Why Don’t We Look At The Subject Of How Much Time Does It Require To Develop Muscle Mass?

If you are a younger man who is just starting to train, one of the main questions that you are likely to ask is, “how long does it take to build muscle?”. That answer actually depends upon a number of factors. We have put together some helpful information to address the essential factors involved with building muscle and how long it will take to build muscle.

To answer “How long does it take to build muscle,” first let’s look at age.

If you are too young you simply won’t have maturity and hormonal environment for proper muscle growth. I would say the earliest you can expect to begin adding muscle will be around the age of 16. The REAL gains, however, don’t even begin, for a young man, until he reaches ages eighteen to twenty-one. That being said, I do remember a guy in my high school who had an extremely impressive physique at the age of 17. Also, Taylor Lautner added quite a bit of size before “New Moon”.

Another factor is your current amount of muscle mass.

Each individual has an “upper limit” of muscle that they are able to attain, without the assistance of drugs, and this limit is determined by a genetic predisposition. As you reach this genetic limit, building additional muscle will become more challenging and take longer. The “plateau,” in this case, may be difficult for some to overcome, especially if continuing the same exercise program (even if it has been effective until now). So if you have already added 15 pounds of muscle to your body, don’t expect to add the next 15 pounds rapidly. Obviously if you use steroids then the standard rules don’t apply. However, with steroid use, and it’s rapid muscle gains, comes it’s share of downfalls!

Another factor in building muscle is the effort and time you commit to your training.

“How long does it take to build muscle”, will be shortened dramatically if a large portion of the week is devoted to adding muscle. We’ve all witnessed our favorite Hollywood celebrities get totally “buff” for a particular film project. The reality of it is, they have spent the MAJORITY of their WHOLE WEEK doing some INTENSE workouts! It’s actually quite often that these celebs will devote EVERYDAY of the week to training before a movie role. Obviously, the “Average Joe” like you and I can’t just up-and-quit our jobs to workout 24/7! Building muscle is a decent goal, but it isn’t so important that it needs to take over your life.

Let’s Take a Look at Some Practical Time Frames for Gaining Muscle

A very realistic goal is that you can expect to safely, naturally, and healthily put on fifteen to twenty pounds of good muscle definition in your initial two years – This is assuming that the person is older than 17. Muscle growth comes much slower after that – at a rate of about two to three pounds a year. These are, of course, estimations for the “general public.” Keep in mind that other variables, like genetics, can alter your results. how long does it take to build muscle? As you can see, it’s not the same for everybody. But by understanding these factors, you are MUCH BETTER PREPARED to gain some solid muscle!