Best Bodybuilding Nutrition Plans for Hardgainers

The internet is filled with many different bodybuilding plans for hard gainers, and what will work for you can be confusing. Some of these plans are meant to sell supplements, while others were made for steroid-enhanced athletes who aren’t hard gainers. We’ve included the Best Bodybuilding Nutrition Plans for Hardgainers in the following article.

This bodybuilding Nutrition Plan is meant to put on weight for someone who struggles with being “the skinny guy.” As someone who was a skinny guy in my teens and 20s, I tried nearly every type of eating and training to try to build muscle.

I was eating tons of food(or so I thought) and working out six days a week, but I wasn’t seeing the scale increase in weight.

Because I tested this on myself and built about 40 lbs of muscle, I can speak from personal experience.

After researching more, I realized I wasn’t eating enough calories.

Once I added my natural weight gainer shake (recipe below), I started to gain the weight I desired. This is one of the best bodybuilding Nutrition Plans for hardgainers.

My approach

This nutrition plan aims to put on weight in the form of muscle tissue. Remember that you may gain some body fat, but most of your weight should be muscle mass.

If you truly are a “hardgainer,” your metabolism should be fast enough to burn most excess body fat while turning the other calories into gains.

Please consult your physician before starting any new health or fitness program.

Training

To truly put on the muscle mass you desire, you must stimulate your muscles to grow. As eight-time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney once said, “you need to stimulate the muscle, not annihilate it.”

This smart approach will lead to consistent gains in muscle mass.

The three days per week bodybuilding splits I list below will give you plenty of time for your muscles to repair.

Remember that you don’t grow while working out. You grow while you rest.

Tempo

I use a slow, controlled tempo to put more stress on the muscle.

For example, when I am pushing the weight up (concentric), I count 1, 2, 3

Then when I am letting the weight go down (eccentric ), I count, 1,2,3,4,5

This approach will not allow you to lift as much weight, but you will get bigger and stronger if you check your ego at the door and start with a very lightweight.

The goal isn’t to lift as much weight as possible. That’s powerlifting,

This is bodybuilding, so the goal is to put tension on the muscle while making steady improvements weekly.

Also, make sure to warm up before each workout. I like to do 5 minutes on the cycle or treadmill just to get the muscles warm.

Monday – Pull Workout

Rest 2 minutes between each set

• Pull-ups or Pull up machine – 2 sets, 8 reps
• Bent over rows – 2 sets, 8 reps
• Wide Grip Pull Down Machine – 2 sets, 8 reps
• Bicep Curls with EZ curl bar – 2 sets, 8 reps
• Hammer Grip Forearm Dumbbell Curls – 2 sets, 8 reps
• Abdominal Crunches – 2 sets, 20 reps
• Abdominal Leg Raises — 2 sets, 20 reps

Wednesday- Legs Workout

Rest 2 minutes between each set

• Squats – 2 sets, 8 reps
• Leg Press – 2 sets, 8 reps
• Hamstring Curl – 2 sets, 8 reps
• Inner Thigh Machine – 2 sets, 8 reps
• Outer Thigh Machine – 2 sets, 8 reps
• Seated Calf Raise – 2 sets, 8 reps
• Standing Calf Raise – 2 sets, 8 reps
• Abdominal Crunches – 2 sets, 20 reps
• Abdominal Leg Raises — 2 sets, 20 reps

Friday – Push Workout

Rest 2 minutes between each set

• Bench Press – 2 sets, 8 reps
• Dips – 2 sets, 8 reps
• Chest Flyes – 2 sets, 8 reps
• Shoulder Press – 2 sets, 8 reps
• Shoulder Lateral Raises – 2 sets, 8 reps
• Tricep Cable Pushdown – 2 sets, 8 reps
• Tricep Dumbbell Extension – 2 sets, 8 reps
• Abdominal Crunches – 2 sets, 20 reps
• Abdominal Leg Raises — 2 sets, 20 reps

Bodybuilding Nutrition Plans for Hard Gainers

This is a sample workout of the calories that worked for me. Everybody is different, so you’ll have to adjust to your caloric needs. I had to test myself to find the sweet spot of adding muscle but not too much body fat.

7:00 am Breakfast – Eggs and Oatmeal

Ingredients

• 3 Whole eggs
• 1 tbsp butter
• ¼ cup of shredded Cheese
• ½ Avocado
• 2 tbsp Salsa (optional)
• 1 cup of Oatmeal
• 1 Banana 
• 1 tbsp raw honey

Preparation

• Scramble Eggs in butter
• Add cheese/ avocado/salsa on top
• Cook oatmeal and slice banana on top
• Add raw honey on top of oatmeal

9:00 am Snack – Mass Gainer Shake

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 scoops of whey protein
• 2 tbsp natural peanut butter
• 1 banana
• ½ cup of oatmeal
• 3 ice cubes

Preparation

• Blend until smooth, and enjoy!

12:00pm Lunch – Chicken Rice and Broccoli 

Ingredients

• 3 Chicken Thighs
• 1 cup white Rice
• 1 cup broccoli 

Preparation

• Grill or bake chicken; add seasonings to your liking
• Cook rice and broccoli to your liking

3:00 pm Snack 2- Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

Ingredients

• 2 slices 100% whole wheat
• 2 tbsp natural peanut butter
• 2 tbsp natural jam (no sugar added)
• 1 glass of whole milk 

Preparation

• Make a sandwich and wash it down with milk

6:00 pm Dinner – Meat and Potatoes

Ingredients

• 10 oz Ribeye or T-Bone Steak
• Large Green Salad 
• 2 tbsp full fat ranch dressing
• 1 large Potato
• 1 tbsp Butter 
• 2 tbsp Sour cream

Preparation

• Grill Steak with salt/pepper
• Toss Salad with dressing
• Bake Potato in Oven or Microwave
• Add Butter and Sourcream to the top of the potato

8:00 pm Dessert – Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 3 scoops of Natural Vanilla ice cream
• 2 tbsp whipped cream on top

Preparation

• Add ice cream / whipped cream to a bowl and enjoy!

Supplementation

To gain weight, no supplements are needed. Hardgainers have been building solid muscle mass long before supplements were even a thing.

The truth is… good quality food is all you need. 

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. If they do, they are trying to sell a supplement.

However, these supplements can assist with getting faster results (which is always a good thing)

These are the three supplements I took to maximize muscle gains as a hardgainer:

Whey Protein

Creatine Monohydrate

Check current prices for ON Creatine here at My Supplement Store

Testosterone Booster

Check current prices on Testogen here