How long does it take the body to build muscle?

Kat2002

Kat2002

Cathlete
Hey everyone,

Once I was reading a fitness magazine and a woman had written in to ask if her weight gain could be muscle. The answer that the magazine gave was that she could not possibly build muscle in that amount of time, because it takes ____ amount of time to build muscle (I think it said something like 6 weeks). It's hard for me to believe that this is true because I've seen some pretty immediate changes in my muscle tone and I've seen the scale go up once I've begun exercising (without real changes in eating, I'm convinced it's muscle!). Any experts know how long it really takes for the body to build muscle?

Thanks in advance!

--Kathleen--
 
It takes about 6-8 weeks to start building muscle. However, the old line "muscles weigh more than fat" is a myth. Muscle weighs .01% more than fat.
 
Recently read something that with increase in weights and increase in healthy eating, someone can gain .5 to 1 lb per week of muscle. This may be males. Same article said if you don't notice an increase on the scale in 3 weeks to change something, most likely eat more (clean food calories of course)

(this was an article for hard gainers).

Curiously, I realized for the first time that to gain muscle, one needs to eat a surplus in calories. Whoa! Hell-o. Of course, if one is merely trying to change their body composition of course it is a give and take...fat could be burned while simultaneously adding muscle, therefore calorie intake should be at or below maintenance level....I guess? I guess I will leave that up to the scientists on the board! ;-)

It seems like the first 6 weeks of getting back to my routines is when I notice the biggest change in my body. That appears to be common (according to the article).

I personally have found using calipers at home to measure my bodyfat very helpful.

Geesh now are we all confused. :)
Jen
 
Yeah, that's a common problem w/this topic. Personally I just go by how I look in the mirror & don't worry about the scale.;-)
 
There was a recent post with respect to women and muscle mass gain on this forum called something like "Muscle Mass and Metabolism". The post is several weks old. Basically women can gain at a rate of about 1lb of muscle every 4-6weeks initially and this is if they are working hard. After about a few months the rate of muscle development drops significantly. It was also disturbing to hear the revised figures for calories burned per day at rest. Muscle only burns about 5-10 more calories/day than does fat. Muscle takes up less space than fat and weighs more per per unit volume than fat. The post said that weightlifter women who do steroids also typically only add 11-13 lbs muscle mass. It is just tougher for women in this regard. I continue to lift however for strength and health gains and whatever gains I can make in muscle mass and bone density. I also like how it makes me feel.
 
Thanks everyone for the input! I like to know the hows and the whys of this type of thing. :) Is it possible to see changes in the existing muscle without gaining muscle mass? Do muscles "swell" when they're sore..could that cause a change in weight or am I just backwards on that?

The scale is a devilish tool, isn't it? I'm still weighing, but I'm being more objective about it--not attaching it to my success in any way. Just curious about what's "really" going on w/ those numbers.

Thanks all,

Kathleen
 
I always weigh more when I workout. If I stop working out for a few weeks..especially weights..I always lose weight. Yes, muscles swell and that swelling means there is water being held. You are tighter..those effects are brought on by something. If you are losing fat and gaining muscle you should either be staying the same or slightly losing....

Maximus..it is not a myth then. Muscle DOES way more than fat. Just not much more.:)
 
Hey have you guys ever looked at the stats of some of the body builders or fitness competitors....I am always surprised by how MUCH they weigh. Shorter women than me weighing 5 to 10 lbs more than me, looking really good (except for the body builders, not a look I want, but don't mean to introduce that topic into this thread). I always assumed that must mean that muscles weigh more...maybe the myth thing was how much more calories a lb of muslce burns rather than a lb of fat.

I believe in not living by the scale either but for analytical types like me I do need something other than how I look that week to measure my progress. I combine it with calipers though so I know the issues at play.

One lb per 4 to 6 weeks! Yikes! That seems so slow. Oh well. I suppose it is genetic as well.
 
If you are trying to lose weight, the scale IS a good indicator. A lot of individuals want to rationalize a lack of movement on the scale to a balancing act of losing fat but gaining muscle or swollen muscle tissue. The facts that if you are a typical woman,1) you can only gain muscle at a rate of about a lb per 4-6 weeks early on (first couple of months) and then that rate drops significantly and 2)that the average women will only have gained about 4-6 lbs muscle total (steady state level)from her pre workout muscle mass indicates that the lack of movement on the scale can only be used to rationalize the presence of a couple of lbs at most. If the scale isn't moving and you goal is to lose weight, kick the activity up a notch and clean up the eating.
 
Cathy,

Thanks for your input and advice. I do think that regardless of what is or isn't going on w/ my muscles, I really do need to kick the cardio up a notch and work on that clean eating!

--Kathleen--
 
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