# The ability to build muscle considering you missed out on beginner gains?



## jlai928 (Sep 27, 2014)

Okay I have a question. I'm sure many people are familiar with the natty lean tissue rates proposed by Lyle Mcdonald respective of training age (years of proper training).
View attachment Casey Butt PHD.PNG


I'm aware that they are dependent on the trainee starting from scratch and doing a reasonable structured program and not messing about.

Take this scenario however:


Lets say the trainee starts training one day and is not really into bodybuilding and just lifts a couple weights on a sub-optimal bodypart split at low intensity for the first year.
The trainee has built a better physique, beginner gains did come but they weren't optimal and they were barely eating enough calories or working out in a way to grow at 2 pounds per month. 
The trainee then finds out about various online forums gets educated and hops on programs such as StrongLifts or SS for the next year and makes great progress then continues doing upper lowers or push pull legs for the subsequent year/years. 

My question is, since the trainee wasted the first year or even lets say the first two years, will they lose the ability to gain at 2 pounds per month if they go on a proper program or would that be someone diminished due to the adaptation to training stimulus even though the training stimulus was not optimal?


----------



## monkeybiker (Jul 21, 2010)

:confused1:

Beginner gains is not some special gift. It's just a case of the more muscle you put on the harder it gets to put on that bit more so results slow down. It doesn't matter so much how long you trained but more what progress you have made. If you have made very little progress due to poor effort then buy trying harder you should get better results.


----------



## BTS93 (Sep 5, 2013)

Personally I find that scale rather silly, because everyone has different perceptions of 'proper training' and many variables included.


----------



## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Lyle answers your question here:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/whats-my-genetic-muscular-potential.html/

Why do you ask?


----------



## jlai928 (Sep 27, 2014)

Thanks for the replies its made me think . the reason I asked was not because I'm not gaining but because I didn't know what I was doing the first year of training and I was wondering if I could go back and do things optimally it would have made a difference. I guess not which is good. 
So you're body will respond appropriately to stimulus in relation to how much muscle you've already built and not how long you've been gyming for.


----------



## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

> Thanks for the replies its made me think . the reason I asked was not because I'm not gaining but because I didn't know what I was doing the first year of training and I was wondering if I could go back and do things optimally it would have made a difference. I guess not which is good.
> So you're body will respond appropriately to stimulus in relation to how much muscle you've already built and not how long you've been gyming for.


You are thinking about this all too much. All anyone can ever do is train as best they can and eat appropriately. What some table on the internet says won't affect the outcome, what you do will.


----------



## lewdylewd (May 18, 2015)

Ultrasonic said:


> You are thinking about this all too much. All anyone can ever do is train as best they can and eat appropriately. What some table on the internet says won't affect the outcome, what you do will.


And take loads of gear.


----------



## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

As said above, don't focus on what you may have missed out on, just focus on what you can do now to the best of your ability. Many people have followed a similar path to yourself and still built decent physiques once getting it together. If you are dedicated and consistently progressive on top of a sensible approach you'll do fine. Just be patient.


----------

