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Hello

I have read articles on weight training that seem to suggest it is possible to estimate how much muscle mass one might gain from working out over a series of months or longer, that tell a person to weigh themselves for gains, and if they seem to have gained more weight than the estimate, to eat less calories.

I am about 6'2" (188 cm) and weigh 88 kg (194 lbs). It is my goal, eventually, to weigh maybe 100 kg, and of course to have that weight be more about muscle than fat.

What I would like to know, if possible, is how much closer I would be to that goal in one year's time, assuming I did everything right at the gym, ate properly, rested and avoided injury.

Thanks

would any answer change your approach?

You could gain 12 lbs, 62% muscle.

Or you can gain 29 lbs, 40% muscle

Ok, now go to it!

I'd suggest "doing all things right" for 8 weeks, see what you think about the results, assess your plan and start putting up your own goal for the year.

That's as good an answer as any other.

Everyone is different. Some can gain 34-63 lbs/month, others lose muscle even with proper training. Most are somewhere in the middle. 30 lbs a year gets you a cover story in fitness magazines. 12 lbs/year is not unheard of. Some of us can only dream of that. Some gain muscle faster than fat and vice versa. All you can do is ensure you provide the right stimulus that your body wants to grow, and provide the nutrients to allow it or you could force it a bit with drugs. It is generally easier to focus on one thing at a time, muscle gain or fat loss. Cycling between the two is generally required for lean muscle gains.

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Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

No answer would change my approach. I'm actually really happy with the routine I've got. I'm just coming back to weight training after some months or a year away, and using Mahler's Starting Strength.

Anyway, I've seen a variety of responses to my question, which suggest that it could be a year or two, or longer. So the goal seems realistic to me. The idea is that once I have gained 10kg or so of mostly muscle mass, I would go back to boxing and cut back on weights.

Thanks for the responses

@Magnus:



Are you lifting to move out of the cruiserweight boxing class and into the heavyweight class?

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Thanks, TimD

And, if at that point you cut back on weights, how would you maintain the mass gains? And wouldn't you want to continue getting stronger?

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Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.--Francis Chan

The boxing training I do involves some weight training and strength training exercises, so I imagine that would maintain the gain. I probably would want to continue getting stronger, but boxing has benefits of its own I'd also want to share in, and I have realised that with training, you have to focus on something, generally at the expense of something else.

I guess I am trying to become a proper heavyweight, though I'm not going to step into the ring. It's just something I'm doing for myself.

Just out of curiosity - what does your current weight workout look like?

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Thanks, TimD

I'm doing Mike Mahler's starting strength, which is a two day routine, one day: bench press and bent over row, deadlift and squats, the other day, pull ups and standing shoulder press, deadlift and squat.

I'm only just starting back at it after a long lay off spent going to classes at the gym and just not going at all. The problem of getting back into it is compounded by the time of year it is, with Christmas/ New Year opening hours and engagements of my own. But hopefully in the new year my plan will take effect.

Excellent choice. I was afraid that you would be following some bodybuilder multi-split routine.

Good luck with your training in the new year

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Thanks, TimD

Thanks. Thanks for the responses