Without revealing too much information immediately, ‘muscular’ can be defined as maintaining a low fat percentage with muscle definition and abdominal muscles clearly visible.
Please note: someone must already have some experience with strength training and have muscle mass. A low fat percentage without muscles simply means being ‘mager’.
Some people want to have a muscular body as quickly as possible, while others prefer a gradual approach. This article highlights and discusses six factors that influence the time it takes to become ‘muscular’ and also provides valuable insights into how to achieve this goal.
Factors that determine how long it takes to become muscular
There are several factors that influence the duration, but this article covers six of the most important.
Starting point
How long does it take to get muscular? Many fitness enthusiasts set themselves the goal of hitting ‘muscular’ for a short period of time, for example for the upcoming summer holidays or the festival season. However, they often do not take into account their initial level in terms of fat percentage and muscle mass.
To achieve a ‘muscular’ appearance, someone must have a relatively low fat percentage and be muscular at the same time. Many fitness experts consider a fat percentage of 10-15% as ‘muscular’, because muscle definition and abdominal muscles then become clearly visible.
As an example, someone weighing 90 kg with a fat percentage of 25% must lose at least 10-15% body fat to fall into the ‘muscular’ category. This amounts to approximately 9-13.5 kg fat loss (10-15% of 90 kg = 9-13.5 kg).
Addressing the calorie deficit
A calorie deficit is crucial to becoming ‘muscular’. This deficiency forces the body to use fat reserves as an energy source. The extent of the deficiency largely determines how long it takes to become muscular. However, reducing calories too quickly can cause muscle loss due to protein breakdown.
A moderate deficit is around 10-20% below the maintenance level, while an aggressive approach can be a deficit of 20-40%.
Going back to the earlier example, a calorie deficit of 1000 calories per day is an aggressive way with some 35% reduction. A calorie deficit can be achieved by limiting food intake and increasing activity levels.
With about 3500 calories in a pound (0.45 kg) of body fat, a daily deficit of 1000 calories would result in a fat loss of about 0.9 kg per week. Assuming that someone should lose 9-13.5 kg of fat, this process would take 10-15 weeks.
A more moderate deficit of 500 calories per day would result in about 0.45 kg of fat loss per week, which would mean the process takes 20-30 weeks. Although this approach takes longer, one maintains more muscle mass and ultimately maintains a ‘muscular drape appearance.
For people with a higher starting fat percentage (~30% in men, ~35% in women), a more aggressive approach may be wiser to prevent the process from taking too long and becoming demotivating.
Nutritional intake & macronutrient
Regardless of the speed at which a person wants to be muscled, a correct macro ratio is essential. The three macronutrients contain calories, as shown below
- Proteins: 4 kcal/g
- Carbohydrates: 4 kcal/g
- Vetten: 9 kcal/g
Proteins are the main macronutrients for a muscular appearance, as they help maintain muscle mass. In addition, muscle mass increases metabolism, which promotes fat loss.
For a 90 kg person, a protein intake of 1 g per pound of body weight (2.2 g per kg) is often recommended. This activates muscle building through the mTOR signal path. BCAAs can further stimulate muscle building response, and Biaxol offers high-quality BCAA supplements.
In addition, protein has the highest thermal effect (~30%) compared to carbohydrates and fats, meaning that approximately 30% of protein calories are burned during digestion.
For a strength trainer who wants to be muscular, a distribution of 50% carbohydrates, 35% proteins and 15% fats can be effective.
For example, if a 200-pound person pursues a daily intake of 2,300 calories, 1,150 calories can come from carbohydrates. Of these, 800 calories can come from protein. Finally, there are 350 calories left for fats. The macronutrient distribution would look like
Proteins: 200 g | Carbohydrates: 287 g | Fats: 38.8 g | (2300 kcal)
Training & activity
Strength training is essential for a muscular body. It not only helps burn extra calories, but also prevents muscle breakdown.
Cardio is also useful because it accelerates the fat loss process. Many experts recommend not introducing cardio until later stages of a fat loss phase, as metabolism gradually slows down.
In addition, daily non-sports related activities (NEAT) can contribute to the process. Think of walking, cleaning, washing the car or household chores. These micro movements are characteristic of people with a ‘fast metabolism.’
Supplementen
Most so-called fat-burning supplements don’t work. There are only a few supplements that can actually increase metabolism.
The first supplement is caffeine. Caffeine has a thermal effect, meaning calories are burned to process it. Once in the bloodstream, it inhibits adenosine receptors in the brain (which signal relaxation).
