How many pounds of muscle could I really put on?
abbylg1983
Posts: 177 Member
OK, I am an average size female and I do a little strength training, but nothing very consistent other than carrying my daughter around.
Let's just pretend for a minute than I did weight lifting by the book- with optimum nutrition and recovery time and was very consistent with my workouts and progressed heavier each time. How much muscle weight could I honestly expect to gain per month?
I read a lot where women complain that they are working out and gaining weight, and everyone is like, oh it's muscle, that's good, but it's like, 2 pounds in a week. That seems a bit much. I have heard 1-2 pounds a month if you're doing everything right which seems more reasonable but I am no expert.
I know gaining muscle varies from person to person but is there some general average for women?
Let's just pretend for a minute than I did weight lifting by the book- with optimum nutrition and recovery time and was very consistent with my workouts and progressed heavier each time. How much muscle weight could I honestly expect to gain per month?
I read a lot where women complain that they are working out and gaining weight, and everyone is like, oh it's muscle, that's good, but it's like, 2 pounds in a week. That seems a bit much. I have heard 1-2 pounds a month if you're doing everything right which seems more reasonable but I am no expert.
I know gaining muscle varies from person to person but is there some general average for women?
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Replies
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yea MUCH harder to build muscle than put on fat. if you are lucky id say 1-2 lbs in a mo. depending on your body type..prob less than a lb be more realistic.0
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As a beginners, you could realistically put on 7-10 pounds in a year. After a year or so, you would taper off and be lucky to put on 3-5 in a year. That is the advice I have been given by several of my bodybuilding trainers.0
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yea MUCH harder to build muscle than put on fat. if you are lucky id say 1-2 lbs in a mo. depending on your body type..prob less than a lb be more realistic.
Agreed!0 -
I don't think there is any clear cut answer to this. I believe for the normal person (whatever that is) it will be a slow process. However, if you are intentionally building muscle you can bulk up on protein and do lots of strength training and you will gain muscle mass quicker.0
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wow, only 7-10 pounds? That's really not very much. I always grit my teeth when people say, oh I must have just gained muscle weight, when it's some absurdly high number over a short period of time.0
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It depends on so many things it's almost impossible to say. 1lb/month max seems to be the generally agreed upon number for the average person with average genetics, a good diet, good routine, and excellent dedication. Women will generally have a harder time hitting that number than men due to lower testosterone levels.
Start changing any of those factors (genetics, diet, routine, dedication, etc) and your results will vary even more.0 -
if your were an average woman operating at 110%. Maybe a pound 1 or 1.5 per month I think.0
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The average male would LUCKY to put on 1lb a month even in surplus. A female in calorie deficit? They'd be lucky to put on 0.5lb in 6 months.OK, I am an average size female and I do a little strength training, but nothing very consistent other than carrying my daughter around.
Let's just pretend for a minute than I did weight lifting by the book- with optimum nutrition and recovery time and was very consistent with my workouts and progressed heavier each time. How much muscle weight could I honestly expect to gain per month?
I read a lot where women complain that they are working out and gaining weight, and everyone is like, oh it's muscle, that's good, but it's like, 2 pounds in a week. That seems a bit much. I have heard 1-2 pounds a month if you're doing everything right which seems more reasonable but I am no expert.
I know gaining muscle varies from person to person but is there some general average for women?
It's practically improbable to gain muscle on calorie deficit. Not impossible, but genetics, experience (newbie), past activity (former athlete) and being obese/very overweight would have the be the category you'd have to be in to gain doing it. And even then it's not as much as everyone thinks.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
And this is for a MALE. Females much less unless "enhanced".As a beginners, you could realistically put on 7-10 pounds in a year. After a year or so, you would taper off and be lucky to put on 3-5 in a year. That is the advice I have been given by several of my bodybuilding trainers.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
A woman would be genetically gifted to put on 5 pounds of quality muscle a year.0
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Im hitting the gym and swimming virtually everyday which is burning lots of calories BUT im not losing on the scales. in fact im standing still.although im feeling slightly trimmer and tighter.
i thought i was doing something wrong and needed to cut down my calorie intact for the days, but i was advised to keep going as i am.
Personally i think my body has gone into shock and the reason im not losing weight is due to that fact. i think some of it may be muscle, or water, im not sure, but i think its something you just have to work through and give it LOTS of time.
