HardGainer’s Diet: A Complete Meal Plan
In a follow up to the Advanced Nutrition Guidelines, and incorporating information from the Guide To Protein, Guide To Carbs, and Guide To Fats, this is Complete Meal Plan for a HardGainer. If you haven’t read the other Nutrition articles I strongly suggest you go back and read them first, as this article builds off that information, and I don’t want to be getting too deep into details that have already been covered.
I will cover a “day in the life” sort of layout, where you can shift meal timings and serving sizes to meet your daily routine and current weight. I want to emphasize that this is a very realistic diet plan, in the sense that a person on an average income, who goes to work or school, can pull off this diet. If you are looking for one of the “ideal” diets, with exactly 50 ounces of chicken, beef, or fish every meal etc. go to your local store and pick up your favorite bodybuilding magazine. I studied those diets for years, only to realized they are only really applicable to professional bodybuilders, and those of use who are super dedicated with a large bankroll to cover it.
As mentioned in the Basic Nutrition Guidelines, you need to eat 6-7 smaller meals spaced 2-3 hours apart:
Meal #1-Breakfast: 8:00am
- Whey Protein Shake (50 grams Protein)
- One of Either Oatmeal, Grits, or Sugar Free Cereal (40 grams Carbs)
- Glass of Milk (10 grams of Protein)
Meal #2-Snack: 10:00am
- Peanut Butter Sandwich (15 grams protein, 40 grams carbs, 20 grams fat)
Meal #3-Lunch: 1:00pm
- 1 cup of Chicken, Beef, or Fish (50 grams protein, 5 grams fat)
- 1 cup rice or potatoes (40 grams carbs)
- 1 cup Vegetables (20 grams carbs, 10 grams fibre)
- OR Tuna Sandwich (25 grams protein, 40 grams carbs, 5 grams fat)
- Glass of Milk (10 grams protein)
Meal #4-Snack: 4:00pm
- Peanut Butter Sandwich (15 grams protein, 40 grams carbs, 20 grams fat)
- Banana (10 grams carbs)
Workout: 5:00pm
Meal #5-Post-Workout: 6:00pm
- Whey Protein Shake (50 grams of Protein)
- 2 tablespoons Dextrose of Waxy Maize (15 grams carbs)
- 1/2 cup Rolled Oats (30 grams carbs)
Meal #6-Dinner: 8:00pm
- 1 cup of Chicken, Beef, or Fish (50 grams protein, 5 grams fat)
- 1 cup rice or potatoes (40 grams carbs)
- 1 cup Vegetables (20 grams carbs, 10 grams fibre)
- Glass of Milk (10 grams protein)
Meal #7-Before Bed Snack: 11:00pm
- Whey Protein Shake (50 grams of Protein) (if above 200lb)
- 1 cup Fat Free Cottage Cheese (50 grams of Protein)
Total Protein: 260 grams
Total Carbs: 335 grams
Total Fat: 55 grams
Following this high protein and high carb diet, Hardgainers can expect to gain 3-5 pounds per week. Slowly start building up to this ideal meal plan by adding in a small meal each day until you reach the required 6-7.
Like I said before, 85% of Bodybuilding and getting huge is Nutrition. This involves preparing food ahead of time, and making sure your fridge is always stocked.
I encourage everyone reading this to try out this diet for a minimum of 2 weeks and report back to me. You will see mass gains, you will gain muscle, and you will feel better about yourself.
How badly do YOU want it?
July 5th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
I would love to give this a try. I need something to work because I need to gain a lot of weight.
July 27th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Does this meal plan apply to non-workout days? If not what would the difference be?
August 2nd, 2008 at 2:25 am
foo,
This meal plan can easily be applied to non-workout days. Take the meals as listed, but in Meal #5, don’t add the Dextrose or Waxy Maize to your shake.
People often end up skipping that extra post workout protein shake on non-workout days, which is a big mistake considering it is on your off days that your muscles need the most protein to build and repair muscle.
