How Long Does it Take to Build Muscle?

Having realistic expectations when you start a workout program is important. You don’t want to discourage yourself with expecting big changes overnight. This is especially important when it comes to building muscle. It takes a lot of consistent effort to pack on the mass.

Let’s explore the reality behind how long it will take to get stronger and build muscle.

Getting stronger will actually occur almost immediately. Most of these initial strength gains at the beginning of a program are due to improvements in neuromuscular processes, not increased muscle mass. When you start a strength training program your body adapts to the workouts by learning to recruit more muscle fibers and enabling you to lift more.

This begins after your first workout. You may also notice right away that your muscles might look a little bigger, but in the beginning, they are not really bigger. This happens because when you workout, there is an increase in blood flow to the working muscles which makes them temporarily look bigger. This is referred to as the “pump” after a workout.

Even the next day your muscles might still look bigger, and this time its from a little bit of inflammation from your workout the day prior. Your body responds to the stress of the workout triggering the inflammatory response.  To build muscle you need to build new muscle fibers and that takes longer.

I know this sounds a bit discouraging but know that while all of this is going on, the new muscle is being built. It’s just that muscle grows slowly and you need to stay consistent to see a real change in the mirror. On average, after about 3 months you should start to notice some real physical changes to your muscle if you are working out properly for muscle building and working out consistently. Some might see it sooner, some later, but a realistic timeframe is 3 months. So now that you know this and know what to expect, don’t be discouraged in the beginning of your strength training program if you don’t see noticeable changes right away in muscle size. Keep lifting those weights and know your body will adapt and make new muscle fibers over time!