My story isn't all that long, but I've gone through so much information in the last two years, that I feel like a damn trainer. Also keep in mind it's just my opinions, what may work for me, may not work for you.
So, I've always been an active guy. Played a lot of soccer and ran a ton, which kept me fit. I never was able to gain a good amount of muscle. I could eat anything, at any time, and never gain a single pound. I felt like I would be trapped in my 5'8", 135 lbs body forever! Even through college while I was going to the gym 3-4 times a week. I would gain strength, and look a little bigger, but I would never be able to gain that "all around weight".
I then started researching, learning, and training harder than ever. I found that there was almost zero information out there for Asians. None of the drugs had been tested on Asians, nor did we have any forum to learn from each other. In a field where genetics plays a huge role, we don't get any good information. So, long story short, I went from 135lbs to 180lbs in about 8 months. (Which isn't a staggering end result).
It's the end of summer now, and I'm back down to around 160 (for the ladies i guess), but I plan to "bulk up" to 200 lbs if I can make that this winter.
At any rate, on to the good stuff.
Workout routines.
I found a couple of things really important for us ectomorphs (skinny people or "hardgainers").
Keep it simple! If you wanted to train to be a ninja warrior, you would do that. While all the fancy gear, machines and balls are a nice tool to use, we should just forget about them for the time being.
Squats, Deadlifts, Benchpress. These are the only three things you should worry about to start. They will make you strong, they will make you grow.
"You shouldn't worry about any one part of your body being a weak link, because your whole body is a weak link!"
-This really helped me understand that, although some of us may have “good arms” or “tight abs”, we’re not really that strong. I would say, if you don’t know exactly how much weight you can lift from the ground to above your head, right now, then you have a long ways to go in understanding your body and making it grow!
-People have bad stigmas about squats and dead lifts. Just don’t worry about that. Check out online how to do them, and do them!
-I did a 20 rep squat program, which was the most rewarding lifting experience of my entire life. I started with the most weight I could do once, the one rep squat. Then I took off 90 lbs, and did 20 of them without stopping. I loaded 10 more pounds a week onto the bar, and in 9 weeks I could do 20 reps of my previous max.
-Dead lifts I followed the same pattern. Just made sure to increase every time.
Q: “Why would I do this, when I want my upper body to look bigger? I already have RLS (Rice Leg Syndrome).”
A: This uses your upper body, and sends a growth signal to your entire body. It will also use your butt muscles. You want weight, I’m giving you weight.
-Finally, I’m not saying you can’t do other parts, like curls and stuff like that. I’m saying that they will never help you grow your entire body. Big arms will come, but how can you curl 150lbs, when your back will only hold 90lbs? What I’m saying is that this is the WORKOUT FOUNDATION for you to get bigger, stronger and look better!
Nutrition
If working out is 50%, this is the other 150%. Because we don’t want to be 100%, we want to be 200% bigger…
Here’s a sample regiment.
Meal 1 (7 AM)
-1 cup of dry oats mixed with water
-1 cup of egg beaters
Meal 2 (9 AM)
-Meal replacement packet with a 40/40/20 nutrient ratio, mixed with water or a protein powder (with around 40 grams of protein) mixed with 40 grams of carbs from cream of rice, grits, or oatmeal.
-1 Tablespoon of Flaxseed Oil or Olive Oil.
Meal 3 (12 Noon)
-1 cup of brown rice, or 1 quarter of Soba Noodle, or 1 cup of oatmeal
-2 cups of green beans, broccoli or any other desired vegetable
-6-8 ounces of chicken, turkey, or lean fish
Meal 4 (3 PM)
-Same as Meal 2
Meal 5 (6 PM)
-1 cup of brown rice, or 1 quarter of Soba Noodle, or 1 cup of oatmeal
-2 cups of green beans, broccoli or any other desired vegetable
-6-8 ounces of chicken, turkey, or lean fish
Meal 6 (8 PM)
-Same as Meal 2
Q: “But I eat all the time now!”
A: No, you don’t. You just eat whenever you want to, without purpose, and trick yourself into thinking you eat all the time. You’ll know when you’re getting enough when you go to the bathroom 3x a day or more. (yuk right?)
Q: “Why can’t I just eat 3 really big meals a day?”
A: Because we’re putting your body in a constant state of accelerated growth. You need to tell your body that it doesn’t ever have to worry about food or nutrients.
Other Nutrition
Q: “Should I take supplements?”
A: Yes. I’ve tried a number of types of creatine, some worked and some didn’t, as well as other types of enhancers. Also you MUST take a multi-vitamin every day.
Q: “What about smoking?”
A: Quit, now. You can’t have one smoke, or else it’ll all fail. You know how doctors tell you not to smoke while you’re recovering from injury? It’s the same thing. You’re constantly injuring your body. Smoking will affect that, as well as lunch capacity making you not able to get the last couple reps of your last set. That’s where all the gains are made.
Q: “Other drugs?”
A: Don’t. My friend was on sleep aids, and couldn’t gain anything. I would say, if it makes you feel slow, weak, sleepy or high, then it’s probably not helping you gain muscle.
Q: “How long do I do this for?”
A: Until you hit a plateau and move beyond the scope of what I know. But I think you’ll have already gained a lot by then.
Q: “What about this is asian specific?”
A: Well I seem to have gotten carried away with some of the basics. But I assure you that these apply to us. Maybe I’ll do another one or some product reviews and how they affect me, an asian ectomorph
Q: "How much sleep should I be getting?"
A: You need a full 8 hours a night while in training.
Keep at it, don’t stop and enjoy yourself! It’s like a video game where you keep getting better and there is no end. But, you can take the results with you!
Oh yeah, here are some old comparison pics... Although it's not like the same angle.
I had to put that in....cause it's true)
