Hardgainer (magazine)
Encyclopedia
Hardgainer magazine was a weight training
magazine
for hardgainers (people who find it difficult to add muscle mass).
, a transplanted Englishman living in Nicosia
, Cyprus
, 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
summarizes the Hardgainer approach as follows:
In the book Dinosaur Training
, Brooks Kubik included Hardgainer in a list of four publications (along with Milo
, 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).
Weight training
Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles. It uses the weight force of gravity to oppose the force generated by muscle through concentric or eccentric contraction...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
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 McRobertStuart McRobert
Stuart McRobert is a writer on strength training, best known as the founder and publisher of Hardgainer magazine. McRobert lives in Nicosia, Cyprus with his wife and two daughters.-Biography:...
, a transplanted Englishman living in Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, 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
Dave Draper
David Draper bodybuilder, actor and author, nicknamed "The Blond Bomber."-Biography:Draper was born in Secaucus, New Jersey...
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
Dinosaur Training
Dinosaur training is a philosophy of weight training / physical culture promoting a return to traditional strongman types of exercises and training, including:*A repudiation of drugs and supplements*High weights for low reps, including singles...
, Brooks Kubik included Hardgainer in a list of four publications (along with Milo
Milo magazine
MILO: A Journal For Serious Strength Athletes is a quarterly journal dedicated to strength sports, published by IronMind. The magazine is named after Milo of Croton....
, 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).