# How much lean tissue can you gain a month



## Nikon1149 (Mar 5, 2011)

I've read some really confusing info about this. Some people refer to actual MUSCLE tissue, and that 1-2lbs a month is the most you can gain. I was gobsmacked but I think I have read more and now make the distinction between MUSCLE tissue and LEAN WEIGHT, because extra muscle allows for extra glycogen and water, hence boosting the overall lean weight gain.

So, talking lean weight gain, not necessarily dry muscle tissue. How much weight can an ectomorph hope to gain (with all variables correctly in place, diet, good beginner full body program).

I have a fair bit of fat for an ectomorph so it's difficult to gauge how much of my weight gain is fat, and how much is lean weight. Been training (properly) for about 3 months now.

My calorie surplus is quite a bit over, i'm not bothered about gaining some fat, I just wanna make sure the calories for maximum gain in minimal time is there, i'll shed the fat when it starts getting closer to summer 

Also, not that i'm thinking of doing this for at least another 6 months, but roughly how much more gain could you expect to see from beginning to cycle Espitane.

Thanks guys


----------



## musio (Jan 25, 2008)

Want to bump this for you

What I do know is that newbie gains can be a little more than a seasoned gym goer who really works for such small increments...

Interesting to hear others on this one though..


----------



## Guest (Mar 8, 2011)

People always say only a few lbs, but thats bollocks ime.

When I was 160lbs and ran 40mg dbol for a month I blew up, even after the water had gone I maintained about 20lbs.

They say it takes 3500 cals to put on a lb, but thats a lb of fat. a lb of muscle is only 5-600 calories (think a lb of steak). so that 3500 you could theoretically be putting on a lot more.


----------



## s3_abv (Feb 10, 2010)

No way can you add 20lb lean tissue in a month lol.

You must have gained about 16-17lb of fat with about 3-4lb muscle.


----------



## Guest (Mar 9, 2011)

s3_abv said:


> No way can you add 20lb lean tissue in a month lol.
> 
> You must have gained about 16-17lb of fat with about 3-4lb muscle.


Yep once again, someone saying something isn't possible with absolutely no proof to back up their claims.

Considering I pointed out that lean tissue is actually not that calorie dense, exactly why can't you gain a lot more of it than 3-4 lbs?

Where did you get this figure of 3-4lbs? It's bro science, no ones ever proved it and a lot of people have gained a lot more muscle than that in a month only for dip**** bodybuilders to crow about how it's impossible.

And I never said 20lbs of muscle, I said 20lbs, but more than 3-4lbs of that was certainly muscle


----------



## Bish83 (Nov 18, 2009)

Its an average, when you start out you can expect to see a reduction in fat and a gain in muscle mass infact your gain overal more muscle mass to fat ratio because of fat loss. Depending on how sedentary you were/are will depend on how much you gain/lose.

It took a stone of "weight" before anyone said anything to me but fat takes up a greater volume than muscle mass. If you keep the calories at maintenance i really dont see anyone noticing you adding size at all whilst clothed. Depending on how tall you are you'd probably need a couple stone worth of pure muscle (not including fat). Reason why some guys bulk for the added fat layer. Makes them feel big and dominating in their tight shirts. :wink:


----------



## Guest (Mar 9, 2011)

s3_abv said:


> No way can you add 20lb lean tissue in a month lol.
> 
> You must have gained about 16-17lb of fat with about 3-4lb muscle.


Just to show how dumb this is, I ate between 500-1000 cals over maintenance. Even if I ate 1000 cals over every day (30,000 cals) that'd give me a total fat gain of 8.5lbs.

So where did the other 11.5 lbs come from?

muscle is around 600 calories per lb, doesn't it make a lot more sense that I gained 10lbs of muscle (6000 cals, altho i'm sure the process of synthesis takes more, let's call it 12000) and then the remaining 18000 went to fat, with some glycogen and water in there for a total of 10lbs muscle, 5lbs fat and 5lbs water/glycogen?

A lot of newbs gain a lot of muscle very quickly, esp when you just started lifting and you throw dbol in the mix. I even looked leaner at the end once the water dropped off so I'd say 5lbs of fat is def stretching it.


----------



## switch (Jan 5, 2011)

When I started my strengh training I put on 15lbs of muscle in 11 weeks, thats training hard and eating right.


----------



## switch (Jan 5, 2011)

Also just reading through just because the food calorific value of muscle is x, that does not mean it takes x to make the same weight in muscle.


----------



## Guest (Mar 9, 2011)

switch said:


> Also just reading through just because the food calorific value of muscle is x, that does not mean it takes x to make the same weight in muscle.


 And if you read my post I also said synthesis would take more


----------



## s3_abv (Feb 10, 2010)

ALR said:


> Yep once again, someone saying something isn't possible with absolutely no proof to back up their claims.
> 
> Considering I pointed out that lean tissue is actually not that calorie dense, exactly why can't you gain a lot more of it than 3-4 lbs?
> 
> ...


