How long does strength training take to be effective

Under normal circumstances, if you maintain effective strength training 3-4 times a week for 45-60 minutes each time, you will be able to feel the changes in your physical condition in 2-4 weeks, and people around you will be able to intuitively see the difference in appearance in 3-6 months. If you want to stabilize the muscle shape and strength foundation, you need at least 1 year of regular training. Of course, this time has never been the standard answer, and the debate about "result time" in the fitness circle has never stopped. Some people say that they feel their strength has increased after practicing for a week, while others complain that there is no change after practicing for three months. In fact, there is nothing wrong with both opinions, but everyone has different standards for judging "effect".

I used to take care of a 99-year-old girl who just joined the company. Her waist hurt after sitting for two hours. She had to ask a male colleague to help her even change the bottle of water in the company. We practiced at noon three times a week, each time doing basic compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, and rowing. We didn’t even add fancy isolation movements. In the third week She came to me after get off work five and told me that after standing on the subway for 40 minutes that day, she didn't find an armrest to lean on, and her waist wasn't as sore as before. This actually meant that her core strength had improved, but her muscle mass hadn't increased significantly. Even the fluctuations in eating and drinking on the scale were bigger than this, so naturally no changes could be seen.

Many people complain that there is no effect after practicing for two months. Most of them stare at the numbers on the scale and compete with each other. If a normal person builds muscle naturally, he can gain 0.2-0.5kg of pure muscle every month, which is considered a very good speed. That weight is not as heavy as when you drink a cup of milk tea, so how can it show up on the scale so quickly? There was a male colleague who loved to drink ice cream. His weight did not change at all after practicing for three months. After taking off his work clothes, he found that the soft flesh on his stomach had tightened and his bust secretly increased by 3cm. He weighed himself every day and thought that he had practiced in vain for three months.

The often-quoted sayings on the Internet that “training the vest line in 7 days” and “the arms are 3cm thinner in 14 days” are not completely deceptive. Many people who have low body fat, but have loose muscles and suffer from edema, have learned to tighten their core after practicing for a few days. After staying up for two days less, the edema has gone away, and the vest line is indeed It shows its ability, but this effect has no foundation. After one week of stopping training and then two days of eating and drinking, it will return to its original shape. Most veterans in the industry do not recognize this "short-term effect", but for novices who are just getting started, it is not a bad thing if they can get such a small benefit and are willing to continue practicing.

Speaking of it, this thing is similar to the peach eggs grown on my balcony. In the first half month after planting, you can see the leaves are wilting and there is no movement. In fact, the roots under the soil have already taken root in full swing. When the roots are stable, the leaves will slowly start to round and grow fat. In the first few weeks of strength training, the nerves and muscles are "working together". The brain slowly learns how to mobilize more muscle fibers to produce force. After this running-in period, the muscles will steadily grow. There is really no need to hold the calendar and other effects. In my third year of training, I no longer count time. This week I can carry 2.5kg more and do three sets of squats than last week. This is a real result this week. It doesn’t matter who praises me for my good training.