''Hardgainer'' magazine was a
weight training
Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength, size of skeletal muscles and maintenance of strength.Keogh, Justin W, and Paul W Winwood. “Report for: The Epidemiology of Injuries Across the Weight-Trai ...
magazine for
hardgainers (people who find it difficult to add muscle mass).
History
''Hardgainer'' was available only through
subscription, and was initially published on a bi-monthly basis starting with the July-August, 1989 issue.
Stuart McRobert, a transplanted Englishman living in
Nicosia,
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...
, was the publisher and editor, operating under the name of ''CS Publishing''. At the beginning of 2004, it was announced that the frequency was being scaled back to quarterly. However, only two quarterly issues were published; the April-June, 2004 issue was the final one, bringing the total production to 89 issues. Although the magazine is no longer being published, McRobert has continued to operate the ''Hardgainer'' web site and book publishing operation.
''Hardgainer'' built its reputation as a source of no-nonsense training advice. In contrast to most popular bodybuilding magazines, which typically promote training methods of the top competitors, McRobert chose to focus on training methods that were suitable for the typical trainee rather than the genetically gifted and without the use of drugs. A wide variety of writers contributed articles over the years, but the common theme was always abbreviated training, with a concentration on basic, multi-joint exercises such as the squat, deadlift and bench press.
In ''Brother Iron, Sister Steel: A Bodybuilder's Book'',
Dave Draper
David Draper (April 16, 1942 – November 30, 2021) was an American bodybuilder, actor and author.
Early life
Draper was born in Secaucus, New Jersey on April 16, 1942. His weight training began at the age of ten and was a well-formed habit by ...
summarizes the ''Hardgainer'' approach as follows:
:''Hardgainer, made popular by Stuart McRobert, is another offshoot of abbreviated training that encourages the utilization of basic, multi-joint movements to near muscular fatigue without compromising form, endangering the body or miscalculating recovery time.''
In the book ''
Dinosaur Training'', Brooks Kubik included ''Hardgainer'' in a list of four publications (along with ''
Milo
Milo may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Milo'' (magazine), a strength sports magazine
*'' Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze'', a 2011 children's novel by Alan Silberberg
* ''Milo'' (video game), a first-person adventure-puzzle computer ga ...
'', ''The Iron Master'', and ''H.I.T. Newsletter'') to which he recommended that his readers should subscribe, referring to them as "excellent sources of information about productive weight training".
McRobert has published several books on weight training under the ''Hardgainer'' / ''CS Publishing'' umbrella, including ''Brawn'' (1991), ''The Insider's Tell-All Handbook On Weight-Training Technique'' (1996), ''Beyond Brawn'' (1998), and ''Further Brawn'' (2001).
References
# Dave Draper, ''Brother Iron, Sister Steel: A Bodybuilder's Book'' (2001, ), p. 58
# Brooks D. Kubik, ''Dinosaur Training'' (1996), p. 192
External links
Official WebsiteCableSport WebsiteSkinny Guy Build Muscle{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110116124020/http://www.skinnyguybuildmuscle.com/ , date=2011-01-16
Bimonthly magazines published in the United States
Sports magazines published in the United States
Quarterly magazines published in the United States
Bodybuilding magazines
Defunct magazines published in the United States
Magazines established in 1989
Magazines disestablished in 2004
Online magazines with defunct print editions