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Wondering when your hard work at the gym is gonna start paying off in gains?
Building muscle requires you to take nutrients from food and transform them into lean tissue with the assistance of a strength training program and proper recovery.
You can imagine this process is fairly complex and although you may want to build muscle quickly, it typically takes some time.
However, the exact amount of time it takes to build muscle mass depends on the amount of muscle you want to gain, along with a whole host of individual factors mentioned below.
So how does long it take to build muscle? And how can you tell if you're on track to gainseville?
How long does it take to build muscle?
The average person can gain roughly 25 pounds of muscle in a year. Of course, this isn't necessarily feasible long term. A more realistic pace is around 5 pounds of solid mass every six months.
The amount of muscle you can actually gain and how quickly is determined by many factors including genetics, diet, training, and hormones. And your starting body composition may also be an important factor to consider.
In reality, there is only so much food your body can process and turn into muscle mass. And gaining multiple pounds of muscle a week is not realistic for a lot of us. Similar to losing weight, gaining weight takes time and consistency - and patience.
Also, the type of weight you are looking to increase is important to consider - you probably want to gain muscle, not fat or excess fluids. And the faster you are gaining, the more likely you are going to see the scale creep up from water retention and fat, not just muscle. Not to mention, rapid weight gain also causes stretch marks.
For most gaining 1/2 pound of weight a week represents a fairly quick rate of healthy weight gain. And for some, especially women the rate of muscle gain may be even slower (1).
Many will need to take breaks from their bulk and cycle through cutting phases as needed. Plus as your muscles grow in size, the rate at which you can gain steadily decreases.
Gaining Weight vs. Muscle Building
Traditional muscle gain is achieved by gaining weight. Yes, you can gain a little bit of muscle while losing fat, but this process is fairly slow and not as efficient as building muscle during a true bulk. If you want to gain some serious muscle mass, this requires weight gain.
The thing about weight gain and weight loss is that it is always a combination of lean tissue and fatty tissue - never one exclusively. Which means you will always gain some additional body fat when trying to gain muscle and lose some muscle when trying to lose body fat.
Depending on a number of factors, for each pound you gain, anywhere from one-third to two-thirds will result in fat, with the remaining being lean tissue (3).
This means when looking at how fast you gain muscle, your rate of weight gain isn’t necessarily the best answer. You’ll need to check in with your body composition at the start of your bulk and after roughly 8-12 weeks to see where you land. A body comp analysis like a DEXA scan will tell you exactly how much muscle you’ve gained and where on your body.
How to build muscle without gaining too much fat
Your rate of weight gain, genetics, training schedule, and type of food you choose are all important factors for promoting healthy weight gain in the form of more muscle over body fat. But the biggest determining factor might be your starting body composition.
Studies suggest that naturally lean individuals are more likely to put on weight in the form of muscle over fat. And similarly, those with a higher starting body fat percentage were more likely to add more body fat than muscle (4,5,6,7,8,9).
But this has really only been evidenced in people who are naturally lean, not necessarily those that have dieted down to a lower body fat percentage.
| Ideal Body Fat % Before Bulking | ||
| Description |
Male |
Female |
| Athlete | 6-13% | 14-20% |
| Fitness | 14-17% | 21-24% |
| Average | 18-24% | 25-31% |
| Above Average | >25% | >32% |
And good news for newbies, research suggests that beginners tend to gain muscle more efficiently than those that are highly trained (10). Of course, this rate starts to decrease as you become more fit over time and some of this mass gain might be skewed due to increased water retention in newer lifters (11).
How long should you be on a bulk?
Bulking diets, just like weight-loss diets, put a slight strain on your body. And being on a long-term weight gain diet is not typically recommended for most people. The longer you bulk, the more muscle you potentially gain, however, you're also gonna add a decent amount of fat in the process.
Many will aim to do a slower bulk lasting anywhere from 8 to 12 weeks during winter months when they don't mind gaining a bit of body fat, or during a time period where they require adequate fuel for their training.
You can certainly bulk for longer than this or until you achieve your desired weight. However, you might find more success cycling through a series of bulks and cuts to achieve your ideal physique.
How to cycle through bulking and cutting phases
If you are worried about fat gain, cycling through the cutting and bulking phases is another way to approach building muscle to get your desired results.
The body composition effect works the same in reverse. In other words, those with higher body fat percentages tend to lose fat more easily and maintain gains better than naturally lean individuals.
Not to mention increasing the size of your muscles, will result in a potential increase in your metabolism - meaning you can eat more calories. This matters because your higher calorie burn makes losing fat a bit easier.
If you are at a satisfactory lean starting body composition start with a bulk for 12 weeks, then rest for four to eight weeks, followed by a six to 12 week cut - depending on how much fat you gained.
It's important to include maintenance or reset periods lasting at least four weeks in between to allow your body to adjust to a new normal before jumping into the next phase.
Gaining muscle takes several weeks (often longer) and this will help your metabolism settle and allow you to maintain as much of your muscle growth as possible.
Dieting results in a temporary metabolic adaptation where your metabolism and rate of fat oxidation slows - meaning you are prone to store more fat when calories are increased again (12,13). So if you have recently gone through a cut to have lower starting body fat, you might want to consider maintaining your lower weight for a few weeks first to allow your metabolism to stabilize before trying to bulk.