August 6th, 2008 at 11:30 am
You’re doing a good thing with this site. I’m glad I came across it by just Googling it. Is that a word? Anyway. I’m going to give this a shot. Maybe my Dad WAS right when he said he used to eat PEanut butter and Jelly sandwiches back in the day when he was needing to gain weight.
I’ll do my best to keep track of weight and such. I’ll stick with the diet for a month. And try to update you every week. Feel free to e-mail me, so I can be in touch. I’m 138lbs and 5′10 at the moment. Have been training with a new routine now. Kind of like your 12-6 pyramid ideas. But 8,6,4,2 and then 50% of the first until failure. With just basic, old school lifts. Deads, bench, squats, bb curls, pulldowns, dips, you get the point. Last night I did 205lbs for my 2 rep weight. Perfect form, no cheat, and man it felt good.
I say that, to say this: I too feel that nutrition is the most important thing in any individuals fitness regimine(sp). I have tried a lot of different nutrition plans that I’ve found in the mags, and they work so, so. But I need one that is budget minded and simple. I don’t have a fridge here at work, so I need to only bring things that need to stay cool and eat them for my 10am. Blah blah.
I’m going to give this a shot and let you know what gains I see.
Do an article on WATER INTAKE. That too is very important to simple everyday life, regardless of lifting weights. JUST AN IDEA!
Peace.
August 14th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Here’s a meal plan I wouldnt mind having critiqued. I am 183 lbs 5′10″ (note started training at 160 and the 183 is not cut). Goal is to hit 190-200 then cut down. Questions are 1) Thoughts/Critiques in general 2) I worry I am gaining more body fat than muscle. Where should I cut? Or should I even worry about it until 190-195 and then cut down (cutting should be relatively easy - I participate in MMA). Any thoughts would be great!!!
515:
10 oz egg whites
1 c oats
1 bannana
1 scp whey
8 Size on (Creatine)
6 Mass (Aminos)
2 Nitrix
1 Megamen (Multivitamin)
1 CoQ10 with Hawthorn
630 workout (10 gms glutamine)
730
3 scoops whey
1 med potato
6 Mass (Amino)
2 Nitrix
10:30
10 oz egg whites
1 whole wheat bagel
12:30
7 oz chicken
2 cups whole wheat pasta
3:30
10 oz egg whites
1 scp True Mass (Protein/carbs from BSN)
2 c Oats
6:30
6 oz chicken (Switch up with steak/fish)
1 c aspargus
1 mega men (multivitamin)
6 Mass (Amino)
1 Fish Oil
1 Chromium Picolinate
9:30
2 scoops caseine
1 scoop whey
2 Nitrix
2 Novedex (testosterone booster)
August 17th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
Ryan,
Thanks for stopping by my blog. First of all, that is a very well thought out diet, and its refreshing to see someone who takes so much time and effort to do that. Everything looks good except for your last meal. It seems like it would be quite the feat to take 3 scoops of protein down like that. Have you thought about having perhaps a cup of cottage cheese or yogurt at this meal, and then having say 1 casein scoop and 1 whey scoop. Other than that, your diet looks great!
From my experience, its best to overshoot your target weight, and then slowly cut down once per year. You don’t want to get in the habit of gaining 10 pounds and then trying to cut down 5 more. You just end up spinning your wheels like that. If your at 183 right now, I suggest you bulk to around 200, and then cut down slowly to a nice lean 195.
If you have any more questions let me know!
August 27th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
hey man, i have been peaking like mad, and i need to switch things up. so i plan on bookmarking your site, and using it for 4 weeks to see what i can come up with.
one question though. when you say one cup rice, do you mean one cup cooked rice? because i’ll put one cup brown rice and 2 1/2 cups water into my rice cooker, and supposedly i’ll get 3 1/2 cups rice.
August 29th, 2008 at 12:57 am
somedude,
I mean 1 cup cooked rice. Try to use brown or whole grain rice.
September 9th, 2008 at 11:13 am
How many calories would this meal plan have???
