When starting a fitness/weight loss journey; one of the hardest parts is having patience to see the results of your hard work. Obviously, we all would LOVE a magic wand and have the body we want INSTANTLY. As, I always state to my clients, everyone is different, our body’s work on our genes, work ethic, and diet, etc.
How Long Does It Take To See Visible Muscle Growth?
Visible muscle growth depends on how much fat you have on your body. In the beginning, you might even see weight gain. Which is why I am not a huge component of watching numbers on a scale. Typically, muscle gain of 1-2 pounds takes around a month. For those new to lifting, will see changes in their body in 5-8 weeks. Your body learns (muscle memory), which is why it is always wise to change up your exercise routine every so often.
What to expect when starting your fitness journey:
Soreness: DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). Simply put; you’re breaking down your muscle fibers and your body is consistently repairing itself. The first 2 weeks of starting your fitness journey is going to be HARD! However, if you are feeling like “I was hit by a truck”, you’re doing too much. To much weight and/or to many reps. This is where you’ll need to humble yourself and perform a controlled, steady range of motion (ROM). Best wishes, 1-2 days after leg day to get in and out of the car or sitting on the toilet.
Increase appetite:
After weight training, your muscles continue to burn fat up to 48 hours after you stop working out. I am personally not a calorie counter. However, an easy tool to use if you’re tracking your calories/macros is “myfitnesspal”. Food can be very intimidating. Eat healthy, clean and until you feel full. Don’t try to strongly with hold sweets or whatever your food vise is. Moderation is key! Because, what happens when you withhold your junk food, the more you are going to overindulge when you finally break and turn into the Cookie Monster.
Increase body weight:
The nature of the beast, no matter how well you eat, you will gain some weight. Now, that doesn’t mean its FAT! In order to loss weight, you do need to monitor the number of calories you are consuming verse your output. Rule of thumb, if you’re gaining half a pound a week, then most of it is a muscle. If you’re gaining more than a pound a week, you should probably look into how many calories you’re consuming.
Increase strength:
In trust in how you’re feeling overall before you pass judgement on visible results. Do you feel good? Do you feel stronger? Do you have more energy? If you’re training correctly, with continually progress how much weight being lifted and intensity, you’re on the right track. Stick with it!