Most hardgainers are training the wrong way to solve their dilemma.
This is because they’ve been told a lie.
They’ve been told, “train for strength, and development will come.”
This is just… not really true. It’s an oversimplification at best, and at the end of the day, it’s kindergarten logic.
First, if that were true: wouldn’t you have overcome your dilemma already?
Or are you still struggling?
If you are still struggling, consider that maybe there’s a better way to do this.
The truth is that training for strength, with max low-rep sets and so on, won’t build muscle if these create demands on your system mess up your recovery. And they will.
Doing too many low-rep sets with very high weights will tap into your central nervous system in ways that will hamper muscle growth. You grow when you recover. After all, if you aren’t recovering, you are not growing.
Yes, some relatively lower-rep sets have their place. You just have to know when and how to use them. There’s a reason that The Hardgainer Solution uses the classic 5 X 5 reps scheme several times each week.
Borrowing a little from the strength world? Yes, that has its place. But training exclusively for strength is NOT the way to overcome the dilemma.