December 10th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
I am a fellow hardgainer as well. I started my training at 6′1 approx. 148lbs. It has been 1 month exactly and I am now 154lbs. I know 6lbs is not a lot, but I was never able to gain before, I mean at all. Below is my daily diet, (it does not vary much from what is below). PLEASE let me know if there needs to be any adjustments. (I drink approx. 1 gal water each day as well, in addition to at least 8 hours sleep each night).
Breakfast 7:30am
2 scoops Isopure, w/ 8oz whole milk, 1 scoop pecan icecream and 1 banana
2 scrambed eggs w/1 pc american cheese
Snack 10:00am
2 packs oatmeal
1 juice
Lunch 1:00pm Lunch
8-10oz chicken
large serving rice
large serving vegetable
Snack 3:00pm
4 tbls peanut butter
mid size serving of fruit
Pre-workout meal 6:00pm
2 PPJ sandwhiches, 10-16oz milk
Workout, 6:00-6:45pm
Post workout 7:00-7:15pm
2 scoops Isopure, w/8oz whole milk, 1 banana, 1 scoop pecan icecream
Dinner 8:00pm
8-10oz meat
1 large serving potatoes
1 large serving vegetable
Last meal 10:00pm
1 PPJ sandwhich
1 8oz whole milk
December 16th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
im 5 10 and 130lbs and i cant gain for nothin any suggestions w/o blowin my wallet?
January 5th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
I’ve just discovered this site.. and if you guys thought you all had it rough as hardgainers.. what til’ you read MY stats:
22 yrs old
5′ 10″
109.8 lbs
Yes thats right, 109.8 lbs and 5′10.
One other thing.. I’m reading over this diet and honestly I don’t think I can consume THAT much food.. I sit at a desk from 8-5, workout around 7ish daily. I’ve gained mass from just increasing my food intake, but I’m at 109.
I must ask.. for a guy my size.. Do you think if I cut back the intake on the food I would still gain? I’m having a hard time gaining, because I don’t enjoy eating like most other people… Its like I have an appetite disorder or something to that extent.
What is the best way for me to increase the amounts of food I’m able to intake without feeling sick after I eat? Thanks for the help!
January 7th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Hey Ben, I’d reccomend buying weight gain protein powders. Add that with water or milk/chocolate milk and drink that an hour or right after a workout. It will help with repairing those muscles and at the same time increase your calorie intake and slow down your metabolism to an extent.
I’ve had good results just from about 3 nice sized meals a day / protein shakes or chocolate milk. Studies say chocolate milk is even better for you for recovery after a workout.
I think for someone your age+weight it’s going to take commitment to put on some muscle and increase your weight. I’d really reccommend not skimping on a meal if you havn’t had anything for 6 + hours, good luck!
January 22nd, 2009 at 11:11 pm
im 114. 5′3″ and im 15 years old. yeah i know, short and skinny. but whatever.
this meal plan seems really easy to follow from what i have been trying and im ready to start it.
also, i have gymnastics in a month and we do alot of conditioning, i regurly work out but will gymnastics help even more?
as well as mixed martial arts which im starting in the summer.
January 29th, 2009 at 2:12 am
yo kevin, don’t worry about it, I’m 120 5′4″ and 16 years old
great blog man, i’m reading em all trying to catch up
February 3rd, 2009 at 4:40 pm
hey there ive just discovered your site and was wondering iam doing some strength and fitness training ie sand bag training weights and body wieght and chin ups all variations training for mma i found my workout on ross enamaits site would the hardgainers diet work for to bulk up with muscle iam thinking of giving it a go iam currently 30yrs old 5 10″ tall about 147lbs at 14.5% body fat i would like to bulk up to about 180 lbs eventually but would like to get to about 160lbs for october would your hardgainers diet work for me with the training iam currently doing
February 6th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
That’s a lot of food! Can a person digest and assimilate 60 grams of protein in one meal? I’ve always understood the max was around 30-40 grams…I guess everybody’s different.
