Good evening everyone

as the title suggests, I want to ask a question about maximum muscle gain potential

it might seem a bit weird so I'll try to make sure it's clear

I've been lifting for about 3 and a half years now, been consistent with training but not so with nutrition, most of the time my nutrition isn't what it's supposed to be because of many reasons (financial, job, etc...)

even with training, sometimes I feel I didn't give my all. that's why I feel I didn't reach my full potential at this stage

there's supposed to be a genetic limit to how much muscle I could've gained if my training and nutrition were spot on for the time I've been lifting, so my question is:

if I make my nutrition and training as they should be, will I be able to reach my max potential at this stage fast? in other words compensate for the gains I should've accomplished if I was consistent during my years of lifting AND THEN begin progressing? or is it that my progress will be slow since I've been lifting for some time now?

hope I made it clear enough :D

thanks

If i understand what youre asking... Newbie gains (the easily made pounds on pounds of muscle) will come to you until your body reaches a certain point of muscle. It is not on a set timer that after two years things get harder. So if you're worried about missing out on your past gains you will be fine because you can still probably gain some size fairly easily if you haven't been 100% perfect. Lets say you started at 150 pounds. somewhere around 185 or so is where your beginners gains have really dropped off. Unless you hazve lost a lot of fat then it may vary but about 25-35 pounds of muscle can come from the first two or three years of lifting if done correctly.

Hope i helped!

Mina,

At age 26, you still have enough runway to maximize natural gains. They won't come as fast as if you started lifting fresh at age 18 but they will still come much faster than for someone my age and lifting experience. Still, nutrition is 100% critical or you will make no progress so you have to find a way to work eating well into your life schedule.

Maximum natural muscle potential is hard to pinpoint exactly as you are a 50% mix of your father's and mother's genetics as well as their extended families. To get a general idea of the size potential you can achieve naturally, do a Google search for body measurements based on wrist size. These are the metrics the ancient Greeks used to express ideal size and symmetry for the human body. Ironically, the measurements are pretty accurate to what champion natural bodybuilders achieve based on their height and skeletal structure.

While size is nice, you really should build symmetrically. Too many people have light bulb builds - big arms and chest, small legs or terminal muscles like forearms and calves relative to their overall physique. I can't predict nor dictate what motivates you but I can say that when I was younger I was all about getting big. Now that I am older, I am more concerned about symmetry and being lean. I think I look much better now than I did when I was younger and bigger because my physique is more symmetrical. People still take notice and I look better than a lot of people who are 51; I am just not hung up on being huge anymore :-)

John

exactly the info I was looking for thx guys