Hardgainers Need More Sets for Muscle Growth Summary
- Interestingly, subjects labeled as “hardgainers/non-responders” or those that don’t gain muscle easily to resistance training required around 2-3 sets for every 1 set for “responders” performed to gain similar gains in muscle size.
- Consequently, this challenges the idea that hardgainers need fewer sets for muscle growth and instead emphasizes the need for more sets to see noticeable gains. Therefore, individuals who call themselves a hardgainer should focus on increasing their set volume in their training programs to promote muscle growth.
What are Hardgainers?
The phenomenon of “hardgainers” – individuals who struggle to gain muscle mass despite consistent training – has intrigued scientists and fitness enthusiasts. Furthermore, recent studies have unveiled key genetic factors contributing to muscle growth variability and highlight why some people can gain muscle more quickly than others. Additionally, muscle growth, or hypertrophy, is a complex process influenced by numerous factors, including genetics, fiber composition, training, nutrition, and hormonal milieu.
In the past, it was recommended that if you are a hardgainer, you should perform fewer sets to increase muscle growth. This was based on the assumption that a hardgainer could not recover from exercise like ordinary people, so they needed to perform less sets, get more rest between workouts and consume more calories. However, a recent new study titled “Higher resistance training volume offsets muscle hypertrophy nonresponsiveness in older individuals” by Lixandrão and colleagues suggests that people who have difficulty gaining muscle (i.e., hardgainer) need more sets, not less!(Lixandrão et al., 2024)
Review of Literature on Hardgainers vs. Hypergainers
In the context of resistance training, the terms “hardgainers” and “hypergainers” describe individuals who respectively struggle to gain muscle mass and strength and those who gain mass easily. The variability in resistance training outcomes has been a subject of interest, particularly in understanding the factors contributing to these differing responses. The diversity in training outcomes has captivated researchers aiming to decode the underlying mechanisms contributing to these disparate responses. Specifically, it is suggested that genetic makeup, muscle fiber characteristics, and the potency of anabolic signaling pathways are instrumental in determining these outcomes..(Murach et al., 2020; Roberts et al., 2018; Solsona & Sanchez, 2021)
Hardgainers May Have a Dampened Muscle Growth Response
Hardgainers often respond slower to conventional resistance training protocols, possibly due to factors like genetics.(Ahtiainen et al., 2020) Conversely, hypergainers respond robustly to similar training stimuli, perhaps benefiting from favorable genetic markers, a higher proportion of fast-twitch muscle fibers, and more efficient anabolic signaling. (Haun et al., 2019)
Some have suggested that hardgainers or non-responders need more sets, not less, as widely recommended by most trainers. In contrast, a 2022 study observed more significant muscle gains when training volume was increased by about 20% based on the participants’ training logs.(Scarpelli et al., 2022) This suggests that a hardgainer may benefit from increasing their weekly set volume. Furthermore, a study by Hammarstrom et al. highlighted that untrained individuals saw more substantial gains with higher training volumes, correlating to increased ribosomal biogenesis, which is crucial for protein synthesis and muscle growth.(Hammarström et al., 2020) These differences underline the importance of personalized training programs that consider the unique physiological makeup of each individual.
New Study on Hardgainers and Sets
This research specifically investigated the hypertrophic responses of older adults labeled as “hardgainers /non-responders” to resistance training, comparing the effects of low versus high training volumes on muscle growth. Nevertheless, the study protocol involved a 10-week resistance training intervention with 85 older adults without formal resistance training experience in the previous 6 months.
The study meticulously divided participants’ legs into two training regimens:
- One leg performing a lower volume of 2 sets per week,
- The other leg performed a higher volume of 8 sets per week over 10 weeks.
Results: The Hardgainer Need More Sets
Muscle Gains: Interestingly, non-responders or hardgainers showed significant increases in muscle mass only in the leg that performed 8 weekly sets (~5%) with no substantial change in the 2 weekly sets leg (<1%). In contrast, responders gained the most muscle. Responders displayed significant muscle mass increases in both legs, with larger increases in the 8 sets leg(~5% vs ~8%).The growth observed in non-responders with 8 weekly sets was comparable to that of responders with only 2 weekly sets (5.5% vs 5.4%).
