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  • Writer's pictureMohamed Darwiche

How long does a beginner take to build muscle?

Updated: Apr 26

It takes more than just turning up and working out whenever and however one wants in order to build muscle. To create the physiological response that results in hypertrophy, the process that causes the muscles to develop, one must add a few crucial methods into the training routine.


There are a few techniques one may use, such as blood flow restriction exercise and ingesting more protein, depending on how enormous one wants muscles to get, but in general, one can anticipate the process to take somewhere between three and 12 weeks. An expert lifter might only be able to gain approximately half a pound in a month, compared to a beginner's range of one to four pounds.


The term "hypertrophy" refers to the enlargement of an organ or tissue as a result of an increase in cell size. This natural process takes place when the body is under enough stress to cause tissue damage, which sets off a repair process that equips the body to handle the same amount of effort the following time without causing as much harm. What's really happening as the tissue is a process of "stimulation and healing." By lifting weights that are heavier than the body is used to, you trigger an inflammatory and hormonal response that increases cellular activity, cell growth, and muscle cross-sectional area.


Genetics, food, exercise, and hormones are just a few of the variables that affect how much muscle one can actually gain and how soon. One should also take into account the beginning body composition.


There isn't a single muscle-building timeframe because a number of factors, such as the following, affect the capacity to add muscle mass.


  • Protein intake: While every macronutrient has a place in building muscle, protein reigns supreme. To recover from the strain of weight exercise, the muscles require enough protein. Muscle growth slows down in the absence of enough protein.

  • Sleeping pattern: Trying to lift weights when sleep deprived is not a wise move. If one doesn't allow the body a chance to heal, one might see some increases, but one can't possibly optimize muscle growth.

  • Exercise regimen: The ideas of frequency and volume in strength training are crucial if you want to gain muscle. In contrast to volume, which refers to the overall load subjected to a muscle. Frequency relates to how frequently an exercise is performed on a muscle or a set of muscles.

The production of hormones like growth hormone and testosterone, as well as the availability of amino acids and other nutrients, all play a role in the process of growing muscle.


Resistance exercise and consuming enough protein and other nutrients are your main tools for accelerating the body's rate of protein synthesis, which is essential for the growth of new muscle tissue.


The right amount of resistance training triggers the body's hormonal reaction to grow muscle, but to ensure that the process leads to muscle gains as opposed to muscle losses, there must be enough protein and calories available.


Bulking phases are training phases where one consumes more calories than expended to support muscular growth. While eating and exercising sufficiently to prevent muscle loss, cutting is the process of reducing calories in order to reduce body fat.

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