When it comes to getting fit, people differ substantially. Some individuals are “super responders” meaning that their bodies quickly adapt to their training routines, letting them progress quickly. However, others take longer.
Where you fall on this spectrum depends on your biology. And the only way to find out how fast you respond is to test it by training.
However, some factors will affect how long it takes to get fit. That’s what we explore below:
Your Fitness Level
Your fitness level plays a substantial role in how fast you get fit. Those with lower baseline fitness are likely to get fitter faster (since there is much more headroom). However, if you already have reasonable baseline fitness, you may need to train more frequently.
Generally, beginners can get away with just two or three sessions at the gym per week. However, if you have more fitness, you may need to train more intensely and vigorously while optimizing your recovery.
Your Past Fitness Levels
Interestingly, your past fitness level can also determine how long it takes to get fit. If you were an athlete before, that fact seems to make it easier for the body to adapt to the present. As such, you might start seeing substantial results from your efforts after just a couple of weeks.
If you weren’t fit before, you’ll need to build up all the biochemical machinery from scratch. That can take longer and usually goes through six-month cycles. People in this position can seek help from experts like Fitness 19.
Your Goals
Of course, how long it takes to get fit also depends on your goals. You might want to be able to walk up the stairs without getting out of breath or run a marathon. In both these cases, the level of fitness you require differs substantially. The latter takes longer to acquire than the former.
Generally speaking, you can achieve most fitness goals in 18 to 24 months of intense training. Furthermore, you should see most of the gains during the first six months, motivating you and encouraging you to get into the habit.
Your Training Type
You can also affect the speed of getting fit through the type of training you use. Some forms of exercise appear to be better at boosting fitness in people compared to others.
For instance, high-intensity training is currently enjoying significant popularity. Just doing a few sprints for ten minutes or so can be enough to force significant adaptation in untrained people. However, you’ll want to mix it up. Performing a variety of exercises seems to be better than just one or two.
For example, you might do sprints on a Monday, circuits on a Tuesday, weight on a Wednesday, and cycling on a Thursday. Breaking workouts up like this and changing them from week to week keeps your body guessing and avoids plateaus.
Officials recommend 150 minutes of moderate to intense exercise per week. However, you might want to go as high as 300 minutes if your recovery allows it. (Going much beyond this doesn’t appear to offer much benefit).