Interviews with Masters: Orrin Lemmon Explains Natural (no steroids) Bodybuilding for Hardgainers

Diet: the biggest determiner of being able to gain

I would say the biggest factor that makes a hard-gainer a hard-gainer, is a lack of eating enough. I have had many people tell me that they are eating like a horse and lifting hard but cant seem to make any progress. After going over their diet it turns out that they really aren’t eating much more than the average person who doesn’t even lift. I was guilty of this myself; I legitimately thought I was eating as much as I could. Looking back now I wasn’t eating nearly enough. It doesn’t matter how hard you lift, or how many supplements you take, if you don’t eat enough your body can’t gain. Your body needs energy and nutrients to be able to 1. Make it through the workout and 2. Be able to repair bigger, stronger, and more prepared for the next routine. If you don’t give it the Calories it needs then it’s forced to tear down existing muscle to get the energy to make it through the workout. You end up fighting a losing battle, as you’re training your muscle your body is breaking apart other muscle to sustain the muscle you’re training. On the other hand if you consume more calories than burn, you WILL gain weight… And the great thing about being a hard gainer is you really don’t have to worry much about your body storing fat because it’s not that good at it.

A few tips to help you be able to eat more:

1. Weightgainers are a HUGE help.

The first change I made was drinking 2 weight gainers a day, one in the morning and one after the workout. That one change alone consisted of about 1600 calories a day, and significantly raised my protein intake as well.

2. Tupperware

I never have been able to eat a lot food in one sitting so the usual 3 meals a day was getting me nowhere because I couldn’t consume enough in 3 sittings a day. I started cooking a huge meal at nights and storing it inside of Tupperware containers in the fridge. Every morning I grab a bunch of already packaged meals and head off to work and I have enough to allow me to eat a meal about every 3 hours. This way I eat about 6 or 7 smaller meals throughout the day and am able to eat a lot more than if I stuck to eating 3 meals a day.

3. Heavy protein.

In each of those meals I eat every 3 hours I try to eat some form of protein. Anybody that’s researched much about building muscle knows the importance of protein: it contains the building blocks of muscle. Make sure your body has a constant supply to always be able to build the muscle you want.

4. Drink LOTS of water.

I have no idea why, but I have found that the more water I drink the less bloated I feel throughout the day and am able to digest my food better, therefore being able to eat more. Carry a water bottle with you and sip on it all day long.

5. Eat clean.

I used to think that the more junk I ate the easier it would be for me to put on weight. I have found I do better if I focus on good quality calories instead of junk, which is less a less efficient energy source. Stay away from processed foods and too many refined carbs.

6. Digestion.

One big limiter on how much food I used to eat was not being able to digest in time. A lot of people trying to gain weight stay away from vegetables because they aren’t very calorically dense. I have found that I’m able to eat a lot more if I eat plenty of vegetables throughout the day since the added fiber helps move the food through my system better.

My typical diet and reasoning:

My Typical Training and Reasoning

The biggest limiter in your training is your mind. Most people have heard the story of the 4-minute mile: It used to be a fact that the human body cannot run a mile in less than 4 minutes; it was simply incapable of doing so. In 1954 Roger Bannister comes along and runs a mile in 3:59.4. 46 days later John Landy runs a mile in 3:57.9. By the end of 1957 16 runners had run a mile in less than 4 minutes. Today the 4 minute mile is the standard for professional middle distance runners. The 4 minute mile barrier was all in the mind, once one person came along and beat it others realized it was possible and now numerous runners have surpassed it. There are many other similar stories which always make me wonder what kind of barriers I have set for myself. I realized a few years ago that at the gym I would get into the same routine lifting the same weight every time, thinking I was giving it everything that I had but the weight I was lifting was staying the same. The biggest change I have made since I started lifting was packing around a workout journal. It has helped me get over the mental barriers I have placed, helps me realize I haven’t quite given it everything I have. This way I look at what I lifted last week and realize I can do just one more rep.

