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July 08 Q & A


Top Articles

Diet & Nutrition
[ Diet & Nutrition ]

·How I Got Ripped Abs For The Very First Time
·Dietary Fats, Prostaglandins and Hormones: Part I
·Lean-Body Foods to Build Muscle and Lose Body Fat

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Tips & Advice
· Is It Possible To Build Good Muscle Size Without Steroids?
· What Is The Best Type Cardiovascular Exercise Machine For Losing Fat?
· Is There A Way To Deal With Sugar Cravings?
· How Do I Get Big Arms?
· How Can I Get Big and Lose Fat at the Same Time?
· Is There A Way To Deal With Sugar Cravings?
· What leg exercises should I do for my skinny legs?
· How often should I train with weights?
· What is the most effective way to bulk up?
· Do you know any ways to relieve muscle soreness?

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Past Articles
Sunday, June 01
· Maladies of Sleep Depravation
· Dietary Fats, Prostaglandins and Hormones: Part I
Sunday, May 04
· Making A Strength/Size Routine Part I: Exercise Selection
· Guide To Muscle-Building and Fat-Loss Supplementation
· Stubborn Fat Solution
· Creation of a Bodybuilder
· The Shocking Truth about Dietary Fats and Saturated Fats
· Doing Cardio While Building Muscle
· Build a Bigger Chest in 3-4 Workouts or Less
· How to Gain Weight in 6 Simple Steps
Thursday, April 17
· Popular Diets: Jamie Hale's Review - Part II
Tuesday, April 15
· Steady State Cardio 5 X More Effective Than HIIT?

Older Articles



How much muscle mass can I gain?


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Question:
How much muscle mass can I gain?


Answer:
Most gym rats expect to build LOTS of muscle really fast. This is a myth. You can NOT build muscle really FAST. The majority of readers, customers and clients I work with have completely unrealistic expectations when it comes to building muscle.

I can't put an exact number on how much you can gain but most people believe that they can build 20 pounds of muscle in three months...

...it's amazing how many frusturated customers I get emailing me after their first month of training complaining that they only gained 5 or 10 pounds. I'm thinking to myself, "That's fantastic, what are you complaining about?!"

There is no doubt you can gain 20 pounds of WEIGHT in 3 months or even one month, but we are not talking about *weight* - we are talking about *DRY MUSCLE*

Pure muscle tissue. Not water weight. Not glycogen weight. Pure muscle weight!

There is not a chance in heaven that you will gain 5 or even 10 pounds of dry muscle in one month or even 3 months - not even close. I hate to be the messenger of this bad news but unless you are using growth enhancing drugs...

... it's IMPOSSIBLE.

Many of you might be upset or discouraged about the TRUTH of how much you can actually build but this knowledge will help you to eat and train with a more realistic perspective. So how much muscle can your body actually manufacture?

Under the BEST possible circumstances (training, diet, supplementation, recovery) the average male body can create between *0.25 and 0.50* pounds of dry muscle tissue per week. That's the natural amount that your body chemistry will allow.

So your looking at 1-2 pounds of dry muscle each month. Not much? Well consider what your body will look like in 12 months from now with an extra 12-24 pounds of muscle?!?!

Starting to see the importance of consistency???!!!

You see, I did not gain 41 pounds of DRY MUSCLE in six months. The 41 pounds also factored in the increased muscle which was accompanied by increased glycogen and water storage in the muscles. More muscle equals more glycogen. Most people can maintain up to 40 grams of glycogen per 100g of muscle tissue.

So if you're gaining ten pounds of new muscle you'll consequently increase glycogen storage by around four pounds. So if you gain ten pounds of muscle, your scale gain will actually be closer to fourteen pounds (if you didn't gain any fat).

And rarely often will someone not gain any fat if you are gaining more than 3 pounds per month. So, when you set your goals, clarify in your mind if "20 pounds of muscle" is your *weight gain* goal or your *dry muscle* goal. And then put realistic time frames on these goals based on the info I just shared.

If you simply focus on keeping your body fat between 10-13% fat while gaining around 5 pounds per month then it is safe to say you are gaining 1-2 pounds of dry muscle a month with 1-2 pounds of glycogen and water hopefully no more then a pound of fat.



"Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Growth"
Vince DelMonte specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly, without drugs, supplements and training less than before. Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building : Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at: www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com






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