You have started working out and you are on the way to transforming your body into a better shape. But while exercising you might be curious to know when you can see some actual changes in your body in terms of muscle building.
If you are curious and want to know how long does it takes to build noticeable muscle mass from your workouts, then after reading this post, you will get answers to all your questions.
Here you will also read about how long does it take to build noticeable muscle for males and how long does it take to build noticeable muscle for females.
If you exercise for 3-4 days a week, take proper amounts of rest in between two workouts and eat a healthy amount of protein then you are on the right track to building muscle mass.
Read on if you want to know in detail how long it normally takes to build noticeable muscle.
How long does it take to build noticeable muscle?
The time it takes to build noticeable muscle can vary from person to person because of different workout routines and diet plans. But generally, if you do weight training, then you can see fast results in terms of muscle building. With strength training, you can see initial muscle gaining results within 40-55 days.
To make your muscle visible or to make your muscle noticeable many factors come into play.
The first factor that denotes how much time it will take to build noticeable muscle mass is your body fat percentage. If you have a high body fat percentage, then it can take you longer to build noticeable muscle mass.
Because when you workout with a high body fat percentage – you first start to burn those extra body fat and began to build muscle at the same time.
As you are building muscle and burning fat the muscle toning process gets slow and to notice visible changes you have to wait for some time.
On the other hand, if your body fat percentage is low or you have a healthy amount of body fat and you start to workout, you can build noticeable muscle mass in less time.
Someone starting strength training with body fat in between 15-20% can see their first visible muscle gaining results within 25-30 days. By this time you will feel that you have built quite muscle mass and you will notice the changes in your body.
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You will feel that you are gaining muscle tone and your hand muscles are stiffer than before. But people may not notice these muscle-building changes at this point. Because for other people to notice it you need to build more muscle volume.
Continuing your muscle-building workout and eating properly for the next couple of days is very important. Because after 40-55 days of exercising your body starts to show first visible muscle toning and muscle gaining results. At this point, you will have a toned body and some of the muscle groups will become visible and get more volume than others.
After 40-55 days you will see your shoulder, biceps and legs are getting a toned look and also looks different. A few people will notice your physical changes at this point.
After 84 -90 days you will gain noticeable muscle mass. And at this point, most people will notice that you have a muscular body.
Here’s a recap of the timeline of building noticeable muscle mass:
- 25-30 days – you first notice the changes in your body and you will see some initial muscle toning results.
- 40-55 days – you get a toned body. Your biceps, shoulders, chest and legs become muscular and a few people also notice that.
- 84-90 days – you have reached the point of full body tone and gained some muscle mass and your muscle-gaining results are visible to others.
How long does it take to build noticeable muscle for females?
Females can see different muscle-building results in comparison to males. Because the female body produces fewer testosterone hormones than men do. But to make up for that the female body produces estrogen. According to frontiersin.org – “estrogen increases the anabolic response to exercise and this may result in the increase in muscle mass reported in long-term studies.”
Thus working out 3-4 days a week and following a healthy diet can help females to build lean muscle mass.
For females to build noticeable muscle can take a bit longer than men. Because generally, females have more body fat in comparison to men. So, when you workout for muscle building as a female, in your first 25-30 days you will see a reduction in your body fat and you will notice your body is getting a toned look.
As you continue to exercise and reduce your body fat and build muscle your body gets fully toned within 40-55 days.
For females, it can take 80-90 days of strength training before they can see a noticeable amount of muscle mass in their bodies.
Related: Can you gain muscle at home?
How long does it take to build noticeable muscle for males?
As men’s bodies produce more testosterone than females, after starting – strength training, men can experience faster muscle-building results. But for muscle building results in men, along with testosterone, there are a few other factors that come into play.
So, for some men, it can take 30-40 days of resistance training to see the initial muscle gains and muscle tone if they have a body fat percentage close to 18% – 24%.
For men, starting your muscle-building workout with less body fat means it will take less time to see visible muscle growth.
Even if you have more body fat you will gain muscle but it will take more time before you notice visible changes in your body. With weight training, you can lose body fat and gain muscle mass at the same time.
But when you lose body fat and gain muscle mass your body needs more time before it starts muscle conditioning. So, doing weight training you will gain lean muscle but to get the desired muscle shape you have to train a few days more.
If you start training with a body fat percentage below 24% then within 30-40 days of training, you will see your first muscle gaining results. At this time you will notice the changes in your physique but other people might not notice it at this point.
After gaining your initial muscle mass if you workout 3-4 days per week you will also lose body fat. With proper diet and workout, you can see noticeable muscle mass within 55-65 days.
For men who have begun training with a high body fat percentage or above 24% – 28% – you can see good muscle-building results after 84 – 90 days.
Muscle-building results can vary from person to person. To get faster muscle-building results you have to workout 3-4 days per week and also take proper amounts of rest and follow a healthy diet. While training for muscle building you should eat fewer amounts of fried food and eat more easy-to-digest protein-rich foods.
