Is 1/2 lb a week muscle gain realistic after 40?

[petester75]

Ive been working out on a somewhat regular basis up until a year ago when I got injured,it had just started being noticeable then I had to stop,I know the basics of genetics,diet,then work, ive read most bodybuilding books in print along with many fitness books.

Im really just asking for individual input on if you have/are pulling a half a lb a week or maybe more?

As ive stated I did this for 8 yrs but I never took it seriously enough to even keep track of progress and I was never "clean" I ate bad, drank and smoked alot which probably caused the injuries as id lift while drinking for years.

This time I plan to go with just food 200 g a day protein and the necessary carbs fat and such and possibly creatine and glutamine.

Thanks for your time.

[Plateauplower]

I think in the first year of training coming from an untrained state you could add 8-12lbs of muscle if you did everything right. After that it gets slower and slower in terms of what you will gain per year.

[shaneinga]

Lyle McDonald's model says you can put on 20-25 pounds your first year of training. And it tapers off every year of training after that, and by year 4 you will be looking to gain 2-3 pounds a year.

More reading if you are interested.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/mus...otential.html/

However, PP's numbers are probably more along what I would expect.

I would imagine it is a lot easier for young skinny guys to reach the top end of that 20-25 pounds in their first year.

[Mojoke]

if you're looking dietwise, adding 1/2 lbs bodyweight a week is a good guideline

[Bo_Flecks]

26lbs of pure muscle gained in a year? Is that what we're talking about?

[Plateauplower]

26lbs of pure muscle gained in a year? Is that what we're talking about?

I think everyone is talking about something different .

I'm talking about gaining 8-12lbs of muscle in a year, which might equal a gain of 25lbs or more of body weight And only for an untrained person doing everything right. I don't try to guess what I gained my first year. I lost 46lbs and got a lot stronger....

I try to do a lot of stuff right in terms of training/diet and I think I'm going to be lucky if I netted 4-6lbs of actual muscle last year based on where I'm at with my diet (second year back to training after a decade off with pretty extensive previous training training experience). Next year is going to be downright depressing . Think I'm going to stay a little leaner from here on out.....

[petester75]

A lb a month sounds pretty good also, im looking at a 3 yr plan so 36 lbs. by age 44 sounds great ,im 5' 11" so im gonna try for a even 200 lbs..

From the research theoretically 20 yrs ago I might have done twice that because I have pretty goods genes for muscle growth I guess , I kinda screwed up with all the drinking ,smoking,and bad eating but I figure that with better everything I have a great chance of leaving behind a good looking corpse.

Thats all that I im really aspiring to do, thanks again for the input.

[Bando]

26lbs of pure muscle gained in a year? Is that what we're talking about?

[Corbi]

26lbs of pure muscle gained in a year? Is that what we're talking about?

Thats what I got out of it and if that is indeed what the OP is thinking about then I have to say "no fukkin way!".

[Bo_Flecks]

A lb a month sounds pretty good also, im looking at a 3 yr plan so 36 lbs. by age 44 sounds great ,im 5' 11" so im gonna try for a even 200 lbs..

From the research theoretically 20 yrs ago I might have done twice that because I have pretty goods genes for muscle growth I guess , I kinda screwed up with all the drinking ,smoking,and bad eating but I figure that with better everything I have a great chance of leaving behind a good looking corpse.

Thats all that I im really aspiring to do, thanks again for the input.

Gain 36lbs or 36lbs of pure muscle? The two are not even in the same universe.

This thread seems to be insinuating that gaining large quantities of lean muscle mass is a relatively easy thing to do. We are talking natty gains, right?

[Gabbar99]

Is it possible before 40?

[yettiatcpg]

[Palmac]

You can gain muscle very quickly as a newbie, but the quickest gains I feel come for an individual that once gained then lost lean mass due to an extended lay off, then when the de-trained individual starts up again he will regain all his mass and more very quickly.
As for yourself you say you trained for 8 years, with smoking, drinking and poor diet? Im not sure how you're going to fair unless you clean up your habits first.
I dont think many nattys can gain 1/2 Lb of lean mass a week no matter what they do.

[HStudio00]

I'm obviously not 40, but I'd say that coming out of a detrained state, especially if you work on cleaning up your eating/training/habits, putting on 12-15 lbs of pure muscle is definitely possible in a year. I have no doubt about that. You can gain 1/2 pound of MASS per week, but that isn't all going to be muscle. It's simply not possible naturally.

As for 1/2 pound/week of muscle I'd say that's a stretch. Only newbie lifters who are young and have all the growth hormone and testosterone flowing in large quantities through our veins have that potential. However, a pound and maybe even 1.5 lbs of strictly lean mass per MONTH is definitely possible. I mean for instance, I've gained ~40 lbs in the last 16 months (like you, coming out of a detrained state after sickness and injury), and while body fat percentage has gone up about 5-7%, I've still got abs and veins and whatnot. While those are the results of a 15-16 year old, and aren't attainable naturally at your age, 12-20 lbs while staying quite lean is absolutely possible at your age. I hope this helps. Just remember, diet is the most important part of putting on lean mass. The training is the easy part.

[bodyhard]

No 1/2 lb of "muscle" a week is not happening for anyone, regardless of age, unless you are on the juice.

