How long does it take to get stronger? ...........................................
You may be able to lift more weight after just one weight-lifting workout. This
isn’t because you’ve built up more muscle; it’s mainly because your weight-
training skills have improved. The first time you try the bench press, you
waste a lot of energy trying to balance the bar, keep it steady, and move it
in a straight line. But after you get the hang of the process — typically after
one weight-lifting session — you’re able to put all your energy into lifting
the weight.
Another reason you develop strength after just a few weeks of working out is
that, in a sense, your muscles have memory. Your nerves, the pathways that
link your brain and muscles, learn how to carry information more quickly —
much like the speed-dial feature on your telephone. So after learning an exer-
cise, your brain tells your muscles, “You know what this is. Go for it.”
During the first six to eight weeks you lift weight, most of the strength you gain
is due to skill and muscle memory. After that time, your muscles begin to grow.
In other words, the sizes of your muscle fibers increase — you don’t actually
grow more muscle cells. Realize that some muscles gain strength faster than
others do. In general, large muscles, like your chest and back muscles, grow
faster than smaller ones, like your arm and shoulder muscles. Most people can
increase their strength between 7 and 40 percent after about ten weeks of train-
ing each muscle group twice a week.
Do some people have greater strength potential than others? ...
How much muscle power you develop depends on many things, including
your age, sex, and body type (and, of course, your diligence). Seniors gen-
erally can’t develop as much strength as young people, but it’s not clear
whether this is due to the normal aging process or years of inactivity.
However, look at Jack La Lanne, who worked out all his life. For his 80th
birthday, he towed a rowboat across a river with his teeth. Men typically
have the capacity for greater overall strength than women do because
their bodies have a higher proportion of muscle and more of the strength
hormone testosterone.
Every body type has a different capacity for building strength and muscle.
All the training in the world won’t change your body type. If you start out
short and narrow, weight training won’t miraculously make you tall and
broad. Weight training may, however, make you a more fit, muscular version
of short and narrow.
Chapter 11: Why You’ve Gotta Lift Weights 167