March 22nd, 2009 at 10:42 pm
yo good meal plan but that much protien through shakes might be high gainers do hve about 60g of protien in then but it is smarter to take a 2/3 shake so 2 scoops instead of 3, your post workout shake only needs 20g protien thats all muscles need now a little extra wont hurt but 60 is overkill
otherwise good diet 2 much penut butter can find cleaner fats to use
just my 2 cents but good post
March 24th, 2009 at 9:57 am
260 grams of protein? That seems kinda rediclious, thats more than 36 percent of you whole diet and 1.6X your body weight in grams of protein. You should go read some arctiles, written by certified nutritionists and see how that much protein can actually be detrimental to your body. 20% protein is the maximum you want. Go to bodybuilding.com(I am not an affiliate or in anyway endorsing this site) and you will see the general rule of thumb is 1x you body weight in portein, and some people even say that is excessive.
Also, another chance for you to read a real nutritionists or doctors advice.. YOU PHYSICALLY CANNOT gain more than 1 lb per week of muscle, the anabolistic traits of mucle restrict the amount it can grow. Its a fact man, 2-3 lbs per week will be 1-2 lbs of fat per week if not more.
Its sad to see this garbage posted, your not doing anyone a favour. This is just more crap smeared on over another unfortunate partition of the internet.
Cottage cheese is awesome though.
March 31st, 2009 at 11:59 pm
HI um where do i get Dextrose of Waxy Maize also when i have my Peanut Butter Sandwich can i put jam in it ? also when i eat 1 cup Fat Free Cottage Cheese can i eat some other cheese cause i dont like the taste of cottage cheese? thanks
April 8th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Anyone try P90x for bulking? It seems more for people that want to lose pounds. I already bought the program, but haven’t started. I’m 5′9 155 and lean. I would like to work up to a very lean 165-170. Is this possible with a good diet and this work out? thanks
April 13th, 2009 at 5:48 am
In reply to Zach’s comment on March 24th.
I am 25, 5′11 and began training and eating properly (eating 6+ meals per day, high carb/protien…) on January 28th 2009, Weighing 130lb. Todays date is April 13th 2009. Approx 75 days or 2 1/2 mths. I weighed myself in the middle of typing this on digital scales (the same that took the initial reading) and they read 154lb.
1. 154lb - 130 = 24lb
2. Hence 24lb weight gain.
3. 10 weeks duration. (give or take 1-2 days)
4. 24/10 = 2.4lb per week.
I don’t expect this to continue at the same rate, but it proves it can be done.
BTW. my body fat level has hovered around 10-12% over the course of my training.
No offense but you don’t appear to have much experience on this topic. You also can’t believe everything you read ( due to the anabalistic traits……. blah blah). BTW i’m pretty sure my conversions are correct. started at 59.5KG and am now 70KG….
It’s amazing what you can achieve when you push yourself to the limit.
April 13th, 2009 at 9:13 am
In response to Allan’s comment on April 13th.
Several points that should be brought to your attention about why you think you gained more muscle than you did.
1. See as how its 5:48 AM and your typing in a blog, you probably got up around 5; ate breakfast (since you follow a strick nutrition plan) and THEN you weighed yourself. Problem with this is you must weight yourself at the same time of day each time you weight yourself, and before you eat breakfast. Your weight will vary greatly based on the time of day.
2. Also, an increase in body fat of 2% might not seem like a lot, but relatively I can be. Since I see you like math here goes. 154(final weight - done incorrectly by you most likely) X by .002 = 3 pounds of fat. That is pure fat, there is no muscle there.
3. A portion of this weight gain you achieved is water weight and increased glycogen stores from the carb loading and working out.
Be honest with yourself and add together these errors and you’ll see, you can’t gain more than a 1lb per week.
Now your probably going to tell me I’m all wrong and this isn’t true and that I’m an idiot, but thats your problem not mine. You really cannot gain more than 1lb of muscle per week, its a fact. Just to note, Anabolistic (which you spelt wrong by the way), in lamens terms (just for you) means muscle “building/growing” traits . The anabolistic traits is simply a term describing what the muscle can and can’t do. One of these traits is the muscle can only repair so fast, no matter how hard you workout and how much you eat it will only repair to the equivalent of 1lb per week. Seeing as how you didn’t understand that you probably are the one that doesn’t have much experience on the topic.
