building muscle mass, how long does it take?

[NewLeaf]

I know I've read this info some place before. But.. I cant' recall and figured somebody here would know!

How long of a time perido does it take for your body to build muscle mass? say a 5lbs worth or what not? so many weeks of weight training etc? Just curious...

 

[wonderwoman]

for 5 pounds of muscle? about 4 weeks depending on intensity/regularity.

 

[NothinToLose]

Ok, I'm also curious - can you be more specific about amount of exercise that would build 5 lbs of muscle in 4 months? Like 1 hr of weight training 3times a week or smth like that? Plus, is that for women or men? I'm sure men would build more muscle mass then women.

If anyone knows of any articles on the net on this, please post them here!

Thanks!

 

[allcdnboy1]

this can't be quantified. It depends on way too many factors:

1) your current weight
2) height
3) gender
4) current bf %
5) body type (ie. endomorph)
6) how long you have been training
7) the intensity and type of training you are doing
8) eating habbits

For example, a 6'2 endomorph male, weighing in at 180 lbs with 20% BF that just started training would probably be able to put on 5lbs in a week of heavy training.

A 5'0" exomorph female, weighting 120 lbs with 12% BF that has been training for a year, it would probably take a few months.

Even given two people that seem identical, every person reacts differently to different training methods and type of foods consumed.

However, I will say this: if you have been working out for a while with no results, it is most likely because you aren't eating enough. You can't gain mucle if your body has nothing to use to create muscle.

 

[wonderwoman]

However, I will say this: if you have been working out for a while with no results, it is most likely because you aren't eating enough. You can't gain mucle if your body has nothing to use to create muscle.

i found this and thought i'd add it:

Protein is important for building muscle. But you could eat 100% of your calories from protein, and you won't gain an ounce of muscle if your daily total calorie intake isn't greater than your daily calorie output.

To build muscle, you require a balanced diet that provides approximately 300-500 more calories than your maintenance calorie intake level. (You can determine the actual amount of extra calories you require to gain muscle without gaining fat by checking changes in your body composition measurements.) All the protein you require to build extra muscle will be contained in this amount of food, provided your diet is balanced properly.

A diet that provides 10%-15% of calories from protein IS ALL THAT IS REQUIRED TO GROW MUSCLE