Is this routine good enough to get me 20 pounds of muscle in 1 year?

[JohnRambo9]

Hello I am 16.5 years old and I am new to lifting. I want to gain 20lbs of muscle in 1 year. And I actually mean it. I take my diet incredibly seriously. Let me say it again. I TAKE MY DIET VERY VERY SERIOUS. I eat 6 clean meals a day and train 3 days a week consisting mostly the hardest lifts. I LIFT VERY HEAVY AND BY THE TIME I HIT THE 10TH REP MY ENTIRE FACE IS BLUE. BRAH I LITERALLY HAVE TO REST 2-3 MINUTES BETWEEN EACH SET THATS HOW HARD I HIT THE MUSCLES. My bodyweight is 140 pounds. Height is 5’8. My macros are 450 carbs, 180g protein, 100g fat. I can take in much more protein but I do not want to damage my kidneys (yeah ik you are laughing at this rn).

This is my workout plan: (AND IGNORE THE 6 REPS **** I ALWAYS DO 10)

Monday

Bench Press: 3 Sets Of 8 Reps
Squat: 3 Sets Of 6 Reps
Bent Over Row: 3 Sets Of 6-10 Reps
Military Press: 3 Sets Of 6-10 Reps
Deadlift: 3 Sets Of 6 Reps
Face Pulls: 3 Sets of 8 Reps
Double Crunches: 3 Sets of Failures
Bicycle Crunches: 3 Sets of Failures

Wednesday

Leg Press: 3 Sets Of 8 Reps
Skull Crushers: 3 Sets Of 6-10 Reps
Lat Pulldown: 3 Sets Of 8 Reps
Calf Raise: 3 Sets Of 8 Reps
Lateral Raise: 3 Sets Of 8 Reps
Dumbbell Curls: 3 Sets Of 6-10 Reps
Hanging Leg Rasies: 3 sets of 8 Reps
Dragonflys: 3 sets of 8

Friday

Deadlift: 3 Sets Of 6 Reps
Incline Dumbbell Press: 3 Sets Of 8 Reps
Barbell Row: 3 Sets Of 6-10 Reps
Smith Machine Squats: 3 Sets Of 6 Reps
Dumbbell Shrugs: 3 Sets Of 6-10 Reps
Leg Curl: 3 sets of 8
SAME ABS ROUTINE AS MONDAY


Okay now for the abs, I alternate. It will go ABA, BAB, ABA, BAB. I hope you know what I mean. Now I maybe I am doing a little too much of abs. Or maybe I should take out the leg curls. The truth is I got this workout off this website cuz it was awarded first place for best beginner routine. I just added abs, leg curl, and face pull. There are no forearms in this workout idk if I should add that. If something is wrong with this routine please tell me. I am not afraid to do what is correct. I let go of my ego and I know when to rest and what weights to use with proper form. Will I be able to gain 20 pounds of muscle with this rouine? If not, I beg some of you all, please give me a routine that is best for building 20+ pounds of muscle. It does not have to be 3 days a week. I know for a fact that I can build this much muscle because I am consistent and never give up. I want my success more then anybody.

[compan]

Of muscle? Nobody can tell you that. At your age lifting, I’m sure you’ll put on plenty of muscle. Fat will come with it though so be prepared. What we can say is find a good calculator for TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) to figure out your maintenance cals. You’re at 3,400 cals with those macros. 1lb = 3,500 calories. So you do the math for how many calories gets you to what weight you need and then back into how many additional cals per day you need on top of your TDEE.

As far as the routine, you could do that if you want. The intensity is really going to be what does it for you. I’d highly suggest a strength routine centered around bench, deadlift, squat, overhead press and rows. Any beginner strength program would be good to do.

[CW47]

Of muscle? Nobody can tell you that. At your age lifting, I’m sure you’ll put on plenty of muscle. Fat will come with it though so be prepared. What we can say is find a good calculator for TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) to figure out your maintenance cals. You’re at 3,400 cals with those macros. 1lb = 3,500 calories. So you do the math for how many calories gets you to what weight you need and then back into how many additional cals per day you need on top of your TDEE.

As far as the routine, you could do that if you want. The intensity is really going to be what does it for you. I’d highly suggest a strength routine centered around bench, deadlift, squat, overhead press and rows. Any beginner strength program would be good to do.

