Are you one of the many guys who struggle to gain weight? If so, take comfort in knowing that you aren???t alone. Building muscle for anyone is not an easy process and for some, it can be remarkably hard. These individuals, who are often referred to as ???hardgainers,??? are really going to have to push their dietary efforts to the limits to start seeing measurable progress.
Here is the lowdown on a hardgainers diet and what a hardgainer grocery list needs to look like:
Hardgainer defined
Before discussing the hardgainer grocery list, you need to understand exactly what a hardgainer is and check that your workouts and current diet are conducive for muscle gain.
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
* Are you taking at least two days a week off from lifting and one day for complete rest?
* Are you incorporating the ???big 5??? (the squat, deadlift, shoulder press, row, and bench press) exercises in your program?
* Are your gym sessions no longer than one hour long?
* Have you ever totaled how many calories you are eating during the day? If yes, is the total at least 15 times your body weight?
* Are you eating at least one gram of protein per pound of body weight?
If you answered no to any of these questions, you may not be a hardgainer; work on fixing the issue and see if results start coming. If, on the other hand, you are doing all of the things listed above, then you need to really look at your diet and create a hardgainer grocery list.
Unless you???re supplying your body with more building blocks and energy to build new muscle tissue over and above what it???s currently using to maintain your body as is, weight gain will not happen. This part of the equation is the No. 1 reason why guys struggle to gain muscle.
However, you can get around this by choosing your foods carefully.
What dietary adjustments need to be made
Once you establish that you are a hardgainer, you need to eat according to certain dietary principles.
First, you need to eat foods that are as dense with calories as possible, but low in terms of volume. If you eat foods that pack a lot of fiber or have high water content, you???ll get full and bloated before you meet your caloric needs.
For this reason, foods such as fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, popcorn, diet sodas, egg whites, and so on must be avoided in large quantities. Fruits and vegetables are obviously important for good health, but you really don???t need much to meet your nutritional requirements.
The hardgainer grocery list
The hardgainer grocery list should focus on:
Dry oatmeal
Dry oatmeal should be on every hardgainer grocery list, because it???s a great way to double up on your calories without feeling overly stuffed. Top it with some sliced banana, drench it in milk and you have a good, high-calorie breakfast. You can also sprinkle protein powder on it to really boost the protein content.
We???ve just gotten started with our hardgainer grocery list Nuts
It cannot be said enough: If you are trying to build muscle and aren???t eating nuts (apart from having allergies to them), you are making a huge mistake. Nuts are loaded with calories (over 800 per cup) and healthy fats, which supplies the body with lots of muscle-building energy. Also, the fats will help boost testosterone levels, furthering the muscle gains you experience.
Whole eggs
When you???re trying to build muscle, don???t dump the yolk. Yes, there is some cholesterol in it, but as long as you aren???t eating a dozen whole eggs a day, you should be OK. Some saturated fat in your diet is OK, provided you are making a conscious effort to get mono and polyunsaturated fat as well. Nuts, as stated above, will help you out with this.
Lean red meat
When it comes to getting your protein, red meat is often a concentrated source of calories. Red meat also provides the body with iron, which is important for getting oxygen to your growing muscle cells.
Olive oil
You should already know by now that olive oil is another terrific source of fats. Additionally, when you drizzle it on your salad, the fat in the oil will help release the antioxidants found in the vegetables.
Dried fruit
As said above, fresh fruit, while nutritious, isn???t going to be your best option when you???re a hardgainer. Dried fruit, on the other hand, has way more calories per 100 grams and is still a good source of fiber and vitamins.
Many dried fruits are very tasty when tossed into a salad, added to a trail mix or simply eaten plain after a hard workout or as an afternoon snack.
Homemade protein shakes
Instead of opting for a weight gainer, which can often be filled with simple sugars and unhealthy fats, create your own protein shake.
Take a couple scoops of protein powder and blend it with any of the following: Low-sugar yogurt, peanut butter, fresh or frozen fruits, flax seeds, dry oats, dextrose, milk or frozen yogurt.
Bagels
Many guys struggle with time issues when it comes to work, workouts and cooking up healthful meals. Therefore, selecting foods that are easily transportable but conducive to weight gain is the answer.
Bagels fit this bill perfectly; all you need to do is throw a few into your lunch and snack on them at various points during the day. Simply eating three large bagels each day will put you 1,000 calories over what you normally eat, which should most definitely get that weight gain moving.
Salmon
Finally, the last protein source you want to make sure is included in your diet is salmon. Salmon, again, is more calorie dense than many other fish, and provides plenty of protein and healthy fat.
Aiming to eat salmon at least three times a week should be your mission to not only increase your weight gain, but also optimize your health.
satiating the hardgainer
So, if you haven???t gained weight in the last few months, have a really hard look at what you???re putting on your plate. Hardgainers need to make sure that their plates are being filled up at least five times a day with items found on this hardgainer grocery list.
