The time required for muscle development depends upon the muscle building workout routine and the diet of the person. Here is some information about the various factors which affect the time required to build muscles.
Proper workout, balanced diet and adequate rest are the keywords for success in muscle building. Plan in advance what you want to achieve and after consulting the physician, fitness trainer and the dietitian, follow the plan in a disciplined manner. Many factors can influence your progress and muscle growth will never come at a predictable steady pace.
Along with diet and exercise, your day-to-day habits and genetic factors would also influence muscle building. That is why it is very difficult to provide an accurate answer to the question 'how long does it take to build muscle'. Holidays, illness, and injury may hamper your plans.
Other factors like 'ceiling of adaptation' also influence the muscle building process. A person who's been exercising with weights for many years will build muscle slowly than the person who's just starting out. Thus the average time to build muscle may vary from person to person depending upon numerous factors.
How to Build Muscle Quickly
Exercise
For quick results, you should concentrate on all your muscle groups and give equal time for their development. You should plan, and perform the workout routines accordingly.
You should perform your workouts with enthusiasm and have patience, as there are no shortcuts, and the goal cannot be achieved overnight.
Also, it should be kept in mind not to exert yourself in order to build the muscles fast. Perform about 10-12 sets per muscle group for better results. However, you can repeat the sets about 5-6 times more for the most muscle growth. This way, the workouts would last for about 45 minutes.
To gain more muscle, you may use heavier weights and move through each repetition at a controlled speed. Remember, if your sets last for less than 60-70 seconds, that means you're not tensing your muscles long enough to help them grow.
Simple cardiovascular exercises like walking, jogging, jump rope exercises, etc. should be performed as warm up exercises.
Cooling down exercises should also be performed to relax the muscles. When more muscles are involved in your training session, more hormones are released, which stimulate muscle growth all day long.
In balanced training, you exercise each muscle group almost the same which allows you to build muscles fast and safely. In this way you can preserve flexibility of the muscles, and avoid injuries.
Diet
Exercise alone cannot help build muscles, you need to concentrate on your diet too. A low-fat high-protein diet can provide you with sufficient energy. You can have 1 gram of protein for 1 pound of your weight. This would be the right quantity of protein in your diet.
Fresh vegetables and fruits can offer you the required nutrients, therefore they should also be included in your diet. You should opt for healthy carbohydrates from whole grains. Fast food, soft and alcoholic drinks, chocolates, sweets, and smoking should be avoided.
Also, muscle building routines may lead to dehydration, therefore, drink plenty of water and other healthy beverages like soups, shakes, juices, etc. You should consult your physician before opting for body building supplements.
Rest
No matter how hard you exercise and how strict is your diet, it won't be possible to gain muscles quickly unless you take adequate rest. Muscles don't grow when you workout in the gym, they grow when you are resting. Ample rest is required for the proper growth of muscles.
Minimum 7-8 hours of sleep is essential, and resting for 1-2 days in a week is also essential for the growth of muscles. Resting between the two sets of workouts is of equal importance, and a short break from workout can also be beneficial. However, the break should not be too long.
Remember, the techniques that worked for others need not necessarily work for you. So, don't copy others blindly or you may end up hurting yourself. It is better to consult the fitness instructor and the dietitian to find out the fastest way of building muscles for you.
After performing the right exercises and following proper diet, you would be able to notice the difference within one or two months.