How muscles grow after training. Why muscles don't grow during intense training: reasons and tips. Muscles grow in your sleep

Muscle growth is a complex process of increasing the mass of muscle fiber and surrounding tissue, requiring both physical training, adequate nutrition and adequate sleep. It is often believed that muscle growth occurs precisely during sleep, when the body mobilizes reserves for recovery - including by increasing the level of somatropin (growth hormone) production.

In order to understand that muscles are growing, you just need to listen to the signals from your body. Firstly, the processes of healing and subsequent increase in muscle mass are closely related to the appearance of characteristic muscle pain. Although this pain is often attributed to increased production, recent scientific studies refute this - the pain appears due to a number of factors.

Secondly, an increase in body weight along with an increase in strength also clearly indicates that the muscles are growing successfully. However, we note that this rule requires regularly increasing the weight with which you pump your muscles - the launch of growth processes implies a new level of stress for the muscles. Such stress can also be another type of load, which indicates the benefits of alternating sports.

What makes muscles grow?

We all know that physical exercise make muscles grow. However, from an anatomical point of view, this is not entirely accurate, since the muscles themselves practically do not grow, but only the volume and density of the myofascia increases. It is also important that even the best strength exercises are completely useless without adequate nutrition (both in terms of protein and total calories).

What causes muscles to grow:

• Regular strength training for hypertrophy
• Increasing the diet by 10-15%
• Consuming enough
• Sufficient recovery time

Anatomy and physiology of muscle growth

From a scientific point of view, it is more correct to talk not about muscle growth, but about an increase in their volume - that is, about muscle hypertrophy. Most scientists tend to believe that the sheer number of muscle fibers remains virtually unchanged throughout life and is determined genetically¹. Physical training does make the fibers stronger, but does not lead to an increase in their number.

Visual muscle growth and its pumping through exercise is primarily an increase in sarcoplasm (the nutrient fluid surrounding muscle fibers), muscle glycogen depots and the proliferation of connective tissues. Essentially, the athlete's body begins to more efficiently use and energize existing muscle fibers.

How muscles grow:

• Strength training
• Multi-joint basic exercises
• Sufficient amount of glycogen in muscles
• Use

How long does it take for muscles to grow?

Scientific research suggests that the process of muscle growth begins approximately 3-4 hours after strength training², and ends after 36-48 hours - depending on the muscle group. That is why it makes no sense to train the same muscle group more often than once every two to three days, and the ideal training frequency for gaining mass for beginners is 3 workouts per week.

Moreover, immediately after training, the beginner’s body requires both easily digestible proteins to stop catabolic processes in the muscles, and carbohydrates in an amount of at least 100-150 g (30-40 g immediately after training, the rest within 2-3 hours). The period when the body prefers to send food energy to the muscles is called metabolic or.

The best exercises for muscle growth

The most effective effect on muscle growth and glycogen synthesis is the so-called “basic training”, which triggers the processes of hypertrophy. This training consists of performing multi-joint exercises that involve several large muscle groups at once. Exercises should be performed in 5-7 repetitions with a heavy working weight - and this requires perfect knowledge of the technique.

Such strength training provokes microdamage to muscle tissue, the subsequent restoration of which leads to muscle growth. In addition, basic hypertrophy training has a positive effect on the body's production of a number of hormones necessary for muscle growth - primarily testosterone and growth hormone. Let us remind you that these same hormones affect fat burning and the appearance of relief.

What is hypertrophy?

This is an increase muscle mass the body due to the growth of individual groups of skeletal muscles. It is hypertrophy that means muscle growth and is the main goal in bodybuilding, since without muscle growth it is impossible to either increase their strength or increase their volume. The training strategy for hypertrophy is basic exercises and heavy working weights.

In turn, muscle hypertrophy is divided into two types - myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. The first is achieved by increasing the volume of muscle fiber cells (while the actual number of cells remains virtually unchanged), the second is achieved by increasing the nutrient fluid surrounding this fiber. Speaking in simple words, the first affects strength, the second affects muscle volume.

