“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them: A desire, a dream, a vision.”
-Muhammad Ali
“When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier.”
-Roy Oliver Disney
So you want to pack on pounds of rock-solid mass! That is your desire… your ambition…your vision. You sit there and only imagine what it would be like to appear as tough as Ali, as strong as Frank Zane, or as Herculean as Steve Reeves… or whoever it is you look up to.
“Oh how different my life would be if only I could look like that!” You may question. “All the women would want me then. I would be rich, famous, and cool. I would be the envy of all men and finally win the respect and admiration that I rightfully deserve.”
“Too bad my genetics suck, I have always been scrawny.”
“If only I was younger/older/richer and had the time to devote to training.”
“I’ve tested everything and still can’t pull in an ounce of muscle”
“Oh yeah, and you have to take steroids to look like those guys.”
“I feed on loads of food and still can’t grow. It’s hard eating that much food.”
“Nothing I do seems to work for me. I guess I merely can not make any muscle.”
“I am a hardgainer… that is all there is to it… I give up!”
Well there you go! You know you are right… your genetics do really suck. You do not have the time at any rate, and besides, after all, you are a hardgainer. No hardgainer has ever been successful.
There isn’t a chance in **** that you will be able to reach any significant muscle additions. So yeah, you are in all probability doing the right thing by throwing in the towel. I mean why waste all of this hard work and effort on something that’s completely out of your grasp anyway. You gave it a shot and it didn’t work out. Now, you are merely being realistic.
I mean that’s what a CHAMPION would do right?
WRONG!!!!!!!!!
Foremost, champions don’t give up… they might fail to arrive at a goal or lose a match, but they never give up. They pick themselves up, dust them selves off, learn their lessons and then act accordingly. A champion realizes that there is no such thing as failure until you’ve truly given up. If you never throw in the towell, then each set-back, each problem, or any disappointment you face is plainly another lesson… another test of your true character.
Now don’t get me wrong, it is crucial to be realistic about what you are able to attain… if by realistic you mean truthful and accurate in your interpretation of reality.
For example, if you are an ectomorph and training drug free it’s very unrealistic to think you can train and eat to become the size of a modern professional bodybuilder like Jay Cutler.
I recall reading a story about him where he stated that the first time he bench pressed he was able to lift 315 lbs. True or not… I’m not so sure. However, it’s possible though, particularly when you consider that he is a 5′9″ with near-perfect muscle building genetics. Jay usually weighs 250-280 lbs at contest and 280-320 lbs off season. Plus, it’s virtually a given that he is a lil’ heavy on the juice (and I am not talking fruit juice!) He still worked hard to achieve his body though. So I give him credit for what he has reached.
All is not lost though if you don’t have the perfect genetics and want to train naturally. It’s crucial to realize that no matter what your genetics or situation you can still add muscle to your body. It is not unrealistic to add anywhere from 15-75lbs of mass or more… depending on what age you start training and how disciplined you are willing to be. We’ll talk more about this when I get to goal setting. The point I am trying to make is… yes be realistic… but also remember that a champion also has to be somewhat idealistic or optimistic in what they can and will achieve with their lives.
Recall, as Ali alluded to in the beginning quote, a champion has a dream and a vision in their mind and that dream and vision is so secure, so compelling, and so tangible to them that they’ll stop at absolutely nothing until that desire has been accomplished. You see they have made it true in their minds so it is just a matter of time before it becomes a reality in their physical world.
Lastly, Champions don’t think self-defeating thoughts like the ones listed above. In all honesty, they may have at some point in their lives, but at that point they weren’t considered champions. At some defining minute in their lives, the true champion recognizes that negative thoughts only work to defeat and limit you to what you can become. It is at that point that they loose the need to think about any other outcome except for the outcome they desire. If a negative thought comes into their mind, they quickly drop it and replace it with a positive one.
You must realize that any affirmation you make to yourself or out loud is an statement to the universe about who you are. Ali did not say “I’m okay!” or “I’m pretty good!” No, he yelled “I’m the best!”
So choose for yourself, right now, what you want to be.