When the weight starts looking heavy, I realize that I did it last week, 5 pounds more is nothing. I then visualize myself lifting the weight for the amount of reps I need to get and before I even step up the bar I know that I am able to lift it. I write down one routine and make sure I am progressing from one week to the next. After about 6 weeks no matter how hard I push myself I start to plateau on my lifts so I switch the routine. I typically switch between heavy routines where I do low reps and focus on lifting as much weight as I can, bodybuilding routines where I do a little more volume and reps of about 10-12, and endurance routines where I use lots of supersets, very little rest in between, really focus on each muscle contraction, and use high reps. I was once asked how I have gotten to where I am now in my training and I told him that I have just been lifting for a long time. I have thought a lot about that question since then and have decided that a better answer is “consistent progression”. I would say what sets apart someone who is successful from someone who is not is the one who slowly progresses consistently.

Always switch it up!

When I started lifting I showed up at the gym with no idea what lifts I was going to do. I ended up doing my favorite lifts every week and lifting the same weight for the same amount of sets. My body got used to this real fast and stopped growing because there was no need for it. It got used to the same routine over and over and my body could make it through it just fine without the need to really adapt. This is another point for keeping the workout journal. It’s ok to stick with the same routine for 1-2 months but much longer than that and you will stop gaining. The workout journal gives you a good plan to follow, and a good goal to meet: beat last weeks lift. It also gives you a good idea of when it’s time to switch up the routine, when I’m no longer able to beat last weeks lift it’s time to change.

Back when I started lifting I really had no idea I was doing, my friends and I all knew we wanted big arms and wanted to tell people how much we could bench so we spent most of our time at the gym doing curls and bench. This was my biggest mistake starting out. My bench shot up like crazy and I was benching more than most kids in my school within a year of lifting but I never gained another pound on that lift over the next 4 years. The reason is because I never put nearly as much effort into training my other parts as I did with chest and arms. Besides it affecting my lifts, I also looked funny, with tiny little calves and thighs and a decent upper body. Your body is like a chain, if there is a weak link in it it’s not going to allow the stronger links to continue to grow and overpower the others. It’s nearly impossible to find someone that has a world class bench but a weak squat, or a world class squat but a terrible bench. To go along with that, the most progress I have made on my bi’s is when the only thing I changed in my routine was adding some forearm training. Your body wants to grow in proportion, and it’s actually quite smart in wanting to do so.

If you only train your chest and not your back your shoulders will actually start rolling forward and screw up your posture, possibly giving you long term problems. Imagine if that imbalance gets extreme. At least half of the people at my gym don’t ever work their legs. Testosterone is released after stimulating the deep muscle tissues in your body, or basically the bigger the muscle being worked the more testosterone is released. Your legs and butt are the biggest muscles in your body so by training them you are releasing more testosterone which will help your upper body grow. Training legs also indirectly works your upper body, for most people squat is one of the lifts where they can lift the most weight. Your whole body gets pulled into the lift just to be able to support that heavy weight. Point is: train every muscle especially your legs!

What lifting philosophy actually works for hardgainers?

My childhood hero has always been Arnold Schwarzenegger. When I was around 6 years old my family was on a small vacation in Moab Ut. My mom gave me a penny to throw into a wishing well and for some reason I still remember what that wish was: to be as big as Arnold. It’s no surprise that I went to articles about his training routine when I started researching more about lifting. When I first started learning about how to eat to get big I used a training routine similar what Arnold did… and I made decent gains. After I started becoming more familiar with lifting I started noticing some signs of overtraining. It was becoming harder and harder for me to consistently beat my lifts, my muscles were looking deflated, and it was harder and harder for me to keep on weight. I looked in to some more low volume high intensity workouts and as soon as I came up with a decent routine my lifts shot up like crazy, I started looking a lot bigger, and it didn’t seem like it was quite a fight to keep on the weight I had fought so hard for. I think the typical bodybuilder routine just isn’t that efficient for a hard-gainer since they are typically not eating enough calories as it is, then they do these crazy high volume training routines which just burn more calories that you don’t have enough of to begin with. It sets up a perfect situation for not being able to recover properly from your routines.

These routines work for some of the professional bodybuilders but you have to remember that this is a career for these guys, they are dedicating every second out of the gym to recovery so they can rebuild bigger and stronger. In one day they eat enough food for 4 people, lots of them sleep 10 hours and take naps in the middle of the day, and on top of that they are taking high amounts of steroids. Cut your volume back on your routines; make sure you never go over an hour long. Raise your intensity to make sure you are still stimulating your muscles to make them grow. Go research some more low volume high intensity training routines, either copy one you like or use ideas from some to come up with your own. Some good ones to look into are Dogg Crapp training (I have probably learned the most from this) or blood and guts training.

