You're skinny and lean. You've always been this way. If you wished to be a competitive swimmer or perhaps a basketball player, then you'd be ideally build it. However, you've decided you wish to have a bodybuilder – and this certainly does not match your body type. You've trained and made some gains, but you're still skinny – and it's time for that to change!
The good news is that it can be done. Look at the "before" images of many of today's top bodybuilders and you'll see that they were often skinny and weak for years before they discovered the iron. Granted, they often used chemical assistance to move from skinny to world-class bodybuilder, but its very possible for you to move from skinny to "well built regular guy" without the use of steroids. So without any further delay, let's check out a few hardgainer basics for adding muscle size & strength to your body.
Use the Big Three
Squat, Bench Press & Deadlifts are the exercises you should be using on a daily basis to radically change your physique. They stimulate muscle fibers well beyond the primary and even secondary muscle groups being targeted. They're not just compound exercises – they are almost "Super compound" movements. You can use only these three movements and you'll make gains. Use them in conjunction with biceps curls, triceps pressing, shoulder press and calf raises, and you're in excellent shape. Use the big three as your foundation for all other movements, and build a day around each of them.
Eat Six Times Per Day
You'll never make incredible muscle gains while only eating 3 times per day. Your body will be able to assimilate adequate protein to see any real gains. And the required number of calories needed will stretch your tummy beyond belief. Start small, by enjoying 6 very small meals per day. As you train harder and your appetite grows, they will soon become 6 medium to large meals each day, giving your body the calories it needs to grow.
Take a Daily Nap
Your body releases growth hormone not while you're in the gym – but while you're healing in bed. Sleep a small amount every day – even if it's only a 20 minute meditation break on your lunch break – and watch the muscle gains improve and body weight increase.
The bottom line is that as a hardgainer, you are going to find it tougher to build new muscle size and add strength as a result. That's okay. This spiked metabolic rate will benefit you when it's time to diet down and get lean one day. In the meantime, use these tricks as the basis for your new muscle winning plans.