Working Out Regularly? This Is How Long It Takes to See Results

“I usually run people on 12-week cycles, and at that 12-week mark we’ll start adding in progressions that will allow them to break through that plateau,” says Ayotte. “It could be that we did dumbbell squats for the first 12 weeks, so for the next 12 weeks we’re introducing barbells. It’s about throwing in new things once you become competent with a certain movement pattern.”

Training blocks smash mental ones

The inconvenient truth about progress, regardless of whether you’re pushing weight in the gym or running laps around the track, is that you have to train uncomfortably hard to see meaningful results. “Most people don’t push themselves hard enough to change,” says Ayotte. “To get to that next level, you have to get those muscles to turn on and push that little bit extra. You can’t get comfortable.”

For example, we now know that to maximize muscle growth, you have to be training to failure, or at least very close to it. Similarly, you can’t expect to shave seconds off your running splits if you’re not pushing yourself against the clock. But if you can dig deep on a consistent basis, the gains are there to be had. According to Ayotte, two months is enough time for seasoned lifters and runners to expect to see “significant” muscle and pace gains, respectively.

Training blocks not only switch up the stimulus on your body, allowing you to continue to unlock further progress; they can serve as a mental reset, so you can keep pushing with renewed motivation and grit. “That’s probably the most important factor to see long-term gains,” says Parker. “It makes for a more interesting year. And it allows you to feel like you’re making progress all the time.”

Zoom out—and lock in

Depending on the metrics you’re tracking, progress doesn’t always need to take months, or even weeks. For example, “if your paces are dialed in, and you’re focusing on recovery, you should probably see a five to 10-second drop in your easy run pace per week,” Ayotte says. But that doesn’t mean you should be scrutinizing progress on a weekly basis.

For one, not all of your goals will progress at the same rate, and some inherently require more time than others. For instance, it typically takes longer to see new muscle in the mirror than it does to add heavier plates to the bar. “Usually, you’ll see the strength come first,” says Ayotte. “Similarly, in running, we always say that endurance training builds the engine, and speed comes after that.”

Viewing your training on a broader timeline will give you the truest sense of your progress. It also accounts for the fact that progress is not always linear. “Over a long time horizon, it would be very unlikely for someone to entirely eliminate the risk of injury,” says Parker. In fact, you may even want to schedule planned “setbacks” into your training. “My recommendation would always be to take a deload week every three to five weeks, where you’re massively reducing your mileage and intensity, to allow your body to recover,” he says. “It can also be an opportunity for you to check in, and see how your body’s feeling.”