Gaining muscle, the natural way whilst satisfying can be back-breaking. It is thus important you note that it will be a grueling process. If anything, dedicate yourself to the process, for starters.
That said, gaining muscle is a very intricate process. It can either take very long or relatively short depending on various factors, i.e., methods used.
For instance, steroid users often end up gaining muscle at a fast rate. It is, however, common knowledge that there are a plethora of risks associated with using steroids.
On top of the lack of integrity linked with steroid use, especially in elite sports, it’s a highly frowned upon means of gaining muscle.
However, it is noteworthy that using steroids isn’t the only time you can gain muscles quickly. There are extenuating circumstances where you can get gains faster than usual.
Although they can’t explain how much muscle can you gain in a year, they are faster than the normal, natural rate, albeit slower than steroids.
These extenuating circumstances include:
1. FAVORABLE GENETICS
Genes play a huge role in answering the question how much muscle can you gain. This is all dependent on the fast-twitch to slow-twitch muscle fibers ratio.
The goal should be to have more fast-twitch muscle fibers than slow-twitch muscle fibers. This is because fast-twitch fibers have a better potential for growth than slow-twitch fibers.
The ratio of the muscle fibers is decided by genetics hence its importance in muscle gain.
2. YOU JUST STARTED WORKING OUT
The body reacts better to those working out for the first time.
Therefore, if you’re carrying weights for the first time, it’s going to be easier for you to put on muscle mass than it is for someone who’s lifted weights before.
3.EXCESSIVE PORTIONS
Additional calories are what is used to grow new muscle. It is thus much easier to grow new muscle when you consume those extra calories to bulk up.
On the contrary, the more popular approach is reducing calorie intake in fear of fat gain.
However, it is important to keep track of whether or not the fat gain is camouflaging as muscle gain.
Another aspect that affects how much muscle can you make in a year is muscle bellies.
Although muscle bellies don’t directly affect muscle’s ability to grow, they affect the structure, which has a general effect on how muscle gains appear.
Something that is often associated with gain or lack thereof. Muscle bellies are intermittently linked to muscle tendons.
The muscle bellies are the part of the muscle that contracts, so it should be what you want to grow. Tendons are what connect your muscle bellies to the skeleton.
This relationship works in the following way. If you have short bellies and long tendons, it means your potential for muscularity is low.
This is because muscles can’t grow longer they grow wider. As such, if you have long bellies and short tendons, there is massive potential for muscularity.
However, this doesn’t mean that if you have longer tendons, you can gain muscle. It just means that your muscle structure is highly likely not going to be bulky in the traditional sense.
It is, however, very possible to build an impressive muscle mass despite this. Such factors play a huge role in how much muscle gain can you make in a year.
HOW MUCH MUSCLE CAN YOU BUILD NATURALLY?
The rate of natural muscle gain is directly proportional to each year of proper training and nutrition, with genetics playing a big part.
It would thus be speculative to give any sort of number. As such, muscle gain models have been developed to provide objective predictions based on empirical data.
There are muscle gain models in place that can help you determine where you are genetically predisposed to end up. They include:
CASSEY BUTT’S MUSCLE MASS GAIN MODEL
Butt’s muscle mass potential model estimates your genetic potential for muscle growth. It also calculates the estimates of the maximum potential of each muscle group.
It is, however, important to note that there is room for a percentage of error. This is considering Butt’s database was mostly bodybuilders, and there is always a chance of steroid usage.
So then, how much muscle can you gain in a year, according to Butt’s muscle gain model? It all comes down to your genetic predisposition.
ALLAN AROGON’ S NATURAL LEAN MUSCLE MASS GAIN MODEL
According to Arogon, people who frequently exercise can gain 0.25%- 0.5% of the body weight as fat-free muscle per month.
Thus, it answers how much muscle can you gain a year if you add up your monthly totals.
LYLE MCDONALD’S NATURAL LEAN MUSCLE MASS GAIN MODEL
This theory focuses more on the influence of hormones and age on muscle gain rather than genetics. Lyle states that age and starting condition can be a hinderance to muscle gain.
According to McDonald, you can gain up to 50 pounds of muscle with proper training. When broken down, this averages to about 20 pounds for the first year for men. Women, on the other hand, gain slightly less at 10 to 15 pounds for women.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GAIN 10 POUNDS OF MUSCLE?
The key to muscle growth is the dynamics of muscle protein synthesis and breakdown within the body. The muscle protein synthesized should exceed the amounts that are broken down.
Going by the Lyle McDonald muscle mass gain model, you will likely gain about two pounds of muscle mass per month. This is with the help of regular exercise, preferably heavy resistance training.
This, therefore, means that about 5 months should be enough to gain about 10 pounds of muscle mass.
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU’VE GAINED MUSCLE OR FAT?
If you frequent a weight scale to check your weight, then it should be simple enough. As mentioned above, it takes time to build muscle mass.
Is the timeframe between your visits to the weighing scale less than a month, and is it the difference more than two pounds?. If not, chances are what you’re seeing is fat and not muscle mass.
IS THERE A LIMIT TO MUSCLE GROWTH?
There are various arguments in regards to how much muscle can you gain in a year. Some people believe that putting in your 10,000 hours will get you as big as you want to be. That there is no limit for body-muscle gain.
On the other hand, there is also the belief that there is a ceiling for body muscle. That you can max out your muscle gain in a few years with proper training.
Both sides have valid points with physiological evidence present to back their claims. Therefore, as it stands, there is inconclusive evidence in regards to whether there is a limit to muscle growth or not.
CONCLUSION
The road to gaining muscle mass is a personalized experience despite there being certain guidelines. As such, take time to gather as much information as you can in regards to your goals.
It is important to exercise patience and note how your body reacts to different situations in question. So how then how much muscle can you gain in a year?
Data will have you believe it’s either a percentage of your body weight or 20 pounds or 15 pounds. If you actually follow set guidelines, you might actually get close to that or land it squarely.
However, all they are is guidelines. Often, guidelines can prove to be inconvenient, and you have to come up with something that suits you.
As long as it’s getting you results in a healthy manner, there is nothing wrong with that. It might fall short of the scientific projections, but if it’s progress, keep at it!
[related_posts_by_tax posts_per_page="4"]