I am gonna keep doing what im doing and hope that my body starts getting used to the new healthy eating and intensity of workouts and balances itself out.0 -
Just in case the 'weight gain' is what you are concerned with, not looking for how much you COULD gain
When I do strength training, I gain around 1-3 pounds on the 2nd or 3rd day just due to the swelling of my muscles, which is primarily water weight. If I stop strength training, the weight comes off in about 2 days (along with my muscles calming down. Or, when I did a long time of strength training, that extra weight seemed to flush itself out as my body got used to be used that way.0 -
I'm hoping people will read this and stop telling people (women specifically) that they gained 2-5lb of muscle doing Turbo Jam or 30DS on a calorie deficit in one week. :huh:0
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Im hitting the gym and swimming virtually everyday which is burning lots of calories BUT im not losing on the scales. in fact im standing still.although im feeling slightly trimmer and tighter.
i thought i was doing something wrong and needed to cut down my calorie intact for the days, but i was advised to keep going as i am.
Personally i think my body has gone into shock and the reason im not losing weight is due to that fact. i think some of it may be muscle, or water, im not sure, but i think its something you just have to work through and give it LOTS of time.
I am gonna keep doing what im doing and hope that my body starts getting used to the new healthy eating and intensity of workouts and balances itself out.
What's your goal - lose weight or add muscle? How long have you been at it?0 -
I think some of it is water weight? But that's really only directly after you begin a new program and should drop within a few days...at least, that's what happened to me when I did 30 DS. If someone's working out consistently and in a calorie deficit, then they should not be putting on that much weight consistently over time.0
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I'm hoping people will read this and stop telling people (women specifically) that they gained 2-5lb of muscle doing Turbo Jam or 30DS on a calorie deficit in one week. :huh:
Yeah that's sort of what I was getting at. I am tired of reading, I'm going to the gym every day and I'm not losing any weight, what gives? And someone always writes, oh you're gaining muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat! So, by the most generous of the guidelines here, you could expect to gain a pound a month. That means if you've been working out for a month and the scale hasn't moved, you have at most gained one pound of muscle and lost a pound of fat. Hmm.0 -
The average male would LUCKY to put on 1lb a month even in surplus. A female in calorie deficit? They'd be lucky to put on 0.5lb in 6 months.
It's practically improbable to gain muscle on calorie deficit. Not impossible, but genetics, experience (newbie), past activity (former athlete) and being obese/very overweight would have the be the category you'd have to be in to gain doing it. And even then it's not as much as everyone thinks.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Ninerbuff,
sorry to hijack the thread a bit here but you seem to know your stuff and I have a quick question...
I get my body fat measured on a big scanner at the gym and get a print out with my results.
Last month it said my bf% was down 2.5%, overall weight loss was 2kg, but my fat loss was 3kg which would suggest I had put on a kg of muscle in a month.
I thought this seemed ridiculous, is it even possible? I do seem to have lost a lot of inches lately but not much weight.
I eat 2100 cals (p30 / f30 / c40), and would class myself as very active, I do 3 spin classes, 4 boxercise classes and 2 hours of heavy weights per week. TDEE is around 2600-2800 so am in 500-700ish cal deficit.
Thanks :-)0 -
Thank you! I have been getting irritated with people telling me after 3 weeks of Crossfit / Heavy lifting the reason my weight loss has stalled is muscle gain... clearly I have not added 2lbs of muscle in 3 weeks while in a calorie deficit... :laugh:
So my question (sorry for jumping your thread OP)... is when can I expect the scale to start moving in the right direction... I have been at this new routine for 3 weeks. Before that I was doing primarily cardio and losing 1-2lbs per week eating 1700 - 1800 calories... I am eating slightly more 1800 - 1900 now and the scale either goes up or stays the same... I am training 3-4 days per week and doing light cardio on my "off days"... If someone can help me figure this out I would really appreciate it :flowerforyou:0 -
Most have no idea how hard it is to put on muscles0
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They're likely gaining weight from WATER weight that the muscles are retaining to repair and grow themselves. They're not likely actually gaining that much weight from straight muscle gains0
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The average male would LUCKY to put on 1lb a month even in surplus. A female in calorie deficit? They'd be lucky to put on 0.5lb in 6 months.OK, I am an average size female and I do a little strength training, but nothing very consistent other than carrying my daughter around.
Let's just pretend for a minute than I did weight lifting by the book- with optimum nutrition and recovery time and was very consistent with my workouts and progressed heavier each time. How much muscle weight could I honestly expect to gain per month?
I read a lot where women complain that they are working out and gaining weight, and everyone is like, oh it's muscle, that's good, but it's like, 2 pounds in a week. That seems a bit much. I have heard 1-2 pounds a month if you're doing everything right which seems more reasonable but I am no expert.
I know gaining muscle varies from person to person but is there some general average for women?
