Muscle Growth: How It Happens and When You'll See Results
Consistent strength training is the key to building muscle. While you may see some people gain muscle quickly all over social media, it's important to remember that building muscle is a marathon, not a sprint. Having a good routine and giving yourself a realistic timeline will yield the best results.
Muscle growth -- specifically optimal muscle protein synthesis -- depends on several key factors. Your diet and genetics both have a role to play. And sleep, a factor that many ignore, also plays a bigger part than you may realize. Read on to break down how muscle growth works -- and how long it can really take.
How muscle growth happens
Each muscle is made up of muscle fibers, which are cylindrical cells. Weight training breaks them down and recovery helps them grow.
Roger Harris/ScienceBuilding muscle involves the repair of microtraumas in your muscle fibers. Here's a breakdown of this extremely complex process:
1. Each muscle is made up of thousands of tiny muscle fibers.
2. When you lift weights (or do body weight exercises), your muscles endure tiny injuries throughout their fibers.
3. Then, when you rest your muscles, your body begins repairing your damaged muscle cells.
4. The repair process involves fusing torn muscle fibers back together, as well as laying down new proteins within each muscle cell.
5. Your muscles become bigger and stronger as a result of the repair process.
Keep in mind that the above is a tremendously simplified version of what actually happens in your body after a weight training workout. In reality, the process includes more than just your muscles -- your nervous system, circulatory system and endocrine system all contribute to muscle repair and growth.
How long does it take to see muscle growth?
Building muscle is super hard. If it was easy, we'd all be ripped.There's no one muscle-building timeline, because several factors affect your ability to build muscle mass, including:
Your protein intake: While all macronutrients have their roles, protein is king when it comes to building muscle. Your muscles need adequate protein to repair themselves after the stress of weight training. Without enough protein, muscle growth stagnates.
Your calorie intake: If you don't eat enough calories on a daily basis, you won't build muscle even if you eat a lot of protein. To build muscle, your body must create new tissue, and it can't create something from nothing. Extra fuel from extra calories expedites muscle recovery and growth. This is one reason many people never reach their muscle growth goals -- they aren't willing to deal with the extra body fat that comes along with a muscle-building phase.
Your sleep schedule: Lifting weights while sleep-deprived isn't a smart strategy. You might see some gains, but you definitely can't optimize muscle growth when you don't give your body a fighting chance to recover.
Your lifting routine: If you're trying to build muscle, you should know about two key strength training concepts: frequency and volume. Frequency refers to how often you train a muscle or muscle group, while volume refers to the total load you stress a muscle with.
For example, if you perform three sets of 10 reps on squats using 100 pounds, your total volume is 3,000 pounds. More volume and higher frequency typically equate to more muscle, unless you reach the point of overtraining.
Your training age: The more advanced you are, the less muscle growth you'll see (yeah, that sounds backward). Everyone has a maximum genetic potential for muscle growth, and the closer you get to yours, the harder it gets to build more muscle.
Your actual age: Like a lot of things, building muscle gets harder as you get older. Sarcopenia, or loss of muscle mass and function, is actually a big problem in older adults. That's one reason why it's so important to stay active as you get older.
Other major factors include your genetic potential for building muscle (which is impossible to quantify without lab testing, and even then, kind of wishy-washy) and your testosterone levels -- which is why men typically have more muscle than women. Other hormones, including human growth hormone and insulin growth factor, also play a role in muscle growth.
All that said, the muscle-building process starts the moment you challenge your muscles to do something. True beginners might see muscle growth within six weeks of starting a resistance training program, and advanced lifters may see results within six to eight weeks of switching up their usual strength training regimen.
Regardless of fitness level, building muscle takes several weeks, even when your diet, sleep and training regimen are all dialed in to optimize muscle growth.
Can you build muscle doing cardio?
Cardio that involves high-volume weight training can help you build muscle.This depends on your definition of cardio and your training age. Most people won't build much muscle from traditional cardio, such as walking or jogging, and people who've been training for a long time definitely won't build new muscle through traditional cardio. It doesn't recruit your muscles in a way that sends a muscle-building signal to your body.
However, cardio that involves high-intensity exercises like plyometrics (think jump squats) or high-volume weight training can help you build muscle to an extent. Sprinting hills, hiking, skiing and other outdoor cardio can also contribute a small amount to muscle mass, especially for beginners. People with a long training history may not see as much success with cardio.
