How Fast Can You Build Muscle

Quick Answer: There is no definitive answer to how much muscle one person can gain quickly. It all depends on a variety of factors. You first must look at the age of the individual, how intense and often they do strength training, and how much protein is being consumed on a daily basis. In addition, there are a number of supplements that have been extremely promising for muscle building as well. 

Some of you may still remember those little black-and-white ads for building muscle in the back of comic books and magazines where a small guy gets some sand kicked into his face by a bigger guy on the beach. Then through some hard work in the gym, the man returns to the beach much larger than the original bully, and walks off with the girl as others around him marvel at his muscles. 

And when it comes down to it, we all have that desire to put on muscle fast and revel in the admiration of those around us. Perhaps this was your goal at the beginning of your fitness journey. After a while, the reasons for strength training may have changed, but the ambition to add muscle mass as quickly as possible probably hasn’t. 

Some mistakenly believe that if they just hit the weights harder, lift heavier, and come more often to the gym, the muscles will grow and the amount of muscle mass will just keep on accumulating. However, that is not the case. You have probably witnessed this not happening firsthand. The same gym-goers are constantly in the weight room, but do they keep on making gains? Have they added more muscle to their frame lately? 

Here are the facts about how to build muscle faster. If you concentrate on each, the need for larger shirts will be just around the corner. 


Age Does Matter

When young men begin weightlifting, they will usually make great strides pretty quickly. These are often called “newbie gains” in the fitness world. They may not be lifting as hard as the vets in the gym, but the gains will often come much faster. This is because of a hormone running rampant in their body that is providing them a natural cheat code. 

Young men have very high testosterone levels. This allows them to not only build muscle mass fast, but rapidly burn fat away as well. When men get older, their testosterone levels gradually decrease, so putting on lean muscle mass and keeping the fat off the midsection is much tougher to do. 

In addition, a person older than 40 years old will usually need more time for their body to recover after a hard workout. This could prevent them from adding pounds of muscle. They won’t be able to hit the gym when their body is aching! When asking how fast can you build muscle, age is definitely a determining factor. 


Experience, Intensity, and Frequency

There are those who do strength training almost every day of the week. For them, the body recovers quickly and they are able to keep on proceeding with gaining muscle by lifting more frequently. And it makes perfect sense. The more often a person lifts, the more muscle mass they should be able to acquire as long as their intensity and diet in on point. 

As mentioned earlier, newbies, people who are first starting out with weight training, can gain more muscle in the beginning than those who have been weight training for a while. And once the intensity and frequency on how often you lift gets dialed in, it won’t be long before you are able to add solid muscle in weeks rather than months. 

How fast can you build muscle if you have already been lifting for years? That’s a valid question. If you are already on the bigger side after strength training for decades, you may have a tough time putting on even more muscle mass. After all, if you have been hitting the gym a few times a week with high intensity, you will have to approach building muscle by focusing on your diet and supplements. 


Time to Eat!

There is an old saying in the health industry. 

“Muscles are made in the kitchen.” 

You will not be able to build muscle mass if your diet is poor. The body needs nutrients to grow. And the most important part of your diet when wanting to build muscle is how much protein you are ingesting daily. 

Muscle tissue is optimally created from the combination of a high-protein diet and strength training. If a person is interested in building muscle quickly, on average, they should consume anywhere from half a gram to a full gram of protein per pound of body weight daily. To put it simply, if you are currently weighing 200 pounds and want to put on muscle fast, start ingesting 100 to 200 grams of protein a day and see how that works when combined with strength training. 


Supplements That Work For Gaining Muscle!

There are plenty of supplements on the market that claim they can help you build muscle in a rapid manner. However, you have to be careful! The supplement industry is not one that is well monitored. The claims they make are often not supported by research studies. 

With that said, there are supplements that have been tried and tested to assist you in adding muscle to your frame. Creatine is inexpensive, and if taken daily, it can increase the amount of time you spend in the gym and, in turn, will have you adding muscle mass. Fish oil is another supplement that can increase protein synthesis in your body (the process of creating new muscle protein). 

In addition, if you are male and over the age of 30, it would not be a bad time to get your testosterone levels checked. As men age, their testosterone shrinks. It is extremely difficult to put on muscle mass if your testosterone is on the low side. If a doctor finds your level low, they can start you on testosterone replacement therapy. This will get your level back up where it should be, and in doing so, it will be much easier to gain muscle mass. Be sure to go to a doctor that specializes in hormone replacement therapy. The ordinary family practitioner down the street does not have the knowledge needed as this is not their area of study. 


How Much Muscle Can You Gain in a Month?

Once again, it depends on a variety of factors. One of the most important factors is your own genetics. Look at family members, past and present, and notice if they have athletic builds. Focus on your age, protein intake, intensity in the gym, and the supplements you are taking to achieve greatness. There are those that can gain four pounds of muscle in a month. It may not sound like much, but if you can manage this for six months straight, you could gain almost 25 pounds of lean muscle mass! This would be incredibly noticeable on anyone’s frame! 

Don’t be disappointed if you are finding yourself gaining only two pounds of muscle a month. After all, in one year, you will have acquired a significant amount of muscle mass if you are able to keep up with it. And that is what it all comes down to. Maintain your intensity; the sky really is the limit. 


References

● Carbone JW, Pasiakos SM. (2019). Dietary Protein and Muscle Mass: Translating Science to Application and Health Benefit. Nutrients, 11(5):1136. DOI: 10.3390/nu11051136. PMID: 31121843; PMCID: PMC6566799.

● Griggs RC, Kingston W, Jozefowicz RF, Herr BE, Forbes G, Halliday D. (1989). Effect of Testosterone on Muscle Mass and Muscle Protein Synthesis. J Appl Physiol (1985), 66(1):498-503. DOI: 10.1152/jappl.1989.66.1.498. PMID: 2917954.

● Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. (2016). Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med, 46(11):1689-1697. DOI: 10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8. PMID: 27102172.