If you’ve just started a workout routine for the first time—or maybe you’re trying out a different style of training than you’re used to—you might find yourself wondering, “How long does it take to see workout results?” And you’re definitely not alone. Whether you’re hoping to see results in the mirror, on the scale, or in your energy levels, this is one of the most common questions people have when it comes to exercise.
The reality is, seeing changes to your physical and mental health looks different for everyone and doesn’t happen overnight, but there are clear signs you can expect in both the short and long term that show what you’re doing is working.
Exactly how long it takes to see results from working out varies widely, says Danyele Wilson, CPT, trainer for the app EvolveYou. Those noticeable physical changes from exercise (be it muscle growth, fat loss, or a lower resting heart rate) depends on the person and their baseline level of fitness. “My [clients] generally see initial changes within four to six weeks, and actual results within eight to 12 weeks,” Wilson says.
And, no two people have identical goals or workout programs to reach them, meaning that the general timeline (eight to 12 weeks) to see results of any kind from working out is pretty malleable.
Below, fitness experts delve into how long it takes to see results in aerobic capacity, weight loss, muscle definition, mental health, and more—and what it actually takes to get there.
Meet the experts: Danyele Wilson, CPT, is a trainer for the app EvolveYou. Jason Machowsky, RD, CSCS, is a sports dietitian and clinical exercise physiologist. Brooke Taylor, CPT, is a personal trainer and owner of Taylored Fitness NY LTD. N’Namdi Nelson, CSCS, is an exercise physiologist at the NYU Langone Sports Performance Center. Chloe Carmichael, PhD, is a WH advisor and a New York–based clinical psychologist.
How Long It Takes To See Improvements In Aerobic Capacity
Upping your cardiovascular endurance and shaving minutes off your racing time doesn’t just result in a serious self-confidence boost—you’re likely to gain a trove of other health benefits, too. In fact, marathon training can help to decrease stiffness in your arteries and combat high blood pressure, according to a 2020 study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Of course, scoring a new PR and lowering your heart rate a few beats per minute (when your cardio endurance improves your resting heart rate usually goes down) are two very different goals—with varying timelines. If your aim is the latter—to generally boost your cardiovascular health—eight to 12 weeks is a fairly solid period to do so, says Brooke Taylor, a a New York City-based personal trainer and owner of Taylored Fitness NY LTD.
“This involves a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cardiovascular exercise three times per week,” Taylor says, noting that several other factors—from sleep patterns to even your menstrual cycle—can play a role in your resting heart rate.
If you’re a beginner, you’d ideally want the exercise to get you to 30 to 40 percent of your heart rate reserve.
Knowledge boost: To calculate your heart rate reserve, subtract your resting heart rate from your maximum heart rate. Maximum heart rate can be calculated by multiplying your age by 0.7, then subtract that from 207. (So for a 30-year-old, it’s 207 minus (30 x 0.7), which gives 186.) Resting heart rate is how many times your heart beats per minute when you’re just sitting around—not stressed, caffeinated, or moving. You can get this number at home by simply placing two fingers on your wrist or neck and counting the beats for 60 seconds.
A supercharged style of aerobic exercise like interval training and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can improve your resting heart rate, possibly even faster, Wilson also points out. “An athlete can typically start to lower their heart rate within a couple of weeks of training,” she says. “Evidence suggests that interval training is the superior method to do so.”
Another 2020 study published in the Journal of Translational Medicine found that HIIT in particular can have a greater impact on reducing resting heart rate than both moderate-intensity interval training and moderate-intensity continuous training, like jogging.
As for an improvement in your speed and endurance, Wilson and Machowsky explain that it depends on the individual, and it’s largely based on your training history and current fitness level. For instance, endurance-wise, your aerobic capacity might feel better in four to six weeks, but it’ll take longer for there to be objective improvements.
“If you are currently inactive, you can see improvements to your VO2 max capacity within four to six weeks,” Wilson says. “Depending on the training program, a beginner can be half marathon-ready in roughly 12 to 20 weeks.”
Knowledge boost: VO2 max is basically the maximum amount of oxygen your body can consume and deliver to your organs and muscles, according to the American Council on Exercise. The higher your capacity, the longer, and stronger, you’ll be able to engage in cardiovascular exercise.
