How Long Does it Take to Gain 20 Pounds of Muscle?

2026 Update: I’m not sure, but I think Jeremy Ethier may have called me out. In his latest video, currently at 1.7 million views, he claims that anyone saying it’s possible to gain 20 pounds of muscle in 3 months is being dishonest. If you google that claim, you’ll see my progress photos, some of my client’s progress photos, an AI summary that quotes me, and this article.

I see where the mistake comes from. It’s common mistake. What’s strange is that Jeremy Ethier disproves himself in his own video. I’ll go through it.

Gaining 20 pounds of muscle is a common goal for skinny beginners. If you’re starting off underweight, like I did, that will almost certainly be enough to bump you up to a healthy bodyweight. It’s enough muscle to look noticeably bigger and stronger, too. You’ll start picking up compliments from your friends and family members. It’s a big change.

Most skinny guys can gain 20 pounds within a few months. That’s long enough to build good habits and get some momentum going, but not so long that that it’s hard to keep up your motivation.

I’ve been helping skinny guys bulk up for 15 years. I’ll show you a ton of examples. You’ll see what it looks like on different guys, how lean their gains are, and how long it took them.

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Illustration of a margarita

How Much Alcohol is Okay While Bulking?

Maybe you’ve heard that beer builds beer bellies, that alcohol can tank our testosterone production, or that drinking too much can impair muscle growth.

All of this is true. In fact, it gets worse. Alcohol can also disrupt our sleep, which can further reduce muscle growth, cause extra fat gain, and harm our workout performance.

Worse still, alcohol can slow digestion, making it harder for us to digest big bulking diets. It can also negatively impact our appetites, making it harder to gain weight.

However, these aren’t the effects of drinking, these are the drinking too much. As with most good things in life, it’s the dose that makes the poison.

Maybe you’ve even heard that having a drink or two per day is better than having none. Is that true?

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