Founder & Managing Director Mag. IBW

Mag. Christian Schönbauer

Hardgainer since 1999. Under 50 kg starting weight, 75.52 kg peak — built without shortcuts. Over 25 years of training, coaching in his own circle since ~2001, 13 years in controlling. Everything on this site was lived before it was written.

The Full Story To the Guide

At a Glance

< 50 kg Starting Weight 1999

75.52 kg Peak · Apr 2025

25+ Years of Training

13 Years in Controlling

Background

What I Bring

Medical Background

Grew up in a family of physicians: father gynaecologist, grandfather orthopaedic surgeon, aunt pulmonologist. VO2max, lactate, SpO2 measured on his own body.

IBW & 13 Years Controlling

International business administration from 2005, Mag. degree 2012. Over a decade in controlling — reading numbers, managing processes, basing decisions on data.

Coaching Since ~2001

Since moving to the Franz Mares strength centre, Vienna Donaustadt. Guiding training partners and his own network — not commercial coaching, but real-world practice.

BBSzene Forum Moderator

Moderator of the hardgainer and HIT sections in one of the largest German-speaking bodybuilding forums. Years of exchange with one of the toughest audiences online.

Milestones

The Path

1999

Training Begins in Wiener Neudorf & Mödling

Under 50 kg. No plan, no coach, no network. Tried several gyms, none of them right.

~2001

Franz Mares Strength Centre, Vienna Donaustadt

Moved to a real strength gym. Found a training partner, discovered Heavy Duty, first coaching experience in his own circle.

2005

International Business Administration

Start of the IBW programme. Analytical thinking that would later shape every aspect of HGPN — from formula planning to spreadsheet logic.

2012

Mag. Degree · Enters Controlling

13 years in controlling. Reading numbers, managing processes, basing decisions on data — skills that now live inside every HGPN tool.

2024

HGPN Founded in Vienna

Hardgainer Performance Nutrition GmbH. Build phase 65→75 kg running in parallel (~16 months, in his early 40s). 25 years of experience forged into a system — with support from his personal circle.

2025

Peak: 75.52 kg · Content Ecosystem Live

Personal all-time high in April. 6-phase guide, calorie calculator, 66+ glossary entries, Myth Busting Season 1 complete.

2026

Hardgainer Mission Briefing™ · Season 2 Running

Weekly email series live. Myth Busting Season 2 in production. New tools, new content, growing reach.

In 2004, I lost my brother. Training during that time was not a distraction — it was identity. What began as coping became the foundation. 20 years later, I founded HGPN. Not despite it. Because of it.

Philosophy

Motivation got me started. Habit carried me forward.

— Christian Schönbauer

Discipline, clarity, progress — these are not slogans. They are the method. Every page, every tool, every glossary entry on this site follows one principle: understand first, then act. No shortcuts. No wishful thinking. Real data, real experience, real results.

By Me

Content & Resources

About Me — Deep Dive The full transformation with photos, timeline, proof chart and the story behind it. 6-Phase Hardgainer Guide The complete system — from definition to monitoring. Myth Busting Series Season 1 complete (10 episodes). Season 2 in production — every myth analysed and debunked. Hardgainer Glossary 66+ terms explained bilingually — the reference for hardgainers. Hardgainer Knowledge Base System articles connecting multiple concepts — nutrition, training, recovery. Product in Development We're building our first physical product — developed from 25 years of self-testing. First to know: Hardgainer Mission Briefing™.

Weekly

Hardgainer Mission Briefing™

One briefing per week — strategies, data and straight talk for hardgainers. No spam, no filler.