Do you want to be a hardgainer or do you want to be a champion? If you choose to be a champion, then drop the hardgainer mantra and excuses straight off. They will only hinder you from being what you are able to become.
Loose the Hardgainer Delusion Once and For All
What? The hardgainer delusion… Are you trying to say there’s no such thing as a hardgainer? After all, this is hardgainermusclebuilding.com. You guys of all people should know about the plight of the hardgainer… our inability to gain muscle mass no matter how much we eat… no matter how hard we train… regardless on how relentlessly we try. How can you call it the hardgainer delusion? I’m not deluded… am I?
Settle down “skinny”…. You’re burning off too many calories!
Here is the truth: YES, there are hardgainers and NO, you’re not deluding yourself.
Here is another fact: NO, there are not hardgainers, and YES, you’re deluding yourself.
Now that I have thoroughly baffled you… let me break it down!
Everybody, and by everybody I mean any ordinary joe or jane without some debilitating disease or circumstance, can acquire muscle. Yes, everybody is unique and there are different body types, which cause some indivuals to have more or less trouble in adding muscular size. For example, the ectomorph (due to their inherent genetic make-up) has a more challenging time acquiring muscle than say the mesomorph or endomorph. So, if there really are hardgainers out there, the ectomorph body type would fill the bill of being a “true” hardgainer.
That being said, it’s not unimaginable for an ectomorph to rapidly gain muscle mass if they understand the reasons why their genetics are inferior for muscle growth compared to the other somatotypes and take the appropriate measures to overpower those limitations. In other words, the ectomorph must work out and eat in a way that is congruent with his body type. In doing so, one will prevail over any inherited shortcomings and will be able to create an athletic and muscular physique that maximizes their genetic potential.
There are two problems with using the term hardgainer to define your self. Firstly, it can be used as an excuse or blaming mechanism to shift responsibility away from your self. Secondly, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy that will keep you small and weak for life.
A lot of “normal” people underestimate the dedication, discipline, and hard work that goes into building a champion physique. Combine that with our “we want it yesterday” mindset that is so prevalent in the world today and some people easily become frustrated at their lack of progress.
Instead of accepting responsibility and grasping the truth that their lack of results stem from something (or a lot of things) that they’re either doing (or not doing)… they select to blame their genetics and cry out with despair… “I must be a hardgainer!” Now they have officially shifted the blame off of themselves and put it on their parents.
Actually, the reason why they aren’t gaining muscle is related to their training, nutrition, recovery, or mindset habits. One or more of the four pillars needs some tweaking, which means they will have to acknowledge that the problem is in truth within themselves and make the appropriate alterations to their lifestyle. Modifying your habits can be arduous work, so it’s a lot easier to merely blame mom and dad.
Now let’s look at the second issue with labeling yourself a hardgainer. Not only is the hardgainer identity a convenient excuse for your lousy results, it also becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. The more you identify with and call yourself a hardgainer, the more you actually become one.
As Henry Ford once said, “Whether you can or can’t… either way you’re right.”
How do you expect to gain muscle rapidly when you are constantly telling yourself that you are a hardgainer or have bad genetics or can not succeed or any of the negative affirmations listed at the beginning of this post?
You’ll never win if you continue to harbor and affirm such negative, self-defeating thoughts. It’s weak thoughts like these that are keeping you small and weak. If you want to be big and strong you must think big, strong, powerful thoughts.
“You become what you think about” -Napoleon Hill
You are going to hear this a great deal on our website, and the sooner you truly grasp this fact and understand that this is the key to living a fulfilling life… the sooner you’ll be able to completely transform your body and life into anything you imagine.
“With your thoughts you make the world” –The Buddha
Brandon Cook
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About the Author:
Brandon Cook is creator of The Awakened Warrior Blog, and co-creator of HardgainerMuscleBuilding.com, a website specifically designed to instruct the hardgainer the laws and scientific principles for building a classic, muscular and functional physique.
HargainerMuscleBuilding.com features a free email class covering the basic principles of training naturally, eating a nutritious, muscle-building diet, and understanding the truth about supplements. The website is filled with free articles, videos, and the programs you need to create your ideal body.