It's practically improbable to gain muscle on calorie deficit. Not impossible, but genetics, experience (newbie), past activity (former athlete) and being obese/very overweight would have the be the category you'd have to be in to gain doing it. And even then it's not as much as everyone thinks.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
This.0 -
And this is for a MALE. Females much less unless "enhanced".As a beginners, you could realistically put on 7-10 pounds in a year. After a year or so, you would taper off and be lucky to put on 3-5 in a year. That is the advice I have been given by several of my bodybuilding trainers.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
A male can put on upwards of 20-25 lbs in their first year, females about half that.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/whats-my-genetic-muscular-potential.html
That lines up with my experience thus far as a first year gainer.0 -
The effect referenced in this thread, that is not losing inches but not weight, is not cause by muscle gain, it is because of water gain in the muscles, for both the creatine-phosphate energy system and the glycogen energy system. Someone new to strength training can expect to gain a few pounds from this effect. However it is trainsient, stop weightlifting and the body will dump this extra water in few days.0
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The effect referenced in this thread, that is not losing inches but not weight, is not cause by muscle gain, it is because of water gain in the muscles, for both the creatine-phosphate energy system and the glycogen energy system.
The effect mentioned is real. If you're not doing strength training and start a program your muscles will soak up some extra water. Let's say that you pick up 2-3 pounds which isn't unreasonable. That accounts for the stagnant number on the scale for perhaps a month but after that point you will start losing again if you're hitting your calorie goals correctly. There's only so much water your muscles can hold. The water volume won't keep increasing forever and you should see the scale moving.
I'm doing a pretty intense strength routine and I even started taking Creatine as a supplement last month which really loads up your muscles with even more water. I've still lost a couple pounds since then and you should too if you're at a negative calorie intake. Some days after eating lots of carbs I can gain 2-3 pounds back but that always drops off when I eat clean and it's pretty easy to see that the trend is downward.
For me calorie intake is what controls the weight on the scale. If I'm not losing the obviously I'm eating too much. It could be that women have a harder time with this since their TDEE to BRM window is so much smaller but I would think that it would work the same.0 -
Sorry but that much in actual muscle? Fat and muscle yes. What if that male is 40 years old? Age makes a total difference. Not saying it can't be done, but you're speaking of people who are calorie surplus and not deficit with a direct goal of muscle gain.
And this is for a MALE. Females much less unless "enhanced".As a beginners, you could realistically put on 7-10 pounds in a year. After a year or so, you would taper off and be lucky to put on 3-5 in a year. That is the advice I have been given by several of my bodybuilding trainers.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
A male can put on upwards of 20-25 lbs in their first year, females about half that.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/whats-my-genetic-muscular-potential.html
That lines up with my experience thus far as a first year gainer.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
If you were a newbie to actual lifting and/or a very overweight/obese person, or a returning athlete after a long layoff, a kg of muscle wouldn't be unheard of.
The average male would LUCKY to put on 1lb a month even in surplus. A female in calorie deficit? They'd be lucky to put on 0.5lb in 6 months.
It's practically improbable to gain muscle on calorie deficit. Not impossible, but genetics, experience (newbie), past activity (former athlete) and being obese/very overweight would have the be the category you'd have to be in to gain doing it. And even then it's not as much as everyone thinks.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Ninerbuff,
sorry to hijack the thread a bit here but you seem to know your stuff and I have a quick question...
I get my body fat measured on a big scanner at the gym and get a print out with my results.
Last month it said my bf% was down 2.5%, overall weight loss was 2kg, but my fat loss was 3kg which would suggest I had put on a kg of muscle in a month.
I thought this seemed ridiculous, is it even possible? I do seem to have lost a lot of inches lately but not much weight.
I eat 2100 cals (p30 / f30 / c40), and would class myself as very active, I do 3 spin classes, 4 boxercise classes and 2 hours of heavy weights per week. TDEE is around 2600-2800 so am in 500-700ish cal deficit.
Thanks :-)
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
If you were a newbie to actual lifting and/or a very overweight/obese person, or a returning athlete after a long layoff, a kg of muscle wouldn't be unheard of.
The average male would LUCKY to put on 1lb a month even in surplus. A female in calorie deficit? They'd be lucky to put on 0.5lb in 6 months.
It's practically improbable to gain muscle on calorie deficit. Not impossible, but genetics, experience (newbie), past activity (former athlete) and being obese/very overweight would have the be the category you'd have to be in to gain doing it. And even then it's not as much as everyone thinks.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Ninerbuff,
sorry to hijack the thread a bit here but you seem to know your stuff and I have a quick question...
I get my body fat measured on a big scanner at the gym and get a print out with my results.
Last month it said my bf% was down 2.5%, overall weight loss was 2kg, but my fat loss was 3kg which would suggest I had put on a kg of muscle in a month.
I thought this seemed ridiculous, is it even possible? I do seem to have lost a lot of inches lately but not much weight.
I eat 2100 cals (p30 / f30 / c40), and would class myself as very active, I do 3 spin classes, 4 boxercise classes and 2 hours of heavy weights per week. TDEE is around 2600-2800 so am in 500-700ish cal deficit.