And since I know you don’t believe me, here is a guy with a B.s.c that thinks your worng too. Then again your smarter than him too aren’t you?
http://www.gain-weight-muscle-fast.com/gain-lean-muscle-mass.html
Oh and the amount you can gain will deminish with time, to the range of about .5 lbs per week.
**Caution:Extreme Sarcasm**
Not you though, according to my calculation you will be 460lbs heavier in 4 years because your going to keep gaining 2lbs of muscle every week, oh and your super determined and thats why.
April 13th, 2009 at 9:29 am
In response to Pete’s question on April 8th.
P90x looks like an awesome program and I know several guys on my hockey team that lost a bunch of weight using it.
From all this positive feedback I was contemplating using the program myself to gain muscle mass. After a while I decided that I’d stick with the gym, after all it was working quite well.
If you are brand new to weight lifting it might be somwhere to start, you will get your muscles used to the method of constant change and overload. The problem is after a while with bodyweight exercises and light weights you are using will not be providing your body with ENOUGH constant overload to keep the muscles growing.
After a while your muscles won’t be challenged very much anymore and therefore don’t need anymore muscle, knowing it can cope with the muscle it already has. The workout basically becomes a really good cardio routine.
I would do P90X for the first 30 days and then sign up for the gym. If you aren’t new to working out, your probably already strong enough that with just your body weight and small weights you won’t be challenged enough. The nice thing about doing bodyweight stuff at the gym like dips is after you get really good with them you can start adding weight(strapping weight to youself) to make sure you are constantly overloading your muscles.
You said your already lean, so your goal is just to gain muscle so you should focus on weights and try to keep the cardio down so that those extra calories your eating don’t get wasted doing unnecessary cardio.
April 16th, 2009 at 3:26 am
can any one help me with what i said ? thanks
April 16th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
In response to Samuel March 31st 2009
I see your looking for Dextrose of waxy maize, which I really don’t know what that is. As far as I can see your probably looking for Corn Syrup. Dextrose (Sugar) of Corn(Waxy Maize)? That is very easy to find, not sure what you need it for though.
As for putting Jam on your peanut butter sandwhiches I would probably advise against it. Jam is very high in sugar - granted if it should be natural sugars. Try Peanut butter and banana sandwhiches, they are pretty tasty and less sugar.
The reason cottage cheese is such a great bodybuilding food is the high protein level with minimal fat content. You could try putting ground black pepper on it to add some taste. If you really hate it look around at your grocery store and see if you can find reduced fat cheese in the variety you normally get. I know there are reduced fat varietys for all the comon staple cheeses like cobalt and mozzarella. Also, if you drink a tall glass of milk about 2 cups that will give you about 20 grams of protein and you don’t really need the cheese. In the meal plan he talks about 100 grams of protein there which is really not necessary and possibly bad for your kidneys?
So don’t worry about doing the protein shake and eating the cheese, the protein shake will be plenty. You only need about 1X bodyweight in protein per day, little bit easier to manage. If your not gaining enough muscle and your doing everything else perfectly you can eat more protein but I don’t think your going to need it.
I hope this helped at all?
April 18th, 2009 at 1:12 am
Samuel,
You can pick up high quality Dextrose at any “Make your own wine store”. Try googling for one in your area, and then give them a call. They can give you a really good rate. Probably only $4-5 for a months supply.
I suggest cottage cheese late at night as its extremely high in casein protein while having no fat content at all. Choosing to add another “fatty” cheese to the mix would ruin the point. To be honest, I never liked cottage cheese initially either, but ate it purely for nutrition every night. Now I love it! My suggestion is go to the various grocery stores in your area and pick up a couple different brands of fat free cottage cheese. Some will be drier than others, and some will be slightly more salty than others. Taste them all, and see the one you like most!! I have to make a seperate trip each week to go to a small grocery just to get my cottage cheese supply!
