Berger's Hardgainer Site

Workouts

Workout #1

History: I got this workout from Skwigg. I didn't have a gym membership at this point, so I was working out in the small "fitness facility" at my apartment complex. Since there are no freeweights at this facility, I was doing all machine exercises, so the strength I gained was good, but I wasn't hitting any of those little stabilizer muscles. Plus, Skwigg's workout ads cardio and, being a hardgainer, I don't do much of that. Anyway, here's what it looked like when I molded it to fit the facility.

Sets and Reps:Start with heavy weight and go to failure.(6 to 10 reps) Then, immediately after, cut the weight in half and go to failure for reps(I tried to hit 12 to 15; also, sometimes I would only cut the weight to about 75% if I found I was hitting extremely high reps, i.e. 20+) That's it for the hardgainer. Skwigg somehow puts two minutes of intense cardio between each exercise. I don't think I would survive that. Also, she does everything on one day, where as I split it up into two days.

Exercises:Ok, you have to consider my goals at this point. You'll notice I was not doing any chest exercises, which has to do with my posture goal. Since, my shoulders are slouched forward, I was under the impression that my pecs were extremely tight, so I put off working chest for a while and was stretching like it was my job. Anyway, here's what the workout looks like.
Day 1: Leg Press, Leg Extensions, Tricep Press-downs, Calf Raises.
Day 2: Seated Row, Upright Row, Curls.
Day 3: Rest and Stretch or Yoga(for the open minded hardgainer)

If I were to add a chest exercise, I would bump tris from day one to day two, and add my chest somewhere in day 1.

Why It Works:The theory behind this is the set of 6-10 reps will provide you with a strength increase, which I happened to see a lot of during my four weeks on the program. The second set of 12-15(or 15-20, whatever you decide) reps will give the hypertrophy you need to create muscle size. Theoretically, you will be working two different types of muscle fibers in each set. That's about it I think.

Special Note:Please remember that this workout was molded from one I found on Skwigg's website. I chose to leave out certain exercises because of my personal goals. I also was held back by the limitations of the facility I was using. With these details in mind, I still gained 4 pounds in 4 weeks, while my bodyfat % didn't budge, and also gained a good amount of strength.

Workout #2

History:This is a workout from BRAWN, Stuart McRobert's classic hardgainer book/manual. If you haven't read Brawn yet, do it. He definitely has some good ideas in there. This one requires some dedication and attention to detail, mainly because of the exercises involved. McRobert is a no nonsense kind of guy, who believes that hard work and patience will pay off, and you need to buy into that in order to follow this workout. He talks much about intensity cycling, and while I think that's a great strategy, I'm trying something different with this routine.

Sets and Reps:The routine is broken up into a two week cycle. Week one includes 3 sets of low rep work, 6-10 reps, for about 2 days, and 3 sets of high rep work, 12-15 reps, for about 2 days. Week two is the reciprocal of week one, switching high reps for low reps and vice versa.

Exercises:These exercises cover just about every muscle in the body, although there isn't much isolation involved, it's an overall mass routine. These won't get you cut-up and ripped, but they'll pack on the bulk.

Week One:
Day 1:
Regular Grip Bench Press (6-10 reps)
Seated Press (12-15 reps)
Curl (6-10 reps)
Close Grip Bench (6-10 reps)

Day 2: Rest

Day 3:
Deadlift (12-15 reps)
Pulldowns (12-15 reps)

Day 4:Rest

Day 5:
Light Bench (12-15 reps)
Seated Press(6-10 reps)
Light Curl(12-15 reps)

Day 6:Rest

Day 7:
Squat (6-10 reps)
Calves (6-10 reps)

Week Two:
Day 1:
Regular Grip Bench Press (12-15 reps)
Seated Press (12-15 reps)
Curl (12-15 reps)
Close Grip Bench (12-15 reps)

Day 2: Rest

Day 3:
Deadlift (6-10 reps)
Pulldowns (6-10 reps)

Day 4:Rest

Day 5:
Light Bench (12-15 reps)
Light Seated Press(12-15 reps)
Light Curl(12-15 reps)

Day 6:Rest

Day 7:
Squat (6-10 reps)
Calves (6-10 reps)

That's about it.