Thanks :-)
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Thanks for your reply!
Ive been doing 2 x half hour weights (mix of machines and free weights) since last october, I increased weights to 2 x an hour around 3 months ago, no lower body as i have a bad knee at the min. I've always done 8-15 reps as heavy as I can, but the last few months I have totally scrapped the machines and gone to free weights / TRX suspension training / kettlebells so would this be enough of a change for it to be 'newbie' gains?. Im 184lbs so still quite a bit above my ideal weight.0 -
Sorry but that much in actual muscle? Fat and muscle yes. What if that male is 40 years old? Age makes a total difference. Not saying it can't be done, but you're speaking of people who are calorie surplus and not deficit with a direct goal of muscle gain.
And this is for a MALE. Females much less unless "enhanced".As a beginners, you could realistically put on 7-10 pounds in a year. After a year or so, you would taper off and be lucky to put on 3-5 in a year. That is the advice I have been given by several of my bodybuilding trainers.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
A male can put on upwards of 20-25 lbs in their first year, females about half that.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/whats-my-genetic-muscular-potential.html
That lines up with my experience thus far as a first year gainer.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
No, actual muscle. Did you even read the article? As a trainer you should know of the person that wrote the article and the people who created the models referenced in it, if not you really need to study up a bit more. And yes they are very much referring to muscle gain, not muscle plus fat.0 -
Thank you! I have been getting irritated with people telling me after 3 weeks of Crossfit / Heavy lifting the reason my weight loss has stalled is muscle gain... clearly I have not added 2lbs of muscle in 3 weeks while in a calorie deficit... :laugh:
So my question (sorry for jumping your thread OP)... is when can I expect the scale to start moving in the right direction... I have been at this new routine for 3 weeks. Before that I was doing primarily cardio and losing 1-2lbs per week eating 1700 - 1800 calories... I am eating slightly more 1800 - 1900 now and the scale either goes up or stays the same... I am training 3-4 days per week and doing light cardio on my "off days"... If someone can help me figure this out I would really appreciate it :flowerforyou:
I don't have a direct answer for you, nor am I a professional, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt - I have found that when I stall, I need to change something up, whether that's adding in a new gym routine or another yoga session, eating something different for breakfast, etc. Sometimes I cycle my calories. Eventually, the weight comes off. I plateaued for a few weeks last month, stopped counting calories one week (but ate sensibly and whenever i was hungry) and continued with my workout routine (although I may have thrown in an extra spin class or two). Eventually I stepped on the scale and had dropped about 3 pounds. So I would (assuming it has been a few weeks) to change something up whether that's diet or workout routine or what have you, but give it time too. (Of course, this all assumes that you're in a calorie deficit...)0 -
From the first reference model:
Sorry but that much in actual muscle? Fat and muscle yes. What if that male is 40 years old? Age makes a total difference. Not saying it can't be done, but you're speaking of people who are calorie surplus and not deficit with a direct goal of muscle gain.
And this is for a MALE. Females much less unless "enhanced".As a beginners, you could realistically put on 7-10 pounds in a year. After a year or so, you would taper off and be lucky to put on 3-5 in a year. That is the advice I have been given by several of my bodybuilding trainers.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
A male can put on upwards of 20-25 lbs in their first year, females about half that.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/whats-my-genetic-muscular-potential.html
That lines up with my experience thus far as a first year gainer.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
No, actual muscle. Did you even read the article? As a trainer you should know of the person that wrote the article and the people who created the models referenced in it, if not you really need to study up a bit more. And yes they are very much referring to muscle gain, not muscle plus fat.
Amateur and Pro bodybuilders who juice are able to put on 30-50lbs of muscle in the BEGINNING and much less after. Juiced. The article even states that the Natural bodybuilders "muscle potential" is much more conservative than McDonald's. Or did you miss that in the article?Please note that these are averages and make a few assumptions about proper training and nutrition and such. As well, age will interact with this; older individuals won’t gain as quickly and younger individuals may gain more quickly. For example, it’s not unheard of for underweight high school kids to gain muscle very rapidly. But they are usually starting out very underweight and have the natural anabolic steroid cycle called puberty working for them.
Don't correlate POTENTIAL with ACTUAL. Training, nutrition, discipline all play factors. The average male doesn't train as hard or dedicated as the competitive natural bodybuilder, so the numbers that were mentioned (7-10lbs) are well within reach compared to McDonald's projection. Impossible? No. Personally for all the years I've competed and still intermingling with the "meatheads" in the gym, I have yet to see a "natural" put on 20-25lbs of pure muscle in their first year of training. Skeptic yes.
And you're telling me you put on 20-25lbs of muscle so far? Show me where it is cause I don't see it.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0
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