What is a “hardgainer”?

A Hardgainer is a genetically-typical person (if there is such a thing).He/she is born with no special genetic ‘gifts’ which enable them to pack on muscle mass quickly. Such people cannot gain lots of strength using VOLUME training, but a hardgainer can make impressive gains using less frequent workouts with considerably less volume (see topic Supersets).Estimates of the percentage of the population who are “hardgainers” range from 60% to 95% (Steve Holman “The Home Gym Handbook” published by Ironman Publications).

Am I a hardgainer?

In some cases the “hardgainer-ness” depend on physical measurements such as wrist/ankle-size etc.But if you find it impossible to add some poundage regularly to each of your exercises every week or two using a “conventional/popular” training program (one that has you training with the weights more than three days a week), then it is highly likely that you are overtraining. You will be much better off doing fewer exercises and sets and training less often.

Overtraining, How do i know if i am overtraining?

Overtraining occurs when you train too often and with a such intensity that goes beyond the ability to recover.If your body cannot recover from the last workout then it will be unable to grow.
Overtraining includes:
-A higher than normal resting pulse
-Illnesses become more frequent and last longer than usual
-Muscle spasms while resting(eyelid twitch etc.)
-Shaky hands
-Loss of Sleep
-Loss of appetite
-Unexpected and unexplained fatigue
-Unintended weight loss
But don`t forget the most important symptoms like very slow or non-existent gains in exercise poundages in the gym and in extreme cases a loss of strength.
The solution is by training with supersets. In most cases the person who tries this for the first time will experience a rapid gain in strength and muscle mass, along with an increase in energy.