THE “HARDGAINER’S” GUIDE FOR MUSCLE GROWTH

Fit man with a rope to present a Guide for Muscle Growth

Are you tired of sifting through endless advertisements and gimmicky supplements promising overnight muscle growth? If you’re looking to build muscle in a natural, sustainable way, you’re in the right place. Building muscle can be a challenging and rewarding journey, but it requires patience, dedication, and a solid understanding of the body’s natural processes. In this article, we’ll explore the science behind muscle growth and provide practical tips for achieving your muscle-building goals without relying on unnatural methods. So if you want to discover the keys to building strong, healthy muscles naturally, our complete guide for natural muscle growth it´s what you need!

What you will learn in this article:

Can you build muscles with calisthenics?

Man at age 18 and 35 showing the difference after 17 years of calisthenics

To start with a reliable example we will have a look at Sven´s transformation. Sven has done push ups and pull ups since he was 12 years old and started with Weight Training at 16. At the age of 27 he shifted his focus on to Calisthenics and begun with serious skill training for movements like Levers, Handstand, Planche, Muscle Ups and so on . Altough he doesn’t follow a strict “Bodybuilding Training Style” he was able to build an aesthetic physique with Calisthenics.

So how can you do the same? Well, there are 3 key point you have to follow, especially if you’re a hardgainer!

Progress needs time and consistency

Man showing the before and after of a Drug Free Body Transformation

To build a good physique you have to be consistent because progress needs time. Especially as a Hardgainer and if you want to stay drug free! Yes, the web is full of short time transformation videos but for most of the people it will be a long time process. 

Great physiques are usually built over years, not weeks or months. This being said you should know that you will still build a lot of muscle mass in the first year of training. This happens because your body is not used to working out. The more your body gets used to it, the slower the progress gets. On the other hand the more time passes by, the more experience you get. 

This means that you will learn to train more effectively. The feeling for your muscles and how you should train them gets better with every year. You will notice what works and what doesn’t work for you. So even if you’ve maxed out your “newbie gains” after the first year you will break through another plateau because you are able to optimize your training.

The role of genetics in muscle growth

Man with muscles during a calistehnics workout

Another important topic of this complete guide for natural muscle growth is genetics. Most people don’t wanna hear it, but genetics will always play a role. Some people respond better to working out and will build muscle mass very quickly and easily, while others struggle with it. To stay motivated, you shouldn’t compare yourself to others directly. Do the best you can do and make the most of your potential. If you constantly put effort in your training you will be able to build a very good physique.

Effective training: the ingredients for building muscle

  • Image showing the key points of an Effective training
  • Image with Rest periods between sets
  • Graph with Sets for Beginner and Advanced workout

Many people waste their time with wrong programming and ineffective training methods and because of that, don’t get the best results. A key point for grwoth is the right balance between training and rest, between overload and regeneration. A good program also focuses consistency, but leaves enough room for variation, so that you’ll never plateau for too long. 

The most important points for spotting a good workout program are:

  • the implementation of different training methods and techniques
  • the selection of the right resistance (which means how much weight or which progression of an exercise you use)
  • the correct rest times that are adapted to the rep range and difficulty of the exercise
  • the correct training volume (which means how much reps, sets and exercises you do)
  • the right training frequency (which means how often you train per week)
  • and that the routine challenges but doesn´t destroy you

Why you shouldn’t overdo it

All these points are important and you also have to know that training more or training harder is not always the best way. Keep in mind that your muscles grow during rest periods and not during a workout. This is one of the most challenging points, because everyone responds differently and you have to find out what works best for you. Usually most people are either doing too little or too much. They are either highly motivated, want to train every day and go all out in every session or they have a hard time to motivate themselves and train on a regular basis. Both ways will not work in the long term and you have to find the sweet spot between those two. 

If you want to build as much muscle mass as possible you should follow a Hypertrophy Focused Training. There are some general rules about this kind of training but there is no single secret routine you can follow for a lifetime. If you want to know how a hypertrophy focused calisthenics workout should look like, you check our Body Transformation Program on calimove.com.

How nutrition powers muscle growth

Image of an Healthy meal for muscle growth

The last key point of our hardgainer guide for natural muscle growth is nutrition. When it comes to building muscle you also have to get your nutrition on point. Here are a few basic tips you should follow. 

  • Drink enough water.
  • Get enough calories: If you want to build up muscle mass you should aim for a calorie surplus. Try to be around 300 – 500 calories above your total daily energy expenditure. More than that is not necessary in most cases and will only lead to more fat than muscle mass. You can get your calories through fats and carbohydrates. Some people prefer a high carb and low fat diet while others get the best results with a low carb and high fat diet
  • Get protein to build muscle: You can aim for a daily intake of 2g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.  
  • Get enough vitamins and minerals: Normally your body gets enough of these if you eat food with a high nutritional value. If not, it’s also possible to supplement, zinc, omega 3, vitamin d3 in combination with K2 in winter or vitamin B12 if you don’t eat meat. 

Need help with nutrition? If you´re looking for a healthy diet that fits your body, your needs and your workouts, take a look at our nutrition programs.

Watch Sven’s transformation

Did you like our complete guide for natural muscle growth? Watch the video to learn more!

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