This stimulates the central nervous system, resulting in an energy boost. In essence, this leads to more intensive workouts and more activity outside the gym.
Research shows that 3 mg caffeine per kilogram of body weight, one hour before activity, can increase performance and metabolism. For someone weighing 200 pounds (90 kg), 270 mg of caffeine should be enough.
Caffeine can be obtained from drinks, shots, coffee, gels and even nasal sprays. Bioaxol, for example, provides a scientifically researched and tested caffeine nasal spray on.
The second supplement is Yohimbine. Yohimbine stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, activating the ‘fight-or-flight’ response. This causes chemicals called catecholamines to be released into the bloodstream, leading to increased blood pressure and body temperature.
These chemicals bind to fat cells through the androgen receptors, which can promote fat burning. A dose of 0.1-0.2 mg per kilogram of body weight has proven effective. Bioaxol also offers Yohimbine, which is worth considering.
Sleep
Sleep does not directly affect fat loss, but sleep deprivation can lead to more muscle loss rather than fat loss.
Een klassieke studie uit 2010 vergeleek vetverlies bij twee groepen: één met 5,5 uur slaap en één met 8,5 uur slaap gedurende 14 dagen. Beide groepen verloren ~2,7 kg, maar de slaapbeperkte groep verloor meer spiermassa (2,3 kg) dan vetmassa (0,45 kg). De goed uitgeslapen groep verloor echter ~1,36 kg vet en slechts ~1,36 kg spiermassa.
Slaap speelt dus een belangrijke rol bij hormonale balans en spierherstel.
Conclusie
Over het algemeen hangt de tijd die nodig is om ‘gespierd’ te worden, af van de hoeveelheid van lichaamsvet die iemand al heeft als ze beginnen en of iemand al gespierd is of niet.
In het algemeen, voor degenen die dicht bij het ‘gezonde’ lichaamsvetpercentage (18-25% lichaamsvet) zitten, kan het 10-15 weken duren met een zeer agressief calorisch tekort van 30-40% om ‘gespierd’ te worden (10-15% lichaamsvet). Dus, om de vraag in het bericht te beantwoorden: ‘Kun je binnen 3 maanden of minder gespierd worden?’ Absoluut!
Aan de andere kant van het spectrum, wanneer je een bescheiden calorisch tekort van 10-20% gebruikt, kan het 20-30 weken duren om ‘gespierd’ te worden. Echter, een individu kan mogelijk in een betere conditie komen door meer spiermassa te behouden.
Tijdens een calorisch tekort kan het handhaven van een hoge eiwitinname van ongeveer een gram per pond lichaamsgewicht helpen om spiermassa te behouden en sneller ‘gespierd’ te worden. De andere macronutriënten mogen uiteraard niet worden verwaarloosd.
Bovendien kan lichaamsbeweging helpen om spiermassa te behouden en calorieën te verbranden, zodat je sneller de ‘gespierde’ lichaamsconditie bereikt.
Veel supplementen worden gepromoot als vetverbranders, maar in de praktijk zijn ze niet zo effectief. Cafeïne en Yohimbine zijn bewezen het centrale en sympathische zenuwstelsel te stimuleren, waardoor de calorieverbranding wordt verhoogd.
Een enkele dosis cafeïne van 3 mg per kilogram lichaamsgewicht heeft bewezen effectief te zijn. Iets lager, een enkele dosis Yohimbine van 0,1-0,2 mg per kilogram lichaamsgewicht kan het afvallen bevorderen.
Onthoud dat dit artikel geen medisch advies is en niet bedoeld is om ziekten, aandoeningen of medische toestanden te diagnosticeren, te genezen, te behandelen of te voorkomen. Het mag nooit het advies en de behandeling van je arts of andere zorgverlener vervangen.
Als je vragen hebt over het gebruik of de aankoop van producten, neem dan gerust contact met ons op.
Bronnen
Schoenfeld, B.J., Alto, A., Grgic, J., et al. ‘Alterations in body composition, resting metabolic rate, muscular strength, and eating behavior in response to natural bodybuilding competition preparation: a case study’ The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 34 (11):3124–3138, 2020
Chung, N., Park, M., Kim, J., et al. ‘Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT): a component of total daily energy expenditure’ Journal of exercise nutrition & biochemistry 22 (2), 23, 2018
Nedeltacheva, A.V., Kilkus, J.M., Imperial, J., et al. ‘Insufficient sleep undermines dietary efforts to reduce adiposity’ Annals of Internal Medicine 153(7): 435–441, 2010