April 21st, 2009 at 5:18 am
Thanks for the comment Zach.
You know you really sound like a little kid. I can only think you exercise yourself and don’t see results. I do. And big results. Although I have quit work and stopped smoking JUST to train. Another reason why I have huge results. Maybe thats why your so vindictive in your reply, going as far as telling me how i can’t spell words correctly and placing links to support your argument.
Btw I wrote that at 10-11pm not 5:48am as stated, so no I probably didn’t get up and eat breakfast and then weigh myself. I live I Australia…
I really can’t be F#%&*@ writing anymore because your assumptions are only that. ASSUMPTIONS! You think your words are facts but they are just your thoughts. Not facts. So don’t tell me i’m wrong or right because you don’t KNOW, you think……..
its 10:18pm. lets see what time I wrote my reply
April 22nd, 2009 at 3:13 pm
lol.. I don’t even need to respond to that one.
April 27th, 2009 at 12:19 am
HAY admin and Zach just want to say thanks for the help iam going to start this diet tomorrow wish me luck…..um i dont want to be gay or anything but has anyone got anypics of there results like before and after the diet thanks if you can please send it to my e-mail vxnice@hotmail.com thanks agian…dam i like my peanut butter jam sandwhiches lol thanks agian GUYS
May 21st, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Ha, pretty funny how Zach points out someone else’s errors as far as spelling goes, while HE himself misspelled many. Pot calling the kettle black.
June 22nd, 2009 at 7:50 pm
this website is the shit! im 6 foot and 140 pounds, 16 years old.
. im gonna give this a try next week so if anyone is thinking of trying it but not sure…. email me from the start of next month =D hope it woorks!!
shuttleworth17@googlemail.com
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Meee again!
im just looking through the plan and i see you have weighed everything out in ‘cup’ . I probablly have a rough idea on the size of the cup but can you alliterate please?
Thankyou =D
June 24th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Hi all. This string has some good insights and will hopefully keep me motivated. I”m in law enforcement and with my family life so busy it seems the only time I have to really hit the gym is when I’m away at academies or, like now, doing a detail on the border. I’m 6′1″ and I always struggle to put on weight. During my last academy I started at 153 lbs @ 8% body fat. In less than three months I went to 177 lbs @10%. That was three years ago. When I stopped working out I obviously went back down in weight. So, I started hitting the weights again last week and I feel like I have made gains already. I left home weighing 162 lbs. and I will keep you guys posted on my gains for the next month. I also find it very hard to eat enough. I’m doing my best but I feel bloated and sluggish all the time. I’ve only been taking half a serving of my weight gainer shake a day but I’ll double it up starting tomorrow. But the other half of the battle that has only been touched on here lightly is the workout routine. My word is not gospel but it works for me. I work out every other day doing no cardio to waste my calories.
Day1
Chest - Smith bench press, incline dumbell fly’s, low cable fly’s
Tri’s - EZ-curl bar tricept extensions, cable tricept extension, dips
Day2
REST
Day3
Back - Bent-over rows, lat pulldown, dumbell pullovers
Bi’s - EZ-curl bar curls, concentration curls
Day4
REST
Day5
Legs - Smith machine squats, leg curl machine, calf raises
Shoulders - Military press, upright rows, shrugs, lateral raise (maybe)
Day6
REST
Day7
Start over
I know I should only keep the compound joint excercises but I enjoy working my bi’s and tri’s and my calves really need it. I also know I need to incorporate deadlifts and I probably will soon. This routine is the general idea but I do vary it up a bit. I do as much weight as I can for about 8 reps and do 3 sets on each excercise. But if a certain muscle doesn’t feel fatigued enough I will do some more until I can’t move.
The biggest thing I see people do to sabotage their weight training is to hit the same muscle again before it’s ready. For me (I know I’ve measured) my muscles will keep gaining in size for six days after a workout. It would be dumb for me to do the full body workout every other day. I would gain nothing. Rest is when muscles grow. Sorry for the long post.
