How Long To Get Fit?
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How long does it take to get fit? Weeks, months, even years? The answer depends on where you start out from and how you define being fit: as muscular, slim or both.
The Road To Being Fit
One day you probably decided that it’s time to change and do something about your body. For a skinny person that usually means gaining weight, preferably in the form of muscle. For someone who is overweight, the goal is to lose some pounds. These two definitions of “getting fit” are very different:
You can find the Tokyo study about vigorous exercise leading to noticeable differences in muscle mass after three months right behind this link.
Fit In X Weeks Programs?
You no doubt at some point saw advertisements for workout programs that promise you “30 lbs of muscle in six weeks”, “build a six-pack in a month” or “get toned by summer” or some other nonsense. It is nonsense precisely because of the reasons we talked about above: A 300 lbs guy who started losing weight and working out in March won’t look like Michelangelo’s David by June and it is physiologically impossible to build enormous amounts of muscle mass in the first weeks of training.
But don’t take my words for it: In 2004, scientists from the University of Wisconsin put together a six-week workout program very similar to those offered by Body For Life (“12 weeks to mental and physical strength”) and Beachbody (“pack on up to 20 pounds of muscle in 90 days”). Not a single subject developed washboard abs and the difference in their physical appearance and attractivity judged by others was just about zero (PDF).
Of course, it’s entirely up to you to believe that all that muscle materializes out of thin air in the latter six weeks of those programs. They do make in a difference in your appearance at some point, but for many people it will take much, much longer than they promise.
Picture courtesy of “dave” / morgueFile.
Tags: bodybuilding, exercise, fitness, how long does it take to get fit, how long to get fit, six-pack, strength training, video, weight loss, workout
7 Comments
That can be viewed as the question least liked by artists,”How long did that take you to do?”
An answer to both questions could be “My whole life!”
However, I can’t say that I remember the day, but I do remember getting a feeling after I had been running consistently for a few months that felt very good, and I did not want to lose it. I called that feeling being in shape. For what it’s worth, I still got it
I think you do!
This is one of your most important videos Evil.
I will however note that this really should be a two or more parter.
THIS video is more aptly titled : How long DOESN’T it take to get fit.
This video is mostly dispelling the MYTHS of getting ripped in a few months.
You will need a follow up video outlining how long it DOES take, that’s a whole other subject.
I really would like to see a follow up video on how long it DOES take, what to expect after
6 months
12 months
18 months
24 months
etc
For each age group
Teen
20 – 30
40 – 50
etc
Expectations are terribly important, but there is a massive amount of misinformation out there.
Some detailed samples would be great. It’s really hard to envision
5, 10, or 20 lbs and how that LOOKS on a person.
Heah William, it is extremely difficult to say how long it takes, because it depends on so many factors: age, sex, gentic disposition, type of training etc.
The one thing I can say with some certainty is that after a year of regular training there will be no mistaking you for someone that doesn’t train, but that it most likely takes 3 – 4 years to reach the amount of muscle some fitness gurus claim they got in six months.
As for what it looks like: I will ponder that! Thanks for the interesting idea!
Scooby has an expectations calculator on his website, but it’s only numerical.
The missing piece of the puzzle is some honest samples of what muscle gain looks like and how long it takes to hit that mark.
Scooby can tell you to expect 5 lbs of muscle gain a year, but he isnt’ showing anyone what that looks like.
Most people dont’ know what an additional 5 lbs or 12 lbs looks like spread out over the body.
That’s what’s needed in my opinion. For your part 2.
I still don’t consider myself fit. Fitter than I was at 300 pounds, but I honestly know that I could work harder. No excuses here – I am making a choice to stay at this particular fitness level. However, I have been working harder at strength training (love your videos) because I know that I am at the age where that is really no longer a choice.
Yes, I can echo that. When I started out, I thought there would be a definitive point where I could sit back and think, “heah, it’s finished”. Today I see it as a work in progress, where I improve some aspects and have to maintain others.