How long does it take to build muscle? How far along in your fitness journey do you have to be? The term fitness journey has always puzzled me a bit. When I think of journeys, I think of going from point A to point B. Once you get to point B, you’re done, right? You’ve gone on the journey. You can never be done when it comes to fitness. You either have to work to excel or work to maintain. You may travel between different stages, but I don’t think that there is a moment when you’ve “made it”. There is no point B. The minute you stop exercising, you begin regressing. So… when I moved last year (and suddenly had much more free time) I decided it was time to begin a new stage of my fitness journey. After all, there were no friends that I had to make plans to hang out with. No church events I had to be present at. No tests to study for. I was very much out in the open and the world was afresh with new opportunities and chances. I’d always considered myself healthy. I’ve run for years, and gotten fairly good at jump rope I figured it’d be a good time to try to always get that six-pack I wanted… but like for real.
Since I was cooking for myself, I started eating healthy. I cut out soda entirely. I didn’t even buy candy to stock the pantry with. I started eating oatmeal and drinking protein powder. I spent a few months in the apartment gym, then I got wise and joined the onsite gym at my work. It has every machine imaginable, it’s close to work (like literally down the hall), and, after I developed some work relationships, I had guys to periodically go with.
So I had the weightlifting. I had the protein consumption. How long was it going to take to look like a Greek god?
You see… most guys hit the gym to get healthy, but a lot also want those big muscles for that macho vibe. Nothing wrong with wanting to feel manly, right?
The kicker is, dudes often think they’ll bulk up super fast. When they don’t see the gains they imagined in the time they pictured, they bail on the whole strength training thing. The sad reality is, we live in a culture that has built itself around instant gratification, instant pleasure, and instant relief. Somehow, we get it twisted and we throw instant results into that mix, and then we get discouraged when it doesn’t happen.
So, it’s key to keep it real when you start working out. To keep it realistic and keep it practical. Let’s quickly break down what exactly that looks like…
Strong comes before big.
When I started lifting weights, I noticed that my muscles weren’t looking that much different. However, I was gradually able to increase the amount of weight that I was handling. Now, keep in mind, I’m by no means an athlete. I’m a lean machine who’s always prioritized endurance over strength. The running joke I have with my much bulkier brother (pun 100% intended) is that he may be able to beat me up, but he’ll never catch me to do so, so I’m technically better. As I began researching, I realized that my lack of visual muscle improvement wasn’t a problem. After starting to weightlift regularly, it’s normal to notice that you are getting stronger before you get bigger.
When you’re starting out, and gains you may experience strength-wise are primarily caused by neuromuscular processes, NOT an increase in muscle mass (thus you don’t look any bigger). Neuromuscular is a big word, but it basically means that, when you start to put serious weight on the barbell, your brain learns to enlist the help of more muscle fibers during the lift. Because your brain is telling more fibers to help carry the load, you’re able to contract more muscle and produce more force. The improvement between your brain and your muscles begins almost immediately after you complete your first rep. Some smart people in Japan did a study, and they found that within 2 months of starting a real consistent workout routine, you’re likely to see significant strength gains due to this neuromuscular component.
But Sam… I want to look like a Baywatch dude.
Hold up. Even though you’re technically getting stronger with this neuromuscular activation, you’re not going to notice a difference in physical appearance until you’re a little farther down the road in your fitness journey. Why? Your body has to create new muscle fibers. That takes a considerable amount of time.
3 months seems to be the tipping point
So you want to make the switch from strength gains to physical appearance? Science seems to suggest that three months is when this transformation begins taking place.
Have you ever worked out and noticed that your muscles seemed bigger as you were knocking out reps in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror?
No one? Just me?
Anyway…they’re not actually bigger. That’s just blood getting pumped to your muscles at a faster flow rate, thus temporarily enlarging them. They call this a “pump” and its why you’ll see gym rats go to the gym wearing baggie hoodies until they’ve completed a few sets. They don’t want anyone to see their physique until they’ve got that additional blood flow making their muscles look bigger. At its core, it’s vanity, but whatever floats your boat brother. I won’t say I’ve never knocked out a few sets of pushups, or a pull-up or two before walking into a room or meeting up with someone. I like looking big just as much as the next guy. Push-ups before a date are an unparalleled experience.
But Sam… it’s been a whole day and my muscles still look bigger.
If you’ve just started working out, you may notice that the muscles look a bit larger. It’s not an optical illusion. They may be larger on account of inflammation. Yeah… doesn’t sound like too much fun but it’s alright. Even after that additional blood flow subsides, you may still have some swelling from inflammation. When you first start pumping iron, your body is going to notice all that unfamiliar stress on your arms, legs, abs, shoulders, or any of the other muscle groups, and it’ll trigger an inflammatory response.
One part of this response is that your muscles may retain more water, thus making them look bigger. You’re also going to be sore. I hit some preacher curls two days ago, and, as I write this now, my arms are STILL sore. It was a new muscle group I hadn’t targeted to that level of response before, and I’m still feeling the effects of it today. However, after a few months of consistently lifting and working out, you’ll notice that your body adapts to the stress. That post-workout soreness decreases in frequency over time.
So… that increase you think you see, whether it be the result of blood flow or inflammatory response, isn’t going to represent actual gains. However, it is good to know that, as your body continues to adapt and grow those actual gains in muscle volume are happening.
The fellas over at Texas Tech found that muscle growth should begin happening after about four weeks of consistent training. When you get started though, the growth is small. Hardly noticeable in fact. They only knew muscle growth was happening because they had one of them fancy ultrasound machines!
Those Japanese researchers I was talking about earlier found that NOTICEABLE gains in muscle mass came around the three-month mark. For some people, it took a bit longer. Genetics also plays a role I’m sure
Keep priorities straight.
So what can we learn from Japan and Texas?
Gains that you see in the mirror are going to take time. Don’t fall for those losers trying to sell you supplements on YouTube and TikTok. Keep your head down and focus on the weights. Give it three months and see what happens.
Gains are happening regardless. Every time you complete a rep, you’re getting stronger, even if only you and the ultrasound technician know it. Don’t give up if you don’t see those visible effects right away.
Remember what I said earlier about instant gratification? That’s something that we all have to fight against. That’s something that we have to learn how to keep under control. Keep your expectations in check and learn how to play the long game. Learn how to enjoy the journey. Above all, you have to remember the lesson of 1 Timothy 4:8
8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
1 Timothy 4:8
If you’re more concerned about growing your muscles than you are about growing a relationship with Jesus, you’ve got your priorities mixed up. Reorder ’em before you get back in the gym.