Related: Should you use weight in your home workout?
How do you know if your muscles are growing?
Another question you might have while training for muscle building is – how to measure your muscle-gaining progress. Or how do you know if your muscles are growing?
There are many ways you can measure your progress and see if you are gaining muscle or not.
First, you can feel it in your muscles if it’s growing. When you complete a workout, normally you will feel the muscles are getting stiff and it can take one or two days before they become less stiff.
When you gain muscle you can also measure your muscle gaining progress by looking at the tightness of your skin. The more muscle you gain the tighter your skin will become.
The third signal of good muscle growth can be noticed while you dress up. You will begin to notice your clothes are fitting differently now. You will notice the sleeves of your t-shirt are now tighter around your biceps.
You can also check if your muscles are growing by noticing the change in your body fat percentage. Normally when you gain muscle you will have a lower body fat percentage. You can lightly pinch on your body part and looking at the thickness of your skin you can determine if you are losing body fat or not.
After pinching your skin on different parts of your body if the thickness is less – means you have low body fat around that body part.
The last method to measure if you are gaining muscle or not is by measuring your body with a measuring tape.
How long does it take to build muscle tone?
The number of days it will take to build muscle tone depends on the amount of fat you have and the type of workouts you are doing. Generally, after starting to workout you will see muscle toning results within 35-40 days.
With weight training and a good diet, you can see fast muscle toning results than doing only bodyweight exercises.
Also, to build muscle tone fast – you need to lower your body fat. If you have a body fat percentage close to 24% -28% then you may find it’s taking longer for you to build muscle tone.
Where – a person with low body fat can see better muscle toning results in less time.
The real fact is to get the muscle tone, first, you have to burn the body fat that’s lying on top of your muscle. So, the lower the body fat the less time you will have to spend to get the perfect toned look.
Related: 10 Daily exercises you should do to stay fit.
How long does it take to build muscle with weights?
Lifting weights and following a good diet can help you build muscle within 3-4 weeks. However, muscle building is a slow process and to see any substantial changes in your muscle mass can take up to 84 days for most people.
If you have less body fat and do weight training, then you can build noticeable muscle mass within 40- 45 days.
The number of muscle gains within a specific period of time can vary from person to person. As many factors come into play when it comes to muscle building.
How long does it take to build muscle without weights?
When it comes to building muscle, training with weights gives better results in comparison to training without weights. You can still gain muscle without weights but you won’t gain much muscle volume. And it can take longer to see major changes in your muscle mass.
When it comes to building noticeable muscle mass, your body fat percentage plays a big role. With weight training, you shed your extra body fat faster. But with bodyweight exercise, you lose fat over time and it’s a slow process. So, if you have more body fat, then it can take 12 weeks or more to build muscle from just doing bodyweight exercises.
But if you have less body fat and you are doing bodyweight exercises for 4-5 days and following a good diet – then you can see better muscle-building results within 50 days. At this point, you will gain some muscle mass and you will also get a toned look but for the volume, you have to wait 80-90 days.
FAQs about muscle building
How many days a week should I workout to build muscle in females?
If you are doing bodyweight exercises to build muscle as a female then you should try to workout 4-5 days a week. And if you are doing weight training then you should workout 3-4 days for better muscle-building results.
How long does it take to tone your body female?
To achieve a toned look you have to workout for 40-50 days. If you have less body fat and do weight training along with bodyweight exercises then it will take less time for you to get the toned look.
How long does it take to build a noticeable muscle tone?
Building lean muscle mass is a slow process and can take up to 84 days before you build a noticeable muscle tone. The time it will take to build noticeable muscle tone also depends on your diet, training method and your body fat percentage at the start of your muscle-building process.
What should a woman eat to gain muscle?
To gain muscle you should follow a protein-rich diet. In your meals, you should eat meat, poultry, eggs, milk, soy chunks, cottage cheese, fish, peanut butter, pasta, lentils, yoghurt, vegetables and fruits.
How do I make my muscles more visible?
To make your muscle more visible you should do more sets with high repetitions. And you should lower your body fat percentage. Reducing your body fat percentage and exercising often will make your muscles more visible.
Should I lose weight before building muscle?
It’s not necessary to lose weight before building muscle. You can lose weight and build muscle at the same time. It’s always recommended to maintain healthy body weight. Do some weight training and within 84 days you can expect to see good muscle-building results and a reduction in your body weight.
Conclusion
How long does it take to build noticeable muscle? Well, you can build a noticeable amount of muscle mass within 84 days. With proper training and diet in place, you can increase the amount of muscle you will gain within this time period.
Remember three basic steps will denote how much muscle you will gain within a time period. These three factors are – workout, diet and rest.
To build muscle properly, you have to balance those three things. Doing one thing more and ignoring other things will give your poor muscle-building results.
Also, to build a noticeable amount of muscle mass, your body fat percentage plays a crucial role. Having less body fat means your muscles will become visible in less time. Where if you have more body fat then it will take up to 84-90 days to make your muscle gains visible.
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