How Long It Takes To Lose Weight (And Keep It Off)
First thing’s first: The decision to lose weight is a highly personal one. And not everyone is at the same starting point when it comes to shedding pounds. If you have a history of being overweight (or a family member who does), have been diagnosed with a hormonal disorder, have a chronic health condition, are experiencing a mental health issue (like depression or anxiety), or are on certain medications, it might be more difficult for you to lose weight compared to someone who does not.
Extraneous factors preventing weight loss aside, burning more calories than you consume—a.k.a. a “calorie deficit”—still remains king for weight loss, notes Taylor. Basically, in order to lose one to two pounds per week, you need to create a 2,000 calorie deficit per week.
If you’re trying to measure weight loss through waist circumference or body fat percentages, generally wait eight to 12 weeks to notice a difference, or even upwards of 16 weeks, Machowsky says. (If you’re following a specific weight loss program, it could take less time to see differences, he says.)
As for when that weekly deficit will result in meaningful changes that you notice? That depends on a number of factors (10 pounds might look different on your average 5’2” woman as opposed to a 6’3” competitive athlete). One 2015 study from Social Psychological and Personality Science found that a 2.93 change in BMI (or body mass index) was what it took to make weight loss (in your face, at least) apparent.
And while *technically* you could create that calorie deficit through exercise alone, think about it: Although it could take you minutes to consume 300 calories, burning that same amount could take upwards of an hour!
That being said, if there’s one exercise that can considerably boost a weight-loss effort, it’s strength training. A review of studies in Metabolism found that the best way to boost your basal metabolic rate, or how many calories you’re able to burn at rest, is to have more muscle mass. And the magic ingredient behind increased muscle mass? You guessed it: hitting up the weight room.
This 30-Minute Workout Is The Perfect Balance Of Strength And Cardio
HIIT might also contribute to a longer-lasting calorie burn, according to a 2017 study from the European Journal of Applied Physiology. When compared to steady-state, moderate-intensity cardiovascular training, participants in the study who engaged in HIIT continued burning calories long after their training was over. (The study notes that, while there’s a modest calorie burn after a moderate-intensity workout, it’s not nearly as much as HIIT.)
Of course, to reiterate (over and over), weight loss is a multifaceted, complicated journey. Taylor believes that the combo of an adequate calorie deficit, strength training, and cardio training is the most efficient and healthiest way to reach your goals. “When a client is onboard [with those three changes] and is willing to adapt, big changes can happen within three to six months,” she says. “Again, however, it depends on how well the client adheres to the program.”
How Long It Takes To See Results From Lifting Weights
Unlike improving your cardiovascular health or losing weight, you might see increased muscle gains from a strength training program after a single session, experts say. That’s due to a phenomenon called “muscle pump,” which is just a casual term for the increased blood, oxygen, and lactic acid that’s being moved to your muscles during a super-intense lifting session. (Granted, it’s only a temporary movement of fluids, but hey, it’s something!)
Machowsky adds that strength gains can initially happen within four to six weeks if you’re new to lifting because of neuromuscular adaptation—a.k.a., your body is becoming “more efficient using the existing muscle to move the weight,” he says. It’s less about an increase in muscle mass and more about the efficiency of the muscle, he adds.
Consider that initial boost in your muscle size a preview of gains to come—which occur roughly six to eight weeks into a strength training program if you’re a beginner, and eight to 12 weeks if you’re more advanced, says Wilson. However, she says, “this is going to look different for everyone because there are a lot of factors that play into muscle hypertrophy.”
But there’s another factor at play here. “Muscle definition is usually tied to things like body composition,” Machowsky says. “Definition has to do more with your body composition than the strength itself.” I.e., you can be stronger without looking “leaner,” if you’re not following a calorie deficit, so you’re still the same weight.
One of the biggest factors in expediting your gains, according to Wilson? Protein. “Your daily protein intake plays an important role in muscle growth,” she says. Experts recommend aiming to consume 25 to 30 grams of protein per meal to promote healthy body composition and satiety.
As for the training pattern to get you to that point, Wilson says that three to five strength training sessions per week, using six to 12 repetitions for three to five sets at 75 to 85 percent of your one-rep maximum (1RM), is your best bet. If you’re not sure what your 1RM is, choose a weight that, on the final one to two reps, feels super-challenging but not impossible to do with proper form. Oh, and keep your rest in-between sets to no longer than 60 seconds, adds Wilson (this keeps the heart rate in that sweet spot to trigger physiological change).
