For a long time, I have always envisioned having the type of muscles in various movie personalities.

I thought I would get the expected results within a few days in the gym.

I later learned some fundamental newbie gains guidelines that helped me accomplish my dream.

Have you tried various formulae that haven’t worked out yet? Well, never mind because I have the right solution for you.

Keep reading to gain more insights.

 

What Are Newbie Gains?

 

 

Newbie gains are a phenomenon where a beginner experiences rapid muscle gain at the start of weight lifting.

At this phase, you should expect noticeable changes in your muscles from the sixth month, provided you follow all the guidelines in your training program.

Note that it’s not a guarantee that your body will respond instantly since some don’t have the same receptive level.

 

Beginner Tips to Maximize your Newbie Stage

There are some essential components you need to consider to maximize your newbie phase as discussed below.

Dedication

As you start the fitness journey, it usually seems easy on paper since you always see yourself gaining those desirable muscles.

However, consistency is key to getting the right results as you lift those weights.

Newbies do not adhere to a specific fitness program’s guidelines due to the expected commitment level.

Also, avoid the temptations of skipping some sessions, which derails your progress.

Over time, you will learn that continuous effort and patience will start yielding to newbie gains.

It feels good to start seeing the results but keep in mind that what you have always desired does not happen overnight.

During the newbie phase, it’s expected that you will experience such results provided you follow all the guidelines.

However, it would help if you set the right expectations since that rate of progress won’t be constant. As a result, you reduce the chance of giving up on your training.

Choose a Proven Program

When you are consistent and committed, it will show in your muscle gains. The next critical step involves choosing a program that delivers your desired outcome.

Note that a person may have subscribed to the wrong program but still achieves newbie gains.

However, it would be best to pick an option that guarantees proper guidance towards achieving your goal.

Here are some attributes to consider when choosing a beginner program;

Frequency

A good program should show the expected number of training sessions per week. The more the frequency, the higher your chances of achieving top-notch results.

Linear Progression

A good program should push you to your limits as a beginner, making it easier to progress in the advanced stages.

Intensity

In the earlier stages, you need a training guide that has higher intensity since you work with the lighter loads.

Volume

A greater volume of sets per session will lead to enhanced strength and muscle thickness.

 

 

 

Consume The Right Diet to Gain Muscle Tissue

If you want to accomplish newbie gains, multiple training sessions will not be adequate. You need to adhere to a good nutrition strategy to help achieve your goal.

A calorie surplus diet is a good option since it aids in muscle growth. It would help if you also consumed ample amounts of macronutrients such as proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.

Proteins are vital in helping you build muscles and provide the right amounts of amino acids, such as Leucine, threonine, isoleucine, tryptophan, and valine, among many.

You also need to pay attention to what you consume before and after workouts. The two meals should contain the right amounts of beneficial nutrients.

If possible, you can add some supplements like Whey Protein or Creatine for better muscle build.

The latter helps in directing nutrients to your muscles while the former makes it easier to reach your protein levels.

Put More Emphasis on Compound Exercises

As a beginner, compound exercises act as a perfect foundation since they involve joints and muscle coordination.

Additionally, the movements boost hormonal growth and production of testosterone, which results in enhanced muscles.

When I started my gym sessions, I thought the isolated exercises were a good choice. However, I learned that they did not target your overall growth, which wasn’t ideal in the initial stages.

Other benefits of compound exercises include:

Ability to Burn More Fats

This exercise requires more energy; thus, you end up burning more fats and achieving newbie gains within a shorter period.

Faster Progression

Making gradual progress in your exercises is essential to enhance your muscle and strength.

Therefore, compound exercises make the process more comfortable since you can seamlessly increase the amounts of weights.

Its Less Risky

In your earlier stages, you need to be more careful while exercising to avoid any injuries.

Luckily, compound exercises involve workouts similar to the usual activities that you indulge in; thus, it’s less risky.

It’s Efficient

It will take you a shorter time to achieve your goals since they hit on each muscle and joints. You also have a more efficient workout that gives you an all-rounded physique.

Avoid Overtraining

During the newbie stage, you may get excited to the point of overdoing your training sessions.

Note that excessive training does not result in extra gains as a beginner. Instead, less strain on your body will bear fruits since it’s a new process that needs gradual progression.

Try to stick to a three to four workout schedule with eight to ten reps per set.

This way, you will not force your body since it can adapt to that frequency level. Additionally, your body gets enough time to recover.

Get Ample Sleep

You may overlook the aspect of getting enough sleep, but it helps to accelerate muscle growth.

Regardless of excellent nutrition and exercise, a lack of adequate sleep will slow down your progress.

Therefore, try to adhere to eight hours of sleep every day to get the much-needed results.

While sleeping, your body produces more testosterone hormones and fewer amounts of cortisol.

You, therefore, have fewer stress levels, and you increase chances of better muscle growth.

It would be best if you also eat before sleeping to boost protein synthesis, which aids in building and repairing new muscles.

 

 

What You Shouldn’t Worry About During the Newbie Phase

Every one aims to get the best body in the beginner stage; thus, you can forget the essential things. Some of the elements that should not be part of your worries include.

Instant Muscles

When you start your workout routines, keep in mind that the process takes time and effort.

You may assume that you will get that perfect body within the first few months, but that’s not the case.

The reality is that you will not see it happen until you make a comparison of your previous outlook in a couple of months.

