Starting a fitness journey is like setting sail on uncharted waters. It’s a thrilling adventure filled with anticipation, but it also demands patience, perseverance, and consistency. At the heart of this journey lies a burning question: How long until I see results?

In this blog, we’ll discuss the intricacies of the fitness journey, exploring the many factors that influence your timeline of results. We’ll also give you a ballpark estimate of when you can expect to see your hard work pay off.

So, whether you’re eager to begin this transformative odyssey or simply seeking reassurance along the way, join us as we navigate the twists and turns of the journey to fitness. Remember, while the road may be long and winding, every step you take at AFAC gym in Thornton, Colorado, brings you closer to the best version of yourself.

How Long Does it Take to Get in Shape at the Gym? It Depends on Many Factors

In our fast-paced world, where instant gratification is the norm, the concept of patience can feel foreign, especially when it comes to fitness. We step into the gym with lofty expectations, hoping for the immediate transformations that we see plastered across social media. Yet, the reality is far more nuanced.

The timeline of fitness results is as diverse as the people embarking on the journey. It’s a mixed bag of variables, each contributing to the overall picture of progress. For example, what goal are you trying to achieve at the gym? You might want to do one or more of the following:

Lose weight
Build muscles
Change your body composition
Boost endurance
Improve mental health
Treat a medical condition like high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes
Train for a specific event like a marathon
Slow down or reverse the aging process

The path to each goal is paved with its own set of challenges and milestones.

Moreover, your starting point plays a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of progress.

Are you a novice, stepping into a gym for the first time?
Have you been exercising for years but are ready to take your fitness to a new level?
Are you a seasoned athlete, seeking to push the boundaries of your physical capabilities to new heights?

Still other factors that will influence how long it takes to see results include your:

Age
Gender
Diet
Genetics
Type of training program

Understanding where you stand on this continuum is key to managing expectations and crafting a realistic roadmap towards your goals.

First Step: Define Your Goals

The first step to knowing how long it will take to see results is to define exactly what you’re trying to accomplish at the gym.

By clearly outlining your goals, you’ll be able to craft a plan that will get you what you want as quickly as possible.

If you’re a beginner or are not sure where to start, working with a personal trainer at the gym can be extremely helpful in clarifying your vision and coming up with an individualized program. Your personal trainer can also show you ways to measure your progress as you go along.

How Long Does it Take to Lose Weight at the Gym?

Let’s begin by acknowledging the deeply personal nature of a weight loss journey. Each individual’s starting point varies greatly, and factors such as a personal history of obesity, genetics, hormonal imbalances, mental health challenges like depression or anxiety, or reliance on specific medications can significantly influence the weight loss process.

All that aside, staying in a calorie deficit – which means eating fewer calories than you burn – remains the cornerstone of losing weight.

While you can burn some calories at the gym with cardiovascular exercises and strength training, a calorie-controlled diet is the number one way to ensure a calorie deficit.

Here are the general steps to achieve a calorie deficit and lose fat.

Find out your basal metabolic rate (BMR) by using a calculator like this one or this one. These calculators will show you approximately how many calories you need just to survive. They also provide calorie estimates for different activity levels, like whether you’re sedentary or exercise regularly.
Track the calories of all the food you eat. There are many apps available to make calorie tracking easier like MyFitnessPal and Cronometer.
By exercising at the gym, you can burn a few more calories and build muscle mass. This helps you stay in a calorie deficit. Use your app to track the approximate calories you burn through your exercise program. Just remember that you can’t out-train a bad diet!
To lose weight, consume fewer calories per day than you need to maintain your current weight. Don’t cut your calorie consumption too much, though, as this can cause your body to break down muscle tissue for energy. Aim for eating about 500 calories per day less than you need.
About 30-40% of your calories should come from lean protein (chicken, turkey, eggs, lean beef, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, protein powder and bars). This will help you maintain muscle while you lose fat.

By staying in a 500-calorie-per-day deficit, eating plenty of lean protein, and exercising at the gym, you can expect to lose about 1-2 pounds per week. That means you should see a difference in your appearance in 8-12 weeks.

You can track your progress in a variety of ways – by regularly weighing yourself on a scale, measuring your waist circumference, and by measuring your body composition (body fat percentage, muscle mass, bone mass, etc.) with the InBody 770 at AFAC gym.

How Long Does it Take to See Results from Strength Training at the Gym?

Initial strength gains typically manifest within 4-6 weeks for newcomers to weightlifting as their muscles adapt and become more proficient in handling resistance. This early progress serves as a glimpse into the broader gains awaiting, which typically materialize around 6-8 weeks for beginners and 8-12 weeks for those with more experience in strength training. However, the timeline for each individual’s muscle growth varies due to the multitude of factors influencing muscle hypertrophy.