Powerlifts are King

Every workout should be based around powerlifts. As a hardgainer chances are you have great definition and muscle separation, you just need to put on some mass to show off those strengths. Nothing beats powerlifts as great mass builders; they should be the main lift in every routine. Too many people stay away from powerlifts because they are hard; nothing makes you feel like you’re ready to pass out like giving it all you have on squats. On the other hand, anyone who has really tried to build up their squat can testify to the potential it has for building thick massive trunks for legs. A good general rule to follow when choosing your lifts is: the harder the lift is, the more you will benefit from it. When working your back you could choose wide grip lateral cable pulldowns… or you could decide to do wide-grip pullups. They basically work the same muscles but pullups are much harder to perform but also better at building mass. Now I’m not saying you shouldn’t work in the cables, but make sure you never neglect a lift because it is harder to perform, chances are it’s the lift from which you could benefit the most.

What about cardio?

I used to stay away from Cardio, I figured that the last thing I wanted to do was burn more calories when I already had a hard time getting enough. At one point I decided to experiment with it and add some cardio into my routine. I noticed right away that I was able to eat more after a good cardio session but what really surprised me is I noticed that all my lifts went up faster than usual (something I never would have noticed if it wasn’t for the workout journal). I have found that cardio actually helps me put on weight since my appetite increases and I actually end up eating more. As far as my strength increasing when cardio is added in to the routine, my best guess at a reason why is it keeps the cardiovascular system running more efficiently so the body is able to keep up better in lifting. When I do cardio I am not trying to lose weight so I don’t ever go for more than about 25-30 minutes. I like to do a little running with cardio as I’ve noticed a big difference in my calf size from it, but on the other hand too much running kills your upper leg mass so I keep it at a short but intense 10 minutes. I switch it up between HIIT (where I run at 6 mph for a minute, jump it up to 9.5 mph for a minute, then back to 6 mph), and trying to beat my fastest time in the mile (I am currently at a 6.5 minute mile). I then move on to the bike for 15–20 minutes.

One thing that I have picked up from trying out the Dogg Crapp training is stretching after working each muscle. Your muscles have a fascia which is a thin membrane that surrounds the muscle, this ends up being a big limiter in the size that your muscles are able to grow. Since a muscle is at its biggest after being trained, from being flushed with blood (in other words: being pumped), stretching after the routine helps to stretch that muscle fascia to allow the muscle to grow bigger. It also helps set the right environment for the muscle to start to repair; you’ll actually notice that you won’t get as sore after a routine.

Sample training routine:

I base each day around one main lift: for legs it’s squats, for shoulders it’s military press, for back it’s wide grip pull ups (this one is not typical I see more back development focusing on pullups and saving the deadlifts for the end, otherwise I’m too worn out after deadlifts to really train my back), for chest it’s bench. I start with some high rep warm-ups, really focusing on my form. I then do a few pyramid sets working my way to about 8 reps on the last set which I count as my main set… the one I have to beat next week. I also use a lot of shocking techniques to raise the intensity on that main set (drop sets, x-reps, rest-pause, forced reps, etc). I then do one or two warmups of each set after and do only one main set with each lift, still using shocking techniques on the main set. With abs calves and forearms I do about 4 supersets and barely rest in between sets, these are more endurance muscles and I see more growth with them if I hit them hard and fast.

Monday: Legs

Bike for 5-10 min

Squat: warmups + 3 pyramid sets with reps of about 12, 8, & 6

Leg press superset with walking lunges: warmup + 1×8-12

Lying leg curls superset with leg extensions: warmup + 1×8-12

Straight leg deadlift superset with sissy squats: warmup + 1×8-12

Stretch quads and hamstrings

Standing calf raise superset with seated calf raise: 4×10

Stretch calves

Tuesday: abs/shoulders/tri’s

Rope crunch superset with hanging leg raise: 4×10

Behind the neck military press: warmup + 3 pyramid sets with reps of about 12, 10, & 8