Carbohydrates are the main nutrition for muscles

On the one hand, heavy strength training using multi-joint exercises triggers various physiological processes in the body, leading to an increase in the strength of muscle fibers. On the other hand, without sufficient energy supply in the form of carbohydrates, fats and proteins (in that order), there will simply be no muscle growth.

The body needs carbohydrates to create glycogen reserves (the main source of energy for muscles), fats - for the synthesis of testosterone and other important hormones. Separately, we note that the nutrition and training strategy for muscle growth largely depends on the athlete. People who are naturally thin need increased nutrition, while it can harm endomorphs who are prone to obesity.

Features of sports metabolism

The main difference between the metabolism of athletes and the metabolism of a non-athlete is the ability to use carbohydrates more efficiently and regulate the level of insulin in the blood. In simple words, athletes’ bodies prefer to process carbohydrates from food and send them to muscles rather than to fat reserves.

Regular “muscle pumping” gradually increases metabolism, requiring a significant increase in calorie intake and forcing the athlete to eat more. It is also interesting that modern scientists believe that there are no genetic lucky ones, and everyone can become the owner of a sports metabolism after several years of appropriate nutrition and training.

***

Despite the fact that muscle growth is not such a complex physiological process, it is achieved only with the right combination of factors such as regular strength training, increased caloric intake and adequate rest. To grow muscles, most beginners only need 3 workouts per week - otherwise they risk overtraining.

Scientific sources:

1. How do muscles grow? Young sub Kwon, M.S. and Len Kravitz, Ph.D.,
2. Muscle Growth Part I: Why, And How, Does A Muscle Grow And Get Stronger? Casey Butt, Ph.D.

The growth of muscle fibers determines the increase in muscle size. The thicker each fiber becomes, the more prominent the muscle becomes. What reasons influence fiber growth?

What makes muscles grow?

A muscle or muscle is a part of the human body that consists of elastic tissue. Physiologically, a muscle is made up of individual fibers. Each fiber is enclosed in a sheath and filled with liquid. The amount of fluid determines the volume of the fiber, as well as the shape and size of the muscles.

In addition to liquid, inside the fibers there are protein threads - myofibrils. It is thanks to them that the muscle contracts. To perform movements, protein filaments consume energy, which is taken from fluid glycogen. Under significant loads, the protein threads are damaged (torn). At the same time, pain is felt in the muscles. With subsequent rest, the threads are restored (new ones are formed and old ones thicken).

In addition, after training, the amount of fluid inside the fibers changes. First, the fluid gives up glycogen and water reserves for movement and weight loss. And after training, it restores its original state and even gains more (water and glycogen).

In addition, after an intensive training program, another process occurs in the muscles. It also promotes muscle growth. This is the growth of connective tissue between the fibers. Connective cells are also injured, ruptured and, upon subsequent restoration, increase to a larger volume.

Thus, the growth of muscle mass is determined by three processes:

• The amount of liquid inside each fiber increases.
• Thickening of the protein threads in the fibers occurs.
• The volume of connective tissue between the fibers increases.

As a result of these processes, the fibers thicken and the muscles acquire relief. Thus, the reason for the increase in fiber volume is intense physical exercise.

How fast do muscles grow?

The rate at which muscle mass increases is determined by several factors:

• Experience - athlete or beginner. For example, high growth rates are often observed in the first months of training for beginners. This is due to the necessary increase in loads. If the load increases, the muscles grow.
• The rate of formation of new protein threads inside the fibers and thickening of old ones. This process requires proper nutrition and rest. Rapid growth requires special sports nutrition- protein shakes (protein).
• The rate of recovery of liquid volume inside the fiber. This process begins and proceeds slowly. At the same time, an increase in the volume of fluid inside the fibers does not affect the growth of muscle strength.
• Growth rate of connective tissue cells between fibers. Moreover, cell activity depends on genetics. In some people, cell cells are elastic and grow quickly under load. In others, the cells between the fibers are inelastic and grow slowly.

As you can see, simple muscle growth depends on many factors - genetics, quality nutrition and intensity of the program, daily increase in loads.

How do muscles grow after training?

Muscle growth begins after physical overload as a result of micro trauma to muscle tissue. Only such processes force the body to build muscle mass and form sculpted muscles. What happens in the muscles after an intense workout?

