Is It Possible to Get Fit Fast?

Everybody wants to get fit fast ... but should you?

In my early coaching career, I specialized in marathon and triathalon coaching. I eventually branched out and worked with everyone from fitness models to previously sedentary seniors. But consistently, throughout my career, people would email or call and ask seemingly innocent questions like: How long will I need to train to complete a marathon? 

My answer generally alternated between either “as long as possible” or “it depends.” Obviously, neither of these were the answer people wanted to hear.

For someone going from the couch to a marathon, I would recommend 10-12 months of training. If you have a solid running background (three or more years of consistent running), or you want to simply improve your finishing time, 16-20 weeks could do the trick.

But keep in mind that training for a marathon isn't the same as training for overall fitness. This equation changes when the question is “How long do I need to train to get fit?”

What is Getting Fit?

The illusive condition of “being fit” is something I have written about numerous times, and I still feel like the definition of fitness is open to discussion. But for sake of this conversation, I am going to define fitness as: “Activities relating to keeping healthy and strong, especially through movement.”

There are a couple reasons why I like this definition.

1. It doesn’t contain the (loaded) word “exercise”

2. It implies that fitness is a continuum, not a finish line 

Before we get into why I think those are important points to make, let’s look at some science.

Six Weeks to Fitness?

First, let’s look at a short duration study that reminds me of something you would see advertised in your social media feed with a title like “The Six Week Body Transformation.”

In a 2004 study published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, researchers put 25 previously sedentary men through a pretty standard six-week exercise program. The men either performed three 20-minute cardiovascular sessions per week or three 30-minute high-intensity, full-body strength sessions.

Even the study participants themselves agreed that their own appearances were pretty much the same after six weeks.

For the study, a group of panellists were asked to rate each man's appearance before beginning the program. After the six...

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