Ep. #461: Everything You Should Know About Newbie Gains, According to Science

If you’re new to proper weightlifting, you have much to look forward to. 

You’re taking your first steps in a journey that can transform not only your body but your entire life. 

With every bit of muscle and strength you gain, you’re going to look a little better, feel a little better, and thrill a little more at the prospect of what else you might be able to achieve. 

You have a special advantage, too—one that even the most accomplished weightlifters envy. 

Whereas they have to fight tooth and nail for every ounce of improvement on the scale and bar, thanks to a quirk of physiology, you’re going to progress with relative ease.

For instance, for someone like me, no matter how hard I work in the gym, the best I could possibly do over the next 12 months is maybe 30 to 35 pounds added to my key lifts and 1 to 3 pounds of muscle gain.

You?

Well, in just your first year of proper training, you should have no trouble increasing your whole-body strength by several hundred pounds and gaining 15 to 25 pounds of muscle (and about half that if you’re a woman).

Such is the power of “newbie gains.”

Notice I’ve said “proper” a couple times now, too. This is important because even if you’ve been into lifting for a while, if you’ve made little progress since starting, you too can benefit from newbie gains.

In short, if you’ve yet to gain your first 15 to 25 pounds of muscle (again, for women, about half that amount), you can get there a lot faster than you might think.

If you’re skeptical, I understand.

• Maybe you think you’re a “hardgainer” who’s destined to stay small and weak. 
• Maybe you think you’ve already more or less maxed out what your physique has to offer and your only hope of getting bigger and stronger is using steroids.
• Maybe you just don’t know what to do in the gym to gain more muscle and strength.

Well, I have good news:

1. Although some people gain muscle and strength easier than others, nobody has to remain forever frail.
2. Although we all have hard genetic ceilings for muscle and strength gain, you’re probably well short of yours.
3. Although the art and science of training can appear hopelessly complex, all you likely need to achieve your goals is intelligent and rigorous application of the fundamentals.

I have proof, too.

Through my books, articles, podcasts, and videos, I’ve helped thousands of everyday men and women build their best bodies ever, and I can do the same for you. 

And I can start right here, right now, by providing you with an in-depth review of the science of newbie gains—a rather controversial phenomenon. 

Some people say newbie gains aren’t really a thing because there’s nothing special occurring at the physiological level.

Others say newbie gains are