If you are a hardgainer , someone who struggles to gain muscle mass like me This article is just right for you!

In this article, I’ll share my three strategies for building lean mass in a healthy and clean way. I mainly rely on high-quality, natural ingredients or wouldn’t you just fill up with Super Plus in your sports car !?

I’ve been a Paleo Coach  and advise people on how to “ clean ”Achieve their health and fitness goals. With the help of this article you can adjust your diet properly so that you can finally pack a few kilos on the crucial points.

What is the problem with a hardgainer?

It is very difficult for a hardgainer to gain weight, even when consuming large amounts of food. On the one hand, he stays so slim, on the other hand, he can only build muscles with difficulty … at least that’s the general opinion.

One thing is for sure, the gain of “clean” weight is a goal and goal for every fitness enthusiast Challenge. By “clean” I mean foods that are natural, little processed and rich in nutrients . Maybe you already know the term “clean eating” or the paleo diet?

Sure, with the right amount of “ Junk food calories ”can also increase their weight for hard gainers, but the increase in muscle mass with only a small increase in body fat is much more difficult to achieve. The three principles for success in building muscle remain training, nutrition and regeneration . Only those who take these factors sufficiently into account will achieve the dream body in the long term.

I will only deal with the topic of nutrition in this article, but I would like to emphasize that better muscle building for hard gainers only works in combination with the other factors.

Three rules for a-clean-weight gain

Eat more“ clean ”calories

First of all, the current ACTUAL state must be determined. If you want to gain weight, you have to consume more calories than you consume. As a hardgainer, this principle is all the more important, so it makes sense to track your daily calorie intake for a few days . There are various useful apps on the market for this.

It often becomes clear that consumption and intake are not optimally explored. Many athletes struggling to gain weight simply don’t eat enough calories! A hardgainer needs a clear calorie surplus, which in reality is often missed or just reached.

I’ll say it very clearly at this point. Everyone can build weight and muscle mass. Anyone who struggles at this point must ask themselves whether they approach meal planning and implementation with the same intensity as their training!

I spoke to a few fitness freaks from my circle of acquaintances and they all confirmed the following when it came to weight gain: Better to train a day than to miss a single meal. That is the mentality with which every hardgainer will put on weight!

So building weight above all requires planning, organization, discipline and at the end of the day it is hard work. But those who really eat 5-6 correct meals a day will also gain weight in the end!

I admit that determining calories is an imprecise science. However, it remains undisputed that you are not consuming enough calories if you do not gain weight. So it makes sense to approach the topic in any case. How many calories does your body need every day? To find out what your calorie requirement is per day, you first have to measure your basal metabolic rate .

The basal metabolic rate is then added to the performance metabolic rate. Anyone who only sits or lies down due to their age multiplies the basal metabolic rate by 1.2, light office work is roughly 1.5 times and physical activities are around 1.8 to 2.0. Above this rank people who do competitive sports or do heavy physical work and have a PAL factor of up to 2.5.

300-500 calories are now added to get a calorie surplus .

Another strategy: record your calorie intake for at least 3 days. The calculated average is now added with a plus of 300-500 calories per day, which is consumed with meals.

Always keep in mind that your body first has to get used to this new amount of calories. A new saturation threshold has to form. You eat as much as you eat because your body has been maintaining internal homeostasis for a while. This is the main reason why you have problems gaining weight.

The right energy density for more calories in your daily diet

One of the most common mistakes I see in hardgainers: Too many low-calorie, but very filling, foods. Perfect for losing weight, but not for building body mass. For example, the baked potato is extremely filling, just like a large soup. This is due to the large amount of water and the fiber supplied.

The calorie density is low, which means that the meal will certainly fill you up, but only for a few hours, since it contains too few calories are. Products that contain a lot of fat and / or starch have a high density of energy.

Those who want to gain weight should therefore consume foods with a higher energy density. Healthy foods with a medium energy density (1.5 – 2.5 kcal / g) are grain products such as bread, muesli, pasta and rice, lentils, meat and dairy products such as cream cheese, quark and full-fat yogurt . An even higher energy density (> 2.5 kcal / g) have butter, whipped cream, olive oil or nuts, i.e. foods that are very high in fat.

Strength athletes and especially hard gainers also need it Fat. Fats, like proteins, are essential for survival (by the way, this does not apply to carbohydrates). With 910 kcal, fats have the highest calorific value per 100 grams (proteins and carbohydrates each have a calorific value of approx. 410 kcal per 100 grams).

Most hard gainers simply do not eat enough fat and, above all, not enough Variety of high quality fat. Fats are the preferred energy source of our mitochondria, the body’s small cell power plants. Healthy fat consumption can make up between 30-60% of your total calorie intake. So don’t be afraid of fat! It’s fantastic and we all need to eat more of it.

These fats are “clean”, healthy and provide important macro and micronutrients:

• Oily fish: salmon, mackerel, sardines, etc.
  • Grazing animals: beef, bison, game, etc.
  • Coconut in all forms (MCT, oil, coconut milk)
  • butter and ghee
  • Olive oil
  • Avocados
  • Organ meat from healthy animals
  • Oysters
  • Raw, organic nuts / seeds (in moderation)
  • Egg yolks

Fat snacks for hardgainer as a supplement to the main meal:

• • • Half an avocado with sea salt
    • Two spoons of coconut oil and one spoon of honey
    • raw egg yolk
    • a can of fish (e.g. sardines)
    • tablespoon of olive oil or MCT oil
    • a piece of raw, high-quality cheese

mega-shakes with Make clean ingredients

It’s not always time to get a full meal to prepare it. At this point or as a supplement, the famous shakes are very popular in the fitness scene. I like to use them for late breakfast or right after training. For a hardgainer who wants to build and gain muscle mass properly, high-calorie shakes with high-quality ingredients in reasonable portions are very interesting .

A full-fledged shake can contain everything it needs to gain mass . It is important to treat the shake like a meal and to consume it slowly and relaxed. Below, I’ll show you a general blueprint for a full-fledged shake.

Mix your ingredients the way that suits you best. There are no hard and fast rules for making a shake, but it should contain liquid, fat and protein.

Sources of fat (2-4 Tablespoon)

• • • Coconut oil or MCT oil
    • Grass-fed butter
    • Grass-fed cream
    • Nut butter
    • Coconut milk
    • Coconut meat
    • Liquid fish oil
    • Raw chocolate or cocoa powder

conclusion

To gain weight, you need to eat more “clean” calories than you are doing now. Eating clean calories, such as a pimped paleo diet , increases your chance of gaining lean muscle mass with the least amount of fat gain.

First you should lose the fear of essential fatty acids, because without a doubt the right choice of fats will improve your health and at the same time adjust the current homeostasis of your body that keeps them from gaining weight.