When it comes to muscle definition, this is closely linked to body composition rather than sheer strength. This means that achieving a more defined physique depends on factors beyond just building muscle mass. Even if you’re getting stronger, without addressing your overall body composition through strategies like maintaining a calorie deficit to reduce body fat, your physique may not reflect your strength gains.

Protein intake is crucial for accelerating muscle growth, just as it is with weight loss. Aiming for a daily lean protein intake of around 1 gram per pound of body weight per day is recommended to fuel muscle development effectively. For instance, a 150-pound individual should target approximately 150 grams of lean protein daily.

Be sure to get plenty of sleep, too, because your muscles rebuild while you’re in dreamland. Aim for getting 8 hours of slumber per night.

In terms of training protocols for muscle growth, adhering to a regimen of three full-body strength training sessions per week is a good goal. These sessions typically involve performing 6-12 repetitions for 3-5 sets at 75-85% of your one-rep maximum (1RM). If you don’t know what your 1RM is, opt for a weight that feels exceptionally challenging on the final rep, yet still manageable.

If you’d rather not do 3 days of full-body strength training, you can split your strength training regimen to target specific muscle groups on different days, ensuring each major muscle group is worked at least twice weekly.

After about 4-6 months, you’ll notice that your muscle gains will slow down. To ensure you maintain your musculature and/or continue to grow, you can progressively overload your muscles with heavier weights, slower reps, extra reps, and shorter rests in between sets.

How Long Does it Take to Improve Cardiovascular Endurance at the Gym?

For those seeking to enhance their overall cardiovascular fitness, a noticeable difference in aerobic capacity usually occurs after 8-12 weeks of consistent cardio exercise. This regimen typically entails engaging in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cardiovascular exercise 3 times per week.

For beginners, the target heart rate during moderate-intensity exercise should fall within the range of 50-70% of their maximum heart rate. To determine this range, subtract your age from 220 to calculate your maximum heart rate, then aim to maintain your heart rate within 50-70% of this calculated value during sustained moderate-intensity cardio sessions.

How Long Does it Take to Lower Blood Pressure at the Gym?

With about 4-6 aerobic workouts per week at 20-30 minutes per session, you can see a decrease in blood pressure and resting heart rate in 4-12 weeks. This could mean five days a week of moderate aerobic activity (reaching 50-70% of your maximum heart rate) or three days weekly of vigorous intensity activity (reaching 70-85% of your maximum heart rate).

Like the other timelines mentioned in this blog, the time it takes to change blood pressure and heart rate through exercise is highly individualized.

How Long Does it Take to Improve Mental Health at the Gym?

Even just five minutes of moderate exercise can lift your spirits, says the American Psychological Association. That’s right, just five minutes!

And if you keep at it, things get even better. In about 4-6 weeks, you can see big improvements in your mental health. Lots of studies show that exercise helps fight depression and boosts your mood, along with tackling anxiety. Plus, it makes you feel more confident about how you look.

When you exercise, your body releases chemicals like endorphins and dopamine, which make you feel good. These happy chemicals can help reduce feelings of anxiety and sadness.

When you stick to an exercise routine, it makes you feel like you can accomplish what you set out to do. This boosts your confidence and pushes back against negative thoughts. And since feeling helpless is a big part of depression, exercising and feeling like you can achieve your goals can help fight those feelings.

Exercise also helps with anxiety because it makes us feel more capable of handling tough situations. Plus, it’s a healthy way to deal with stress.

Join AFAC Gym to See Real Results

One important fact to keep in mind is that even though you may see some weight loss and muscle gains within weeks at the gym, many people have worked several years to achieve their admirable physiques. Don’t get discouraged – stay consistent, trust the process, and enjoy the journey!

One way to make sure you’re following the right plan to achieve your fitness goals is by joining a gym with all the equipment you need and experts on staff to guide you. Please stop by AFAC to speak to one of our credentialed personal trainers or any member of our team to get started with a fitness program that’s tailored to your fitness level and goals. AFAC gym is committed to supporting your health and wellness efforts, so you’ll see the results you’re working so hard for. That’s why we’re the best gym in Thornton, Colorado, with hundreds of 5-star reviews.

To learn more about our top-rated gym and our incredible array of strength training and cardio equipment — as well as our unique offerings and amenities like daily group classes, cryotherapy, hydro massage, and our rock climbing wall and cave — we hope you will contact us or visit for a personalized tour. Our team will be happy to help you. For more information and assistance, you can also contact our gym owner, Susan, at 720-849-0245 or susan@adventurefitness.club.