How long does it take to see results from strength training?

Whether you've started strength training or you're thinking about starting, you might be wondering how long it will take before you start to see results in your body. Ultimately every body is different and there's many factors that can change your timeline for seeing results, such as how often you exercise a muscle group, how much rest you give your body, what food you're eating to fuel your body, to mention a few.

For the sake of this question, let's assume you are:

• Getting at least 8 hours of sleep each night
• Training a targeted muscle group at least twice a week (i.e. biceps)
• Resting each muscle group for at least 48 hours before training it again
• Eating a well balanced diet that includes protein
• Staying hydrated
• Balancing strength training with cardiovascular, flexibility, and mobility exercises

Building muscle can be a slow process. But there are a few things you can do to fast track the process.

There are two types of muscle fiber: slow and fast twitch. When you are strength training, you're working on your fast twitch muscles primarily. You need other types of exercise to target the slow twitch muscle fibers, which is why cross training is important for the overall health of your muscles.

Fast twitch muscles are engaged when you apply a heavier load to the muscle. You will want to increase your weights for each exercise once you feel that the muscle group is strong enough to handle more. Let's say that you start with a 3 pound weight for bicep curls. Once you feel that a 3 pound weight is no longer challenging, you will want to increase your weights to a 5 pound weight. Continually increasing your load will help to continue to build muscle mass faster.

Muscle growth takes time and can be a slow process before you see visible changes. Typically muscle mass starts to increase after 4 to 6 weeks of consistent training. You might start to feel stronger after only a couple weeks though! Visibly noticeable results can take a bit longer though, typically between 10 to 12 weeks.

If you're looking to build strength and visible muscle definition, knowing the appropriate timeline can be a game changer in your expectations.