How much muscle can you realistically gain in a month?

By Mert Yerekapan · Updated

A realistic number is about 1 to 2 lb (0.5 to 1 kg) of muscle a month for a true beginner with good training and food, roughly 0.5 to 1 lb for someone with a year or two of training, and less than that after. This is why a year of work can add 10 to 20 lb of muscle at most for a beginner.

Women tend to gain around half of those amounts, mostly because of lower testosterone and a smaller frame.

The rough timeline

  • First year: maybe 10 to 20 lb (4.5 to 9 kg) for men if it all goes well
  • Second year: about half of that
  • Third year and beyond: a few pounds a year

Those are optimistic, so don't be upset if you're below them. Genetics, age and how much you ate all matter.

Why the scale lies

Over one month, body weight swings from water, salt, food in your gut and your hormones. Weight can jump 2 to 4 lb in a day without any muscle changing at all. So don't judge a month by the scale.

Better signs of muscle growth:

  • Your lifts are going up
  • Clothes fit differently in the shoulders, arms or legs
  • Photos taken in the same light and pose, once a month
  • Measurements at the same spots

What helps you reach the top of the range

  1. Train each muscle about twice a week with hard sets.
  2. Eat roughly 0.7 to 1 g of protein per lb (1.6 to 2.2 g/kg) of bodyweight daily.
  3. Eat a small surplus, about 250 to 500 calories above maintenance.
  4. Sleep 7 to 9 hours.

A bigger surplus doesn't make muscle grow faster, it mostly adds fat.

Training each muscle twice a week for months is the part most people find hard, not the math. League of Fitness gives you a daily match against someone near your level, and lifting sessions synced from Apple Health count toward it, so there is a reason to get the session in during the slow stretches.

Be careful with fast claims

Anyone who tells you that you'll gain 10 lb of muscle in 30 days is selling something. Fast big gains in the first weeks are mostly water, glycogen and fat. Keep to the slow numbers above and you won't be disappointed.

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