Although cardio can improve your overall fitness and help build muscle in select scenarios, strength training remains the best way to build muscle mass.
Muscle growth FAQs
How long does it take to build muscle?
There isn't a fixed timeline for how long it'll take to build muscle. It can take several weeks to several months. Beginners will see results earlier than intermediate or advanced people. However, the main crux is to find and follow the right combination of resistance training, eating habits and rest. These will help your body achieve muscle protein synthesis -- the process that builds muscle -- and result in muscle growth.
How long does it take to have visible abs?
Like any other muscle group, training your abs will help them grow and become visible, but there is also an added variable of body fat. An expert we consulted mentioned a typical person will need to have 15% body fat (or less) for abs to be visible. However, this number can change based on your genetics.
Do your muscles grow on rest days?
Yes, muscles grow on rest days. Our muscles don't grow while exercising because working out results in small muscle tears. Rest days allow your muscles to repair and build back up from exertion. If you don't take adequate rest days, your muscles will break down and throw off your progress. Focusing on proper nutrition and getting enough sleep is essential during your rest days.
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CNN
19 minutes ago
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The science of sleep paralysis, a brain-body glitch making people see demons and witches
Sign up for CNN's Sleep, But Better newsletter series. Our seven-part guide has helpful hints to achieve better sleep. Baland Jalal lay in bed terrified, experiencing his own real-life horror film. Newly awake, the 19-year-old could see his surroundings but couldn't move or speak, and he didn't know why. He thought, ''My God, what do I do?'' Jalal, now 39, said of that moment in 2005. 'I tried to call my mom (and) dad, but no words would emerge from my throat. … I had this ominous presence of a monster, and it lifted my legs up and down. 'It strangled me, trying to kill me. And I was 100% sure that I was going to die,' Jalal added. 'It literally feels like all the evil of the universe is condensed into a bubble, and it's in your bedroom.' This type of hallucination is a hallmark for many people with sleep paralysis. 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During sleep paralysis, however, 'we regain consciousness before the muscles regain their freedom from REM-induced paralysis,' said Walker, who is also a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley About 40% of people with sleep paralysis have visual, auditory or tactile hallucinations, such as pressure on one's chest or feeling out of body, Jalal said. For about 90% of those individuals, the illusions are terrifying. They can include ghosts or cat- or alien-like creatures, and their actions can be as innocuous as simply approaching them or as nefarious as molesting or trying to kill them. In Jalal's academic travels, he discovered the contents and interpretations of hallucinations, views on what causes sleep paralysis, and episode frequency and duration can all also have a cultural basis. 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Couples who cuddle before sleep reap these health benefits, study reveals
Snuggling with your partner could be a win-win for your health. Cuddling at night promotes more secure attachment between partners and lowers stress levels, according to a new study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. Researchers from Auburn University examined data from 143 heterosexual "bed-sharing" couples, analyzing associations between physical closeness at sleep onset, perceived stress, attachment insecurity and sleep disturbance. Factors including daytime sleepiness, income, age, relationship length, sleep diagnoses and whether children or pets sleep in the bed were also considered. The results revealed that couples who assumed a physically closer position upon going to sleep were indirectly linked with "lower couple insecure attachment" (when they have trouble connecting emotionally) and lower stress. The researchers found no "significant" associations between physical closeness at sleep onset and the chances of sleep disturbance. While stress was found to be lower among cuddlers, the research found that cuddling did not increase sleep quality. The researchers concluded that physical closeness at sleep onset "may be a promising and amenable avenue for improving relational and physiological well-being." Sleep expert Wendy Troxel, PhD — a RAND Corporation senior behavioral specialist and licensed clinical psychologist in Utah — shared with Fox News Digital how these findings highlight the "vital role" that shared time and physical touch play in emotional well-being. Troxel, author of the book "Sharing the Covers: Every Couple's Guide to Better Sleep," commented on the "interesting" finding that cuddling did not influence sleep quality. "This suggests that it's the moments spent together before falling asleep — not necessarily sharing the entire night — that have the greatest positive effect on a relationship," said the expert, who was not involved in the study. "The simple act of cuddling before sleep likely triggers powerful psychological and physiological responses, such as increased emotional security and the release of oxytocin — the 'bonding hormone' associated with intimacy." These effects help reduce stress and deepen connection, which makes pre-sleep cuddling a "meaningful ritual for emotional health," Troxel