Who do you want to be?
The clock is ticking. Are you becoming the person you want to be? — Greg Plitt
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Most men will work out for years but never reach this level of physique. However, the physique above is just six to eight months away for the average male in the ideal male body program. And yes, that includes both building muscle and losing fat.
After another few months, bodybuilding correctly will land you a built physique like the one below:
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To estimate how long it will take you to reach the first physique above, this guide comes with a free spreadsheet that you can use to follow along. Just follow these steps to get it:
As a male beginner, you can expect to gain about 2.5lb(1.1kg) of lean muscle mass each month, slowing down to about 1lb(0.5kg) gained per month at the intermediate stage [1, 2]. As you progress in your weightlifting journey, your rate of muscle growth will continue to decline, but there’s no need to panic.
If your main motivation for working out is to become more attractive, realize that you don’t need to gain a ridiculous amount of muscle (as discussed previously). You need enough to balance out your physique!
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When women are asked which physique above is more attractive, they pick the option on the right. Why? Because that guy has a more proportionate and slim body. Having more muscle isn't necessarily better, but having more muscle in the right places is.
The cheat sheet
As this guide progresses, it will get a bit wordy. This is on purpose so that every little detail—from how to best gain muscle to the supplements worth buying—is covered.
With that in mind, you can get the "cheat sheet" for this guide (and all other guides) by signing up for the newsletter below:
Since we despise sending emails, you'll only get notified every 3 to 4 months when the guides are updated and/or published. Specifically, the updates for this guide will include improved methods of gaining muscle, better nutritional habits, and more.
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1. Evidence of Ideal3. Nutrition Prep