Hardgainer

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Hardgainer is a classification used in bodybuilding to describe people who find it hard to increase their muscle mass. There is no precise term to describe someone who is the opposite of a hardgainer (that is, someone that finds it easy to add muscle mass). The majority of people would fit into the hardgainer classification. Some estimates put the proportion of hardgainers at 85% of the total population.^[1] When first starting out weight training, beginners tend to experience rapid gains in muscle mass over the first few weeks or months. However after a while, if they are a hardgainer, they will reach a point where they make very little gain in muscle mass.

Some recommend that hardgainers engage in a different sort of exercise regimen called High Intensity Training.^{[citation needed]} This is generally a workout consisting of low volume sets done until muscle failure to result in hypertrophy and maximum growth.

It has been argued by some in the industry that hardgainers do not actually exist and it is just a buzzword created to sell products.^{[citation needed]} They claim that anyone can gain muscle mass and those that are not are simply eating and training incorrectly this is the most common case among self-proclaimed hardgainers.