Here is the lowdown on a hardgainers diet and what a hardgainer grocery list needs to look like:
Hardgainer defined
Before discussing the hardgainer grocery list, you need to understand exactly what a hardgainer is and check that your workouts and current diet are conducive for muscle gain.
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
* Are you taking at least two days a week off from lifting and one day for complete rest?
* Are you incorporating the ???big 5??? (the squat, deadlift, shoulder press, row, and bench press) exercises in your program?
* Are your gym sessions no longer than one hour long?
* Have you ever totaled how many calories you are eating during the day? If yes, is the total at least 15 times your body weight?
* Are you eating at least one gram of protein per pound of body weight?
If you answered no to any of these questions, you may not be a hardgainer; work on fixing the issue and see if results start coming. If, on the other hand, you are doing all of the things listed above, then you need to really look at your diet and create a hardgainer grocery list.
Unless you???re supplying your body with more building blocks and energy to build new muscle tissue over and above what it???s currently using to maintain your body as is, weight gain will not happen. This part of the equation is the No. 1 reason why guys struggle to gain muscle.
However, you can get around this by choosing your foods carefully.
What dietary adjustments need to be made
Once you establish that you are a hardgainer, you need to eat according to certain dietary principles.
First, you need to eat foods that are as dense with calories as possible, but low in terms of volume. If you eat foods that pack a lot of fiber or have high water content, you???ll get full and bloated before you meet your caloric needs.
For this reason, foods such as fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, popcorn, diet sodas, egg whites, and so on must be avoided in large quantities. Fruits and vegetables are obviously important for good health, but you really don???t need much to meet your nutritional requirements.
The hardgainer grocery list
The hardgainer grocery list should focus on:
Dry oatmeal
Dry oatmeal should be on every hardgainer grocery list, because it???s a great way to double up on your calories without feeling overly stuffed. Top it with some sliced banana, drench it in milk and you have a good, high-calorie breakfast. You can also sprinkle protein powder on it to really boost the protein content.
We???ve just gotten started with our hardgainer grocery list Nuts
It cannot be said enough: If you are trying to build muscle and aren???t eating nuts (apart from having allergies to them), you are making a huge mistake. Nuts are loaded with calories (over 800 per cup) and healthy fats, which supplies the body with lots of muscle-building energy. Also, the fats will help boost testosterone levels, furthering the muscle gains you experience.
Whole eggs
When you???re trying to build muscle, don???t dump the yolk. Yes, there is some cholesterol in it, but as long as you aren???t eating a dozen whole eggs a day, you should be OK. Some saturated fat in your diet is OK, provided you are making a conscious effort to get mono and polyunsaturated fat as well. Nuts, as stated above, will help you out with this.
Lean red meat
When it comes to getting your protein, red meat is often a concentrated source of calories. Red meat also provides the body with iron, which is important for getting oxygen to your growing muscle cells.
Olive oil
You should already know by now that olive oil is another terrific source of fats. Additionally, when you drizzle it on your salad, the fat in the oil will help release the antioxidants found in the vegetables.
Dried fruit
As said above, fresh fruit, while nutritious, isn???t going to be your best option when you???re a hardgainer. Dried fruit, on the other hand, has way more calories per 100 grams and is still a good source of fiber and vitamins.
Many dried fruits are very tasty when tossed into a salad, added to a trail mix or simply eaten plain after a hard workout or as an afternoon snack.
Homemade protein shakes
Instead of opting for a weight gainer, which can often be filled with simple sugars and unhealthy fats, create your own protein shake.
Take a couple scoops of protein powder and blend it with any of the following: Low-sugar yogurt, peanut butter, fresh or frozen fruits, flax seeds, dry oats, dextrose, milk or frozen yogurt.
Bagels
Many guys struggle with time issues when it comes to work, workouts and cooking up healthful meals. Therefore, selecting foods that are easily transportable but conducive to weight gain is the answer.
Bagels fit this bill perfectly; all you need to do is throw a few into your lunch and snack on them at various points during the day. Simply eating three large bagels each day will put you 1,000 calories over what you normally eat, which should most definitely get that weight gain moving.
Salmon
Finally, the last protein source you want to make sure is included in your diet is salmon. Salmon, again, is more calorie dense than many other fish, and provides plenty of protein and healthy fat.
Aiming to eat salmon at least three times a week should be your mission to not only increase your weight gain, but also optimize your health.
satiating the hardgainer
So, if you haven???t gained weight in the last few months, have a really hard look at what you???re putting on your plate. Hardgainers need to make sure that their plates are being filled up at least five times a day with items found on this hardgainer grocery list.
