Under favorable conditions, you can increase your muscle mass by 1 to 2 pounds in a month. But this outcome comes with hard work, dedication, and consistency.
Muscle Gain is Accelerated When You Are Starting Out
From the perspective of a beginner, you will gain faster when you initially start working out. Expect an increase of anywhere around one to even four pounds of muscle growth in the first month of working out if you are a beginner. The better your diet and workout plan is the better results you will attain.
But for at an advanced level, that is if you have already been working out for a year, your growth rate would be two pounds per year. It means significantly lesser muscle growth per year. This drastic dip or plateau in muscle growth can be discouraging for a few. But you must understand that there is a fixed limit to the amount of muscle you can build up.
You will have to make changes to your diet as well. Eat food that is packed with nutrition. Do not eat junk but do not choose products like skimmed milk or slimming coffee because that is counterproductive.
Muscle Growth Based on Your Physique
Another parameter that determines the amount of muscle mass you can add up is your build. There are three main, male body types:
Ectomorph:
This body type comprises a linear, skinny frame. Monthly muscle gain is significantly lesser in this body type compared with others since it not only has a lesser amount of fat but lesser muscle too. Thus, do not expect to start looking like a model, for your physique only allows limited capacity. If you fit into this body type, then expect one and a half to two pounds of muscle growth per month, if you are just starting out.
Mesomorph:
This is the ideal body type for gaining muscle fast. Most athletes are mesomorphs and they have the perfect balance of body fat as well as muscle. With their broad frame; that is wider shoulders, heavy chest muscles and thinner legs, increasing muscle mass is significantly easier. Since mesomorphs have a higher bone density as well as greater muscle mass, to begin with, you can start seeing faster results with this body type within a month of consistent workout.
Endomorph:
There is a higher percentage of fat than muscle. Thus, giving you an apple-shaped figure – for most of the fat is stored around your belly and hips. But since people with this body type have larger bone mass compared to the other two, one will start looking buffer faster than people with the other two body types. But you should be careful about your fat consumption; for this could give a false illusion of a bulkier physique without much increase in muscle mass.
Keep in mind, as years pass, there will be a significant drop in the number of pounds you will add on each month to your muscle weight. Moreover, muscle gain depends on the muscle mass you naturally have. On the bright side, if you have lesser muscle mass, but broader and stronger bones, you will bulk up and look buffer than people with frail or thin bones.
Lifts and Reps
To gain more muscle in a month, be more consistent with your workout. But do not tire yourself for faster results – for this will be counter-productive. Working out three times a week for thirty to sixty minutes long sessions is enough. Start with a baseline lift and then keep adding on to it. Remember, that you must lift more weight and have an intermediate or low number of reps. Your muscles increase in size or become hypertrophied, only when they made to lift stronger weights. This way, they will adapt to the increased weight and shall grow bigger – thus, focus on the weight instead of the reps if you do not want to see a plateau.
Use of Steroids, Insulin, and HGH
You must have heard about the dreaded steroids and external supplements for increasing muscle mass. There is a limit to your muscular hypertrophy, thus taking steroids, HGH or insulin is not as hazardous as it is said to be. But the long term use of these can pose health risks. If you are looking to gain muscle mass for a modeling project or a movie role in a short span of time, you may consider them for faster gains but it must be done under the supervision of qualified nutritionist and trainers. Most models limit the use of steroids to their deltoid and pectoral muscles but bodybuilders are strictly banned from using steroids.