Lean Bulking Bonus Content - Q&A #1.5

Hey, it's me again!

Got some bonus content left from Q&A #1 I wanted to share with you...

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Lean Bulking Bonus Content

OK, so on to the bonus content. Chose not to include this initially because it applies specifically to advanced lifters, which - let's face it - is a small proportion of those reading this. If I know my audience right, the great majority would fall into the intermediate or soon-to-be-category. For more on strength standards, have a look at the numbers in this Leangains must-read.

That said, this info--using myself as example, provides perspective on how hard it is to gain muscle once you've gotten to a certain level. So you’ll probably get something out of it. Enjoy!

7. For the highly advanced lifter, muscle gain is a slow process hampered by dieting. Consider: Between 90 kg and 6% body fat -- to 100 kg and 12% body fat, body impedance analysis suggests 34% muscle gain, the rest fat. That's 2/3 fat and 1/3 muscle. Though 3.4 kg muscle still ain't bad.

According to armchair experts on YouTube and forum posters parroting them, gaining 3.4 kg/7.5 lbs of muscle takes years once you've gotten past the beginner stage. Took me 6 months as highly advanced to do it naturally. If I could keep that up for another 6, 12 or 24 months, I'd soon be ready for Mr Olympia or the like, no?

No. Because previous experience taught me muscle gain or muscle regain is quick and easy up to 100 kg, after which it rapidly declines. That 34% dwindles down to about 20% between 100 and 110 kg.

Experience has also proven a significant portion of muscle gained during the bulk is lost during the cut, 25% being a conservative estimate. So over a year, going from 90 to 100 kg and back down to 90 kg again, the net result is only +0.9 kg/2 lbs muscle mass. 3.4 kg gained during the bulk and 2.5 kg lost during the diet.

That’s all for today folks. Q&A #2 arrives next week, so don’t forget to whitelist lest it gets buried in the trash.