How Much Muscle Can I Gain In One Month?

 If you’re reading this, you might be wondering the same thing I was: How much muscle can I actually gain in a month? 

At 33 years old and female, I recently decided it was time to take muscle seriously. I’d read enough research and listened to enough podcasts to understand the importance of muscle mass, particularly as we age.

Up until recently, I hadn’t done consistent strength training. As a runner, I had relatively muscly quads and calves but lacked upper body strength—my arms and chest were practically Gollum-esque. Push-ups were a struggle and even dead hanging (hanging stationary from monkey bars for 60+ seconds – a measure of grip strength) felt challenging.

Pre-strength training physique:

Luckily, my sister suggested I add strength training to my routine. She made a simple strength plan I could do at home. Fast forward a couple of months, and I’m stronger and I have more lean muscle mass.

This led me to wonder: how much muscle can I (or you) realistically gain in a month?  

First, a bit about muscle growth

The scientific term for muscle growth is hypertrophy, which happens when your muscles adapt to stress - usually resistance training. 

Your muscles won't grow if they don't have a physiological reason to. It's obvious, I know, but it's a good reminder. If you don't use it, you lose it! (Or if you don't train it, you don't gain it). 

How much muscle you can grow depends on lots of things: your diet, genetics, training, and recovery, to name a few. So when you see the numbers below, remember these are averages! 

So how much muscle can you expect to gain? 

🦾 Beginners: If you're new to strength training, you can gain about 450 grams to 1 kilogram of lean muscle per month. This is often called "newbie gains". This happens because your body is adapting to new stimuli and learning to use your muscles more efficiently. 

🏋️‍♀️ Experienced athletes: If you've been strength training for a while, your monthly muscle gains will often be lower, about 220 to 440 grams. 

👫 Women vs. men: Men typically gain muscle faster due to higher testosterone levels. That doesn't mean we can't bank good muscle growth, ladies! However, we may need a targeted training programme (and a strong focus on a high-protein diet).   

Why do I need more muscle? 

There are lots of reasons that muscle is important, but here are a few:

💪 Increased Strength: More muscle means greater strength, making daily tasks easier, especially as we age.

🔥 Higher Metabolism: Muscle burns more calories than fat, even at rest, helping you manage your weight and stay lean.

⤵️ Fewer Injuries: Stronger muscles support your joints better, lowering the risk of injuries in physical activity and daily life.

🦷 Better Bone Health: Resistance training also strengthens bones, reducing your risk of osteoporosis later in life.

🩺 Disease Prevention: One significant (and overlooked) benefit is that muscles act as a "sink" for blood sugar. More muscle can absorb more sugar from your blood to use as energy. This helps to stabilise blood sugar levels and reduce spikes. Over time, this improved regulation supports better insulin sensitivity, lowering the risk of type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

If you’re worried about looking bulky with more muscle, you shouldn’t. This image is a good reminder of how fat occupies significantly more space than muscle.

What Matters Most When Chasing Muscle Growth?

1.     Resistance Training

Resistance training, like lifting weights, is the most effective way to build muscle. But it's not just about lifting the heaviest weight you can. The type of exercises you do also matters.

Compound exercises are effective for muscle-building. They work multiple muscle groups at once. Think squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and overhead presses.

Isolation exercises are more focused on specific muscles. These include exercises like bicep curls, tricep extensions, and calf raises.

Incorporate progressive overload: gradually increase the stress on your muscles by adding weight, repetitions, or intensity. Use a mix of compound exercises and isolation movements.

2. Your Diet 

Protein is the building block of muscles. When you lift weights, you create tiny tears in your muscle fibres. Protein helps to repair those tears and rebuild your muscles stronger than before. Unsurprisingly, your protein intake becomes important if you’re looking to build muscle.

• Protein Intake. Aim for 1.6–2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight daily to support muscle repair and growth. See our Daily Protein Calculator to estimate your needs based on the amount of exercise you do. 
• Fuel your workouts. Even if weight loss is a goal, you’ll perform better when properly fuelled. A banana with Roam Energy Nut Butter is a great pre-workout snack. 
• Choose nutrient-dense foods rich in protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs and fibre.

Building muscle typically requires a caloric surplus, meaning you consume more calories than your body burns.

These extra calories provide the energy and nutrients needed to repair and grow muscle tissue. However, your body doesn’t exclusively use those extra calories for muscle growth—it may store some as fat.

This is why muscle gain may come with some fat gain during a "bulking" phase. However, if you're new to resistance or strength training, you may be benefit from newbie gains - high muscle growth and fat loss. 

Sidenote: What is shredding or cutting?

You may have heard of the terms "shredding" or "cutting". This refers to the process of losing body fat while maintaining as much muscle mass as possible. People often do this after a muscle-building phase to reveal a more defined, lean physique. During a cutting phase, a person will:

• Reduce their daily calorie intake to create a caloric deficit (burning more calories than they eat or drink).
• Continue strength training to preserve muscle mass.
• Typically aim for this phase to last 6 weeks or more, depending on their starting body fat percentage and goals.

The Bulking and Cutting Cycle: Some people alternate between "bulking" (building muscle with some fat gain) and "cutting" (losing fat while retaining muscle) to optimise their body composition over time. This cycle is not be necessary for everyone, but it’s a common strategy among fitness enthusiasts and bodybuilders aiming to build lean muscle and reduce overall body fat percentage. 

3. Recovery & Sleep

Rest days allow your muscles to recover and rebuild, leading to growth. Sleep is also crucial for muscle growth (and it’s free!). While you're snoozing, your body releases growth hormones and repairs muscle tissue. Aim for 7–9 hours of sleep each night.

4. Consistency

Progress takes time and commitment. Stick to a well-rounded training and nutrition plan to achieve sustainable muscle growth and maintain it.

5.  Realistic Expectations

It’s important to set realistic goals. While it’s tempting to aim for rapid muscle gain, focusing on steady, sustainable progress will yield better results in the long term. Remember that some of the weight gained during a muscle building phase may include water and fat, especially if you’re consuming more calories.

Measuring your progress

Your bathroom scale doesn’t tell the full story. Regular weigh-ins are useful, but they don’t differentiate between muscle, fat, and water. Consider also:

• Body measurements: Measure your biceps, waist, hips, and thighs for visible changes.
• Body composition scans: Tools like InBody and Evolut scans use bioelectrical impedance to estimate your body fat percentage and muscle distribution across your body (arms, legs, torso, etc.). While they are not as precise as DEXA scans, they’re more affordable and available in gyms or nutrition stores. Start with a scan to establish a baseline and rescan in 3 to 6 months to monitor your progress. Try to use the same machine for the measurements. 

Tips for Maximising Muscle Gain

• Track your workouts and progressively increase your weights or reps.
• Plan meals around your training schedule to ensure your muscles are fuelled before and after workouts.
• Include high-quality protein sources in your diet. If you struggle to meet your protein needs, consider a supplement such as Roam Protein powder. Calculate your daily protein needs using our free Protein Calculator.