The protein strands inside the fibers receive orders from the central nervous system about the need for thickening and formation of new threads. This order aims to strengthen the muscles in response to the overload the body experienced during training. There was not enough strength in the muscles, and the protein threads were damaged. Therefore, the “smart” brain makes a simple and “correct” conclusion: muscle mass needs to be increased.

For their growth and the formation of new elements, protein filaments require increased protein supply. However, protein alone is not enough. When performing a set of exercises, the energy reserve (glycogen) was used up, and it also requires restoration. And you still need to replenish your water supply. Therefore, after intensive training in the gym:

• I'm thirsty
• I'm hungry.

This means that the athlete must: replenish the loss of fluid, carbohydrates (energy) and proteins (muscle growth). The recommended scheme for proper nutrition after the gym is as follows:

• Immediately after training, start with quickly digestible carbohydrates (for example, honey).
• Then, an hour and a half later (upon arrival home) - a full meal from a mixture of proteins and carbohydrates.
• After another hour and a half - protein food (if it’s at night - then a protein shake, kefir).

Muscle growth during sleep

Thickening of protein filaments and restoration of the volume of fluid inside the fibers occur only in a state of rest, rest, or sleep. In these states, the processes of protein synthesis proceed faster than the processes of its breakdown, and the number of protein elements increases. Therefore, for the growth of muscle mass, proper rest (sleep, which begins recovery), and adequate protein nutrition are necessary.

How many days after training do muscle fibers grow?

According to one theory, restoration of damaged fibers takes 48 hours. According to another theory, recovery occurs only after replenishment of glycogen (energy spent on training), which lasts from 48 to 94 hours (up to 4 days). This is a paradox. Daily intensive bodybuilding exercises do not always ensure muscle growth. Therefore, with daily loads, it is necessary to change exercises, load on different muscle groups (the program should not be repeated more often than after 2 days), as well as different schemes of approaches.

Total recovery time can take up to 2 weeks. This is an average indicator that is influenced by diet, amount of sleep, work load and muscle volume. The larger your muscles, the more time they need to recover. This fact explains why muscles stop growing when exercise is too intense. They simply do not have time to fully recover.

According to this theory, it is necessary to train each muscle group once every 10 days or 2-3 weeks. If your muscles stop growing, they may simply be overtrained.

For muscle growth to occur, certain conditions must be created. In most cases, muscle fiber growth is a response to stress. However, each athlete has his own genetics and physiology, his own chemical reactions. Therefore, methods that are good for some are not always effective for others. For stable muscle growth, you need to try different methods and choose an effective means of gaining yourself. Share your effective experience in the comments, ask questions that interest you!

And finally, watch a video about how muscles grow.

Naturally, with proper training and proper nutrition muscles grow by 10 kg in the first year, by 5 kg in the second year and by 2 kg in friction a year.

How many days does a muscle grow?

Workouts can be light or hard, short or long. From light and short workouts, muscles grow in 12 hours, from heavy and long ones up to 10 days.

How to eat to grow muscles?

The main rule of nutrition for muscle growth is to eat until you are full. And it’s better to do it according to the regime. If your appetite is suppressed by adverse factors environment, for example, partying, then the perception of satiety is greatly distorted and you, unnoticed by yourself, eat less than you need for muscle growth.

When do muscles start to grow?

Muscles begin to grow immediately after training if you give your body water, food and rest.

Do muscles grow during exercise?

The swelling of muscles during training is their filling with blood. After training, this blood leaves the muscles and the muscles become smaller because they have depleted the nutritional reserves that were stored inside the muscle cells. That is why, for urgent muscle recovery, the body needs to be nourished with water, food and given rest.

Do muscles grow in your sleep?

The main muscle growth occurs during sleep, when the body restarts all its systems and carries out reforms in all organs and tissues.

Do muscles grow during the day?

Muscles grow during the day, if you have eaten well and are in a light sleep, nothing and no one bothers you. As long as you are excited and stressed at work in the office or at home, your muscles continue to sag.

How do you know that muscles are growing?

If you wake up in the morning with a pleasant presence in the muscles that you worked out, then they are growing.

