How long it takes to gain muscle is down to a number of factors, including your age, genetics, sex, diet and training routine. You'll typically start to see results in 6-8 weeks, and more significant gains after three months.
It takes time to gain muscle. However, Most beginners will see noticeable muscle growth within eight weeks, while more experienced lifters will see changes in three to four weeks. Most individuals gain one to two pounds of lean muscle per month with the right strength training and nutrition plan.
Rate of Muscle Gain: For most beginners, a realistic rate of muscle gain is about 1-2 pounds per month, especially if you are following a proper strength training program and nutrition plan. This means it could take approximately 2.5 to 5 months to gain 5 pounds of muscle.
You might be able to build up to 2 lbs of muscle in a month. You'll put on muscle faster when you start lifting weights consistently. As your body adapts, muscle gain may slow down. The right training routine –– including 2 to 3 strength-training workouts per week –– and diet can help you maximize your muscle gains.
When Does Muscle Growth Become Noticeable? Visually, you'll usually notice muscle growth in as little as four to six weeks after beginning training, Carlson says. And you can expect those gains to continue for another year or two.
“You can lift lighter weights, and as long as you lift them with a high degree of effort, they're as good as heavier weights in making you bigger,” he says. Using a home gym machine or even just your own body weight, like with push-ups or lunges, works.
Downtime between workouts (whether you're lifting, doing cardio or training for a sport) is when our bodies have a chance to actually build muscle. Strenuous workouts cause muscle breakdown, while rest allows our bodies to build it back up.
Though burning fat and building muscle concurrently may be possible, it's not necessarily optimal, says Lee Boyce, C.S.C.S., an MH Advisory Board member. He warns that aiming for both at the same time may cause a slower rate of change for both goals to be reached.
Doing 100 push-ups a day can be an impactful element of your overall strength-building and -maintaining routine. And you don't need to be at a gym to do them. “It's a quick and efficient way to strengthen some upper body muscles,” Rad says.
Increase the intensity of your workouts instead of working out for long periods of time. Make sure you're getting enough calories and protein in your diet for muscle growth. Get plenty of sleep and give your muscles time for recovery. Try supplements for more strength, energy, and power, like creatine and HMB.
"Muscles grow stronger only if you keep adding resistance," says Pedicini. Two days is plenty. Ideally, you should do weight training at least twice a week. "Two days of full-body training can produce measurable changes in muscle strength," says Pedicini.
The lats tend to be one of the hardest muscles to develop.
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.
Muscle soreness, particularly in leg muscles like the calf muscles and quadriceps, usually occurs after high-intensity workouts or when introducing new exercises. This is part of the body's adaptation process, signaling that the muscles are getting stronger.
“We used to think that doing low reps of a very high weight was the best way to build muscle,” he says. “But increasingly we are learning that it may be more efficient to do a high number of repetitions with less weight.”
"We already know only one eccentric muscle contraction a day can increase muscle strength if it is performed five days a week -- even if it's only three seconds a day -- but concentric (lifting a weight) or isometric muscle contraction (holding a weight) does not provide such an effect," Professor Nosaka said.
Experts recommend 2 to 3 rest days between strength-training workouts like lifting weights. So you can plan resistance workouts that target different muscle groups. For example, you might do upper-body exercises on Monday and lower-body exercises on Tuesday. On Wednesday, you could do a cardio workout.
This holds that regardless of whether you're trying to build muscle, strength, power, or endurance, performing three sets of 10 reps per exercise is a good place to start. The scheme mostly works, especially if you're just starting out with strength training—because everything works in the beginning.