May have miss read about adding 20lb lean tissue, although the op asked how much LEAN tissue can you add in a month. Either way mate the numbers mean nothing (1000 cals over every day (30,000 cals) that'd give me a total fat gain of 8.5lbs) Alot of diffrent factors would affect on actually how much fat your body really gained.

Everthing i have read through the net suggests that you are lucky if you add around 2-3lb lean muscle per month.


----------



## IrishRaver (Feb 4, 2010)

You can gain as much as your genetic potential allows you.

Obviously diet, training, supplements(inc AAS) and rest play a part in this as well but ultimately it's down to your genes - so it makes sens to work as MUCH as possible on all other areas as we can't alter our genes


----------



## IrishRaver (Feb 4, 2010)

s3_abv said:


> Everthing i have read through the net suggests that you are lucky if you add around 2-3lb lean muscle per month.


There are too many variables dude, this is a rough rough rough rough ball-park figure lol


----------



## Replicator (Apr 4, 2009)

ALR said:


> People always say only a few lbs, but thats bollocks ime.
> 
> When I was 160lbs and ran 40mg dbol for a month I blew up, even after the water had gone I maintained about 20lbs.
> 
> They say it takes 3500 cals to put on a lb, but thats a lb of fat. a lb of muscle is only 5-600 calories (think a lb of steak). so that 3500 you could theoretically be putting on a lot more.





s3_abv said:


> No way can you add 20lb lean tissue in a month lol.
> 
> You must have gained about 16-17lb of fat with about 3-4lb muscle.


Exactly ABV



ALR said:


> Yep once again, someone saying something isn't possible with absolutely no proof to back up their claims.
> 
> Considering I pointed out that lean tissue is actually not that calorie dense, exactly why can't you gain a lot more of it than 3-4 lbs?
> 
> ...


You just don't add muscle at extreme rates.

If you started out at 15 years old and 150lbs, and converted just 10 GRAMS of protein to new muscle each day. (10 grams out of the 100's that you eat) You would be almost 400lbs of pure shredded mass in your mid 30's.

Obviously, there are no contest ready 400lb bodybuilders, so it is safe to assume that even the "easiest gainers" out there are converting much less than 10g of protein to new muscle each day.

The advice for hard gainers is to be diligent and consistent. Creating the potential for even 1 additional gram of protein to be converted to muscle protein each day will amount to MASSIVE gains over time.

Gains while on ASS and bulking

Please remember this, water and fat make up most of it and I think this is where people get a bit confused. You can jam down the calories and what your body does not need will very easily turn the extra cals into fat ......Muscle on the other hand has to be built ...this is a whole different story and complex process.

Once you diet back down to exactly the same BF% as you started out thats your gains in lean muscle...and then comes the next reality check ..you gotta hold on to them!!!

Rep


----------



## Replicator (Apr 4, 2009)

Nikon1149 said:


> I've read some really confusing info about this. Some people refer to actual MUSCLE tissue, and that 1-2lbs a month is the most you can gain. I was gobsmacked but I think I have read more and now make the distinction between MUSCLE tissue and LEAN WEIGHT, because extra muscle allows for extra glycogen and water, hence boosting the overall lean weight gain.
> 
> So, talking lean weight gain, not necessarily dry muscle tissue. How much weight can an ectomorph hope to gain (with all variables correctly in place, diet, good beginner full body program).
> 
> ...


you might ..just might gain that in the first 2-3 years.............

Cenario for ye

1-2 lb a month is 12 - 24 lb per year right..........so lets take an average between the two. 18lb per year for say 5 years. that is 90lb .......that is nearly 6 and a half stone of pure muscle............. there are very few Genetically gifted pros can do that.

Rep


----------



## s3_abv (Feb 10, 2010)

Good to see someone talking sense replicator lol.


----------



## Ts23 (Jan 14, 2011)

ALR said:


> People always say only a few lbs, but thats bollocks ime.
> 
> When I was 160lbs and ran 40mg dbol for a month I blew up, even after the water had gone I maintained about 20lbs.
> 
> They say it takes 3500 cals to put on a lb, but thats a lb of fat. a lb of muscle is only 5-600 calories (think a lb of steak). so that 3500 you could theoretically be putting on a lot more.


never herd so muc shi te in my life.


----------



## Guest (Mar 9, 2011)

Once again nothing but opinion and broscience.

It's not possible blah blah blah, but plenty of people on here have experienced it.

No one said it's possible to do it indefinitely he asked how much it's possible to gain in A month, not monthly.

You can gain a lot more than 3-4lbs in a month, all things being optimal.


----------



## LutherLee (Apr 30, 2010)

Never in ur life are u gonna put on 20lbs of lean mass in a month. Mong!!!!!


----------

