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 ).
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.
You can gain up to 12-15lbs (6.8kg) of muscle in 3-4 months when closely following a researched program. (Afterward, muscle gains slow drastically.) These results are achievable for every healthy man and woman.
Gaining muscle is a slow process. It can take about three to four weeks to see a visible change. You'll see some real results after 12 weeks, but it "all depends on your goals, and what type of strength training you are doing," says Haroldsdottir.
“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.
When it comes to adding muscle to your frame, you need to make sure you're giving your body plenty of time to rest between strength training sessions. Doing the same amount of exercise day after day can inhibit recovery and cause you to lose muscle over time.
In most cases, gaining muscle is a slow, gradual process, and it can take years rather than months to see sizeable results. That said, beginners and some intermediate lifters may be able to see small changes after just a few months of intense training.
What Are Newbie Gains? Newbie gains refers to the rapid increase in muscle and strength that often occurs when people with little to no previous weightlifting experience start training intensively. Typically, these people also gain very little fat or even lose fat while gaining a considerable amount of muscle.
Weight training for 20 to 30 minutes, 2 to 3 times a week is enough to see results. You should try to target all your major muscle groups at least twice throughout your weekly workouts. While you may not see results right away, even a single strength training session can help promote muscle growth.
The answer: Depending on how often you exercise and the intensity of your workouts, give it between four to eight weeks for your muscles to get ripped, says Kawamoto.
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.
This process is often known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). 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.
Experts recommend exercising at least three times a week to maintain good health. Many people choose to workout more than the minimum recommended number of days, but busy people should not feel guilty for exercising only three days a week.
The simple answer: No. Many people (especially females) are afraid that if they lift weights, they will get bulky (gain a lot of muscle mass), which inevitably changes their physique into what they may view as undesirable. Weight training does one thing very reliably: it makes you stronger.
In conclusion, boys experience significant gains of muscle mass and strength when they reach the G4 pubertal stage, which corresponds to 14 years of age on the average.
When you gain muscle, you'll notice that your muscles naturally look more defined and are more visible, Berkow said. (To see your abs specifically, you'd have to also lose fat.) Your muscles would also be larger in size or feel "harder." If you gain fat, you'll notice more softness, she said, and you'll gain inches.
Calves. Calf muscles are also considered as one of the most difficult to grow in the gym, to the point where many people give up trying. It turns out that the lower leg muscles are not that significantly different from other skeletal muscles.
1. Fast-twitch muscle fibers (type ll) Fast-twitch muscle fibers, also known as type ll muscle fibers, contract faster (hence the name) and have about a 25 to 75% greater potential for muscle growth than type l fibers.
So, how much muscle can you realistically gain in one month? 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.
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.