For the woman who just can't seem to add definition: THE HARDGAINERS COURSE

Lesson 1

Do you ever look in the mirror and say out loud: "Dang, I have stick legs and arms, no muscle and I work so hard to be this stick like!"

To some people it sounds crazy, just the idea that people are upset with being skinny. But there are many of you out there. Maybe you are tired of chicken legs, twiggy arms or beanpole figure…

In the fitness world we call you a hard gainer. It seems like no matter how much you lift or eat you can't put on size. We feel you… and I will let you in on a little secret: Dan and I are both hard gainers. So we know where you are coming from but we also know a few great tips to get some "meat on those bones".

Lets start with nutrition… did you know that you HAVE to eat more if you are lifting weights and wanting to bulk up (even if just a little bit). That's only part of the muscle building diet…

Is Your Diet Up To Muscle Building Standards?

It doesn't matter if your goal is to lose fat or gain muscle… You are going to have to make the commitment to the goal and accept the fact that your diet is going to be affected in order for your dream to become a reality.

The problem is that most people say they want to make the commitment... that is starting on Monday... My response is why Monday?

Why do we always look to Monday as the start of anything new? Why push off success for a few more days when we can get started today? The sooner you get started the easier it will be in the long run. Stop slowing progress and start your muscle building diet when you finish reading the last word of this article!

That's right... you ate your last "free" meal for a short while last night.

When it comes to muscle we all now that protein is key! Protein is the building blocks of muscle, and amino acids are the building blocks of protein. It only makes sense that if you want more muscle you need more protein... more amino acids!

Here are four tips for starting and outlining your muscle building diet…

1. Include protein with every snack and meal. Lean meats, protein shakes, nuts, greens, cottage cheese, eggs, and even yogurt. All of these are great protein sources.

I say "healthy" because there are proteins that are best avoided… red meats are often high in saturated fat (the fat best not consumed) and studies have linked high consumption of red meats to an increased risk of certain cancers, one being colon cancer. These meats are also linked to increased LDL cholesterol (bad) and heart disease. Remember, the goal is to gain muscle and be healthy so stick to lean, white meats.

2. Eat more! It takes a significant amount of work by your body to build muscle… because it is such a metabolically active tissue. What exactly does that mean for you? You need more calories… this is often the hardest part for people to get used to because of fear of gaining too much weight in fat.

Generally, taking in an additional 300-600 calories per day is sufficient for building lean muscle mass and avoiding significant fat gain.

Keep in mind that not all calories are created equal. I mean that just because you need more, don't go chow down on a snickers bar or bowl of ice cream. Put in foods that are nutritionally satisfying... PROTEIN! Which leads us to number 3.

3. Avoid empty calorie foods… sugar and processed foods are filled with lots of junk and don't have much to offer you nutritionally. It isn't going to do much for improving your muscle definition and size. Though it may help to add a little "fluff" around the midsection…

Ok, you know what not to eat, but what should make up your diet?

Keep it as clean as possible. Avoid processed foods and sweets. Look to lean protein sources, complex carbs (wheat bread, brown rice, oatmeal, etc) and healthy fats. Check out the clean muscle building recipes I have added that will help conquer the goals at hand.

Remember, foods high in protein are key here. Depending on your build and ability to put on muscle, it is recommended to take in 1.5-2.0 g of protein per kg of body fat. It may take some experimenting to see exactly how much works for you.

I believe in the 90-10 rule… eat clean 90% of the time and allow a treat 10% of it. Deprivig yourself of all your cravings will only have you giving up on the diet faster than you can say the words "build muscle".

4. It's all worthless without a muscle building workout. I am not going to get into the workout program outline but you can find out more by checking out the muscle hypertrophy workouts.

Unfortunately there is not one diet that I can write down that will work for everyone. Genetics plays a big roll in our abilities to add lean muscle and the way our body works with nutrition. We all react differently.

This is why it is going to take some experimenting. Experiment with the amount of protein you are consuming and the about of carbs … there may be a need to increase/decrease one or the other.

Also, keep in mind there is a good chance of gaining a little bit of fat during your muscle building, this is due to the increased calories (duh). You can add low intensity cardio to your workouts if you'd like but make sure to keep it low… high intensity can actually hurt your muscle gaining efforts.

Your body will break down the muscle to keep your cardio workout going strong… so avoid running long miles or getting your heart rate up above 85% of its max.

And after your hypertrophy training session (4 weeks) change it up with some endurance lifting! Always keep the muscle guessing. That is what will give promised results.

Having the perfect diet to get your specific goals is very possible, but it takes dedication, hard work and an understanding of your body. Building muscle is just as hard as losing fat so once your make up your mind to do it, stick with it and you will see great results.

These are tips that I not only give to my clients but I follow myself. Nutrition is the backbone to everything we do… our health, social gatherings, and fitness results.

Let me guess… as a hard gainer you are probably one of the strongest in the gym yet your physique doesn't show the raw strength that you have?

That can change with the right tweaks to your diet (stated above) and to your workouts. Get ready to learn a great method to boost your muscle building results… straight from the horses mouth!

Get more information about exercises to lose weight and make sure you check out our fitness courses podcast where we talk about current fitness events and give you help to get great results.