How Long Does it Take to Build Muscle

People love to flaunt if they have a well toned body. But why is it so that in spite of spending hours in the neighborhood gym, they hardly find success? They don't know about the ways of building muscles fast. Proper workouts, balanced diet and adequate rest are the keywords for success. You have to plan in advance what you want to achieve and after consulting the physician, fitness trainer and the dietitian, you are supposed to follow the plan in a disciplined manner. So many factors can influence your progress. Muscle growth will never come at a predictable steady pace.

Along with diet and exercise, your day-to-day habits and genetic factors would influence muscle building. That is why it is very difficult to provide an accurate answer to the question 'how long does it take to build muscle'. Holidays, illness and injury can destroy your plans. It is possible that you decide to skip training for a day or a week, vowing to "start fresh" on Monday! Other factors like 'ceiling of adaptation' also influence the muscle building process. A person who's been exercising with weights for many years will build muscle slowly than the person who's just starting out. Thus the average time to build muscle may vary from person to person depending upon numerous factors. Here are the best ways to build muscles fast.

How to Build Muscle Quickly

Exercise: For quick building of muscle, you should concentrate on all your muscle groups and give equal justice to their development. You should plan and perform workout routines accordingly. You should do your workouts with enthusiasm and have patience. There are no shortcuts and the goal cannot be achieved overnight or in a day or two! To build muscles fast, do not overexercise. Doing about 10-12 sets per muscle group will be better. You can repeat the sets about 5-6 times and 10-12 times for the most muscle growth. This way, your workouts would last for about 45 minutes. To gain more muscle, you may use heavier weights and move through each repetition at a controlled speed. Remember, if your sets last for less than 60-70 seconds, that means you're not tensing your muscles long enough to shock them into growth. Simple cardiovascular exercises like walking, jogging, jump rope exercises, should be performed as warm up exercises. Cooling down exercises should also be performed religiously. When you involve more muscles in your exercise or training session, more hormones will be released and this will stimulate muscle growth all day long. In balanced training, you hit each muscle group with almost same amount. Balanced training allows you to build muscles fast and safely. You can preserve flexibility of the muscles and avoid injuries.

Diet: Exercise alone cannot help build muscles fast. As you are thinking about building muscle fast, you need to concentrate on your diet too. I am sure you would like to know about the low fat, high protein and high carbohydrate diet plan which can help in muscle building. A low fat high protein diet can provide you sufficient energy. You can have 1 gram of protein for 1 pound of your weight. This would be the right quantity of protein in your diet. Fresh vegetables and fruits can offer you the required nutrients, so they should be included in your diet. You should opt for good carbohydrates from whole grains. Junk and fast food, soft and alcoholic drinks, chocolates, sweets, smoking should be avoided. And remember, muscle building routines should not lead to dehydration. You should drink plenty of water and other healthy liquids like soups, shakes, juices, etc. You should consult your physician before opting for body building supplements.

Rest: No matter how hard you exercise and how strict is your diet, it won't be possible to gain muscles quickly unless you take adequate rest, as muscles don't grow when you workout in the gym, they grow when you are resting. Ample rest is required for the proper growth of muscles. Minimum 7-8 hours of sleep is essential and resting 1-2 days in a week is also essential for the growth of muscles. Resting between the two sets of workouts is of equal importance and a short break from workout can also be beneficial. The break should not be too long.

Remember, the techniques that worked for others need not necessarily work for you. Don't copy others blindly or you may end up hurting yourself. It is better to consult the fitness instructor and the dietitian to find out the fastest way of building muscles for you. You would be able to notice the difference within one or two months.