How long it takes to see results from strength training

In a study of 25 sedentary men who started strength training, the thigh muscle had already grown measurably by around week 3 or 4, and after 8 weeks it had increased by 9.6%. Maximal strength began to rise clearly in week 4 (DeFreitas et al., 2011).

It’s a small study of men only, and the authors warn that part of the early increase may have been swelling of the muscle. Even so, it shows that your body starts to respond within a few weeks.

Here is how long some of my clients’ processes lasted, with the data from their cases. Virginia: 4 months of mock prep, in which she improved her strength and body composition while losing only 2.5 kg. Pedro: about 7 months of prep until he finished third at the Spanish Natural Bodybuilding Junior Championship.

Fabián: 10 months between the before and after photos. Rubén: 11 months training remotely. These are people with competition goals, so don’t take it as a promise: every process depends on where you start and what you can keep up.

What matters most is what you repeat: training on your training days, sleeping and eating enough protein (the ISSN recommends 1.4 to 2.0 g per kilo a day if you train). And set yourself a goal: if you know where you are going, you can measure whether you are getting closer.

Take photos from the front, the side and the back every few weeks, with the same light and in the same place, like the ones you see on my case pages. Write down the weights you lift too.