Of course, each individual is different. Some may continue to gain more muscle for several days after the 2 week period. And some may start to add fat earlier then predicted. But in general, 2 weeks is the optimal bulking period.
2 weeks is a really short time to put on muscle, but it is possible depending on your training history. Train for 1 hour, 4 times a week (2 days on, 1 day off with a lower/upper split) or 3 times a week (full body if you're a beginner). Keep your training dense and consistent.
Seeing some results and ``serious results'' are different and infer different levels. Yes, people can see some changes in as little as 2 weeks. But muscle gain is a slow process, and takes months to do. Most visible results early on have to do with water pump or losing fat, not muscle gain.
Eat more fibrous carbohydrates and healthy fats
Including foods rich in fibrous carbohydrates and healthy fats in every meal will help increase the number of both calories and nutrients in the diet. These foods provide an essential energy source to maintain a regular exercise regime and support muscle growth.
After 2 weeks on a bulk, you lose most of the anabolic benefits, and start to store fat at an alarming rate. If you continue to aggressively bulk after this point, more of your gains will be fat. Of course, each individual is different. Some may continue to gain more muscle for several days after the 2 week period.
In these studies, there was actually NO significant drop off in muscle mass after two weeks of detraining. Even if you are not training at all, you most likely will be doing some sort of normal everyday activity.
Nutrition: The Foundation of Bulking
Caloric Surplus: You want to eat in a caloric surplus to bulk up in 7 days. This means consuming more calories than your body burns. Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) and add 500-1000 calories per day to it. This extra energy will fuel muscle growth.
Clean bulking is when you set a relatively small calorie surplus and build muscle slower and in amore controlled way. You're less likely to gain body fat that way. Dirty bulking, on the other hand, is when you pay less attention to the size of your calorie surplus.
Under optimal conditions, some say you can expect to gain 1 pound (. 5 kg) of muscle per week. My results have shown that 2 lbs (1kg) per month is more realistic. A 2016 studyrevealed that strength training produced a 2.2 lb increase (1kg) increase in lean mass in 8 weeks.
On average, most people expect noticeable muscle growth within four to six months of starting a strength training program. However, the exact timeline for building muscle can vary significantly depending on the factors highlighted above.
The bottom line is that it is important to keep bulking in perspective. Aim to gain no more than one pound of body weight per week. If you're gaining more, it's likely due to a fat gain versus muscle growth.
If you maximize your growth potential, you can see a difference in muscle within 2 weeks. Two weeks is not a lot of time to add significant muscle to your frame naturally but a difference can be seen with a strict diet and some explosive exercises.
There are other terms for this, such as build mode, but bulking is a common term for this caloric surplus. Dirty bulking is when an individual is in a caloric surplus to build muscle (build mode). However, the individual is eating foods that are carb dense, unhealthy, and ultra-processed out of convenience.
Extreme exercise requires eating plenty of carbs. It is recommended athletes consume 60g/h of carbohydrates for prolonged exercise lasting more than two hours. White rice is considered a safe starch to consume prior to exercise, easy on the stomach, and has been shown to meet sports nutrition recommendations.
Taking regular rest days, and having a bit of time off from your workout regime can be good for your body - a break from the stress gives your muscles time to recover. However, longer breaks from exercise and the gym, whether that's three months, six months, a year or more, can have a greater impact on your body.
Cardio should be seen as a tool used to enhance overall fitness or to facilitate fat loss in the form of caloric expenditure. Running long distance and jogging will most likely chip away at the muscle if you go overboard and the overall caloric intake is not matched.
Physiological muscle memory
This form of muscle memory occurs because when you first build muscle, your body adds new cells to those muscles. But when you lose muscle, those new cells don't disappear, as previously thought. Instead, they stick around and are easily reactivated when you return to your typical routine.
Typically, muscle mass and strength increase steadily from birth and reach their peak at around 30 to 35 years of age. After that, muscle power and performance decline slowly and linearly at first, and then faster after age 65 for women and 70 for men.
How long does it take to get abs, anyway? Veteran lifters know all too well just how long it takes to see physical improvements to your appearance. It takes anywhere from three to 12 weeks for new muscle to develop. Healthy (and sustainable) fat loss means losing only one to two pounds per week.