HOW MUCH MUSCLE SHOULD I BE ABLE TO GAIN?

HOW MUCH MUSCLE SHOULD I BE ABLE TO GAIN?

(or How Much Weight Can I Lose? or How strong Can I Get?)

(Loooooooooong silence)

Me: “Oh, sorry. I was waiting for you to finish your question”

In a week? In a month? In a year?

How should I know?

The truth is, I have no earthly idea.

The same answer applies to;

How much weight can I lose? Or How much stronger can I get?

It depends.

Tell me what your goals are and I’ll tell you if they are even remotely possible. If you tell me you want to lose 25 pounds before your sister’s wedding next month, I’ll pass. There are other people who will tell you they will help you. But I won’t. I’m not going to damage your health in order to meet an unrealistic goal. Especially a short term goal.

You want to get as big as Jay Cutler or Kai Greene by next year? Pass.

You want to go for a record dead lift next summer? Pass

Jay Cutler

Training is a Marathon, not a sprint.

Set unrealistic goals and one of several things will happen:

1.     You’ll do something stupid and get injured

2.     You’ll wear yourself down and all progress will stop

3.     You’ll get discouraged in a short time and quit.

The Reality

Almost everything works when you are a “Newbie”. Mainly because most beginners have been sitting on their butt doing nothing. So almost any activity at all will work for a while. 

Rates of progress naturally slow over time as you approach your muscular and strength potential. Everyone has a maximum potential (unaided by “chemicals”)

You may be able to add 10 pounds per week to the bar for a while. But not forever. You have to keep your goals realistic in that context.

Sooner or later your goals have to adjust to reality. Progress may seem maddeningly slow after a while compared to the progress as a beginner. But it’s going to happen.  You can become a quitter and give up or you can adjust.

You have to think long term. Adding 5 pounds to the bar once a month may seem slow compared your progress as a beginner. But you have to think “consistency”.  Five pounds a month is 60 pounds a year!

It works just like compound interest.