Building 9 kg of muscle: what Dr Weigl recommends – and how fast it really goes
Physician Tobias Weigl explains muscle building. A meta-analysis of 1,927 men shows strength training adds about 1.5 kg of muscle on average – patience is key.
Photo: R. Henrik Nilsson / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Video: YouTube · DoktorWeigl · youtube.com
“The fastest way to build 9 kg of muscle” is the title of a video by physician Dr Dr Tobias Weigl, whose DoktorWeigl channel has more than a million subscribers. The title raises big expectations, so we checked the scientific literature on how fast muscle really grows.
What studies show
A meta-analysis in the “International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health” (2020) pooled 111 studies with 1,927 healthy men: strength training added 1.53 kilograms of muscle mass on average – in studies usually lasting a few weeks to a few months. Cleveland Clinic describes first visible changes after two to three months and clear ones after four to six. According to Healthline, advanced lifters often gain only a few pounds a year.
Context
Nine kilos of pure muscle is therefore not a one-month goal but more of a multi-year project – depending on age, genetics, training and diet. The basics stay the same: gradually more load, enough protein, sleep and patience.
This article is for information only and is not legal, tax, financial or medical advice. Figures as of the date stated.