How much muscle naturally

Not only that, but different amounts of muscle will appear differently on each individual based on their body structure. That said, pounds of lean muscle built over the course of about years is a realistic muscle growth rate for those ranging from slightly below to slightly above average genetics.

Your best bet is to simply get yourself onto the best training and nutrition plan possible, execute it on a consistent basis, see what your individual genetics have in store for you, and adjust as you go along. If you found these tips helpful and want to get a step-by-step plan that maximizes your individual rate of muscle growth, make sure to get your personalized training, nutrition and supplement plans using my free interactive video presentation below….

If you found this article helpful, make sure to sign up for your FREE custom fitness plan below Thanks for checking out my article! If you found it helpful, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow on Instagram for more daily training and nutrition tips.

If you need further help getting onto the right track with your fitness goals, you can also sign up for a free customized program from me here:. Sean Nalewanyj. Just type and press 'enter'. July 28, Sean Nalewanyj. General Training , Training. So, how much muscle can you really gain, and in what time frame?

All I saw was a ton of muscle, and I wanted to know how to get more. In The Sports Gene , author David Epstein has a definitive answer to the question of how much muscle any individual can pack onto his frame: five pounds for every pound of bone. Research typically tackles the question with short-term training programs, often with one group using a nutritional supplement and the other getting a placebo. Stuart Phillips, Ph.

No matter how good the program or supplements are, he never sees average gains exceeding about a half-pound a week. Individuals, he notes, will show more extreme results. But the average will still be around 4 to 7 pounds. Moreover, Phillips adds, the gains in the first 12 weeks of training are a very good indication of their overall potential.

We can accept that genetics determine our height and hairlines. But our muscles? Start with satellite cells. These are stem cells within your muscles that provide extra nuclei, giving them a more powerful growth stimulus. The only way to know how many satellite cells you have would be to take biopsies of the muscles and run sophisticated and presumably expensive tests.

They found that the relative number of satellite cells predicted who would gain the most muscle over a week training program. So if nothing else, we can conclude that Tom Platz, the bodybuilder with turbines for legs, started with a ridiculous load of satellite cells. Sometimes you can look at someone before he starts training and see the potential. The converse is someone like me. In my teenage years even fat guys thought it was fair to make fun of my skinny arms and legs.

The size and shape of those muscles is limited by the length of tendons, relative to the length of bones.

Think of your biceps. A bigger muscle belly will have a shorter tendon connecting it to the forearm. That requires eating more than your body needs to maintain its current size, and it involves a different but equally complex set of variables. 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.

How much you gain during a mass overfeeding, and how much of it is muscle, depends on two key variables. Not sure how to get the best results from your workouts? Gilbert Forbes, a pioneer in the study of body composition, showed that fat and lean tissue increase or decrease in relationship to each other.

When a lean person overeats, 60 to 70 percent of the additional weight will be lean tissue. Perhaps the greatest weight-gain experiment ever conducted began in the late s at Laval University in Quebec. In this article, you'll discover what defines your genetic potential, how to calculate how much muscle you can gain, and how to fulfil that potential.

With that said, here's what the article covers:. Before we launch into calculating how much muscle you can build, let's look at the factors influencing what's possible. Genetics play a huge role in defining your potential. After that, the quality of your training and nutrition determines how much of that potential you fulfil. In my experience, most people who blame genetics or claim to have hit their genetic ceiling are not even close.

In reality, building muscle is hard. It takes consistent effort over a long period of time. And most people aren't prepared to put in that work. So they resort to, " That said, there is an obvious genetic component to the discussion. So here's what the research tells us about what's involved in determining how much muscle you can build.

According to a study , higher birth weight is positively associated with greater long-term potential for muscle gain. In fact, for every 1kg difference in birth weight, you can expect c. A study in looked at potential muscle gain over a 12 week period, based on subjects' starting levels of lean mass. The conclusion of the study indicated that the more muscle you have to begin with, the more you'll gain over time. An analysis of participants looked at the association between ankle and wrist size, and free fat mass FFM, i.

It highlighted a positive correlation between greater joint size and increased FFM. A study looked at the levels of FFM mass in powerlifters. The research showed a positive association between greater FFM and those athletes with wider frames.

In a nutshell, your parents have a lot to answer for. Ultimately, how much muscle you can potentially gain over your lifetime is out of your hands. Although it's worth bearing in mind, these studies are looking at associations. Consequently, they're not designed to provide strict limitations. After all, you may be an outlier who defies the trend. Based on the available data, many formulas have been developed to help calculate your genetic potential.

The simplest of which is based on height. But these don't cater for variances in physiques. For example, according to these calculations, a taller person will have the potential to build more muscle than a shorter person. However, we've all seen that short, heavy-set dude badass in the gym. Casey Butt developed a formula to account for this. It's more complicated, which is why I've simplified it for you in this handy calculator.

Sadly, his research only involved men, so it's probably not accurate for women. Casey Butt's formula isn't the only method for calculating how much muscle you can build. Martin Berkhan has developed an incredibly simple calculation based on his experience in coaching thousands of people to get very lean. So "lean AF" to give you the technical definition:. A word of caution! As this calculation is purely based on height, there's minimal consideration for genetic differences.

Again, treat it as a guide, not an absolute. You might surf through social media and wonder if the physiques you see daily are achievable without a trip to your local 'underground pharmacy'. Often, comparing yourself to others leaves you disheartened and deflated about your own progress. And, in many cases, these models and athletes claim to the bitter-end they achieved everything naturally.