said. "Whether you and your partner sleep together or apart, don't skip the cuddle before bed," she advised. "Even brief moments of closeness can enhance your relationship and overall well-being." While the study found that most couples sleep in the same position as their partner, 36.3% reported not touching or cuddling at night. Those who did touch reported sleeping back to back (19.6%), having some contact, like touching an arm or leg (23.1%), spooning (13.3%), intertwining (4.2%) and sleeping face to face (3.5%). Study co-author Josh R. Novak, PhD, associate professor at the Auburn University Department of Human Development and Family Science, confirmed in a statement to Fox News Digital that the more physically close position couples are in, the more feelings of "relational safety" were present due to lower stress. "Sleep is one of the most important ways we can manage our physical, relational and mental health," the researcher said. "Research has substantiated that sleep and relationship functioning are bidirectional and cyclical — meaning that bad sleep can negatively impact your relationship, and difficult relationship dynamics can lead to worse sleep." "Sleep is one of the most important ways we can manage our physical, relational and mental health." Novak added that non-sexual physical affection has generally been deemed "critical" for relationships, but there seems to be more "emotional and relational benefit" when there's full-body contact. "My study suggests that cuddling with a partner can be both a barometer of how a relationship is doing and a way to maintain or repair a relationship, as well as lower stress levels," he said. The researchers did not study how much time was spent in a cuddling position, leaving Novak to be "skeptical" of whether it leads to sleep disturbances. "What happens most often is that cuddling only happens for a bit until both partners fall asleep, but there could be a select few that cuddle throughout the whole night," he said. For more Health articles, visit "My hunch is that most use cuddling to induce sleepiness and the feeling of safety and to reduce stress and anxiety, and that afterward either their body temperature increases too much, or there is discomfort and the need to shift around becomes necessary." Novak encouraged couples to cuddle if stress levels are high, as it's a nonverbal way to feel "secure and safe." "Although research needs to substantiate this further, it might also imply that, in the face of conflict during the day that is not solved or repaired … cuddling might be a way to start that process and move toward repair," he added.
Yahoo
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This food staple is great for your heart health: Expert
It's a rice that's nice for your health. Red yeast rice won't go down as the most popular variety on earth, but it's one that health experts say should be on your radar. 'Red yeast rice is a brightly coloured compound used in food and health products that is made by fermenting rice with a special type of yeast known as Monascus purpureus,' Amanda Frick, vice-president medical affairs at Thorne, said, per the New York Post. 'Red yeast rice has been used in traditional Chinese and Western botanical medicine to maintain healthy cholesterol levels and support blood circulation.' According to research, the crimson product contains naturally occurring compounds that can help keep total and LDL cholesterol, as well as triglycerides — the most common type of fat in the body — at optimal levels. The rice variety also contains other compounds such as phytosterols betasitosterol, campesterol, stigmasterol and isoflavones that can help keep your heart running smoothly. The magic element has less to do with what's in it as it does with what's on it. 'Red yeast rice does get a lot more attention for its health benefits than your everyday white or brown rice. The 'magic' of red yeast rice isn't actually in the rice itself — it's in what's grown on it,' Frick said. 'While white and brown rice provide a source of carbohydrates and fibre (depending on the rice type), they do not contain the additional nutrients like sterols and antioxidants that are found in red yeast rice.' While referred to as a rice, it's actually more commonly found in powdered form or as a supplement, or in some fermented foods. 'There are foods like fermented tofu, red rice vinegar and Japanese rice wine (sake) that include red yeast rice,' Frick said. 'Depending on the specific use in traditional Chinese medicine, it may be best prepared with other food ingredients or at a particular temperature. 'For uses in botanical medicine, it's often preferred to offer in a supplement form for consistent delivery of the bioactive compounds in red yeast rice.' A zest for life: Savouring Italy's lemons and the Mediterranean lifestyle Nostalgia of flavours in Hong Kong's cuisine scene The side effects tend to be relatively mild — gas, tummy troubles, headache and reddish poop — but red yeast rice isn't for everyone. 'As with any new dietary supplement, it's important to discuss starting red yeast rice with your health professional, who can determine if this is the right option for you, your lifestyle and your overall wellness plan,' she said. 'Women who are trying to become pregnant, pregnant or breastfeeding shouldn't take red yeast rice. Those who have kidney or liver disease also shouldn't take it. Additionally, it may interact with certain medications, supplements, alcohol and grapefruit.' One potential red flag is contamination. Some red yeast supplements can contain citrinin — a toxic byproduct of the fermentation process that can damage kidneys or liver.
