How much muscle mass can a newbie put on in 4 months without steroids?

[jaymorrr]

Is it really possible for a newbie to put on 15-20 pounds of muscle without steroids in only a few months? If you have done accomplished this before, please tell me how you did it.

[kennny d]

very possible, beginner gains will come and will be escalated even more if you have a good diet

people who take a layoff from lifting also get these beginner gains again when they come back

[jaymorrr]

I once read in a bodybuilding magazine that the most you could expect to put on in a year was about ten pounds, why would they think that?

[sullly]

Theres only so much muscle you can add to ones frame past the beginner stage. While its not uncommon for a complete novice to put on 20+lbs of muscle in a year, this is not the case for more advanced guys. Even 10 lbs a year is a lot for someone with 7-8 years training experience.
p.s. Dont believe everything you read in bodybuilding magazines.

[zub]

Dude this varies from person to person. If you've got the genes then you will gain...Diet is also very important..

[zub]

Theres only so much muscle you can add to ones frame past the beginner stage. While its not uncommon for a complete novice to put on 20+lbs of muscle in a year, this is not the case for more advanced guys. Even 10 lbs a year is a lot for someone with 7-8 years training experience.
p.s. Dont believe everything you read in bodybuilding magazines.

Agreed

[jaymorrr]

Theres only so much muscle you can add to ones frame past the beginner stage. While its not uncommon for a complete novice to put on 20+lbs of muscle in a year, this is not the case for more advanced guys. Even 10 lbs a year is a lot for someone with 7-8 years training experience.
p.s. Dont believe everything you read in bodybuilding magazines.

Im asking how much a complete novice can put on in a few months.

[sullly]

Im asking how much a complete novice can put on in a few months.

I dont know exactly since it varies from person to person. If u have a proper training program and have a hyper caloric diet than 10-15 lbs wouldn't be a huge stretch.

[nkh]

From my experience, at age 18, 140lbs, and already in great physical condition, I gained at most 2 pounds per month with excess calories, a solid routine, and a clean diet. Nearly all of that was lean muscle.

Age/body composition played a big factor in that. I was already 6'1" so I had a lot of frame to build onto. I don't see how anyone could gain 10lbs in a couple of months unless they're counting water weight.

[BuffMedic]

I would say that 10-15lbs of muscle per year could be normal except for the beginner. It is very possible to hit the lower end of that say around 10lbs or so in 3 months. Of course diet and workout have everything to do with it.

[adpayne]

I don't see how anyone could gain 10lbs in a couple of months unless they're counting water weight.

Ever been through Basic Training?

I went in at 165lbs, lost 10 lbs during 2 months of training, and gained 40lbs the next 6 weeks of Computer school. I was 190lbs at the end, and a lot of people didn't even recognize me. After I got to my permanent station I couldn't maintain the gains and went back down to 170.

This just to illustrate that rapid changes are possible with the right conditions.

Art

[jaymorrr]

So the 15lbs of muscle in three months advertised on HST isn't realistic?

[gort23]

Is it really possible for a newbie to put on 15-20 pounds of muscle without steroids in only a few months? If you have done accomplished this before, please tell me how you did it.

dat dere Cell-Tech

[ZachGian]

You can definitely gain 15-20 pounds in four months. I started on a program much like Rippetoe's (not exactly Rippetoe's but much like it) and I gained about 30 pounds in 6 months. Not all of it was muscle, but there was definitely no more than 5 or 6 pounds of fat that I had gained (and losing 5-6 pounds of fat is easy, plus the muscle that you gained far overshadows the fat).

[nkh]

Ever been through Basic Training?

I went in at 165lbs, lost 10 lbs during 2 months of training, and gained 40lbs the next 6 weeks of Computer school. I was 190lbs at the end, and a lot of people didn't even recognize me. After I got to my permanent station I couldn't maintain the gains and went back down to 170.

This just to illustrate that rapid changes are possible with the right conditions.

Art

40lbs in 6 weeks? Damn man, is that even healthy? It took me two years to gain around 40lbs of lean mass.

[Cor]

Why not just do it and then come back and tell us? There's no way anyone can know what you're potential is.

[:::JMANN:::]

So the 15lbs of muscle in three months advertised on HST isn't realistic?

it is if you are new to lifting. if you are an experience lifter with a few years or more under his belt then no.

[shffl]

realistically, just 0.5 - 1lb of LEAN MASS per week.

[Serpens Aeon]

Is it really possible for a newbie to put on 15-20 pounds of muscle without steroids in only a few months? If you have done accomplished this before, please tell me how you did it.

How long is a piece of string? Can you count the variables that would be against such a feat? For such a feat? The best approach is to ignore numbers that cannot be readily predicted (especially since the beginner has so little experience), and focus entirely on progress, and its maintenance.

[mjemirzian]

It depends on your height and body frame size as well as how 'sedentary' you're starting out from. I'd guess about 10-15 lbs of lean muscle mass in the first four months depending on those factors, if you do everything right regarding exercise, nutrition, and rest.

There will definitely be a large increase in strength gains (for example going up from 20 to 40 pounds, a 200% increase), which will start to slow down dramatically.

[adpayne]

40lbs in 6 weeks? Damn man, is that even healthy? It took me two years to gain around 40lbs of lean mass.

It was an extreme example of what is possible. I went from 10 hours a day of intense exercise and activity for 2 months, down to sitting at a desk, eating every 2 hours, and hitting the weights every other day. I also lost 10lbs at the beginning, so it was 30lbs heavier than I had ever been before. I couldn't maintain the weight when I got to my permanent duty station, as I didn't understand about proper training, and nutrition.

It wasn't until the past 2 years that I found what worked for me to get bigger, and stay that way. I struggled for 2 decades to get over 200lbs. Now I'm 220-225, plan to go up to 240 by December. It obviously won't all be lean weight, but I'll diet back down in the Spring.

My advice is to set realistic progression goals, and don't place self defeating limits on yourself.

[oscar239146]

I am 16, 6'3" and have put on 17lbs after training 5 times a week for at least 2 hours a session after 3 months. Before this I was skinny, at about 152lbs. I could never gain mass before this (neither muscle nor fat).