We hear these comments all the time – “I don’t want to build too much muscle mass. I don’t want to be bulky.”

Let’s talk about reality.

The average male could potentially build 35–45 pounds total of muscle over the course of their lifetime. For a female, the potential is to build 20–25 pounds over the course of a lifetime. This is assuming their training is scientifically based, their nutrition is adequate for muscle growth, and they’ve started a program early in life (around their 20s).

Here’s what to expect yearly in terms of muscle mass growth if you’re starting to train younger (18–30 years):

Year 1 – Men – 20 to 25 pounds; Women – 10 to 12 pounds
Year 2 – Men – 10 to 12 pounds; Women – 5 to six pounds
Year 3 – Men – 5 to 6 pounds; Women – 2.5 to 3 pounds
Year 4 – Men – 2.5-3 pounds; Women – .75 to 1.5 pounds

After year five, it’s incredibly difficult to build lean muscle.

Your ability to build lean muscle mass is dependent on your skeletal system, diet, genetics and other factors.

What happens if you don’t build muscle?

After 30 years of age, you will lose 3-8% of muscle mass for every passing decade. AS we near 60, we lose it at a higher rate.

It’s incredibly difficult and takes a long time to build lean muscle mass. You should be more concerned about losing it with age as opposed to gaining too much.