If muscles hurt, does that mean they are growing?

Pain is the highest form of pleasant muscle release after exercise. Such happiness becomes more and more difficult to achieve with time and experience.

Do muscles grow if they don't hurt?

With proper training, your muscles should not hurt. Muscles ache from rare training, which is carried out using the “cavalry charge” method. Best growth muscles are achieved by people who train without long breaks and slowly increase the load.

Muscles grow in a week

Over a week, muscles grow from 50 to 200 grams, depending on the length of training. It is impossible to track such growth in everyday conditions using a centimeter tape.

The muscles stopped growing!

Unfortunately, slow muscle growth or its absence can only be observed over a period of 3 months. Every 3 months you need to take measurements and watch how your body circumference changes.

In the first three months you can increase 3. This is approximately 1-2 cm in the circumference of the biceps. This is a noticeable and good muscle gain.

Does protein make muscles grow?

Protein helps muscle growth when it is part of a well-thought-out protein intake plan. Protein intake alone may not be beneficial if it is not coordinated with a nutritional and training plan.

What to drink to grow muscles?

To grow muscles you need to eat food and drink water. And it is better to do this in a timely manner and in the right quantity, according to body weight, volume and intensity of training.

How much protein do you need to grow muscles?

Typically, two grams of protein per kilogram of dry weight is enough. If an athlete has 80 kilograms of dry mass, then 160 grams of protein is enough. However, don't confuse your scale readings with your lean body mass.

Muscles grow, but fat doesn't go away

To prevent fat from growing, you need to limit its dietary intake. Usually it is 70-90 grams. But many people, in pursuit of weight, consume up to 300 grams of fat, so they gain fat. Check your dietary fat intake.

How to exercise to grow muscles?

To grow muscles, you need to spend 3 hours a week training in the first year, 4 in the second, and 5 in the third. For a conventional training hour, you need to do at least 25 approaches with an intensity of at least 50 percent.

Do you grow muscles at home?

Muscles grow in any environment: at home, on the street or in the gym. It's not where you do it that matters, but what you do.

Do push-ups make muscles grow?

If you have reached the lactate threshold, your muscles will respond with growth. Stepping beyond the lactate threshold with push-ups is as easy as shelling pears, which means the muscles grow from push-ups.

Do running muscles grow?

Running promotes muscle growth when done in addition to strength training. Running improves muscle trophism and promotes muscle hypertrophy, that is, growth.

How long does it take for muscles to grow?

Muscles grow as long as you have a normal endocrine system and normal production of anabolic hormones, the most important of which is testosterone. If you are still tormented by an erection in the morning, then your muscles will grow from strength training.

Many men, even at 70 years old, prove that everything is fine with their endocrine system.

Why do muscles grow fast?

If a person’s muscles grow unnaturally quickly, not from year to year, but from week to week. If 10 kilograms stick to the body in a few weeks, it means the person has started taking anabolic stimulants muscle growth.

How long does it take for muscles to grow?

The most noticeable muscle growth occurs in the first three years, and then muscle growth proceeds very imperceptibly and slowly until it stops completely. Usually this stop occurs after 7 years. Natural bodybuilder has been growing for 7 years.

Muscles grow unevenly

This usually comes from uneven planning of training different muscles. For example, if you do 30 sets of push-ups and 15 sets of pull-ups in a week, your chest will grow faster than your lats. The imbalance in the volume and intensity of training is the main reason for the uneven development of favorite and unloved muscles.

Mr. Universe 1998 according to the Russian version in the village of Odintsovo

Let's be friends

People who work out in gyms progress differently. Some people manage to gain weight quite quickly, while others do not grow muscles. What affects muscle growth and how to speed up this process today we will try to understand all the details.

Physiology of muscle growth

Muscle tissue in the human body is the most economical, as it tries to retain the maximum of nutrients and gradually increase in size, adapting to physical activity. There is also the so-called ideal weight mechanism: the body itself determines the maximum number of muscle fibers necessary for a comfortable existence.

The amount of fiber is determined at the genetic level from birth, but their quality can be increased with the help of strength training, proper nutrition and other important factors. Muscles grow due to an increase in the thickness of the fibers, but how to stimulate this process?

