What is a “hardgainer”?
A Hardgainer is a genetically typical person (if there is such a thing). To be more specific he/she is born with no special genetic ‘gifts’ which enable them to pack on muscle mass quickly. Such people cannot gain lots of strength using VOLUME training, but a hardgainer can make impressive gains using less frequent workouts with considerably less volume. Estimates of the percentage of the population who are “hardgainers” range from 60% (Steve Holman, in his book “The Home Gym Handbook” from Ironman Publications) to 95% (Some writers in “Hardgainer” magazine). The authors of this FAQ believe this percentage to be at least 85%. On this percentage, maybe we should call ourselves NORMALgainers? 🙂 We grant that some people (the lucky few?) can make great gains using 4-6 days a week using split routines and lots of hours in the gym as the pros do. However these people are in the minority, and hardgainers who use these routines will only overtrain, perhaps making decent gains at first, but
