Progressive Lifting Programs

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etherealanwar
etherealanwar Posts: 465 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I recently started back up on a progressive lifting program and this time have increased my calories by 200 to better fuel my workouts. I am near my goal weight and figured a rate of 0.5 lb/week makes more sense. Out of curiosity, how long did it take before you saw visual progress from your lifting program? I've heard it takes a couple of years before you'll even look like you lift haha which is rather sad.
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  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
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    Around 3-4 months. I still don't look like I lift.
  • fitnessguy266
    fitnessguy266 Posts: 150 Member
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    etherealanwar wrote: »
    I recently started back up on a progressive lifting program and this time have increased my calories by 200 to better fuel my workouts. I am near my goal weight and figured a rate of 0.5 lb/week makes more sense. Out of curiosity, how long did it take before you saw visual progress from your lifting program? I've heard it takes a couple of years before you'll even look like you lift haha which is rather sad.

    Highly individualized results per individual, and adherence to program/macro/micronutrients will help paint your canvas in terms of appearance over time. I started to notice improvements in a little over 3 months when i first started, however i never recommend a baseline as to when that will occur for someone else. Genetic potential plays a factor, but does not dictate your potential over time.....I have seen some of the best physiques from individuals who believed they had less than optimal genetics. Godspeed!
  • fitnessguy266
    fitnessguy266 Posts: 150 Member
    edited December 2019
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    mom23mangos wrote: »
    Around 3-4 months. I still don't look like I lift.


    If this is your starting point, just within 3-4 months, my assumption would be you have potential.
  • Anna022119
    Anna022119 Posts: 545 Member
    edited December 2019
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    Six months or so. I came from a very skinny 'position'. A year on now and people in the gym make comments about my progress every now and again.
    Do I look like I lift with my clothes on? No, not really...

  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    So many difficult to quantify variables at play here: genetics, intensity, duration, hydration levels, body fat distribution.

    Keep that "years" goal in your mind and be pleased with anything sooner. Good to have a marathon over sprint mindset.

    I saw a noticeable difference after ~90 days, but was near my goal weight and at 15% body fat.
  • fitnessguy266
    fitnessguy266 Posts: 150 Member
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    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »
    ^^ What Mom23mangos said. Honestly, I only look like I lift when I'm actually IN THE GYM, LIFTING SOMETHING. The rest of the time, I look like a tired Mom or a surprisingly fidgety computer geek.

    Good point.

    I get comments sometimes if I wear a sleeveless shirt.

    Personally, I think I started to look like I lifted once I started training with a powerlifting coach and getting personalized training programs. Prior to that, I was doing Stronglifts 5X5 and I was getting stronger, but I didn't look ripped. But the photos below are from my Stronglifts days. You can decide for yourself whether I looked like I lifted or not.

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    Nice progress! I second the effectivness of the Stronglifts program! I am still currently sticking to it (adding a 4x6 variation to it) for both small bulk and cutting phases....hasn't let me down yet!
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
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    fitnessguy266 wrote: »
    mom23mangos wrote: »
    Around 3-4 months. I still don't look like I lift.[/quote


    If this is your starting point, just within 3-4 months, my assumption would be you have potential.

    Ha! No, that's years later, but not a huge change.
  • katermari
    katermari Posts: 137 Member
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    ive only started to notice my strength, it has been three years lol
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    It depends what you mean by look like you lift. I will probably never look like I lift. Visual changes for me were within the first few months.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,217 Member
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    I've found it was a pretty asymptotic progression for me; pretty notable changes in the 3-4 months after I started barbell weight training, then smaller changes since (~4.5 years at this point).

    If you believe the numbers from my skulpt body fat scanner, I've had a net gain of 15 lbs lean mass and dropped 8 lb of fat with have of that muscle coming in the first 3 months.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
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    I started lifting when I was super lean, so definition was pretty obvious. It took months to years to actually gain noticeable mass because I gained weight slowly.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    etherealanwar wrote: »
    I recently started back up on a progressive lifting program and this time have increased my calories by 200 to better fuel my workouts. I am near my goal weight and figured a rate of 0.5 lb/week makes more sense. Out of curiosity, how long did it take before you saw visual progress from your lifting program? I've heard it takes a couple of years before you'll even look like you lift haha which is rather sad.

    It really depends on your starting point and how much muscle mass you have to begin with. Someone who is "skinny"...ie little body fat and also little muscle mass will take awhile because putting on muscle mass is a long process.