July 7th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
no worries mate. it wasnt boring at all……….
TALK ABOUT A FUCKING LIFE STORY!!
Geeeez !
August 1st, 2009 at 1:20 pm
this plan has 2875 calories
Protein - 260 x 4 = 1040 calories
Carbs - 335 x 4 = 1340 calories
Fats - 55 x 9 = 495 calories
Total = 2875 calories daily
A good rule of thumb is to multiply your current weight in pounds by 20 to find out how many calories you need to put on weight. For example if you weigh 135 pounds, 135 x 20 = 2700 calories daily
If you do not see a difference in weight in about 3-4 weeks, up the calorie intake by 500 calories.
Also, this plan is good since around 47% of your calories come from carbs, 36% come from protein and 17% come from fat. The ideal plan when you want to gain weight in the form of muscle and not fat is 50% carbs, 30% protein and 17% fat. As you can see this is very close to that, so it would be a good idea to follow this plan if you want to gain good muscle weight. but remember to workout too.
August 31st, 2009 at 1:09 am
I’m 19 years old and in the Marines. Bodybuilding is 60% hard work, 30% nutrition, and 10% genetics. I came out of boot camp at 5′10 145lbs started weight training last March now 6 months later i’m at a solid ripped 175 lbs with a 28″ waist benching over 275lbs squating 315(repping) All you need is 3 squared away meals a day, 8 hours of sleep, and a post workout protein shake. You aren’t going to get big over night guys. It comes with hard work, dedication, a little motivation, and time. If I can do it anyone can. Please take this advise and let me know it is working for you!
Semper- USMC
August 31st, 2009 at 6:43 am
I am 6′4 and 235 and want to gain 20 lbs of muscle so using the above mentioned formula I would need 4700 calories a day? 235×20. Should I almost double this nutrition plan?
September 9th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
So I’m not much of a work out person, but I definatly fit under the category of “hardgainer”. I might occasionally go running in the mornings before school or if I’m feeling really driven I lift for a bit outside of that i don’t do much else. Anyway, all I really want to do is to fill out; put on some mass. I’m 21, 5′9″ at 125 lbs. Would this diet be to much for me? Should I modify it at all?
September 19th, 2009 at 6:11 am
I’m Chris, 5′5” 135 lbs. I am still in high school so eating 7 meals a day is a little difficult. I work out 6 days a week at around 3:30 pm. If anyone would be willing to generate a similar mealplan in relation to this schedule, I would greatly appreciate it.
September 21st, 2009 at 3:36 pm
I’m 5′8″ 175 I wanna get up to 200 I need at least 3000 calories plus… So I was wondering about how many calories in the meal above? Please let me know as soon as u can thanks
September 22nd, 2009 at 6:40 am
I’ve had this in my bookmarks for a while now, and i’ve suddenly realized crap i have to get of my ass and get into routine, I’m pretty tall 186 cm ? maybe bit more (sorry I’m not as knowledgeable on as most of you are
and i only weigh 63 kgs!!
I’m going to stock up tommorrow and I’ll be sure to post results :).
P.s I hope this works for me, gaining weight is one thing my body doesn’t do much of!
September 25th, 2009 at 8:03 am
This is a 2800 calorie diet. Sneak in another 500 healthy calories if possible. Otherwise this is a good diet. I would not recommend 100 grams of protein right before bed. Eat about 10 grams of carbs and 50 g of protein.
Calories
Total Protein: 260 grams * 4 cal/gram = 1040 cal
Total Carbs: 335 grams * 4cal/gram = 1340 cal
Total Fat: 55 grams * 9 cal/gram = 495
2845 cal total
November 21st, 2009 at 2:44 pm
okay im 5′8 and 134 lbs. i want to do this badly but i have school from 7-3 so how do i do this without interfering with school? thanks in advance.
December 2nd, 2009 at 1:54 am
This is a GREAT article. I’ve searched everywhere for do-able meal plan, but all the plans I came across Online (Anthony Ellis’ program), magazines and books (most notably Men’s Health) seem geared towards guys with very expendable funds & time. I found this plan to be much more practical for a college student’s schedule and fiscal means.
