It goes without saying that gaining 20lbs of muscle will transform your physique. But despite what social media might suggest, it’s not something most people achieve quickly – or naturally.
‘Based on the data, less than 5% of people ever gain that much muscle naturally. Not because of age or genetics – it’s because they don’t have the right plan,’ says coach Jeremy Ethier in a recent YouTube videos.
Drawing on input from leading researchers and coaches, that plan comes down to three fundamentals: training, nutrition and recovery. Miss any one of them, and progress stalls.
As Ethier puts it: ‘Your fastest gains don’t actually come when you start lifting. They come when you start lifting properly.’
Volume
A common mistake is assuming more volume equals more growth. Research suggests otherwise.
Observations of elite natural bodybuilders show they average around 12 sets per muscle group per week. As exercise scientist Mike Zourdos explains: ‘The more sets you do, the less benefit you get from each additional set. From sets 1 to 5, you’re getting a lot of growth. From 5 to 10, you’re getting some. After that, we’re not as confident you’re still getting more.’
Instead, proximity to failure appears to matter more. ‘When you stop 8 reps short of failure, your muscles still grow,’ adds Zourdos. ‘But when you push to within 1-2 reps of failure, growth nearly doubles.’
That doesn’t mean taking every set to failure. ‘If you do that, you’ll feel terrible after the session and reduce how often you can train across the week,’ he adds.
Training Structure and Exercise Selection
Ethier recommends spreading volume across the week: ‘Rather than doing 12 sets of chest in one workout, split them across at least two sessions,’ he says – a shift that ‘has the potential to speed up gains by up to 30%.’
Exercise selection should also evolve over time. Natural bodybuilder Steve Hall suggests starting simple: ‘A press, a pull, a squat, a hip hinge – then build from there.’
As you progress, individual response matters more. ‘You need to become your own guinea pig and figure out what your body and joints respond best to,’ he says.
Nutrition and Supplementation
Training provides the stimulus – nutrition determines whether growth actually happens. And despite the fixation on protein, energy balance is the bigger lever.
‘If you’re lean enough, this is where more calories can help maximise growth,’ says Ethier.
For those with higher body fat, the approach changes. ‘You probably don’t need to be in a surplus,’ says researcher Eric Helms, noting that recomposition – building muscle while losing fat – is often possible in this position.
Protein still matters, but its impact is often overstated. ‘Protein overall has a very small effect,’ says Helms. Beyond a certain point, returns diminish quickly.
In practice, fuelling your training matters more. ‘The biggest nutrition mistake isn’t protein – it’s what you eat, or don’t eat, before your workout,’ he says. If you’re underfuelled, performance drops – and without performance, there’s no stimulus for growth.
When it comes to supplements, expectations should be modest. ‘It has a good track record of small but consistent positive effects,’ says researcher Eric Trexler of creatine. But it’s not a shortcut: ‘Most of that lean mass is a one-time increase from water retention in the muscle.’
Ultimately, recovery underpins everything. ‘Recovery matters just as much – and sleep sits at the centre of it,’ says Trexler.
What This Means for You
Genetics play a role, but they’re rarely the limiting factor. You need to train hard enough to challenge your muscles, keep volume within a sustainable range, eat to support performance and growth, and prioritise recovery.
Get those right consistently, and progress follows. Get them wrong, and no amount of extra sets, protein shakes or supplements will make up the difference.