How Long Does it Take to Build Muscle?

Muscles don't just help to sculpt our physique and make us stronger, they’re the key to a faster metabolism, better movement, and long-term health. Increasing muscle mass not only sculpts your physique but also helps your body burn more calories throughout the day by boosting your basal metabolic rate (BMR). In this blog, we’ll break down the timeline for muscle growth, key factors that influence results, and strategies to speed up your progress.

Understanding Muscle Growth: The Science Behind It

The technical term for bigger muscles, muscle hypertrophy, isn't the same as strength. When we lift weights or perform other muscle-building activities, the long fibers of our muscle cells experience tiny tears, and when our bodies use protein to rebuild them, our muscles grow.

Muscle cells are long and thin, made up of fibers called myofibrils. Myofibrils contain two different kinds of protein called actin and myosin, along with protective tissues that contain important nutrients like potassium, calcium, and iron.

Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS)

The main way our bodies build muscle is through protein synthesis. Our bodies naturally respond to exercise and strength training by repairing muscles and growing more muscle fiber. There are three factors that influence muscle protein synthesis, aka MPS: working out, eating enough protein and other essential nutrients, and recovery time. It takes time for our bodies to make the repairs and grow muscle tissue, so recovery time is an essential part of the process.

Timeline for Building Muscle

You can see from the steps our bodies need to take to build muscle that it's not an overnight process.

Initial Gains vs. Long-Term Growth

The average person who starts an exercise program will begin to see some changes within a month or two. If you've never worked out before, you're likely to experience the "newbie effect" of rapid muscle growth because their muscles are exposed to stresses and loads they haven't experienced before.

To keep building muscles beyond the initial beginner level, people need to increase the intensity of their workouts through a technique called progressive overload, which means increasing the amount of resistance or using heavier weights, and changing and varying workouts.

Average Timelines for Noticeable Muscle Growth

With a good strength training program and the right diet, most people can expect to gain one to two pounds of lean muscle mass per month. Overall, between both men and women, the majority of people will experience noticeable muscle growth within four to six months. Men, however, tend to build muscle mass faster than women because of hormonal and physiological differences.

Key Factors Affecting Muscle Growth

The type of workout routine and diet you choose influences how fast you will build muscle and how much muscle you build. Rest periods after strength training are essential: if you don't rest, you won't grow muscles, and you'll risk injuries.

Workout Routines and Training Style

The American College of Sports Medicine advises that you should select eight to ten exercises to strengthen each muscle group. Perform each exercise two to three times per week, with eight to 12 reps of each exercise, beginning with two sets of each.

To build muscle, both men and women should consider the maximum amount of weight they can lift at one time when structuring their workouts. As you work out, use between 70% and 85% of the weight you can lift once for your sets.

Compound movements involve multiple joints and major muscle groups. These exercises include squats, deadlifts, and pull-ups. Isolation exercises focus on one muscle and joint, like bicep curls or calf presses.

Nutrition and Muscle Protein Synthesis

Diet is a crucial part of the muscle building process. Our bodies need protein and other healthy macronutrients, including carbohydrates and healthy fats, to support the muscle-building process.

To effectively build muscle, our bodies need anywhere from 1.4 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight daily, which is significantly more than the recommended daily allowance of .8 grams of protein per kilo for non-active adults. Don't neglect other nutrients, though. Many people find that a diet of 30% protein, 30% healthy fats, and 40% carbs helps to build muscle.

Rest and Recovery

The first and best thing for anyone who's training to grow muscle is to get enough quality sleep. Our bodies use the protein we eat during the day to repair and grow muscles at night: yes, while we sleep! Too little sleep also impacts inflammation, which will slow down weight training progress and cause negative impacts on our muscles.

You also need rest days to allow different muscle groups to continue to recover and rebuild. This is why people alternate the days they work different muscle groups. Our bodies take 48 to 72 hours after a workout to complete the work of synthesizing protein, rebuilding tiny muscle tears, and growing new muscle fibers.

Individual Differences

Some people naturally find it easy to build muscle, while others may work for a long time to build up larger muscles. Our genes do play a role in how fast and large we can build muscle, as well as our sex.

People are able to grow muscle at their fastest rate between ages 18 and 30. Our bodies slow down the rate of testosterone and growth hormones they produce each decade after age 30. Additionally, our bodies tend to become less efficient at synthesizing protein and building muscle as we age.

However, anyone at any age can become more fit and halt the loss of muscles and strength that occurs with aging and sedentary lifestyles. If you're older and want to halt the loss of muscle that comes with age and improve your fitness, you can begin a program appropriate to your age and fitness level, as long as you proceed realistically and train within your abilities.

Tips for Optimizing Muscle Growth and Setting Realistic Expectations

We've all heard of those people who train every day, and they may be doing more harm than good. The key to building muscle is to create a balanced program that incorporates compound movements and that varies your exercises throughout the week.

One trainer suggests that if you're seeking to build muscle and can easily carry on a conversation while you're performing the exercises, you are not lifting enough weight. But lifting too much can risk injury, so aim for that 70% to 85% range of the weight you can lift once for your sets.

Dial in Nutrition

The recommended amount of protein to build muscle can be challenging, especially for people who are used to eating a carb-forward diet. Focus on getting enough lean protein, healthy carbs, and healthy fats, and maintain a calorie deficit or keep calories at maintenance to continue to build muscle. Having protein snacks or protein bars available can help you make sure you hit your protein goal as well.

Timing is also important. Eat a combination of protein and carbohydrates one to four hours before you work out, and after you finish working out, try to eat protein as soon as possible.

Prioritize Rest and Recovery

Be sure you're getting 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep per night. A simple tip to get better sleep? Don't consume caffeine later in the day. Also, alcoholic beverages disrupt sleep, so try not to consume them while building muscle.

Stay Consistent and Track Progress

Keep short-term goals while you're working out, and don't be discouraged if you're not seeing the results you want immediately. For example, you may not be able to perform a chest press at first. You are becoming stronger, and you may notice small improvements day by day.

Common Myths and Misconceptions about Building Muscle

• “More is better” – You risk injury by overtraining, and you can hinder muscle growth and repair.
• “Soreness equals growth” – Being sore doesn't always mean you're growing bigger muscles, and too much soreness can indicate injuries, not muscle growth.
• “Muscle vs. fat” – This is one of the biggest myths of all. Fat is a different type of body tissue from muscle. You can achieve the same effect by growing muscle tissue and reducing fat through a caloric deficit.

Patience and Persistence Pay Off

Most beginners will see some signs of increased muscles within four to six weeks of beginning a training program, but it can take three to six months or longer to see major changes. However, there are hidden processes going on inside your body that are building muscle, endurance, and increased wellness that will show immediate results in terms of better sleep, more energy, and a general feeling of well-being.

Focus on a good workout routine that's safe and beneficial regardless of your age and fitness level. You can build more muscle and feel better by being realistic, persistent, and consistent. Building muscle isn't a sprint, it's a long-distance journey, but one that many people have successfully completed. You can be one of them!

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Does it Take to Build Noticeable Muscle for Females?

Women can expect to see some initial changes after a month of working out, and in around three months, they can see noticeable muscle growth.

How Long Does it Take to Build Noticeable Muscle for Males?

Men will need to train for six to seven weeks to see muscle growth, provided they're training at sufficient intensity.

If I’m Not Sore, Am I Still Building Muscle?

You don't have to feel sore after a workout to experience muscle growth. Some tiredness and mild soreness, however, is a normal part of the muscle and strength-building process.