What influences fiber thickening?

Training programs for gaining muscle mass are aimed at partial destruction and rupture of fibers, and during the process of rest, the muscles are restored and increase in volume, exceeding their previous volumes. This process is called supercompensation.

Thickening of muscle cells occurs as a result of the synthesis of protein threads that absorb nutrients entering the body as part of food. The more a person trains, the more protein threads there are in the body and the more efficient the blood supply to muscle tissue. Accordingly, you need to give your body enough protein, vitamins, minerals and calories in general. Without this condition, it is impossible to increase the volume of muscle groups, since they will not have building material for growth.

When performing exercises, the muscles fill with blood and increase in size. Athletes call it . IN in this case microscopic fibers are damaged, and when they are restored, growth is caused.

How to speed up muscle growth?

Natural training for muscle growth involves creating stress for the muscles. They are an important condition for growth and maintain homeostasis in the body. This happens when certain conditions are reached.

Muscle tension

It is during loading that the muscles receive the mentioned stress, to which they are not yet adapted. You have to do whatever it takes to shock them. To do this you need to increase the working weights. Complex chemical processes take place in cells that determine muscle growth processes. For example, an intracellular protein is activated - a signaling element that promotes the development and hypertrophy of muscle fibers.

Tissue damage

After physical exercise Everyone has experienced muscle pain - this is a sign of local muscle damage, namely microscopic fiber tears. These local damages activate the cell's satellites. Note that pain is not a necessary indicator of muscle growth, but in order to make muscles grow, it is necessary to damage them. In simple terms, during recovery, the fibers thicken and, as a result, the volume of the muscles increases.

Metabolic stress

Experienced athletes know what pumping is and how to achieve it. This is what they call the filling of a muscle with blood during work. This happens under the influence of metabolic stress. Many athletes believe that it is the pump that makes your muscles grow. Scientists conducting many studies partially confirm this fact.

In reality, under metabolic stress, muscles do grow, but cells may not. This is due to glycogen entering the muscles and enlarging them with the help of connective tissues. This is sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, in which muscle volume can increase without increasing the working weight during training.

The role of hormones in muscle growth

Why don't muscles grow when doing all the exercises regularly? The reason may be hormones. They are necessary for cell growth and regeneration after exercise. The most important hormones that help achieve the desired result are:

• testosterone;
• IGF-1.

Many focus on stimulating the production of testosterone, which triggers protein synthesis, slowing down its breakdown. It activates satellite cells and promotes the production of other anabolic hormones by the athlete’s body.

As a result of strength training, testosterone production is stimulated, and muscle cell receptors become sensitive to free testosterone. IGF-1 regulates muscle size and stimulates protein synthesis, and also helps satellite cells work to enlarge muscle fibers. It's all quite complicated, but the bottom line is that you must do heavy strength training, otherwise the hormone will not be produced in sufficient quantities. As a result, you will find that the muscles do not grow or grow slowly.

The Role of Nutrition and Amino Acids for Muscle Growth

Amino acids are protein particles necessary for the construction of protein needed by muscle fibers. Each type of protein contains different amino acids. Accordingly, meals directly affect the supply of nutrients to the body, from which new muscle cells will be built. The emphasis on proper nutrition is precisely protein products, but the caloric content of the diet plays an important role so that the body has the energy to perform strength exercises.

• Try to have 5-6 meals a day. One or two meals can be replaced with protein shakes or snacks in the form of cottage cheese, a handful of nuts or a banana.
• You need to remove “empty” and high-calorie foods from your diet: soda, fast food, chips, baked goods, fried pies, etc. They do not contain useful substances, and the fat they contain increases harmful cholesterol in the blood and disrupts the functioning of internal organs.
• The diet must be balanced and must include high-quality proteins, complex carbohydrates, vegetables and fruits, fatty acid omega-3.
• If you have a thin physique, use a mass gainer to gain muscle mass. It will increase the calorie content of your daily diet.
• Do not increase the amount of protein per 1 kg of weight above the norm. 2 g of protein per 1 kg of body weight is sufficient. You can get protein from cottage cheese, eggs, meat, chicken, seafood, and protein shakes.