Close grip standing barbell military press superset wide grip upright row:

warmup + 1×8-12

Dumbbell lateral raise superset with Arnold press: warmup + 1×8-12

Barbell shrugs: warmup + 1×8-12

Stretch shoulders

Wide grip cable pushdown superset with cable rope pushdown: warmup + 2×10-14

Weighted dips superset with overhead extension: warmup + 2×10-14

Stretch tri’s

Wednesday: cardio along with whatever I might feel is lagging

10 minutes on the treadmill

15 minutes on the bike

Barbell wrist curl superset with reverse wrist curl superset with behind the back wrist curl: 4×10

Exercise ball crunches superset with vacuums superset with twisting crunch: 4×10

Leg press machine calf extensions superset with standing calf raise: 4×10

Thursday:

Rest

Friday: back/calves

Standing calf raise superset with seated calf raise: 4×10

Stretch calves

Wide grip pull ups: warmups + 3 sets of as many as I can do

Close grip cable pulldowns: warmup +1×8-12

T-bar rows: warmup + 1×8-12

Hammer-strength single arm rows: warmup + 1×8-12

Cable bent arm pullovers superset with cable rows: warmup + 1×8-12

Deadlifts: warmup + 3 sets with reps around 12, 8, & 4

Weighted back extensions: warmup + 1×8-12

Stretch back

Saturday: chest/bi’s/abs

Cable rope crunch superset with incline bench leg raises: 4×10

Flat barbell bench: warmups + 3 sets with reps of about 12, 10, & 8

Incline barbell bench: warmup + 1×8-12

Flat dumbbell butterflies: warmup + 1×8-12

Cable flies: warmup + 1×8-12

Chest dips (wider grip and torso is more parallel with the floor at the bottom): warmup + a couple sets of as many as I can do

Stretch chest

Wide grip preacher curl: warmups + 1×8-12

Incline dumbbell curl: warmup + 1×6-10

Close grip preacher machine 21’s (7 reps full range of motion, 7 reps lower range of motion, 7 reps upper range of motion): 2 sets

Stretch bi’s

I’ll do a routine like this until I can no longer consistently beat my last weeks lift and then I switch the routine. I usually keep some variation of a compound powerlift type movement (I keep some form of squat, bench, military press, and deadlift) and switch up the other lifts. If I have been going a rep range of 8-12 then I might switch it to reps of 12-18 with very little rest in between sets. Or I might do more sets of powerlifts with lower reps and cut out a few other lifts, one of my favorite routines is doing 6 sets of 6 for powerlifts and finishing off with a few isolation lifts.

Additional Resources

This book was written specifically for hardgainers. It’s one of the best resources I’ve come across. If you’re serious about results, it’s extremely important to become a student of this stuff. This book is a great start. Check it out by clicking the picture below. Read up, learn, grow. This is your life.

Suggested Supplements for HardGainers

As a hardgainer you want to spend most of your hard earned $$$ on food. I really only consistently take protein/weight gainers and a preworkout once in a while (jacked has been my favorite, I agree with Sam here). Also, a good creatine is something to experiment with occasionally. And of course, fish oil and a multi-vitamin are also recommended.

	Optimum 100% Whey Protein is my favorite protein by far. Great taste, great pure quality, great price. There is a natural product Optimum makes which does not use artificial sweetners that is great too .			$21.99
	Ultimate Nutrition: Iso Mass Xtreme Gainer is probably my favorite weight gainer, a little pricy, but worth the money if you’re serious about gaining some mass. Great taste.			$68.99
	Optimum: Opti-Men is a great option for a simple multi-vitamin for men			$13.99
	USPlabs: Jack3d is the best pre-workout drink you’ll ever use. However, after using it for a month you’ll find that it won’t work quite as well. I recommend this product for days when you’re dragging. Warning: don’t get addicted.			$26.99
	Optimum: Fish Oil Softgels is a high quality fish oil product. This supplement is critical for getting proper amounts of omega 3′s. Make sure you’re taking adequate amounts: around 2 g EPA and 1.5 g DHA per day. I consider this one of the most essential supplements anyone can take (for both health and fitness).			$6.99
	NOW: Vitamin D-3 is also critical. If you don’t get sun on a regular basis you’re likely vitamin D deficient. If this is you, take 2000-5000 iu’s day.			$4.55
	This is my favorite creatine. Perfect for post-workout/ intra-workout nutrition.			$33.89

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