Home / Program Reviews / Jeff Anderson / Making Muscle Gains

Are You Really Making
Muscle Gains?

Using an accurate method for measuring the progress of your bodybuilding program seems an obvious thing to do. Unfortunately, many inexperienced bodybuilders rely on a bodyweight scale alone to guage their muscle gains.

This will tell you how much weight you are gaining but not how much muscle. In this article, Jeff Anderson tells you how, with the help of body-fat calipers, you can get a much more accurate appraisal of the performance of your program.

Jeff's program, Optimum Anabolics, is one bodybuilding program that can improve your performance. It is detailed plan for building mass using some unique dieting and training techniques. Check it out if you're looking for a way to keep the plateaus at bay and the gains coming and coming.

---

Are Your Gains Muscle Or Fat?
5 Easy Steps To Finding Out!

By Jeff Anderson

How do you know if your current bodybuilding program is working or not?

Well, most everyone uses a combination of the mirror and the scale. However, BOTH of these methods can be deceiving to say the least.

The mirror often shows us exactly what we want to see ("Man! Just LOOK at the size of my chest after only ONE WORKOUT!")

And those ups or downs you see on the scale may mean gains in FAT, or even worse….loss of MUSCLE!

So how CAN you determine your progress?

If you really want to know if your gains and losses are muscle or fat, there's a simple formula you can use. (Don't worry…you won't have to break out your old algebra books for this one!)

Just follow along with the "Muscle Nerd"…

Step 1: Step on the scale.

You need a baseline measurement of your weight for figuring out the rest of the formula.

Step 2: Measure your bodyfat.

While there are several ways to accomplish this, one of the easiest and least expensive ways is to use a bodyfat caliper. Nowadays, you can pick up one up for around $20 that will do the trick. Follow the instructions with the device to determine the ratio of lean weight to fat in your body.

Step 3: Multiply your weight by your measured bodyfat percentage to find out how much fat you're lugging around. Record your answer for future measurements.

Example: 185 lbs. X 17.5% (or .175) = 32.4 lbs of fat

Step 4: Subtract the amount of fat (in pounds) from your original bodyweight in Step 1.

Example: 185 lbs. (original weight) - 32.4 lbs (of fat) = 152.6 lbs lean weight

This calculation WILL tell you how much LEAN WEIGHT you're currently carrying. However, this first measurement will NOT tell you how much muscle you have since your lean weight is also made up of bones, organs, hair, etc.

What it DOES give you is your baseline measurement to compare with future measurements since any gains you make in LEAN bodyweight should only come from MUSCLE.

Step 5: Perform Steps 1-4 again approximately 3-6 weeks later. Then compare your results with your previous reading.

Example: Let's say your first measurements were…

Weight - 187 lbs
Bodyfat % Reading - 17.5%

187 x 17.5% = about 32.7 lbs of fat
187 - 32.7 = 154.3 lbs lean bodyweight

Now, for your second measurements you get…

Weight - 190 lbs
Bodyfat % Reading - 16%

190 x 16% = about 30.4 lbs of fat
190 - 30.4 = 159.6 lbs of lean bodyweight

If you now compare your second readings with your first, you can see that…

You've GAINED 5.3 lbs of muscle (from 154.3 lbs lean in first reading to 159.6 in the second); and
You've LOST 2.3 lbs of fat (from 32.7 lbs of fat in first reading to 30.4 lbs in the second).

Short of breaking out the slide rule from my pocket protector, this is the easiest way I can teach you how to determine if your current program is helping you meet your goals. Just use this formula at regular intervals in your program (every 3 or 6 weeks is recommended) and you won't have any problems.

About The Author:

Jeff Anderson (better known in the bodybuilding community as the "Muscle Nerd") is the creator of, Optimum Anabolics, the ground-breaking new bodybuilding program that has taken the entire industry by storm!

This no-nonsense program breaks the mold on building massive muscle without expensive supplements or misleading gimmicks.

Jeff's other 5-star rated program, Homemade Supplement Secrets, is a complete guide to brewing up your own bodybuilding supplements at a savings of hundreds and hundreds of dollars.

Read my review of Jeff Anderson's Optimum Anabolics

Read my review of Jeff Anderson's Homemade Supplement Secrets

Learn more about Jeff Anderson and see a listing of the other articles he's contributed to this site