Following these rules will allow you to make your muscles grow. you can find out from other articles on our website.

Why do muscles grow slowly?

If your muscles have stopped growing or are simply not growing well, you may be eating improperly or exercising incorrectly. You should exercise up to 3-4 times a week, but no more, otherwise overtraining may occur. In addition, muscle hypertrophy is a long-term process. You may not see results in a few weeks, but after 2 months they will definitely be noticeable. Just take measurements or take photos of yourself once a month and track your results. If you follow all the above recommendations, your muscles will definitely grow, albeit slowly.

All people have different genetics, and they also produce hormones differently. There is a difference in the type and number of muscle fibers, and in the ability of satellite cells to activate cell growth. All these factors influence muscle growth to one degree or another. For the same reason, it is impossible to say how long it takes for muscles to begin to grow and how to understand that the process has begun. Everything is individual, so continue to train and watch your diet.

It is important to maintain protein synthesis so that it prevails over breakdown. Ensure your body gets enough proteins complex carbohydrates and essential amino acids. They will speed up the restoration of damaged cells, and you will see the result. Without all this, muscles can increase in volume very slowly and almost imperceptibly.

The question of how fast you can gain muscle mass is of interest to every beginner, without exception. “How fast do muscles grow?” is the second most popular question after “How to build muscle?” Therefore, it is worth devoting a separate conversation to this topical topic. Let me immediately note that the data that I will present today is my personal experience, based on both own training, and at the rate of progress of my wards. This article is purely practical. There is no theory in it, and scientific research, from the point of view of which we, perhaps, will talk about the growth of muscle mass later, determining the degree of coincidence between practice and theory.

Factors to consider

Many years of personal experience, as well as the experience of other people, confirms: the rate of muscle growth is an individual indicator. Therefore, if someone tells you about specific numbers, you can either ask this person again, making sure that he is simply trying to simplify the information received, or, if he claims that exactly 10 kilograms of dry mass per year is the maximum for absolutely every athlete - feel free to write this “adviser” as an idiot. The rate of muscle growth depends on many factors. The main factors in the growth of muscle mass are:

1. Compliance or non-compliance with the principle of load progression.
2. An appropriate hormonal background that allows or does not allow the growth of muscle mass.
3. Correct or incorrect recovery (nutrition, sleep).
4. Age. Until the age of 25, muscle growth occurs on its own. The body is formed without strength training. But he can be helped in this, as a result of which the progress will be even more significant.
5. Correctness of the compiled training program.
6. The right attitude.
7. Genetics.

These factors are fundamental in the growth of muscle mass. We will talk about them separately in another article. Now we need to understand that compliance or non-compliance with these factors can both accelerate and slow down muscle growth. I note that I simply did not include such factors as “compliance with the technique of performing the exercise” in this list. But not because it is not important, but because it goes without saying.

First year

Training experience in this list I didn't include it on purpose either. The rate of muscle mass growth depends on this factor by more than 50%, and therefore it is worth considering the question “How quickly do muscles grow?” precisely through the prism of training experience.

And now, moving on to a more understandable conversation for the masses, let’s add Vasya, a 17-year-old boy of 65 kilograms, to our conversation. He doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke, eats and recovers more or less correctly. Complies with the principle of load progression, has the right attitude, average genetics and mediocre hormonal background. If Vasya trains correctly, in the first year of training he can gain about 6–7 kilograms of lean muscle. Now let's add Yura to this conversation - a young man of 17 years old, weighing 65 kilograms. Yura is super-motivated, he stuffs kilograms of rice, cottage cheese and buckwheat into himself, has normal hormonal levels, and a properly designed training program. But Yura has one problem: no one told him that he needs to keep a training diary, thanks to which he can follow the principle of progression of loads. Yura gains 15 kilograms in a year and calls Vasya a jerk. However, Vasya gained 6-7 kilograms of lean muscle, while Yura gained 2 kilograms of muscle and 13 kilograms of the finest crap that will come out of him at the first drying. And why all? And all because Yura did not follow the principle of progression of loads. He both benched his 60 kilograms and stopped at 70–80 kilograms, which in annual terms is basically the same. Pounds gained are not muscle. Therefore, all the numbers here are very arbitrary.

