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How Fast Can You Grow Muscle?

A commonly asked question by people trying build muscle is how fast can it actually be done.

The short answer is approx. 1 to 2 lbs of muscle per month if you are weightlifting daily, but there are a number of factors that affect how fast you build muscle, listed below, which will make you gain muscle faster or slower.

Training Age

Don't confuse this with your actual age. That is a different factor.

Your training age is how long you’ve been lifting weights and engaging in weight training, either as the result of working out or as part of your daily routine (eg. If you're a construction worker you are probably more used to it). If you’re new to weightlifting you will be able to gain more muscle faster than if you’ve been lifting for many years. I know that seems backwards, but that is the way it works.




Hormone Levels

Depending on the person the amount of testosterone and other muscle building hormones in your body can vary wildly because your lifting regimen does not help elicit a testosterone response (you might not be lifting with your legs, or not lifting heavy enough), or your body simply doesn’t produce as much testosterone (due to genetics / personality). Alpha male personalities tend to make more testosterone (in theory you can even become an alpha male with time if you make active efforts to become more confident and your brain will increase your testosterone levels as the result of rewiring of your system - this is harder to do as you get older as such things become hardwired in your brain while you are a teenager).

For women muscle is still governed by testosterone levels, but since women produce less testosterone other muscle building hormones play a greater role in the female body. Cortisol thus plays a bigger role for women, but too high levels of cortisol hurts bone density. Thus for women its better to use short but intense bursts of weightlifting to get the benefits.

Genetics

Everyone has basically the same genetic coding, but there are minor differences in the coding. Don't read too much into genetics because sometimes people can defy the odds through conditioning. Most people (roughly 68%) by definition are genetically average so the chances are likely you're pretty average.

There is a concept of a genetic bell curve. To summarize what this means, some people are naturally inclined to build a lot of muscle because of genetic factors which effect hormonal balance, or the thickness of their frames (big boned) allows them to add muscle easier. A person with a small frame will have trouble building muscle.

Muscle Memory

If you used to have lots of muscle when you were younger or before an injury, then you can regain that muscle faster when you start training again. So if you are an athlete and get injured and lose 30 lbs of muscle you can regain that muscle at a much faster rate than a normal person because your body remembers the muscle being there and will build it at an accelerated rate. Its possible to gain 20 lbs of muscle back in only a single month if you have the muscle memory, because your body has a mechanism for restoring the previous homeostasis.

Protein Supplements / Steroids

Consuming protein supplements and Creatine (a chemical found in red meat) will help you build muscle faster.

Heavy duty supplements like steroids are harmful and will damage your internal organs. So called performance enhancing substances can help you build muscle much faster, but will cause your internal organs like liver, kidneys, etc to shrink and become more prone to diseases/cancer. It also shrinks your testicles and damages brain matter.

The safest route is to stick to natural supplements like whey protein and Creatine.

Winning an Uphill Battle

Losing weight and/or building muscle can sometimes feel like you are trying to fight an uphill battle.

That doesn't mean you will automatically lose just because you sometimes suffer setbacks.

Common setbacks include:

Sports injuries.

Not eating properly.

Not exercising enough or keeping to your scheduled routine.

Illness.

Getting distracted by work or family concerns.

Slacking off due to lack of motivation.

But just because you encounter a setback doesn't mean you should just give up and let things spiral out of control. You have to realize ahead of time that there will be setbacks and you have to learn to embrace the challenges given to you.

Nobody is going to blame you if something happens (eg. a funeral for a family member or friend) and then you slack off a bit. That type of thing just happens and is part of life. You take the necessary break and then you get right back to your routine as soon as you feel ready.

Many people on a weight loss regimen have slipped up / slacked off from time to time. Even the professional bodybuilders, athletes, etc sometimes fall behind on their schedule. Unfortunately sometimes due to lack of willpower it can quickly spiral out of control. Say for example you have one snack outside of your meal plan, it may be easy to say, "Well I already messed up today, so what's another?" This can turn into a truly self-defeating cycle and before you know it you're binging on doughnuts and have completely stopped exercising. That one day can turn into the whole weekend, and weekends turn into weeks. And you might not stop the cycle for months.

But if you realize ahead of time that you will make small mistakes then you can make those mistakes and keep on pushing forward despite the small setbacks.

The only way out of this is to get it together mentally and not allow little mistakes to chip away at your determination to make changes in your life. One, two or even ten bad days are nothing compared to the days in the year and beyond.

Yes, it can be upsetting to lose progress, especially when you have no control over it due to an illness or injury. We work so hard to achieve success, and then a loss of willpower or a lazy streak can really take away from the progress that we busted our butts for and our motivation will be sapped. Dwelling on the mistakes won't bring you six-pack abs however. The only way to feel better is to pick yourself up, and get started again as if nothing had even happened.

You are going to encounter speed bumps. Just run right over them and keep going!

Raw Egg Protein Shakes

Raw eggs are really good for you.

Two reasons!

#1. The egg whites are high in protein, the building blocks of muscle. Excellent if you're doing lots of weight lifting and cardio too.