First off, you can certainly put on 20 pounds in a year, but putting on 20 pounds of muscle is pretty unlikely. You'd have to gain more than 20 pounds of bodyweight to add 20 pounds of muscle. And you'll need to eat a lot (like really a LOT) to put on that much weight. Regardless of how perfect your routine is, it will be impossible to gain 20 pounds in a year if you don't eat enough to gain 20 pounds in a year (seems obvious I know, but a lot of people have a misconception that lifting weights makes you gain muscle. It doesn't. Eating makes you gain weight. Lifting weights creates a possibility for that weight gain to be in the form of muscle.)

The routine you listed isn't the worst or best I've seen. What is the progression plan for it? Do you have set criteria for when you increase weight, or is it arbitrary? Based upon what you've written, I'm a little bit concerned about your approach. When a program dictates a range of reps, you should be following that range of reps rather than trying to do as many as you can. Don't ignore the rep range! It's set that way for a reason. At your training age, you'll benefit far more from staying within the prescribed rep range and increasing the weight used, rather than forcing out a few more reps each time. If you're going to run a routine, do it as it's written.

There are definitely better routines you could be running. I recommend checking out some of the stickied routines at the top of this forum. Fierce 5, Allpro's, and The Vikings Bare Bones are all good for the early stages of lifting, as well as other proven programs like Starting Strength, Stronglifts, and Greyskull LP.


TLDR: Eat a lot. Do a proven routine and follow it as it's written. Be consistent in both areas.

P.S. I just turned 43 1/12th today (yay me)

[JohnRambo9]

First off, you can certainly put on 20 pounds in a year, but putting on 20 pounds of muscle is pretty unlikely. You'd have to gain more than 20 pounds of bodyweight to add 20 pounds of muscle. And you'll need to eat a lot (like really a LOT) to put on that much weight. Regardless of how perfect your routine is, it will be impossible to gain 20 pounds in a year if you don't eat enough to gain 20 pounds in a year (seems obvious I know, but a lot of people have a misconception that lifting weights makes you gain muscle. It doesn't. Eating makes you gain weight. Lifting weights creates a possibility for that weight gain to be in the form of muscle.)

The routine you listed isn't the worst or best I've seen. What is the progression plan for it? Do you have set criteria for when you increase weight, or is it arbitrary? Based upon what you've written, I'm a little bit concerned about your approach. When a program dictates a range of reps, you should be following that range of reps rather than trying to do as many as you can. Don't ignore the rep range! It's set that way for a reason. At your training age, you'll benefit far more from staying within the prescribed rep range and increasing the weight used, rather than forcing out a few more reps each time. If you're going to run a routine, do it as it's written.

There are definitely better routines you could be running. I recommend checking out some of the stickied routines at the top of this forum. Fierce 5, Allpro's, and The Vikings Bare Bones are all good for the early stages of lifting, as well as other proven programs like Starting Strength, Stronglifts, and Greyskull LP.


TLDR: Eat a lot. Do a proven routine and follow it as it's written. Be consistent in both areas.

P.S. I just turned 43 1/12th today (yay me)

Hey man so I am eating 4000 calories everyday. I told you my macros. Is it enough to build 2lbs of muscle a month. Thanks. I rep back.

[CW47]

Hey man so I am eating 4000 calories everyday. I told you my macros. Is it enough to build 2lbs of muscle a month. Thanks. I rep back.

Re-read compan's post and you can come to an estimate. There's really no way of predicting exactly though.

[davisj3537]

No, not a chance. No program is going to give you 20lbs of muscle in a year. You'd be lucky to add that over 3 years.

You're overthinking the holy crap out of this. Lift, eat what your parents feed you and enjoy life. Lifting to failure, eating tons of protein and other silly stuff like worrying about forearms is a waste of your time. Professional bodybuilders worry about forearms...not beginners.

[TheGymJim]

16.5 years old

Lol okay

I want to gain 20lbs of muscle in 1 year.

Unlikely

I eat 6 clean meals a day

ugh

I LIFT VERY HEAVY AND BY THE TIME I HIT THE 10TH REP MY ENTIRE FACE IS BLUE. BRAH I LITERALLY HAVE TO REST 2-3 MINUTES BETWEEN EACH SET THATS HOW HARD I HIT THE MUSCLES.

Are we supposed to be impressed here or?

FYI 2-3 minutes is pretty much a normal amount of rest.

I can take in much more protein but I do not want to damage my kidneys

You don't need any more protein anyway but more wouldn't damage your kidneys


You're no different than any other beginner, so you'll get the same advice as everyone else. Get on a proper routine, eat a lot, and re-evaluate your goals to something more realistic.