This is a question that I have always been interested in, ever since I started building muscle and noticing the change it can have on your appearance. Surely, if you are able to build 4lb of muscle in one month then you can just replicate that in the next month and build another 4? Oh, if only. Everyone would be walking around as a 250lb plus bodybuilder. Plus, these types of gains only really happen when you are a newbie. The body is a very smart machine and quickly adapts to stimulus. Which sucks for building muscle, but it's what has kept us (humans) at the top of the food chain.
It's important to understand that everyone will build muscle at a different rate, and what works for one person may not work for another. Genetics plays a big role and there are a lot of variables involved. Thankfully, it’s still very possible to build muscle at an acceptable rate for a large majority of your life and people can usually always tweak aspects of their training and nutrition to spark new muscle growth.
In theory, building muscle is actually very simple. Make sure you are lifting more than last time in either weight or volume and eat in a calorie surplus. However, continuously pushing your body to be better for weeks, months and years takes a toll on you physically and mentally. In reality, it’s very hard to do and you have to consider that you will experience times when you simply cannot progress or eat enough due to injuries, poor programming, illness and just life. When one of these occurs, don’t worry, just think of the bigger picture and focus on getting back into training as soon as possible.
So then, the answer to the question you all want then. How much muscle can you really build?
Well, the average man can build around 40-50lbs of muscle in their lifetime and the average woman can build around 20-25lbs. It's important to know that muscle is added, not weight. It’s also an average, some people will be able to build a little more and some people will build a little less. Furthermore, it’s incredibly hard to reach this average number. To do so takes a huge amount of dedication and accountability. It involves doing everything perfectly for years and years on end. That means nailing your nutrition, sleep and training every day. It’s no easy feat, but it can be done.
Now you know how much muscle you can build over your lifetime, how fast can you build it?
Well, on average, a man can build muscle at the rate of 0.25-0.5lbs per week and a woman at a rate of 0.10 – 0.20lbs per week. So, a man can expect to build around 1-2 lbs of muscle per month and a woman 0.5-1lb a month. Remember, this is based on the individual doing everything in their power to build muscle around the clock. It will also depend on the individual's training age. If they are new to the gym, they can easily add anywhere from 2-5lbs of muscle in their first month! Once you get past the newbie gains, it becomes a lot harder to gain muscle.
For example, if you have been training properly for 1 year, you can expect to add about 20-25lbs of muscle. Year 2 would be around 10-12lbs. Year 3 around 5-6lbs and 4+ years around 2-3lbs. As you can see, muscle growth slows down fast, but it’s still achievable.
Are you surprised by how much muscle you can build and at what rate?