Now let's add Dima to our conversation. Dima read this article before starting to train in the gym. Dima knows about all the above factors, knows how to keep his testosterone at high level, observes the progression of loads. In general, Dima, who read this article, is a great guy. He comes to the gym and in the first year gains 20 kilograms. 12 of them are muscles. The rest is fat and water, which Dima, who reads our site, easily gets rid of during the spring-summer period.

Second year

Vasya, having impressed Masha from the neighboring yard, safely hit the rocking chair. In the end, he didn't gain anything. Yura, having lost most of what he had gained during drying, realized his mistake, started a training diary and began to follow the principle of progression of loads. Thanks to a well-functioning neuromuscular connection, Yura gained 15 kilograms, 10 of which were muscles. Dima, continuing to progress, gained another 7 kilograms of lean muscle.

Third year

Masha abandoned Vasya. He decided to return to the rocking chair and take himself seriously. He began to plow like a galley slave, setting himself up for a positive outcome. He followed all the above principles and gained about 10 kilograms of lean muscle. Yura, continuing to train correctly, gained another 7 kilograms of muscle. Dima - 5 more.

Fourth year

Vasya gained 6–7 kilograms, Yura - 5, Dima gained 3.

Fifth year

Vasya gained 4 kilograms, Yura - 3, Dima - 2.

Sixth year

All athletes gained 2 kilograms of lean muscle.

Tenth year

All athletes gained a kilogram of lean muscle.
……

Twentieth year of training

Vasya gained 250 grams, Yura - 230. Dima divorced his second wife and decided to devote his life to bodybuilding. As a result, he gained 900 grams of lean muscle in a year.
As we see from these examples, some of which are based on real events, the rate of muscle mass growth is a variable indicator, which depends on:

Compliance or non-compliance with the main rules of muscle growth.
- Training experience.

Specific numbers

To give you something concrete, I can say that for a young beginner with average genetics in the first year of training, 12 kilograms of pure muscle is the maximum. Again, these observations are based on my personal experience, however, if your progress is very different from this figure, you should analyze your lifestyle for the absence of one of the above factors. At the same time, keep in mind that 12 kilograms of lean muscle is most likely if you “go into mass” - this is about 15–20 kilograms on the scales. If you watch your diet, trying not to gain excess fat, and you succeed - less. Here you need to rely on your own reflection in the mirror. In the second year of training, progress slows down by about 1.5–1.8 times. At the same time, you can find reserves from more correct training in the event that you screw up in the first year. In this case, progress will not slow down. Further - according to a similar principle.

Ideal growth rate depending on length of service

Using this table, the average amateur naturalist can calculate deviations in one of the training factors

Speed ​​of progress	Ideal indicator	Good indicator	Average	Bad indicator
First year	12 (15-20 on scales)	8-9	5-6	1-3
Second year	7-8 (10-13 on the scale)	6-7	3-4	1-2
Third year	5-6 (9-11 on the scale)	4,5-5	2-3	1
Fourth year	3-5 (7-9 on the scale)	2-3	1-2	0,5-1
Fifth year	2-3 (4-6 on scales)	1-2	0,5	0
Sixth year	1.5-2 (2.5-3.5 on scales)	1	0,2-0,5	0
Seventh year	1 (up to 2.5 on the scale)	1	0	-
Eighth year	900 g (up to 2.5 for all)	0,5-1	0	-
Ninth year	700 g (up to 2 on scales)	0,5-1	0	-

I note that, firstly, this is an approximate table, and secondly, the first column is compiled on the condition that your training life is ideal, which, in principle, rarely happens due to various circumstances, sometimes beyond our control. These numbers are the upper limit of NATURAL muscle growth. For the average amateur, even half of them is already very good.

Typically, amateurs progress much more slowly (average). This depends both on the fact that we are simply not robots and sometimes are forced to neglect compliance with one of the factors, and on a banal ignorance of these factors or genetics. So don't be discouraged if your progress is a little less than these values ​​- this is normal.