How Long Does It Take To Get Fit?

Because we live in a society that prizes instant gratification and encourages magical thinking, there apparently are scores of people who still fall for the late-night infomercials and miracle pills. What these info-gimmicks and 10-minute workouts do make plain is the fact that too many of us just can't face the fact that fitness requires good, old fashion time and effort. So, if fitness doesn't come in a box, a pill or a cream, how do we know when we've attained it?

Traditionally if you passed the standard baseline fitness tests, such as for aerobic fitness and body composition, you were considered fit. But lately the criteria for fitness has expanded and is now more focused on lowering risk factors for disease, which is turning out to be difficult to measure. Even with the use of traditional methods it is possible for a person to be fit in one area and not in another. For example, you could have above-average muscular strength, yet too much body fat or the ideal percentage of body fat, yet below-average cardiovascular capacities. Therefore you have to look at all the components of what fitness encompasses and train for overall functional fitness.

Five Components of Fitness

1. Cardiovascular Endurance
2. Muscular Strength
3. Muscular Endurance
4. Flexibility
5. Body Composition

Fitness is a relative term. If you are unable to walk up a flight of stairs without becoming breathless one week, but are able to perform that task after a month of workouts, that's one definition of fitness. But if you try to compare that person to a four-minute miler, the former is no way fit. Furthermore, that four-minute miler can become decidedly more fit if he's able to cut just two seconds off his time. So the definition of fitness depends on where you are beginning from and what your overall goals are.

For the general population of today fitness is about functionality, being able to move efficiently from head to toe and having the strength and energy to maintain a high quality of physical and mental engagement in our daily life. With this quality of life also comes significant decreases of risk factors (such as high blood pressure, adult onset diabetes, and heart disease). A study of 30 men back in 1980 showed that its subjects could gain optimal muscular strength and cardiovascular reserve in as little as two weeks. However, most experts would agree that these findings in a controlled group are unrealistic for the general deconditioned population to attain. Traditionally fitness timetables range from a few months to a year or greater depending on the individual case.

To gain some perspective on what it might take for each individual to reach his or her fitness goal you have to look at this question of fitness from the vantage point of a deconditioned person, then gauge it from there. Even here though there are numerous factors: A question of age, weight, sex, current fitness level, motivation, proper form, diet, time and even the dedication that the individual is willing and able to devote to their program. So every persons progression will be at a different rate, even if they're all doing the same routine and giving it their maximum effort. Therefore, each variable muddies the waters a little more to getting a clear cut answer to the question, "How long does it take to get fit?"

Optimal fitness has to integrate cardiovascular exercise, strength training, flexibility and, in the case of some people, sports-specific training. However, paradoxically, doing multiple forms of exercise limits the gains accrued from each. In other words, if you are doing cardio and weights, you won't get as much strength than if you focused solely on strength training. And if you're doing exclusive cardio, you'll only see improvements in that area, not in strength and flexibility. However, training one system solely, lends itself to an increased chance for overuse injuries. Studies done with even highly trained athletes have proven that, if you started them on a program limited to lifting weights and then had them run, they wouldn't hack it. Swimmers who were made to run faltered badly, and cyclist, when running, evidenced a much lower degree of cardiovascular conditioning then when on their bikes. For some, fitness is about specificity where you could define fitness as being fit for what you want to do. However, cross training is definitely the best way for the average person to increase his or her overall health.

If you are the average Joe who just wants a down and dirty workout program to lose weight and stay healthy we have good news. You can discover or improve fitness at any age. How long it take depends on what you have to bring to the table. Set some short term goals for yourself and then use these guidelines to chip away at them.


The American College of Sports Medicine has developed the following guidelines for aerobic exercise:
Frequency: 3 - 5 days per week
Duration: 20 - 60 minutes
Intensity: 50 - 80% of heart rate reserve (based on resting heart rate)


The American College of Sports Medicine guidelines for strength training are:
Frequency: 2x per week
Duration: One set of 8 - 10 exercises involving the major muscle groups
Intensity: 8 - 12 repetitions


Flexibility is a side of fitness that is often overlooked. Flexibility is defined as “the range of motion around a joint”. Static stretching of all major muscle groups (e.g., hamstrings, quads, calves, hips, chest, back, biceps and triceps) is recommended. This involves lengthening the muscles until tension is felt. The position is then held for 10 - 30 seconds while breathing in a deep and controlled manner.