How Long Does it Take to Build Muscle? (2024)

FAQs

How Long Does it Take to Build Muscle? ›

Building muscle takes time and most people begin to notice physical results, or “noticing their muscles” after about 3-5 weeks. However, muscles begin getting stronger within the first week of strength training and continue to get stronger with consistent workouts.

Like any other fitness goal, it doesn't happen overnight. But how much time does it take to build muscle? Here's what the research says: According to one review: “at least 6-7 weeks of regular resistive training at reasonably high intensity” is required to produce significant changes in muscle mass.

If you can do at least eight pull-ups and eight dips, a muscle-up should be achievable within a month. As is the case with anything new, particularly in the world of fitness, you might find that the movement is difficult at first but it should begin to feel normal as you improve your strength.

For example, people who are new to working out will typically see cardio and muscle gain within two to four weeks. In contrast, significant fat loss might take around four months or longer. There are several other immediate benefits of physical activity.

As a rough guide, you'll probably notice some initial changes in the first four to six weeks, but longer-term changes (what you're working toward) will often take around eight to 12 weeks.

"Muscle is developed in its 'repair phase', when you're resting and refuelling," says Jordane. Every time you work out you create microscopic tears in your muscle tissues. When you rest, your muscles start to heal and grow back stronger, meaning you'll be able to do the same workout with less effort in the future.

Muscle Groups That Grow Fast

Leg Muscles (Quadriceps and Hamstrings): Growth Rate: Fast. Reasons: Heavily engaged in daily activities like walking, running, and squatting. Compound movements such as squats and deadlifts provide strong stimuli for growth.

Muscle-ups are one of the most challenging calisthenics exercises around, not only because of the challenge it presents for your muscles but also because of the balance and transitions needed in order to do one successfully.

On average, one needs to be able to do around 10 to 20 pull-ups to be able to do muscle-ups. The quality of the pullups matters more than the maximum number of pull-ups one can do. If the Calisthenics practitioner can do two clean below the chest pull-up, there is a greater chance for the muscle-up to be achievable.

The strict bar muscle-up is a very challenging exercise requiring significant upper body strength and coordination.

What food makes your muscles grow faster? ›

Beans and lentils are both high in protein and work well as meat substitutes in many dishes when combined with cereals such as rice. Other sources of vegan protein include tofu, nuts and seeds. If you're looking for a quick and highly effective source of protein, whey protein powder is a convenient choice.

Resistance training promotes muscle growth. Examples of resistance training include the use of free weights, weight machines, your own body weight or resistance bands. Suggestions include: Train just two or three times per week to give your muscles time to recover.

McMaster researchers have spent the last decade pushing back on the idea that heavier is best. Their past research found significant gains from lifting lighter weights 20 to 30 times, toward the point of exhaustion. In this review, the investigators found that lifting heavier weights was the best way to gain strength.

Both workout formats will show results, but for maximum hypertrophy or muscle growth, the science tends to lean towards hitting the muscle groups twice weekly. Studies show that you'll see greater muscle mass gains by targeting each muscle group twice or thrice weekly.

It's not necessary to lift weights every day, and if you do, you increase your risk for overuse injuries and overtraining syndrome. For most people, strength training two to three times a week is sufficient, but if you prefer to split training different muscle groups, then you can train up to five days a week.

Factors Affecting Muscle Growth

Remember that you will likely gain more muscle during the initial one to three months of training, but gain less after. Overall, around 8 to 15 pounds per year is a general estimate of what to expect from gains, but some people may add more or less.

Aesthetics aside, a good way to tell if you're gaining muscle is if your workouts feel easier; if you're able to pick up heavier weights, exercise for longer, or move through your sets feels easier, those are good indicators that you're gaining muscle — and, as a result, strength.

And if you exercise regularly, over time you will gain even more fitness benefits. “At 6 to 8 weeks, you can definitely notice some changes,” said Logie, “and in 3 to 4 months you can do a pretty good overhaul to your health and fitness.” Strength-specific results take about the same amount of time.