Article: "How much muscle can you gain in a year... really?"

[Esteban]

An article by Christian Finn:

http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/research/fail.htm

I wonder what this forum's members have to say about this. Perhaps some members that engaged in a mass-gaining program could share their experiences: what exercise routine was used; how much lean body mass (LBM) and fat mass was gained; percentage of LBM before and after the program; how long it took; approximate caloric intake and nutrient composition of their diets; etc.

[Lou Schuler]

Christian is the best. I followed the link and spent a couple hours this morning reading through the articles on his site. (Full disclosure: He gave me free access a couple years back.)

Regarding the specifics of what he wrote, his most important point is that muscle isn't easy to gain. It's easier for some than for others, but it's not generally fast or easy for anybody.

I don't mean to turn this into a rant, but this is why I hate before and after pictures in books (and why I haven't used them in any books since TAP, where it wasn't my choice to begin with). Individual genetics are so different that it's impossible to look at what one person accomplishes on a given program and extrapolate that to your own situation.

A good program should work for most exercisers, but the individual results are going to vary wildly.

[Esteban]

Thanks, Lou, for your input. I'm aware of the fact that many exercise and nutrition programs work for muscle mass gain, and I know that the rate and amount of adaptation differ among the population (for many reasons, including genetics, nutrition, supplement use, drug use, resistance-training experience, age, sex, commitment to the exercise program, etc.) My purpose with this post (I admit, it might have not been clear from the beginning) was to encourage members to share their experiences, in an attempt to illustrate the differences in the results obtained among the people in this particular forum.

Most people here, at this point, must be aware of the endless spectrum of muscle-gain training programs available: Mejia and Berardi's "Scrawny to Brawny"; Hartman and Campbell's "Muscle Prescription"; Ballantyne's "TT For Mass"; King and Schuler's "The Book Of Muscle"; Cosgrove and Schuler's "The New Rules Of Lifting"; Staley's "Muscle Logic - EDT"; etc., each with their accompanying nutritional (caloric and nutrient composition) recommendations and guidelines.

The question, perhaps better stated, would be: What kinds of programs have been used by people in this forum, and what results have been obtained? This would be only for illustration purposes, not for comparison.

[Lost Dog]

Lou,

Just so you know, TAP has the only before and after pictures that seem realistic (that I've seen of course).

The guys show progress, but it's very realistic. Props on that.

[BFG]

well early days for me yet Esteban but month 1 was 5lbs of LMM and body fat went down 1%

Month 2 waiting for the stats but roughly 4 lbs and body fat back up 1% ha ha

Im using a pre exhaustion workout written by my Fitness COnsultant based on his techniques. But its a plan centred and adapted around my strengths and preferences for growth.

[Kevin T.]

Last year I was 150. Now, I'm 180. I mainly followed on of Berardi's rules that really got me thinking: While the science behind the nutrition aspect of training should be complex, the application shouldn't be. I just ate and ate a lot. I'd try and choose the best food I could and just eat a lot of it. I didn't kill myself when I'd cheat a bit or eat something that wasn't as good as I could have, because I know as a teenager with my activity level, it's not going to kill me and I need the calories to put the mass on. I've gotten stronger and have made sizable gains in my arms and legs, with minimal gains around the waist. I really wanted to put on some extra pounds for baseball knowing that I'll probably either lose some or lose some and gain more muscle. Then, I'll probably cut during June and July depending on how long it takes to lose the weight and see how it goes, then bulk during August and into the school year with the same principles-eat early, eat often.

After only 2 days of baseball practice, I can fell the difference from last year already. It's actually amazing to be able to know my body so well, which is thanks mostly to my training. I can tell the differences with my movements and now have better control over my throws. Alright, got a little off target there, but the main point is I've put on 30 pounds with little fat gain. Then again, I'm 15 and also grew about 2.5-3".

[RedLefty]

On the contrary, Kevin, I enjoy hearing about how the LBM gain helps in function, and of course I'm personally partial to baseball as you already know.

The height gain clearly had something to do with your weight gain as well, but probably not all 30 pounds. I know you've worked hard and it's fun reaping the benefits! Keep us up to speed on your season.

[BjsAust]

[ QUOTE ]
Then again, I'm 15 and also grew about 2.5-3".

[/ QUOTE ]

I was about to post your age till I got to the end. A teenagers gains are a little different than the rest of us [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]. Impressive though, nice work!

[Esteban]

An article by the NSCA titled, "Strength Training for Muscle Building"

http://www.nsca-lift.org/HotTopic/do...20Building.pdf

"Nearly everyone who strength trains is concerned about the addition of muscle mass for whatever reason. There are many considerations to consider when strength training for muscle including frequency of training, the exercise selection, the order of exercises and more. This article will discuss general training guidelines, nutritional considerations, program design considerations and sample exercise for novice and more advanced lifters."

[RacerBill]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't mean to turn this into a rant, but this is why I hate before and after pictures in books (and why I haven't used them in any books since TAP, where it wasn't my choice to begin with). Individual genetics are so different that it's impossible to look at what one person accomplishes on a given program and extrapolate that to your own situation.


[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with LD -- I liked the before/after photos in TAP, especially because they broke the mold. They looked like ordinary guys, not handsome MH models or the striking physiques in BOM. And their results were realistic. No one became chiseled or got their teeth capped.

[Lou Schuler]

[ QUOTE ]
Last year I was 150. Now, I'm 180. ... but the main point is I've put on 30 pounds with little fat gain. Then again, I'm 15 and also grew about 2.5-3".

[/ QUOTE ]

Kevin, congrats on your progress. I would've killed for gains like that when I was 15. Then again, I didn't have Berardi to offer advice on how to eat. And I didn't even have me to offer training advice. (The current me, that is. The 15-year-old me thought a few sets of shoulder presses and biceps curls was a good workout.)

But Kevin's gains remind me of why the steroid debates of the past few years have been so head-in-the-sand stupid. When a teenager grows fast and puts on lots of muscle mass, lots of factors could be involved, starting with the fact that teenagers are still growing.

But when adults in their 30s suddenly put on 20 or 30 pounds of fat-free mass, and increase their strength dramatically, there's nothing natural to explain it.

The closer an athlete gets to his genetic peak, the slower he'll make gains. Well-trained professional athletes in their 30s just can't make dramatic gains in muscle size and strength without also gaining lots of fat, which would be counterproductive. (Even in baseball!)

And yet, I'll still get into arguments on message boards with guys who want to believe Mark McGwire took nothing more than andro. Even sportswriters sometimes make that argument.

You just can't put your head any farther into the sand than that.

[Chris Correia]

Oh, c'mon Lou. Don't you belive in miracles? [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]