But what if your goal isn’t to have bulging biceps—but to lift the heaviest possible weight you can (to build strength, not hypertrophy)? Once again, food comes into play big time, says Wilson. “Think of your nutrition as your fuel,” she explains. “If you’re not eating enough calories to sufficiently fuel your body, you won’t have the energy required to meet the maximal demands of strength training. If you want to improve strength, a calorie surplus is generally recommended.” (What this means: You’d generally need to be consuming more calories than you’re burning.)
As for the type of training that will get you to that point, Wilson recommends two to four sessions of strength training per week containing four to six sets of one to five reps at 85 to 100 percent of your 1RM, and three to five minutes of rest in-between each set. Resistance training helps you form lean mass, which “helps kind of tell your body to maintain its muscle as you lose weight,” Machowsky adds.
How Long It Takes To Lower Blood Pressure
This health marker may not sound as sexy as building muscle or knocking off a race PR, but it is oh so important to overall well-being. With a consistent workout routine (think at least four workouts a week that get your heart rate up), you can see a decrease in blood pressure and resting heart rate in as little as two to three weeks, according to N’Namdi Nelson, CSCS, an exercise physiologist at the NYU Langone Sports Performance Center.
Here’s how it works: As you increase your cardio capacity, you’re exerting yourself, so your heart rate increases to pump blood around your bod faster. For example, when someone who’s sedentary joins a HIIT class, their heart rate will shoot up very faster compared to someone with more aerobic training experience. Their cardiac muscles aren’t used to the stimulus, so it results in a greater effect.
However, as that same person works out more, their blood pressure will decrease, and as their body adjusts, so will their resting heart rate.
Resting heart rate naturally follows. “The lower the resting heart rate, the better,” says Nelson. Studies have shown that a low resting heart rate is linked with longevity, Nelson explains. A healthy resting heart rate to aim for is between 40 to 60. That’s a sign of solid cardio health. If your heart rate is a bit higher, that’s okay, However, a resting heart rate in the 80s or 90s is a sign you need more physical activity in your routine to bring it down, she adds.
Keep in mind the two-to-three weeks timeline is on the speedy side. It may take four to 12 weeks to see the blood pressure and resting heart rate numbers drop, Machowsky adds. “You would need consistent activity for three months to feel like you can move the needle in an objective way,” he says. (Think 20-30 minute sessions and five days a week of moderate aerobic activity or three days of higher intensity activity weekly, according to ACSM guidelines.)
Like the other workout goals above, the time it takes to change blood pressure varies for each individual and how quickly someone responds to exercise, says Machowsky.
How Long It Takes To Impact Mental Health
Brace yourselves, as little as five minutes of moderate exercise can produce a mood boost, according to the American Psychological Association. That’s right, five minutes to turn that frown upside down!
It goes deeper with more time (four to six weeks), according to Nelson. “Research is very solid, showing that it is very helpful with helping fight depression and improving mood, and things like anxiety,” Machowsky says. It also helps you become more confident when it comes to aesthetic ~gains~, Nelson adds.
“Exercise releases endorphins and dopamine, both of which are associated with improved mood,” says WH advisor Chloe Carmichael, PhD, a New York–based clinical psychologist. “The increase of feel-good chemicals in the question above improves the mood, which can mitigate anxiety and depression.”
Plus, when you commit to an exercise routine, it improves your sense of self-efficacy, or the sense that you can do what you say you do, according to Carmichael. These thoughts reinforce positivity, countering negative or depressive thoughts. “One of the hallmark features of depression is a sense of helplessness,” so when you work out and increase these self-efficacy feelings you can potentially mitigate depression, Carmichael adds.Exercise also eases feelings of anxiety because it “boosts our belief that we can handle challenges, she adds. Plus, it’s a healthy outlet for stress.
Julia Sullivan, CPT, is a New York City-based writer, indoor rowing instructor, outdoor enthusiast, newbie powerlifter, and devoted cat mother. Her work has been published in Women’s Health, SELF, Health, Huffington Post, and more. She holds a B.A. in journalism and gender studies from Arizona State University and a personal training certificate from the American Council on Exercise. When she’s not covering the latest health and wellness trends, you can find her hitting the hiking trails, working toward her deadlift goal of 400 pounds, and forcefully hugging her cat, Jeeves, against his will.
Jennifer Nied is the fitness editor at Women’s Health and has more than 10 years of experience in health and wellness journalism. She’s always out exploring—sweat-testing workouts and gear, hiking, snowboarding, running, and more—with her husband, daughter, and dog.
