How quickly should you lose weight or gain mass?

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2013-04-12

There is nothing wrong with striving to achieve your desired goal as quickly as possible. However, many people who visit gyms have no idea of the speed at which they should and can move toward it. In this article, I want to discuss how fast your results from training can be, whether it's weight loss or muscle gain.

Muscle Gain

The body of an adult male can synthesize up to 3 kg of muscle in a month (under favorable conditions). For women, the situation is different. They have less testosterone, and their bodies are less "readied" for muscle gain. Therefore, women may achieve a muscle gain of up to 2 kg per month.

I want to clarify a few points. Here, I am specifically discussing muscle mass gain rather than overall weight. This makes a big difference, as muscle gain will also involve some fat gain. That's the first point. Secondly, I am not considering cases of anabolic steroid use, as in that case, the rate of muscle gain could be doubled.

I would like to highlight the puberty period in boys (ages 14 – 17). During this time, testosterone levels are at their peak. Therefore, muscle gain can occur even at levels similar to that seen with anabolic steroid use. My personal record is a weight gain of 10 kg in 2 months (at age 16). Naturally, about 5 kg of that was muscle. Remember this:

The faster you gain mass, the more fat will be included in that mass!

Weight Loss

Here, the picture is similar. The body will not burn fat at a rate of 1 kg per day. Of course, if you subject it to extremely severe conditions of total starvation, extreme physical loads, and mental stress simultaneously, you might achieve such an effect. But I’m currently talking about systematic weight loss, not self-torture.

An excellent result would be to lose 1 kg of fat per week. That’s about 4 kg of fat per month. Can you lose weight faster? Certainly! But along with fat, muscle will also be burned. Remember this:

The faster you lose weight, the more muscle you will lose!

You can lose up to 20 kg in a month, of which about 7 kg would be fat and 13 kg muscle. I believe it’s clear to both men and women that it’s muscles that make the body look beautiful. I advise weight-loss enthusiasts to read the article The trend of weight loss – a one-sided view of women.

Conclusions

The laws of physiology cannot be deceived. A person can only slightly influence the speed of certain processes in the body, and this must be taken into account. Don’t rush to lose weight quickly or gain mass quickly. Remember, the slower, the better quality. A good rate for weight loss is 4 – 5 kg per month, and for muscle gain – 3 kg per month.

If you are aged 14 – 17, use this time for training. You won’t get such “luck” later. Testosterone levels will gradually decline at a rate of 1% - 2% per year.

Don’t chase after quick results, trying to shape your body before summer. It won't work. "Prepare your sled in summer, and your cart in winter" – as the saying goes. You should come to the gym not in April (if you want to be ready by summer), but better in autumn. Even better is to stay in the gym all year round! ))

When any of the "spring" beginners ask me, "Will I be able to get in shape by summer?" I reply, "Of course! But only by the next one." Good luck!