Everyone wants to know the magic number. The answer to he burning question whenever they start on a fitness journey… “How long until I see results?”
Well, here is the truth… if you’re chasing a quick fix, you’ll probably quit before you get anywhere! But if you understand what to expect, how your body adapts, and what it takes to succeed, you’ll not only get results, you will more than likely enjoy the process a whole lot more. So in this blog post, that’s precisely what I aim to do. Help you find the answer to ‘How long until I see results?’….
Wave 1 – The “Everything is New” Stage (Weeks 1–6)
At Vasse Strength and Conditioning, we see it all the time. The members who stick around for years aren’t the ones who obsess over the scales after week one… they’re the ones who learn to ride the three waves of adaptation.
Week 1-6 roughly is what we call the First wave of adaptations. This is the honeymoon phase. You’ve joined a new gym, the workouts feel fresh, your body responds quickly, and you might drop some kilos, gain some strength, and feel more energetic almost immediately.
This might seem like magic, but it isn’t. This is the time your body reacts to a stimulus it hasn’t seen before. Your nervous system wakes up. Muscles that were asleep start firing. Coordination improves.
The trick here? Enjoy it, but don’t get complacent. The first wave is just the warm-up for what’s ahead.
Wave 2 – The “Why is This So Hard?” Stage (Weeks 6–20)
Unfortunately, this is where, if we aren’t careful, people fall off. The fast gains slow down. The novelty wears off. You feel like you’re working harder but seeing less change, and the fun and bright lights of inspiration start to dim.
This isn’t failure, it’s biology. We all end up back at homeostasis or our default setting at some point. However, it’s also the time when your body has adapted to the new workload, and now you’ve got to push past the plateau. This is also the time, though, where you start building real strength, conditioning, and resilience.
Success here comes down to two things:
- Consistency over motivation – show up, even when you don’t feel like it.
- Trusting the process – the work you do now will positively compound later.
Push through this wave, and you’ll separate yourself from the 90% who quit and become the person you originally set out to be.
This is also the time when community becomes the most crucial inspiration to you, and a facility like Vasse Strength and Conditioning is specifically designed to help you overcome this time of hurdles and find the Lion or Lioness inside.
Wave 3 – The “New Normal” Stage (6+ months)
By now, training is part of your life. You’re fitter, stronger, moving better, and feeling better.
This is when the real magic happens. You don’t just see results, no, no, you become the kind of person who trains, eats well, and takes care of themselves without having to force it. You’ve rewired your habits and your identity.
Now the real fun starts! You begin chasing performance goals, hitting PBs, learning new skills, and seeing just how far you can go. When the snowball hits the slope, it is a fun time for everyone.
The most important thing to remember when it comes to achieving results is that results don’t come from the program… they come from you!
- Keep showing up… even when life throws chaos your way.
- Think in years, not weeks… the long game is where transformations happen.
- Stack small wins… because those little victories compound into massive change.
If you can ride all three waves of adaptation, you’ll stop asking “When will I see results?” and start asking “How far can I go?”
And the answer? Further than you ever thought possible.
Get up! Get after it! BECOME EXTRAORDINARY!