Differential Response to Training Volume: One of the most surprising aspects was the clear differentiation in hypertrophy outcomes between hardgainers /non-responders and responders based on the training volume. Non-responders required significantly more volume (approximately 2-3 sets for every 1 set that responders performed) to achieve similar hypertrophy outcomes. Additionally, this finding challenges the one-size-fits-all approach to resistance training programs and underscores the importance of individualized training volume.
Strength Gains: Both groups significantly increased 1RM strength in each leg. The hardgainers /non-responder group had a larger improvement in strength in the 8 sets leg compared to the 2 sets leg. In the responder group, the improvement in strength was similar regardless of the sets performed per week.
Practical Applications for the Hardgainer
Although the study provides valuable insights, it’s crucial to acknowledge its limitations, such as the exclusive participation of untrained older adults and the short duration of the intervention. Furthermore, the findings advocate for the personalization of training volumes to accommodate individual response rates, suggesting that non-responders or hardgainers might require higher volumes to achieve comparable hypertrophy benefits as responders.
Nevertheless, non–responders/ hardgainers may require higher training volumes to achieve similar hypertrophy benefits as responders, indicating the necessity of adjusting training programs based on individual progress and response rates.
References
Ahtiainen, J. P., Sallinen, J., Häkkinen, K., & Sillanpää, E. (2020). Inter‐individual variation in response to resistance training in cardiometabolic health indicators. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 30, 1040 – 1053.
Hammarström, D., Øfsteng, S., Koll, L., Hanestadhaugen, M., Hollan, I., Apró, W., Whist, J. E., Blomstrand, E., Rønnestad, B. R., & Ellefsen, S. (2020). Benefits of higher resistance-training volume are related to ribosome biogenesis. The Journal of Physiology, 598(3), 543-565. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1113/JP278455
Haun, C. T., Vann, C. G., Mobley, C. B., Osburn, S. C., Mumford, P. W., Roberson, P. A., Romero, M. A., Fox, C. D., Parry, H. A., Kavazis, A. N., Moon, J. R., Young, K. C., & Roberts, M. D. (2019). Pre-training Skeletal Muscle Fiber Size and Predominant Fiber Type Best Predict Hypertrophic Responses to 6 Weeks of Resistance Training in Previously Trained Young Men [Original Research]. Frontiers in Physiology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2019.00297
Lixandrão, M. E., Bamman, M., Vechin, F. C., Conceicao, M. S., Telles, G., Longobardi, I., Damas, F., Lavin, K. M., Drummer, D. J., McAdam, J. S., Dungan, C. M., Leitão, A. E., Costa, L. A. R., Aihara, A. Y., Libardi, C. A., Gualano, B., & Roschel, H. (2024). Higher resistance training volume offsets muscle hypertrophy nonresponsiveness in older individuals. Journal of Applied Physiology, 136(2), 421-429. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00670.2023
Hardgainers Study References
Murach, K. A., Vechetti, I. J., Pelt, D. W. V., Crow, S. E., Dungan, C. M., Figueiredo, V. C., Kosmac, K., Fu, X., Richards, C. I., Fry, C. S., McCarthy, J. J., & Peterson, C. A. (2020). Fusion-Independent Satellite Cell Communication to Muscle Fibers During Load-Induced Hypertrophy. Function. https://doi.org/10.1093/function/zqaa009
Roberts, M. D., Haun, C. T., Mobley, C. B., Mumford, P. W., Romero, M. A., Roberson, P. A., Vann, C. G., & McCarthy, J. J. (2018). Physiological Differences Between Low Versus High Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophic Responders to Resistance Exercise Training: Current Perspectives and Future Research Directions [Review]. Frontiers in Physiology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2018.00834
Scarpelli, M. C., Nóbrega, S. R., Santanielo, N., Alvarez, I. F., Otoboni, G. B., Ugrinowitsch, C., & Libardi, C. A. (2022). Muscle Hypertrophy Response Is Affected by Previous Resistance Training Volume in Trained Individuals. J Strength Cond Res, 36(4), 1153-1157. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000003558
Solsona, R., & Sanchez, A. M. J. (2021). Exercise and ribosome biogenesis in skeletal muscle hypertrophy: Impact of genetic and epigenetic factors. The Journal of Physiology, 599.
