If we gained 1lbs / week, we'd be gaining 52lbs a year and within 10 years we would have gained 520 lbs! Obviously that's not realistic.
What kind of gains are you looking at? It all depends.
When you first start working out, with a perfect diet / perfect workout ethic / perfect sleep scheduales, you can gain 30lbs in your first year. It's what we call newbie, or beginner gains.
However, like most beginners, you will probably have a halfass diet, miss workouts, and party, drink / not be consistent. Your dedication will be 100% for a few weeks, and then you'll relapse. Then resume again...then relapse...then resume. With this kind of routine, you'll be lucky if you gain 10 lbs of lean muscle mass in a year.
Newbie gains aside, after 2-3 years of working out, if you gain 1 lbs of muscle mass in a month, it's a good month. With that kind of routine, you're looking at 10-12 lbs of lean muscle mass a year. Which is not to shabby.
If somehow you make it through one day and become a drug experiment, also known as a pro, gains of 4-5 lbs of lean muscle mass in a year will be an accomplishment.
My advice:
1.) Forget about results for now. You are still new to this, and if you focus on the results, you will get disappointed and quit. Instead, focus on your lifts. Keep a journal of the weights you lift, how many times you lift them, etc. Every week, put on a lil bit more weight. Focus on making your lifts go up in weight, and the body will come.
2.) Focus on consistency. Don't miss workouts. Don't miss meals. Don't miss hours of sleep. Be consistent.
3.) Eat as perfect as you can everyday. You can work out all you want, but if your diet sucks, you will not make noticable gains.
4.) Educate yourself. Read the bulking / cutting guides here for starters.
This week is your week of education, and this is your homework:
Go to http://bodybuilding.com/fun/bbinfo.htm and there you can do a search.
This is your homework:
1.) What do carbohydrates do? What is the difference between simple and complex carbs?
2.) What does protein do? What is the difference between whey, casein and egg protein?
3.) What are the 3 basic compound movements that you should have in your workout routine?
4.) Find out what HST is, and be able to describe it.
5.) Find out what HIT is, and be able to describe it.
6.) Find out what Max-OT is, and be able to describe it.
7.) What is failure (in terms of muscle workouts)? What are forced reps, half-reps?
8.) Name me the assigned number of exercises as mentioned in brackets (free weight exercises ONLY, no machines!) for each of these muscle groups:
-arms (biceps, triceps and forearms [4 for triceps / biceps, 2 for forearms])
-legs (4 for quadriceps, 2 for hamstrings, 2 for calves),
-chest (pectorials (name me 6 exercises)
-back (lats - 4/lower back - 2)
-shoulders (deltoids 4 / traps 2)
9.) Why is a post workout protein shake important, and what should be in it?
