The rate of skeletal muscle gain varies from person to person. However, with the right nutrition (preferably with a calorie surplus) and resistance training regimen, you should anticipate to grow anywhere from half a pound to two pounds of skeletal muscle per month.
There are also several factors that can influence if, when and how you gain muscle mass on a monthly basis. These include your age, gender, hormones, calorie intake, fitness level and workout routine.
Ultimately it is important to note that there’s more to how you gain weight than just building muscle mass. Some people might be able to pack on between 20 to 30 more pounds by storing water, glucose, fat and protein. But for these same people the odds may be against them gaining any form of lean muscle mass.
While there is a lack of data on how much muscle may be gained in a month, most experts agree that most healthy people can gain between 1 and 2 pounds of lean muscle per month. This rate, however, is not constant and is affected by factors like your genetics, gender, age, dietary quality, physical conditioning, and training regimen.
To build muscle mass, you need to stress your muscle fibers to an extent where they must compensate for the workload applied on them by developing new muscle fibers. You stimulate skeletal muscle growth by raising the difficulty level of your workouts by lifting heavy or increasing your sets and repetition. Also, in order to support muscular development, you should consume sufficient amounts of protein and calories.
However, there are constraints; the improvements you make in, say, three months may not be maintained in the next six or twelve months. Over time, it is more likely that weight will increase by around half a pound per month. Also, muscular hypertrophy may be accelerated by rigorous training and diminished by less training (atrophy).
What are the Factors Affecting Skeletal Muscle Growth?
Think about your present weight and fitness level as a starting point for estimating how much skeletal muscle you could gain in 30 days. Additionally, your genetics and gender play a vital role as higher testosterone levels in men make it easier for them to grow muscle mass compared to women. It is also worth noting that certain people have a greater inclination to build muscle mass simply because they have better genetics.
Your capacity to put on muscle mass will also be affected by factors such as your age and hormone makeup. We lose hormones and their ability to stimulate and maintain muscle growth the older we become. However, if you commit to a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise, you can improve your strength as well as muscle function.
Keep in mind that muscle gains are typically greatest during the first three months of training and then it levels off. It’s reasonable to assume that the average person puts on about 8 to 15 pounds per year, however some may gain more (or less).
As a valuable fitness advice for you to ponder on, it is important that you eat clean, train properly, rest well and exercise patience, as you really can’t expect instant results when it comes to gaining muscle mass.
What are the Top Exercises for Skeletal Muscle Growth?
For starters, it is important to note that exercise for muscle growth is very essential. As a matter of fact, muscle gain is virtually impossible without resistance training. Your skeletal muscles can be built through a variety of different types of training. What’s more, muscle hypertrophy can be achieved with lower or higher repetition ranges than the conventionally recommended 8 to 10 per exercise.
The best way to bulk up is to constantly push your muscles to their limits, forcing them to adapt to the workload and respond by growing. One frequent strategy for doing so is to gradually increase the amount of weight that you lift.
Building muscle can be accomplished through any form of resistance training. When first starting out, it’s best to stick to bodyweight exercises so you can concentrate on proper form and technique. On top of that, the greatest overall muscle activation is achieved by compound lifts, which involve a greater number of joints and skeletal muscle groups. However, the muscle-building effects of exercises focusing on a single joint are not to be discounted. Nevertheless, the best tips for muscle growth you can get is one that recommends workout programs that promote training a larger number of joints and skeletal muscle groups.
Nutrition’s for Skeletal Muscle Growth
When calculating your body’s muscle-building progress, you need to take a few dietary parameters into account. Muscles are made up of connecting tissue and muscle fibers, and they contain glycogen (stored carbohydrate), blood, and water. Whenever you consume more calories than you expend, you will be on track to building skeletal muscle mass.
Getting enough protein is important, especially when paired with resistance training. Studies demonstrate that consuming at least 0.3g of protein per kilogram of body weight at each meal is associated with a muscle-building response.
Muscle growth is promoted by consuming between 1.6 and 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight every day. This protein requirement can be met by consuming either 3 meals with 0.53g of protein per kilogram of body weight or 4 meals with 0.4g of protein per kg of body weight.
Protein powder, which can help you get the recommended amount of protein in your diet, is just one of many supplements that have been shown to promote muscle building.
10 Branch-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are a supplement that can help you get the protein you need to develop muscle, but they may not be necessary if you’re already eating a high-protein diet.
In older adults, the mechanism by which creatine supplementation aids in lean muscle tissue gain during resistance training is still unknown.
However, since supplements are unregulated, neither the efficacy nor the safety of any particular supplement can be guaranteed. Consult your doctor before taking any dietary supplements, including creatine or BCAAs, to be sure the product and dosage you choose is appropriate for your unique health needs. Select a product that has undergone independent testing by a body like USP, NSF or Consumer Lab.
Final Thoughts
Your genetics, gender, age, hormone levels, training routine, diet and lifestyle all play significant roles in your skeletal muscle building success or otherwise. To know if you are gaining muscle mass or not, you need to compare your present results with that recorded previously. In order to see significant improvements in both your strength and skeletal muscle mass, you need to maintain a healthy, clean diet, regularly engage in resistance training and recover by getting adequate rest.