Using the Perfect plan

You don’t have to look for the best plan to give you the perfect results in your beginner level.

Instead, concentrate on the routines in your program.

Further, stick to your schedule and maintain excellent workouts that do not put excessive strain like bench press, squats, and deadlift.

I understand that you expected to start doing every exercise in the gym, but this level doesn’t require too much intensity.

With some patience, you will start seeing the results.

Getting Shredded

There is too much pressure on beginners to get those abs as they see various people posting pictures on social media.

If you hit the gym with this mentality, you will end up frustrated within the initial stage.

Instead, be ready to have a little bit of fat in your body as you adapt to a new diet. Within the initial six months, you will accomplish your newbie gains by maintaining the usual routine.

Also, if you decide to diet, thinking that it’s a shortcut to getting abs, you won’t attain the expected muscle.

It would help to persevere for the first 18 months without thinking about shreds. Your priority should consist of the following;

• Having fun at the gym
• Consistent workouts
• Enough sleep
• Eating ample calories and proteins
• Focusing on what awaits you after the newbie phase

 

Hardcore Training

As a novice, you are most likely obsessed with hardcore bodybuilding to be like the gym pros.

However, this is wrong since your body has less stimulus than the experts who have done it long enough.

At their level, professionals can probably workout 15-20 sets and still manage to do it twice a day.

Supplements

Most people focus too much on supplements to achieve their body goals. Please don’t obsess too much on trying to get high-end products to enhance your gains.

Concentrate on a good diet with the right exercises.

Besides, supplements should be a companion to your usual meals. The only item I would encourage you to purchase is Whey protein and Creatine Monohydrate.

 

What to Expect in your Newbie Phase

 

 

The expected results during the newbie level may differ since our bodies respond differently.

However, everyone must experience a substantial increase in strength and biceps size. Based on some expert opinions over a long period, this is what to expect.

Alan Aragon’s Insights

Alan Aragon is a renowned nutritional researcher and fitness coach for over 20 years.

According to his observation, men can gain muscles of 1 – 1.5% of their body weight every month as a beginner.

Note that the more you weigh, the less your chances of getting more muscle than your entire body weight.

For instance, you can commence lifting weights at around 155 pounds with a body fat of about 12%.

According to Alan’s model, you can expect to gain muscle of around 1.4 to 2.1 pounds monthly in the first year.

Lyle McDonald’s Insights

Lyle McDonald is a famous researcher, nutritionist, and a writer in the muscle building field.

Based on his years of experience, he estimates that you can gain around 20 – 25 pounds of lean muscle within the first year.

It translates to two pounds every month with proper weight lifting.

As you progress, you should expect a gradual decline in muscle gain each subsequent year, translating to about 50%.

At the end of four years of consistency in nutrition, recovery, and training, you should gain about 40 – 50 pounds, muscle mass.

Casey Butt’s Insights

Casey Butt indulges in more detailed research that does not focus on weighing lifting. He narrowed down on the skeleton size to determine the muscle that you can attain in a lifetime.

He also came up with a calculator that can predict your potential based on your percentage body fat, wrist/ankle size, and height.

Thus, once you determine the total muscle that your body can reach, it can help you to plan your fitness journey.

For example, if your ankles are 8″, the wrist is 6.5″, and height of 5’10’, you can attain a muscular bodyweight of up to 189.5 pounds at 10% body fat.

If a different person had a large wrist of about 7″ with ankles of 8.75, it would translate to 197.6 pounds.

Therefore, the bigger the frame size, the higher your chances of higher newbie gains.

 

Other Factors

Other attributes that can influence your rate of acquiring muscle growth include.

Older men

If you are a man aged 50 and above, you may experience a slower progression due to testosterone’s suppressed rate.

Women

As a woman, you can expect to attain muscle about half the same rate as men in the initial year because of physiological disparities.

Young Men

As a young man, usually below 17, you may have started lifting weights at the age of 15 or 16 at the puberty stage.

This is a perfect time that leads to a boost in skeletal muscle and faster weight gain.

 

What Next After the Newbie Stage

Unfortunately, the newbie phase does not last forever.

After the initial year, where you experience a boost in muscle gain, be ready to experience some months of struggle with little accomplishments.

Move on from continually checking your weight since you will have shifted to the intermediate level.

It would be best if you didn’t worry about your progression rate at this stage, provided you keep getting stronger day by day. Additionally, you will have to put more effort in the gym.

Here are some elements to consider as you move from the starter phase;

Focus on Progressive Overload During Training

It would help if you increase your weights to enhance the tension in your muscles.

Consume Around One Gram of Protein Per Pound

You don’t need to consume more protein to build muscle at this stage, unlike the novice level.

Have a Moderate Calorie Surplus

After the newbie stage, you can have a target of about two to four pounds per month of a calorie surplus.

Take Supplements and Pre-Workout Drinks

Some supplements and pre-workout drinks to consider should contain some form of theanine, caffeine, betaine, beta-alanine for extra muscle gains.

 

Final Thoughts

In your newbie stage, you should expect to gain rapid strength and muscle within the first six to twelve months.

As discussed above, ensure that you are consistent in your fitness program and provide your body with the right nutrients.

This way, you will accomplish your body goals within the estimated timeline.

Remember, after the initial year, you will experience a gradual slow down, mostly due to your muscle gain’s genetic potential.