“It's going to take at least four to six weeks of consistent training to experience significant gains,” says Michele Olson, an adjunct professor of sports science at Huntingdon University. Unless you're engaged in some Arnold-level lifting, the two or three pounds you've added aren't muscle.
Keep in mind that it's physiologically impossible to gain more than one pound of lean muscle per week. For most weight-gainers, half a pound per week would be an even more realistic goal, because they reach their genetic limit.
Alan Aragon, my coauthor on The Lean Muscle Diet, estimates that an entry-level lifter can gain 2 to 3 pounds of muscle mass in a month without adding much fat. An intermediate can gain 1 to 2 pounds a month, and an experienced lifter will be lucky to add a half-pound.
Most beginners will see noticeable muscle growth within eight weeks, while more experienced lifters will see changes in three to four weeks. Most individuals gain one to two pounds of lean muscle per month with the right strength training and nutrition plan.
Muscle gain rates vary by individual, even when following the same program. Overall, with good nutrition and consistent training, research has found that 0.5–2 pounds (0.25–0.9 kg) of muscle growth per month is a good benchmark for maximal potential muscle growth ( 7 ).
For the first time, it has been demonstrated that it does not take months of training to significantly improve both muscle volume and strength; instead, two weeks of an appropriate exercise are enough.
Research investigating lean muscle gain over the course of a month is limited,2 but experts suggest that most healthy individuals can gain 1 to 2 pounds of lean muscle mass per month. However, this rate varies based on age, sex, physical condition, genetics, diet quality, and of course, training program.
A more realistic pace is around 5 pounds of solid mass every six months. Many will need to take breaks from their bulk and cycle through cutting phases as needed. Plus as your muscles grow in size, the rate at which you can gain steadily decreases.
5 Pounds - It will take you about three months to build your first 5 pounds of muscle. That's not a long time at all, and will have a noticeable impact on your physique. 10 Pounds - After 7 months in the gym you will have built a approximately 10 total pounds of mass.
For most beginners, gaining 2-4lbs of muscle per month is a realistic rate of muscle gain. More advanced lifters should aim to gain 1-2lbs of muscle per month, as research has shown slower rates of muscle gain the more advanced a lifter becomes.
Your metabolism plays a role. Your familiarity with weight training plays a role. Your ability to mainline protein plays a role (more on that later). But, yes, the general rule is that you can gain about a pound of muscle mass each week safely.
How Long Beginner Gains Last For and How Much Can You Gain From Them. There is no exact formula or answer to how long the newbie gains kick lasts. However, there is a general consensus among professionals that the newbie gains period tends to last somewhere between 6 and 12 months after starting lifting.
After one or two weeks off, you won't suffer a significant drop in strength, power, body mass or size – or witness a noticeable gain in body fat. And it takes even longer to see any decline in aerobic capacity, stamina or VO2 max.
Add 500 calories a day to your diet, including 0.4 grams of protein for every pound of body weight, advises CNN diet and fitness expert Melina Jampolis. Because a pound requires 3,500 calories to build, a 500 calorie increase a day will support a weight increase of 1 lb. per week.
Current research indicates that three primary mechanisms are involved in exercise-related muscle growth: muscle tension, muscle damage, and metabolic stress (Schoenfeld 2010). Muscle tension. Tension exerted on muscles during resistance exercise is generally considered the most important factor in muscle development.
Muscle soreness is related to muscle damage, which can promote, but is not required for, muscle growth. In a nutshell, unless your goal is to feel sore, then you don't need to be sore after every workout.
Mesomorphs and endomorphs both gain weight quickly, whereas ectomorphs find it more difficult to gain weight. Another factor is muscle gain. Mesomorphs and endomorphs gain muscle quickly, while ectomorphs do not.
Most people think that they need to gain way more muscle than they really do to make a noticeable visual difference. Particularly if you stay lean, even just 5lbs of muscle can be seen, especially if it's in the “right places” like the shoulders, forearms, chest, lats, etc. 15lbs is a LOT!
Based on all of this, here's how fast you can expect to build muscle on average: Average Natural MAN: between 0.25 and 0.5 pounds of muscle per week (or about 1-2 pounds of muscle gained per month). Average Natural WOMAN: between 0.12 – 0.25 pounds of muscle per week (or about 0.5-1 pound of muscle gained per month).
Even if you are hitting the weights regularly, you're not going to gain muscle weight rapidly, especially in the beginning. “It's going to take at least four to six weeks of consistent training to experience significant gains,” says Michele Olson, an adjunct professor of sports science at Huntingdon University.
Key Takeaways. Most men can naturally gain 40 to 50 pounds of muscle in their lifetimes, and most women can naturally gain 20 to 25 pounds. Research shows that you can use the circumference of your wrists and ankles to predict how much muscle you can gain naturally.
To safely and effectively gain muscle, you need to increase your total calorie needs by at least 3500 calories per week, or about 500 extra calories per day, depending on your activity level.
“The novice lifter is generally able to gain between 1 and 4lbs of muscle in a month,” says celebrity PT Scott Laidler. This equates to a maximum of just over 1.8kg of muscle – enough for skinny men to start seeing serious definition.