    I started lifting again when I was still fat. I have done resistance training in some form or another on and off since I was 13 years old. I was also a competitive athlete from about 3rd grade through my senior year in high school and then served with a combat unit in the military afterwards. I also put on some muscle getting fat and having to move my fat body around. All this to say, I had a decent base of muscle mass when I started dieting and lifting, so results APPEARED to be more rapid. In reality, I benefited from some noob gains getting back into the weight room, but much of my results were a bi-product of having a decent amount of muscle mass to begin with and just cutting the fat to reveal that muscle. Within about 4-6 months I looked like I worked out...not big by any means, but I had developed much more of a "fitness physique." I built on that over the next 6 years or so...unfortunately, this past year has been a bit of a train wreck, so I have some work to do to get back to where I want to be.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    edited December 2019
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    When I was a teenager - weeks.
    When I was in my 20's & 30's - months.
    In my 50's - a lifetime. :wink:

    A lot depends on how lean you are - very small changes when you are lean jump out visually in terms of muscle definition/separation/vascularity. If you have a covering of fat then it takes a fairly big change in muscle size to be apparent. We tend to see and identify shapes better than size.

    There's a 300lb powerlifter in my gym, he doesn't look particularly strong until you notice how much the barbell is bending - just looks like a big bloke with a bit of a belly. There's also a 220lb physique competitor who everyone would recognise as someone who lifts seriously but is miles behind in term of strength.
  • cupcakesandproteinshakes
    cupcakesandproteinshakes Posts: 1,092 Member
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    Months to years for me. Depends on how responsive to training you are. These 90 day transformations do not reflect real life for most people. U gotta put in years of work. Sorrrrryyyyy
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    I'd like to point out that there's a lot of ground between seeing visual progress in your figure and looking ripped. For me, I saw visible changes in my figure within a few weeks of starting lifting.
  • etherealanwar
    etherealanwar Posts: 465 Member
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    Sorry let me clarify I just noticed I did not really specify what I meant. By visual progress I mean getting toned for the most part, ab definition for instance. I do not mean looking ripped haha, I know that takes a very long time and someone to be quite lean. Just really any amount of noticeable visual change that is attributed to your lifting.

    Thank you everyone for your replies!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    etherealanwar wrote: »
    Sorry let me clarify I just noticed I did not really specify what I meant. By visual progress I mean getting toned for the most part, ab definition for instance. I do not mean looking ripped haha, I know that takes a very long time and someone to be quite lean. Just really any amount of noticeable visual change that is attributed to your lifting.

    Thank you everyone for your replies!

    Definition comes with leanness...ie it's mostly your diet. Yes, you need the existing muscle which comes from lifting, but definition comes with leanness. Ab definition in particular, even if you're not talking about being ripped, generally requires a high degree of leanness in both men and women since the mid section is primary fat stores for many. Some men can have more ab definition at a bit higher BF%, but they are also very muscular in general. I've never seen this be the case with women.

    Also, particularly for women, a lot will come down to genetics. I know quite a few women who are athlete lean, and while they have very flat mid-sections, they have little to no ab definition. I know a couple of women who have good ab definition, but they are bikini competitors, and even then, they don't stay that lean year around.

    Ab definition is a tough one in that it basically goes against our biological evolution...trying to be that lean on purpose is pretty new.

    Also, going back to your first post...it shouldn't take a couple of years for your physique to change to the extent that people can tell that you workout and lift. It'll be a constant change over time...it's not like you look like you don't lift and then, bam...all of a sudden you do. I can usually tell someone has been hitting the weight room after a few months...it might not be where they want to be, but there are obviously visible changes. The thing is, a lot of people who get into lifting are never 100% where they want to be...thus years come into the conversation...also, you have to consider maintaining whatever look you're going for. That requires the same amount of work and when/if you stop, that look disappears fairly quickly.
  • gradchica27
    gradchica27 Posts: 777 Member
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    jennifer_417 wrote: »
    I'd like to point out that there's a lot of ground between seeing visual progress in your figure and looking ripped. For me, I saw visible changes in my figure within a few weeks of starting lifting.

    I saw noticeable differences in about 3-4 months, but like everyone else, it was more about looking a little “tighter”, less jiggly, not having visible muscle. I’m not sure what you mean by “seeing abs”, but I did start to see some changes in the midsection within that first year when I was at my lowest weight, but it was more the obliques and some lat definition, not really the six pack muscles.

    It took a good two years for me to see actual muscle, but usually that’s just in the gym or maybe when I’m actually flexing. Now almost 4 years in I am seeing some shape changes (wider shoulders, some visible muscle in my back and chest—but that’s also due to me dropping another 10lbs and having a pear shape, so upper body is leaner. I’m just just starting to see some quads in the right lighting and flexing the crap out of them. I may have glimpsed my top 2 abs after some illness induced dehydration, but usually not).

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