As a Personal Trainer these had to be the most common question asked by clients and gym members “How can I get big?” “How long will it take?” “Why can’t I see a difference yet, it’s been 3 months?”

What I have found and having worked with a number of clients who all had very different body types, genetic make up and also very different lifestyle is that there is no set answer to these questions. The only thing we really know is the science and what the body can produce naturally. So this is the angle I am taking with this blog… Naturally what can you expect from your body when the goal is to gain lean muscle mass….

The amount of lean mass that you can gain is determined by three things:

1. Genetics – There are two main types of muscle fibers, slow twitch and fast twitch. So whatever ratio you have you can thank your Ma and Pa. The distribution of the different fibers will definitely play a big role in how much and how fast you can gain mass. Fast twitch are the fibers that generate power and will increase in size easily, slow twitch are the endurance fibers. Now if you have more fast twitch that slow twitch then gaining muscle will be easier and also quicker, if you have more slow twitch it isn’t impossible to gain muscle mass it is just a bit harder and will take more time. Unfortunately you can’t increase the number of fast twitch fibers in your body so do what you can with what you got!
2. Body type - There are three main body types and most of the time people are a mix of two but one will be dominant. Ectomorphs = Thin and lean with long limbs, think Anna Scarlett for those who know her, these guys don’t have a problem with body fat but it is harder to gain muscle mass. Mesomorphs = Muscular athletic build, with wide shoulders and narrow hips the first person that spring to mind other than me of course (haha) would be Luke Mcalister, these fellas are pretty lucky as it is easy to build muscle and they generally have low levels of body fat. Endomorphs = Stocky, rounded build with wide hips and shoulders for this one it would be the likes of Tony Woodcock, again these guys can gain muscle easy but they also carry a bit of the old body fat as well.  
3. Hormone level – The two hormones that will determine how quick we can gain muscle are testosterone and HGH (human growth hormone). Now I’m sure you all know we produce these naturally and men will naturally produce more than women, and I’m sure you are all aware that these can also be taken as supplements to speed up the process (I personally don’t agree with it but hey your body your life). The level of these hormones in your body is determined by a number of things such as age, sex, health, diet, sleeping and training routine. While some are non modifiable others you can control and this is important is the grand scheme of things and will help you get the results safely and naturally!!!

With these three factors all we can really work with is the facts and the science and what this generally tells us is on average you can expect to put on 0.5-1kg of lean muscle per month. This is in conjunction with a great training programme a balanced diet and what your Ma and Pa gave you. So as fitness professionals we need to be sure that what we are advising our clients and any other gym members are realistic and safe!