With fad diets famous for over-promising and under-delivering results, you may well be sceptical about how much you can achieve in just a month.
So while the goal should be to get fit and then stay fit for the rest of our lives, let’s face it, we’re all a little bit shallow. We want to see some results and we want to see them fast! But what can we reasonably achieve in 30 days?
How long does it take to see results?
The get fit quick schemes that are always plastered in fitness magazines will give you an instant dose of hope, leading you to believe that you can erase the last 6 months of neglect with a simple 30-day program. Just don’t expect to look like the models on the front of those magazines by the end of the month unless you look like them at the beginning of the month.
That being said, a 30-day program can produce some really important results. Whether your focus is losing weight, gaining muscle, or a bit of both, a little structure and a lot of discipline can make for some serious changes in just a month!
How long before I lose weight?
There are a lot of variables that will impact how quickly each of us loses and gains weight. Your genetics, diet, age, baseline fitness, and gender will all influence your fitness goals. The generally-accepted rule of thumb is that a combination of exercise and a healthy diet can result in losing 2 pounds per week from as early as week one. So a goal of losing about 8 – 10 lbs in 30 days is relatively reasonable.
What’s important to remember though is while you may lose more than that in the first week, it’s not just about losing the weight, but keeping it off as well.
Inversely, if your goal is to gain weight, men are generally able to add about half a pound of muscle a week when following a well-structured program, so between 1.5 – 2.5 pounds of muscle in 30 days is doable.
What are the first 30 days like?
The first few weeks of an exercise routine will be tough, but will get easier as your body adapts to your workout. At first you’ll often be out of breath and sore after you exercise, but that’s a good thing. You’re sore because your muscles are growing, and you’re out of breath because they need oxygen to do so.
As your muscles grow and adapt they will become more efficient at using oxygen, meaning that you won’t be breathing as heavily in order to get as much air in your lungs as possible. So less wheezing like an old man after 10 minutes on the treadmill by week 2 or 3.
Muscle soreness
What’s the old saying, no pain, no gain? While that’s clearly a load of garbage, this is where it comes from. In order to feel better over time, you’re going to have to first feel like crap.
Soreness is the result of microscopic damage done to your muscles during your workout, which sounds bad but is actually good. It’s a sign that the muscles are repairing themselves to make them stronger than they were before.
The soreness tends to last a couple of days and is affectionately referred to as delayed onset muscle soreness (so when you hear someone in the gym talking about DOMS, don’t get too excited).
Is a 30-day fitnes challenge worth it?
As someone who took part in a 30-day fitness challenge, I can say that yes it definitely is. Whether you’re starting from scratch, or just using the month to kick-start your training again, you learn a lot about your body and what it takes to make some real changes in 30 days.
So why not give it a try, find out what works for you, and what you can incorporate into your everyday routine after the challenge is over.
Gay Fitness Challenge 2018
If you’d like to feel a little more confident in the gym, why not sign up for our next Gay Fitness Challenge? Work towards your own goal, with a training and nutrition program specially designed for you.
You can train alone or take part in gay group exercise classes, and you’ll have the support of fellow gay guys who are going through the same thing you are.