How long did it take you to get the muscle gains you wanted?

serapel

I've been lifting seriously for about 5 months now and I'm starting to see results. I have not reached my goals yet, but I'm seeing the mass come on slowly.

cwolfman13

I don't think most people are ever where they want to be...

jemhh

I started lifting in July 2014. I am going to say more than 28 months.

Dano74

The day you started lifting is the day you will be forever small.

But for reals, packing on a pound of legit muscle a month (post any "noob gains") is impressive.

piperdown44

I dunno. Once I get there I'll let you know......

TR0berts

A looooooooooooong time.

sardelsa

Well you already know my story for the most part!
But I don't know if I will ever be 100% happy, I think maybe after a few more bulk/cut cycles. So 5 years from now? Sigh.

I was pretty happy after my first bulk though. I gained 10lbs in 4.5 months, then cut a few lbs. Then I got pregnant, lost a bit of muscle so here I am bulking again. This time a bit slower so my patience is really being tested!

jessef593

I've been lifting for coming up on 2 years, despite a very slow start I've been making progress. Since starting I've added on about 15-20lbs of lean mass. Which would be closer to 25-30 if I hadn't had as much of a misinformed beginning. But being close to my goals? Absolutely not, another 2-3 years minimum. It's a lifetime commitment.

rybo

cwolfman13 wrote: »

I don't think most people are ever where they want to be...

This. I lifted weights for 15 years starting my late teens. And while putting on a significant amount of muscle & size, I was never really where I wanted to be.

DopeItUp

5 years and counting. I'm sure I never will either. Not without a ton of drugs.

usmcmp

Approaching the six year mark, still not where I want to be. I passed my first goal at about the two and a half year mark. After that I realized there's always more I can do.

canadianlbs

muscle itself is secondary to me; i just like the strength part. not going to be done with that ever, probably.

Packerjohn

Been lifting for 40+ years, have never gotten where I want to be. Maybe that's why I still love it.

ninerbuff

When I started and when I did my first show..............3 years. And I was still "skinny" compared to other competitors.


A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

jennybearlv

When I lose enough fat to see my muscles I'll let you know. I've been lifting on and off for two years, most of that unintentionally bulking, so I'm hopeful there is something under there. Right now all I can do is celebrate my strength gains.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

been lifting over 4 years,not where I want to be. Im still in a deficit trying to lose the rest of the weight and fat.the last 7-8 months have been really slow for me. took 4 months for me to lose 1.2 lbs.

leeannek1

I took pole dancing classes and have gained some muscle and definition within 6 months... too bad I wasn't able to maintain it.

Willbenchforcupcakes

Been lifting for 5 years, and while I've transitioned from aesthetic goals to almost completely strength goals, the truth is there is never ever going to be enough weight on my bars for me to be satisfied. Happy yes, satisfied no.

trigden1991

Changing perception, slower progress than expected and a dash of body dysmorphia ensure that most people never achieve their dream physique.

D4LB

You always want more muscle gainz lol and you will never be satisfied haha

jenilla1

I started to really see noticeable results after about 3-4 months the first time around. Not sure if that's slow or not. As far as being a super strong beast, I don't think it's gonna happen. I'm just not the type. Am I stronger than I was when I started? Heck, yes. By a lot. People are surprised that such a scrawny looking woman can haul heavy loads. But I still have a lot more work to do (I'm thinking years) to get anywhere near as awesome as I'd like to be.

I was doing great for a couple of years, and I was pretty much exactly where I wanted to be, but then I stupidly took about 5 months off to pursue other projects and during that short period, I seemed to have lost all those years of awesomeness. Now it's taking a lot longer this time around to get back to where I want to be than it did the first time. It's been at least 7 months and I'm just now starting to feel like it's coming back. And that's even after adding more protein than before. Maybe it's just old age kicking in. Anybody know why that might be?

trigden1991

jenilla1 wrote: »

I started to really see noticeable results after about 3-4 months the first time around. Not sure if that's slow or not. As far as being a super strong beast, I don't think it's gonna happen. I'm just not the type. Am I stronger than I was when I started? Heck, yes. By a lot. People are surprised that such a scrawny looking woman can haul heavy loads. But I still have a lot more work to do (I'm thinking years) to get anywhere near as awesome as I'd like to be.

I was doing great for a couple of years, and I was pretty much exactly where I wanted to be, but then I stupidly took about 5 months off to pursue other projects and during that short period, I seemed to have lost all those years of awesomeness. Now it's taking a lot longer this time around to get back to where I want to be than it did the first time. It's been at least 7 months and I'm just now starting to feel like it's coming back. And that's even after adding more protein than before. Maybe it's just old age kicking in. Anybody know why that might be?

Once you go through your "noob gains", muscle gain is slower.

A female with minimal training experience and optimal diet/training conditions could look to gain 1lb of lean mass a month. It may just be your expectations are too high. Keep going all you'll get where you want to be.

LivingtheLeanDream

I've been building muscle mass over the past 15 months. I've seen significant gains slowly over that time but I'm still not where I hoped I'd be, not in my abs area anyway but I am happy (enough) with how I look now.

mgalovic01

cwolfman13 wrote: »

I don't think most people are ever where they want to be...

True that. You got to enjoy the journey, though results do help.