And vice versa. Jumping into a cut too soon after a bulk could result in some unintentional loss of gains.
How to tell if you’re building muscle
The worst part about transforming your body is not seeing immediate progress or not knowing if your hard work is even paying off. Before you start to panic that you are gaining too much fat or not seeing gains at all, here are five ways to check in with your progress and help you stay on top of your goals.
1. You're gaining weight
Tracking changes in your body weight is one of the easiest ways to tell if your hard work is paying off. The scale might not always go up every day, but it should be creeping up slowly and consistently week after week.
You will naturally experience a lot of fluctuations in your weight due to changes in water weight, hormones, and dietary changes - especially in the beginning stages. But after three to four weeks a lot of these fluctuations should even out and you should start to see the scale move in the right direction.
Track your weight at the same time each day and plot it on a chart to see your long-term progress.
2. Your clothes fit differently
Getting jacked will often mean your clothes start to fit differently - usually in a good way. If you’re noticing your shirts are fitting a bit tighter around your shoulders, chest, and biceps, or your pants are getting snug in the thigh and hip area, these tend to be good signs you’re gaining healthy weight.
3. Your building strength
Muscle building and increased strength tend to go hand in hand. If you’re fueling your body properly and strength training multiple days a week, you should start seeing some progress in your fitness as well.
Feeling strong is one thing, but the best way to track this is to log your workouts each week. Note how many reps and the weight used, and aim to increase the amount each week. Training programs that utilize progressive overloads are perfect for this.
4. You’re muscles are looking “swole”
Feeling puffier or bigger is normal and likely a good sign you’re growing your muscle fibers. Lifting weights increase fluids to your muscle giving you that post-weight training pump, especially when you are just getting started with strength training. Over time, some of the water retention may diminish but you should continue to feel bulkier.
One of the best ways to measure your visual progress is with daily or weekly progress photos. Stand in front of a mirror and take a full-body photo. Repeat and assess your visual transformation regularly. You will be both amazed and motivated by the results you see.
5. Your body composition has changed
Ultimately the most efficient way to measure your muscle gain progress is to assess your body composition at the beginning and end of your bulk. You can opt for an affordable and convenient at-home scale, or schedule a DXA/DEXA scan that estimates your body fat percentage within a 1.6% margin of error.
You should be seeing your lean body mass increase, more so than any body fat you’ve gained. If you’re finding you’re gaining a lot more fat than planned, you may want to slow down your bulk and revisit your nutrition.
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4 Tips on How to build muscle fast
- Eat enough calories and protein
- Exercise for muscle growth
- Take rest days
- Be patient
Ultimately, how long it takes to gain muscle depends on the person and how long you can stick to your muscle growth goals.
Muscle protein synthesis requires a balance of adequate nutrition, strength training, and rest. While the details can vary depending on your fitness level, the basic principles of muscle gain remain the same.
Here are your quick tips for building muscle the right way:
1. Eat enough calories and protein
You can’t gain weight without eating enough calories. So figure out how many calories you need each day and aim to hit that goal consistently.
First master this, then you can start to mess with your bulking macros and ensure you're eating enough protein to promote more muscle growth and minimize potential body fat.
This is the number one thing you need to get right in order to build muscle.
Calculate Your Calorie & Protein Needs
2. Exercise for muscle growth
Outside of eating enough food, you'll also need to train for muscle growth by learning hypertrophy training. Just hitting the weights here and there can help, but if you really want to see those muscles grow, you’ll need a solid, strategic plan when you head to the gym.
The right lifting strategy can depend on personal and multiple individual factors. Some beginners can see muscle growth just from bodyweight exercises, while more advanced lifters will need a more specific training plan that incorporates the right weight and the right amount of reps.
Typically hypertrophy training emphasizes time under tension - meaning more reps at a fairly heavy amount.
Scaling back on cardio can also help. While running and HIIT can help you lose fat, they can also burn extra calories needed for building muscles. If you want to get the most out of your gym time and gain as many pounds as possible, skip the cardio and stick to the weights.
Many experts will also suggest you try progressive overload by structuring your gym plan in advance, repeating the same training each week, and aiming to increase the reps and/or amount of weight for a total of four to six weeks. Then switch things up again.
Download your free 90 day workout plan for building muscle.
3. Take rest days
Muscle growth happens during periods of rest. This means taking breaks from lifting weights and getting plenty of sleep are crucial to the muscle-building process.
This concept can be really hard for some to master, since it's human nature to think lifting more, more often will result in more growth. But the opposite is actually true.
If you are lifting weights every day or multiple times a day, you are constantly tearing down your lean tissue and not giving it a chance to heal and strengthen - or grow! Being extremely sore all the time is typically a good indicator you're doing too much. Take rest days as you need them, at least 1 to 2 days a week.
Rest also includes getting plenty of sleep. If you aren’t sleeping enough or getting quality sleep, your gains will suffer. Prioritize rest and let those muscles recover!
4. Be patient
Last but not least, give yourself time to be successful. Results take time and consistency, so be patient and stick to your regimen.
Gaining massive amounts of muscle mass takes years of hard work and training. So you'll need to find a plan that is sustainable long term and find a maintenance program that keeps you motivated to keep your gains.
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