How Long Does It Take To Get Fit?

Question

I just joined a gym early this month.....I've been going regularly, which I mean is about 2-3 times a week. I'm not too fat and not thin either....somewhere in the middle...more to the plum side. I just want to know how long would it take for me to reach my goal of becoming fit.

Fit, meaning not so bulk and muscular cause I'm only 16, just ordinary lean muscles....some say 2 months....some say 3 months.....is it true?....any experienced people?

Answer 1

"Fit" is not a term that can truly be measured accurately. Being "fit" is a lifelong commitment. And if being "fit" is your goal, you will NEVER reach it.

Set your goals in small incremental amounts. So if you can currently only curl a 30 lb dumbbell with your weaker arm 6 times, then set a goal of being able to curl a 40 lb dumbbell 6 times with the weaker arm. That is an attainable goal.

Likewise, if you are fat, set a goal of losing 10 lbs of fat. Or set a goal of gaining 10 lbs of lean muscle mass. Those types of goals we could perhaps come up with a ballpark figure of how long it will take you.

Even then, it will always depend upon your level of commitment to achieving the goal. You have to be focused and go after that goal with all you have.

If you are just going to lift weights that are easy, that you can sling around 20 times fairly easily, then you won't achieve much. But if you aim to do something which you can only do with great difficulty and do that consistantly - then you will make gains toward your goal. So find out on each exercise a weight which you will fail before you complete a 7th repetition. Work with that weight until you can easily do 7 repetitions, and then move up to the next larger weight and repeat the cycle. If you fail to do 4 reps with the weight, then move down to a smaller weight.

You will want to do 3 sets of 4 to 7 repetitions with that heavy weight on each exercise. Target 1 muscle group each day and don't work out each muscle group more than once a week. So you might target your chest and abs one day, your back the next day, legs the day after that, and arms the day after that, and then take a couple of days of to rest and then start the cycle over. Toss a day of heavy aerobics (running or bicycling) in there somewhere as well.

Eat right. The muscles won't grow if they don't get nutrition. The most important time is right after your lifting. A fast acting whey protein isolate right after the last set of lifting is very important. And then eat a small meal an hour later. Try to eat a little bit of protein every 3 hours throughout the day.

These are all very general details. For more specifics read through the various articles found here:
http://www.abcbodybuilding.com