#2. The egg yolks are high in Omega-3 fatty acids, which are one of the good fats that your body needs in order to give you lots of energy, boost brain power, etc. They make you both smarter and faster.

And the best way to eat eggs isn't cooked or fried or poached... its raw. And therefore you need a way to eat raw eggs.

You could simply crack 3 eggs in a glass and drink it down, Rocky Balboa style, but most of don't really like that idea. Squeamish taste buds.

So the next best solution is to make a raw egg protein shake.

You will need:

  1. 1 or 2 Eggs
  2. 500 mL of Milk or Soy Milk
  3. 1 cup of Berries, or 1 tbsp of Chocolate Syrup, or 1/2 of cup of Ice Cream or Yogurt (preferably Low Fat)
  4. A bowl or really big cup. I find a large martini shaker works well.
  5. A hand blender.

Blend the eggs and milk first, then add your choice of flavouring. Berries works best, but if you don't have that available use chocolate syrup or ice cream/yogurt. Blend until there is no chunks.

Pour into a tall glass, drink and enjoy.

Done this way you will barely notice the taste of raw eggs and it is a very satisfying drink.

Makes a good breakfast after jogging but also good for an after workout snack.

Canola Oil Health Benefits

You've probably heard of the health benefits of cooking with virgin olive oil, but did you know that Canola Oil is also very good for your health?

You can significantly reduce your risk of heart disease by changing your diet, in particular by lowering your intake of saturated fats (which causes artery-clogging cholesterol levels) and by focusing your intake of healthier unsaturated fats and essential fatty acids.

By choosing heart healthy oils like Canola Oil, which is made from the crushed seeds of the canola plant, you can reduce your intake of unhealthy fats. Canola Oil has the lowest saturated fat content of any oil commonly consumed in the USA, at just 7%. By comparison, sunflower oil has 12% saturated fat, corn oil has 13%, and olive oil has 15%.

So yeah, if you thought olive oil was good, think again.

Although it's low in saturated fat, Canola Oil is very high in healthy unsaturated fats, plus its an excellent source of the omega-6 fatty acid, linolenic acid, and Canola Oil is higher in the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) than any other oil commonly used. These fats are particularly important in the diet because the human body can't produce them and they're used for higher brain functions and regulate energy to the rest of the body.

So whether you are frying an egg, making pancakes or baking a cake Canola Oil is the wise choice for a healthier meal.

Weight Loss Testimonial

The following was sent in via email. Congratulations on your weight loss!

"Dear Charles Moffat of Cardio Trek!

I live in San Diego California and I read your website every day. I started reading it about a month ago when I was looking for weight loss tips and a lot of the information on your website has been extremely usefult to me - even the weightlifting posts, even though I am not into that.

Since reading your website I have enacted a number of the tips from your site, including morning jogs (I only jog for 10 minutes, but I find it helps a lot), counting calories and tracking them in a journal, stretching and whenever I am bored I try out some of your frugal exercise ideas. As a result I've lost almost 10 lbs in the last month.

I am trying to lose weight slowly so I don't end up with loose baggy skin, and the prevention information on your site on that topic is very useful too.

I guess what I am trying to say is THANK YOU for offering lots of free advice on your website. I know I am not one of your clients, but I hope you will post my testimonial anyway.

Also one little question / suggestion, why don't you have more information about yourself on this website? A profile? I know a lot of personal trainers out there are egotists who love talking about themselves and are shameless self-promoters, but I couldn't find one single photo of yourself on your website and there is very little else about you. Maybe you are camera shy? Or maybe you're just not an egotist? Sorry if I seem overtly curious.

Thanks again!
Samantha K."


Hello Samantha!

I am happy to hear my writing has had such a profound effect on you and has been so useful to you. I too have an inspiration for my exercise - Sylvester Stallone and his Rocky Balboa film series, which he both wrote and starred in. If I were to ever meet Sly I would be sure to shake his hand and thank him for his inspirational films.

Plus anyone who can fit both Mr T and Hulk Hogan into the same film series deserves some kudos. Mr T was my hero when I was 5 years old.

Yes, its true I don't like putting photos of myself online, but I don't mind talking about myself. My interests include languages, traveling, freehand mountain climbing, cycling, archery, boxing, painting, photography, sculpture, fixing things, writing and perfecting various recipes in the kitchen. Truth be told if you Google the name Charles Moffat you will find a lot of information about my artistic career, my website design business, books I've written available on Kindle/Kobo and a lot more.

I don't like to talk too much about my artistic talents and other things on this website however because I feel it would distract from the purpose of this website, which is to promote exercise, healthy eating, and of course my personal training business here in Toronto.

I am planning to have a professional photoshoot done in 2013 which will be used to promote my talents as a personal trainer, but you're right, I am none too excited about being recognized on the street. I have already had my encounters with fame with respect to my artistic career and I have learned to value my anonymity online. (Because fans are crazy...)

I wish you continued success with your exercise goals and wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year too! Let me know if you have any specific exercise questions and I will be happy to answer them and post the results.

Sincerely,
Charles Moffat

Looking to sign up for archery lessons, boxing lessons, swimming lessons, ice skating lessons or personal training sessions? Start by emailing cardiotrek@gmail.com and lets talk fitness!

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