I have heard everything from 1 to 3 pounds a month to people gaining 10 or more in a month. Obviously steriods change this but I am wondering if anyone knows of any physiological evidence or research demonstrating an average amount of muscle one can put on per month.
While personal experience is fine to learn from and use, I like to see some research if its been done.
There is NO specific amount that any average person can gain. This is because genetics are the largest factor in bodybuilding. I have trained one guy who gained 20 solid pounds in less than 2 months and from bf tests, it was lean body weight. You simply can’t pre-judge what someone can do.
Along with genetics, training, nutrition, and rest all also play factors. that means no one can predict because too many variables are involved. The goal is to simply do the best you can to support your own growth and not to worry so much about what the next guy is doing.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
There is NO specific amount that any average person can gain. This is because genetics are the largest factor in bodybuilding. I have trained one guy who gained 20 solid pounds in less than 2 months and from bf tests, it was lean body weight. You simply can’t pre-judge what someone can do.
Along with genetics, training, nutrition, and rest all also play factors. that means no one can predict because too many variables are involved. The goal is to simply do the best you can to support your own growth and not to worry so much about what the next guy is doing.
[/quote]
Well said Professor X. I believe an old “Experiment vs. Experience” audio interview with Dr. Lonnie Lowery addressed this same issue, and they said pretty much the same thing as the good Professor. However, I wanted to also point out that while 20 lbs is amazing 1-4 lbs is still quite impressive. The best example that the aforementioned interview used was going to the local grocery store and picking up a few pounds of ground beef or a certain size steak, and comparing it to see how much 1-5 lbs of muscle actually is. If you can put a couple of pounds of lean mass on a month that is definitely a good achievement, especially if you use my ground beef comparison…
Peace
Whenever I try to put on five pounds of ground beef in the grocery store, they just give me really dirty looks. Then they call security. 
This isn’t a straight up hi-jack, it’s pretty closely related to the original question and something I’ve been wondering about. If you are attempting to gain mass and you’ve reached that point where your gains have slowed, how long should you give your body to grow on the current calorie level? In other words how long should you go after not gaining anything before upping your calories again? Two weeks? Three weeks? A month?
Another factor that Prof X didn’t mention is your history. I you were big before but have taken a long layoff, with consistent training and eating you could def. gain a lot of weight back in a short period of time.
“determination, dedication, discipline.”
It most definately is a hi-jack, but, If it is strictly mas/weight then feel free to up your calories, but I would first evaluate training program and see where alterations could be made. ie–less cardio, less reps+more weight. Shake it up first,don’t just automatically up the k’s
Well I didn’t want to start a whole new thread and waste space when the question I had was directly related to a topic currently on the first page of the board. At least I thought my question was pretty closely related, anyway. Myabe I worded it wrong. In direct relation to the original question, how much can an experienced lifter expect to gain over a few weeks time? I know X already stated it’s related to so many different factors and varies for everyone, but I’m not looking so much for a hard number about weight gain. I just want to know how long an experienced trainee who has passed the 1 lb. a week phase should go without gaining any weight before they realize it’s time to up the calories.
[quote]CC wrote:
I know X already stated it’s related to so many different factors and varies for everyone, but I’m not looking so much for a hard number about weight gain. I just want to know how long an experienced trainee who has passed the 1 lb. a week phase should go without gaining any weight before they realize it’s time to up the calories.[/quote]
There are too many variables involved. You guys are asking questions like, “how long is a piece of string?” I generally set weight limits that I am trying to get up to. If I hit that and I feel like I am not carrying too much body fat, then I set a new higher limit. If I set a goal for 260lbs. I eat as much as it takes for me to reach 260lbs. If I hit that weight and I don’t feel like I gained too much body fat and my strength is up, I may then set that goal for 265. If I feel I am carrying too much fat, I may icrease cardio for a while and drop some. It is all about where you are trying to get to and the progress you are making. Clearly, if you aren’t making gains, then eat until you do. If you are gaining too much fat, then cut back. I have honestly never made this as complicated as some of you seem to be. Why would you sit at a weight for weeks when you aren’t making gains and your strength is not increasing? Why wouldn’t you IMMEDIATELY eat more.