# 2lb a week steady progress?



## E.Swales (Jun 16, 2012)

I'm currently on a 1st bulk and was wondering is 2lb a week a steady gain for a newbie on a first bulk? I'm eating clean and my reps and weights are increasing slowly as the weeks go on and I'm doing 2-3 light cardio sessions a week. Does this sound like I'm making good progress or should I be gaining more or less?


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## Dazarooni (Aug 30, 2010)

As you're a newbie, that should be fine for a few weeks but be careful though, 8lbs of weight gain in a month will not be all muscle gain. In fact, much of it will be fat.

Once you're well into your 'bulk' I'd try for 1-2 lbs a month rather than a week. There's only so much muscle you can put on in a month so if you want to 'lean bulk' and put on as much muscle with as little fat gain as possible, then 1-2lbs per month is what you should aim for once you're well into your routine.


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## E.Swales (Jun 16, 2012)

thanks for the advice, how would I be able to slow do the weight gain to 1-2lb a month if I'm still eating excess kcals?


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## Guest (Jun 30, 2012)

I'm same as you mate. First time taking it serious, eating clean 3000, sometimes more. Been getting around 1-2ibs per week


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## squatthis (May 3, 2010)

I wish I could eat 3000kcals and grow... i started my cut on 3000.


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## NoGutsNoGlory (Jun 11, 2009)

squatthis said:


> I wish I could eat 3000kcals and grow... i started my cut on 3000.


Do you do lots of cardio?


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## Dazarooni (Aug 30, 2010)

It might be an idea to work out how many calories a day you need for maintenance- ie... to maintain your weight (no weight loss and no weight gain).

A few years ago I used the Benedict & Harris calculator- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harris-Benedict_equation

So to begin with, say you needed 2750 calories a day just for maintenance, I'd eat 3250 calories, meaning a 500 calorie surplus per day for weight gain.

After a couple of weeks you should be able to determine if you need to add or reduce calories.


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## E.Swales (Jun 16, 2012)

At the moment I'm 182lbs and 6'1", I'm taking in about 3276kcals, 252g of protein, 377g of carbs and 80g of fats i'm not sure if this is the right % of protein/carbs/fats I should be taking in but hopefully soon I'll start taking some shape.


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## Guest (Jun 30, 2012)

If gains arnt too noticable, but scales are moving and weight in gym increasing what would be best? Up kcals?


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## Dazarooni (Aug 30, 2010)

Jd123 said:


> If gains arnt too noticable, but scales are moving and weight in gym increasing what would be best? Up kcals?


Gains should be noticeable after a month or two rather than a week or so, if the weight is going up gradually and the your lifting is getting better then I wouldn't change anything until you hit a plateau.


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## Guest (Jun 30, 2012)

Dazarooni said:


> Gains should be noticeable after a month or two rather than a week or so, if the weight is going up gradually and the your lifting is getting better then I wouldn't change anything until you hit a plateau.


Maybe a slight change, or Im being critical of myself. Been at it for about 6 weeks now


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## E.Swales (Jun 16, 2012)

Dazarooni said:


> Gains should be noticeable after a month or two rather than a week or so, if the weight is going up gradually and the your lifting is getting better then I wouldn't change anything until you hit a plateau.


I'll take this advice, cheers mate


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## Katazui (Jun 28, 2012)

Lot's of protein and work, work, work


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## 1010AD (May 30, 2009)

I have read that the maximum amount of lean muscle tissue you can expect to gain is about 1-2 pounds per week with a good clean diet and hard training so allowing for fat and water 2 pounds a week sounds about right, the mirror will tell you if your putting to much fat on while bulking so you can go off that and adjust your calories accordingly


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## monkeybiker (Jul 21, 2010)

1010AD said:


> I have read that the maximum amount of lean muscle tissue you can expect to gain is about 1-2 pounds per week with a good clean diet and hard training so allowing for fat and water 2 pounds a week sounds about right, the mirror will tell you if your putting to much fat on while bulking so you can go off that and adjust your calories accordingly


That's not realistic over long time periods, for example you are not going to put on 100lbs in a year. Even 2 lbs a month is fast, if you maintain that that's 24lbs in a year which you probably will only be able to do in your first year of training unless you start using steroids.


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## 1010AD (May 30, 2009)

monkeybiker said:


> That's not realistic over long time periods, for example you are not going to put on 100lbs in a year. Even 2 lbs a month is fast, if you maintain that that's 24lbs in a year which you probably will only be able to do in your first year of training unless you start using steroids.


Agree mate but for a newbie on a first bulk it's quite realistic for a period of time


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## marty341 (Mar 28, 2011)

Even as a newbee trainer 1-2lb gain per month is what you want to aim for!

That way most of it would be quality weight, remember this is a marathon and not a sprint. And the last thing you want 6 months down the line is a big pile of fat to shed.

I know it's great to see the scales going up every week, but if you keep it to around 1-2lb per month you will feel and look WAY better along with being much healthier imo


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