I started out at the beginning of November at 6′0, 133 lbs. I coupled this meal plan with the Adonis Effect Workout routine and now at the beginning of December I weighed in at 142 lbs. This is more than I have ever gained in a 4-week period and while it may not seem like much, I expect to be much closer to my 170lb goal by the end of my 12-week regimen.
I found that sticking to a strict pre-planned workout routine and tracking gains make it much easier to keep motivated. TRY THIS DIET. It definitely works. Thank you!
December 5th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Im 6′4 160 lbs….following this diet and hard work outs…do u believe i will see a difference ? because i am dedicated and want to b in shape with a good body before the summer..i need to gain weight
December 9th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
This is a pretty good meal plan. I’ve been on one VERY similar for the past 3 weeks and I’ve gained about 12lbs. I’m 5′8 and when I started I weighed 135lbs now I’m just under 148lbs. I eat about every 3 or 4 hours, because 2 hours is just to short of a time span for me personaly. It’s hard at first, but after a week or so your body gets use to it. I recomend being on the diet for 2 weeks before you start training, to give you a decent base for building. Also, drink a TON of water and chew gum to help speed up digestion. Buy suppliments if you can afford them (protien powder, weight gainer, creatine, multi vitamin, flax seed oil, and a Nitric Oxide booster). The best advice I could tell you is to READ all you can about being and growing as a hardgainer and different workouts and diets, and see what works for you.
Best of luck!
December 19th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
[...] HardGainer’s Diet: A Complete Meal Plan | HardGainer’s Guide [...]
January 31st, 2010 at 5:54 am
How many calories is the meal plan you are recommending us?
February 1st, 2010 at 5:23 pm
Im going to give this a shot. Currently i am 25 years old 5′10″ 144lbs
Ill keep you all posted on the progress!
February 3rd, 2010 at 10:03 am
Hi guys - I am 1.79m, 57kg and 47 years old. I am not in a workout program right now as I gave up from lack of success with my previous attempts. I am probably the hardest of the hardgainers but would really like to add about 10 kg to my bodymass. How much of that can be achieved by nutrition alone(i think they had me in mind when the phrase High Metabolic Rate was coined)? Also, what is the deal with sugar - I drink about about 6-10 cups of coffee with 3 sugars daily. Isn’t sugar supposed to make you fat?
February 3rd, 2010 at 5:44 pm
Hey there.
Excellent site. i have been getting very confused between different sites saying different things, but this gives me confidence so im gonna use this one.
A couple of things im confused about and would really appreciate advice so as to clear it up in my mind..
Im 147lb’s and read on hardgainer site i should eat 24 calories per lb of bodyweight.
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:09 pm
soz pressed submit by accident lol , im offshore and at the end of a long shift lol. anyway, to carry on ….
so calories should be 3528
1.5g protein per lb bodyweight = 220.5g * 4 = 882 cal
3g carbs per lb bodyweight = 441g * 4 = 1764 cal
0.5g fat per lb bodyweight = 73.5g * 9 = 661 cal
Total cal = 3307
Roughly the same i suppose but am i working it out right ? is this the best combination and calorie target ?
I also read somewhere that hardgainers should eat 50% carbs
25% protein
25% fat
Which would be 367.5g carbs
183.75 protein
183.75 fats .
Total cal’s 3858.75
Slight difference in carbs and protein but big difference in fats .
If you guys could help with this i would be very gratefull.
Dont want to sound OCD lol but im determined to train right and eat right to get max benifits. I am also training 3 times per week.
Thanks in advance
Kris ( Scotland )
March 1st, 2010 at 8:47 pm
I like this diet.
I’ve been looking for something just like this, and I really hope it works.
I have been stick thin for too long.
One question though:
The amount of protein, if added from your diet, has a sum of 350 g protein.
And in addition to this, sum of the protein values you have listed don’t match the protein values listed on the web.
Could you explain the discrepancies please?
Thanks