[2nd_chance]

99% of the world has no idea what "muscle gain" is. Or body fat either. Total cluelessness. "My cousin is 3% body fat..." or "I gained 50# of muscle..." Ok...........

[PrinceDaddy]

I agree with bodyhard. I know it's possible to gain muscle in your 40s. I think if you train to get on stage, you train different. In college and as a teen, I worked bench press, biceps, triceps, and squatted a little for legs, I did a lot of machines. I never dead lifted, I only squatted light due to back issues. I never trained legs the way I do now. I know I have made significant gains there, but it wasn't at 1/2/week. More like trial and error over 3-4 years.

[Tmax55]

Thats what I got out of it and if that is indeed what the OP is thinking about then I have to say "no fukkin way!".

I'm going to go ahead and disagree with you. There is a way. That's all I can say about that. Baring that, I agree 100%.

[blue9steel]

I think Lyle's 26lbs number assumes optimum conditions for training, nutrition, recovery, newbie status, hormone production, etc. Over 40 and with prior training experience you probably don't meet the definition of "optimum" any more, but there is still quite a bit of potential for growth.

[Flounderbout]

12lb of muscle in a year? Maybe, if you start untrained and do it all right. 36lb in 3 years? No way.

[bodyhard]

12lb of muscle in a year? Maybe, if you start untrained and do it all right. 36lb in 3 years? No way.

I pretty much suck at math, but wouldn't 1/2lbs a week add to 26lbs in a year. .5X52=26?

[MissHolly]

36lb in 3 years? No way.

I agree, this is idealistic thinking at its finest. Looks great on paper, but not realistic.

[Plateauplower]

I pretty much suck at math, but wouldn't 1/2lbs a week add to 26lbs in a year. .5X52=26?

Your math is right, its your knowledge of the UK that is incorrect....There are 72 weeks per year over there. Some places only have 10. Just depends on where you are on the planet

[DuracellBunny]

Untrained/detrained state and 1/2lb a week. Yes, for the first 8 weeks or so.

The bigger the gap between your current state and your potential (a figure which nobody actually knows), the faster you will gain. Those gains will start off fast, but get slower and slower as time goes on/the two figures converge.

The same applies in the other direction; the more overweight somebody is, the faster they can shed lbs at the start.

[Choccy13]

I have a quick question on how to be a realistic, which is very difficult reading this thread, as one comment says impossible then next says you can do this etc.

I'm currently sitting at around 67.5kg and think my weight at a low BF% would be around 62-63kg. How long realistically should I expect it to take me to get to around 70-72kg at the same low BF%.

I'm looking at a 3 year time scale roughly but reading this thread has made me think it will never be possible.

My diet is very much in check and I seem to have full control over what goes in calorie wise.

Choccy...

[Tmax55]

It really depends on you. When I first started training I was a distance runner who was undersized due to the mileage I ran. I was about 17 years old so in my prime testosterone wise. My body hadn't filled out, but my initial year of training was timed with the natural filling out of my body and coming off of a overly light state due to the running. I added 60 pounds (not all muscle). Not in that first year, but subsequent to that I've pulled 600, squatted 600, and benched almost 400 (don't ask) without until recently ever training like a power lifter- so I had above average potential for strength.

Will you add 60 pounds or equal those lifts in one year? Not at 43. Will you add a lot of muscle in your first year? Yes. Let's say you have the potential to lift as much or more than I do, which is possible (there are people here who lift much more than I do). How much muscle will you add in the first year? Lots. After your first year you will gain less and less muscle and your strength gains will come from form improvements, better muscle activation during lifts, and knowing what accessory lifts to incorporate to bring up your weak points for your big three. It took me years and years to work my squat that high. I'm still working my DL up because I didn't train it until 2014, but the gains are much harder now that they were a year ago.

I'm almost three years back from a three year hiatus in training. My muscle gains will be very slow now. You will reach that point in three years also.

My advice - train like a man possessed and find out what you can do. Don't ask us what you can do. Ask me what I can do and I'll show you.

[Jtbny]

No, not possible unless you are "on". Careful who tells you what, too. Lots of fake nattys out there.

[bodyhard]

I have a quick question on how to be a realistic, which is very difficult reading this thread, as one comment says impossible then next says you can do this etc.

I'm currently sitting at around 67.5kg and think my weight at a low BF% would be around 62-63kg. How long realistically should I expect it to take me to get to around 70-72kg at the same low BF%.

I'm looking at a 3 year time scale roughly but reading this thread has made me think it will never be possible.

My diet is very much in check and I seem to have full control over what goes in calorie wise.

Choccy...

Wish I understood your numbers to get an idea of what you are talking about.

But a rule of thumb is, if you train correctly and fix your diet accordingly you can realistically gain roughly 8-10lbs of LBM in one year. Remember this is without the use of any steroids or HRT, just plain ole food, some supplements (protein, creatine etc etc) and training, all consistently and you should be able to attain those numbers. Now keep in mind I am talking about LBM not BF. Anyone can gain 20lbs of fat if they really wanted to....

[scullin]

Thats what I got out of it and if that is indeed what the OP is thinking about then I have to say "no fukkin way!".

^ This, unless it's someone's first year of training or they're on drugs.

[drudixon]

Not realistic at any age.