Has anyone here tried the hard gainers workout by Stuart MCrobert? WHat exactly it consisted of, and weather its any good or not . Any comments suggestions?
Knowledge Gives Birth To Strength
I did a progressive cycle consisting of one total body workout of 20-rep breathing squats, 10-rep barbell rows, and 8-rep bench presses, and then ab crunches. I started well beneath my ability level on all lifts and every week I added two pounds to every lift and got my reps, no matter what. I did the workout once every three or four days. The last few workouts, I was vomiting after the squats, every time. I also put a lot of size on my thighs. After I finally got to the point where I really couldn’t add anymore weight, I started over, but the second cycle I didn’t get as much out of it. I still do a cycle like this every now and again, but I think it worked mostly because I’d never done high reps before so my body had to adapt. The main benefits were that it was new, it didn’t take long, it taught me to think progressively whenever I plan a workout (ie. make sure you’re improving, not just going through the motions) and mentally, it taught me I could overcome a lot of pain if I had to.
I have been using the McRobert ‘Hardgainer’ methods of training as advocated in his book BRAWN for about 5 months. I have noticed a significant increase in strength and have put on about 5kg of muscle. I am a 20 y.o male and have a poor diet but have found that working out just once a week using the 20 rep squats AND deadlift (and bench) on the same day works for me. The most important lessons to take from McRobert and the BRAWN books are progression (increased weights), using compound movements, getting enough rest and eating more.