In many ways I’m still a hardgainer newbie. I have a long way to go until I’m no longer skinny, but I am making progress with my strength (and that’s what really matters at first – size can come later). But even so, if you’re just getting started, what are the most important things to do and think about?
- There are no quick results. You’re not going to become huge overnight, so stop dreaming about that possibility and stay away from “get big quick” schemes. Instead, embrace the long term mindset, and be content with building strength with a sustainable approach that involves changing your lifestyle rather than tacking on training to your existing priorities.
- Choose one exercise and start with that. Any exercise will do – the point is to just inch a bit closer to your goals and also attain the ability to form habits. For me, I started with the pull up and spent a good 2-3 months doing that exercises, 3 times per week. Not only did I build noticeable muscles on my arms, I found it much easier to add in other exercises like squats to my routine. It’s slower, but this approach helps to eliminate uncertainty.
- Keep things simple. You don’t need to go to a gym. You don’t need much (or even any) equipment. Supplements are a waste of time. In fact, anything marketers tell you that you “must” have are probably lying. Strength is built through lifting heavy things, proper nutrition and getting a good night’s sleep – as long as your following those principles you don’t need the latest fancy gadget promising a six pack overnight.
- Sustainability is more important than effectiveness. If you really push yourself hard for one week and then never train again your effort will be wasted. But, if you ease the pressure and take your time to progressively lift heavier weights over a longer period of time you’ll make considerable progress. Never risk injury, but if you have the option to be less effective in favour of taking the road that you know you can stick with, I say take it. Sacrifice effectiveness if there’s a decent chance you’ll quit because of it.
- Recovery is where the magic happens. It’s tempting to train like a mad man at first, but, even though this seems like the semi-heroic thing to do, it’s a really bad idea in terms of making progress and your own well-being. Contrary to popular belief, muscle is built when you’re not training. The training itself places stress on your muscles, forcing them to adapt, but the adaptation process occurs in the downtime, mostly when you’re sleeping. Get plenty of rest and never train more than 3 times per week.
Oh, and also: make sure you actually get started with strength training. It’s easy to read about this kind of stuff and never take action. Just do something though and before you know it you’ll be building momentum towards a healthier and stronger you.
