlos Simo. And all these coaches I just mentioned “walked the talk” with impressive physiques of their own.

If you’re looking for a bodybuilding coach, start by going to our website and consulting our coaching directory – all PICP coaches undergo extensive study and hands-on training on how to design bodybuilding programs and properly teach the exercises they prescribe. And after you “hardgainers” find those experts who can help produce the results you’re seeking, you need to stick to the assigned plan.

Tip #2: Be aware of the difference between the strength journalist and the strength expert. A clue that someone is not growing or becoming stronger is that they are spending more hours online reading about training than training! Seriously, the Internet is a great research tool for getting access to information; the problem is that much of the information on fitness and bodybuilding sites is often useless or inaccurate.

Go with individuals with a proven track record. If these writers never name who they work with or cannot produce a training program associated with a name, they are probably not worth reading. Often these writers will claim that all their elite clients have them sign confidentiality agreements that forbid them from discussing their working relationship, but such agreements are rare and are usually a ruse.

I am an avid reader, but the only technical material I take seriously is peer-reviewed scientific journals covering exercise physiology, biomechanics and functional medicine. Although a few newsstand fitness magazines do attempt to offer some sound training advice, generally the articles are so heavily influenced by advertisers that the information is often suspect – and I don’t want to waste my valuable free time trying to distinguish fact from fiction. Which brings us to Tip #3.

Tip #3: Understand the Nature of Propaganda. Rush Limbaugh was just a newbie disc jockey in 1973, going by the name Jeff Christie, when he discovered the key to success. He said in 1993, “A turning point in my career came when I realized that the sole purpose for all of us in radio is to sell advertising.” The same is true with most bodybuilding magazines.

What keeps newsstand magazines in business is not the cover price, because usually about two thirds of the copies you find on the magazine rack will not be purchased by their pull date. This statistic doesn’t usually worry the vendors because they don’t have to pay for what they don’t sell, and the fact is the revenue from magazine subscriptions represents only a small portion of the income from the magazines printed. The way magazines can make money is the same way that our OxyContin-popping conservative says that radio makes money, which is by selling advertising. And this relationship creates an environment in which editorial content can get abused.

Think about it. If a company that makes worthless weight-loss sauna suits is willing to give a magazine editor $15,000 for a full page advertisement about their product, do you really think that editor would allow any negative editorial content in the rest of his or her magazine about sauna suits? Of course not. The same goes for women’s homemaking magazines with ads for instant oatmeal and sugar-saturated juice drinks.

Do I subscribe to any popular bodybuilding or fitness magazines? Sure I do. Among those that have editors who are trying to provide quality content, and for which I am a regular columnist are Iron Man and Muscle Insider. I have also worked with Planet Muscle and Bigger Faster Stronger. And just recently, I have been added as a regular columnist for Kingdom, which is an amazing magazine named after its founder, Arnold Palmer.
 
Again, I believe it’s important for all my advice to have a strong research base, which is why most of the periodicals I read are peer-reviewed journals. But as with the popular magazines I subscribe to, I also look at them with a critical eye, especially if they accept outside advertising. In theory, additional revenue from advertising is not necessary because these journals are published on a print-to-order basis, and are often paid for out of a professional membership. But just a few pages devoted to advertising can represent an additional $100,000 a year to that organization, and that’s a bonus too attractive for most nonprofit organizations to turn down. The bottom line is simply to be skeptical when you read and, of course, follow the money.

Tip #4. Develop a relaxation program. Why do you think Olympic lifters are strong? They listen to their coaches, and then they forget about it in their time off. In fact, every Herculean strength athlete I know follows a coach, trains, and then lets it go until the next workout.

Training is yang, recovery is yin. Train, and then plan to relax – just surfing the Net for sample workouts will drive your cortisol level up as you become convinced you’re missing out on something. Plan for fun activities – there is more to life than training. Indulge in naps, massages, acupuncture sessions – all of these activities will make you grow faster. Massage is one of my favorite growth accelerators. As with training, variety is important with massage. Experiment not only with different types of massages, as each method has its own benefits, but also with different therapists.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles.” Follow the guidance of someone who follows the right training principles, and progress will come. Even if you’re a hardgainer!