Does strength training = gaining weight (in muscle)?
XC_Guitar17
Posts: 93
Just a general question. I'm trying to build muscle in my core and arms, which I've been told will improve my running. For my college cross country team, I run 6 days a week with strength training (50 minutes of abs/arms/legs) added in 2 times a week. Right now I have my MFP goal set at maintaining my weight, but if my ultimate goal is to build core/arm strength, that would mean gaining muscle, which would mean gaining weight, right?
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No.
Calorie surplus = weight gain.0 -
you can have strength gains without muscle gains. Essentially, you are training your muscles to be more "productive" i.e. lift more weight with the same muscle.
I believe the term is neuromuscular adaptation ..or something like that ...
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I'm okay with gaining weight and toning up as long as I'm gaining mostly muscle. And I understand that muscle weighs more than fat, so by gaining muscle, I would gain some weight. That's cool. I just need "strength gains," as you (ndj1979) put it, and from what I understand, gaining strength means gaining muscle.
I hope that makes sense. And I may be totally wrong or I may be understanding your answer to my question wrong - like I said, I'm new to this strength training thing.
Thanks for the response by the way.0 -
XC_Guitar17 wrote: »I'm okay with gaining weight and toning up as long as I'm gaining mostly muscle. And I understand that muscle weighs more than fat, so by gaining muscle, I would gain some weight. That's cool. I just need "strength gains," as you (ndj1979) put it, and from what I understand, gaining strength means gaining muscle.
I hope that makes sense. And I may be totally wrong or I may be understanding your answer to my question wrong - like I said, I'm new to this strength training thing.
Thanks for the response by the way.
You understand wrong. Ndj has told you you will gain strength NOT weight. You may actually gain some muscle as you're new to the routine but your scale weight will not change (save for water fluctuations) unless you are in calorie surplus.
This is basic physics.
However, you are looking to gain strength, this you will do, no problem, at maintenance. You will probably 'recomp' quite nicely (build some muscle while losing a bit of fat). Later on, if you want to build more muscle you CAN gain weight by eating at a calorie surplus while strength training.
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XC_Guitar17 wrote: »I'm okay with gaining weight and toning up as long as I'm gaining mostly muscle. And I understand that muscle weighs more than fat, so by gaining muscle, I would gain some weight. That's cool. I just need "strength gains," as you (ndj1979) put it, and from what I understand, gaining strength means gaining muscle.
I hope that makes sense. And I may be totally wrong or I may be understanding your answer to my question wrong - like I said, I'm new to this strength training thing.
Thanks for the response by the way.
I think ndj was saying something different. You can increase your strength, often pretty dramatically, without adding any real muscle mass at all. AS you learn and practice lifting, your body is getting "smarter" about how it uses the muscle it already has -- it is recruiting more muscle fibers to complete the tasks you're pressing on it, resulting, as ndj said, in a more "productive" effort. So just to be clear you can gain strength and not gain muscle; and someone new to lifting can likely gain a LOT of strength without adding any muscle before reaching their limits (at which point, to get stronger, one would need to add new muscle).
All that said, if you are new to lifting, there's a decent chance you'll actually add a little muscle, even without a significant calorie surplus. Often referred to as "newbie gains." This likely won't be a lot, and so won't result in a lot of weight gain, but don't be surprised (and hopefully be pleased!) if it happens.
Finally, as you are new to lifting, it is very, very likely that in working your muscles they'll be forced to draw in more water as you're starting out to assist in repair. You may get a sense that your muscles are getting slightly bigger, and you'll likely add a little scale weight in the form of retained water. It's not fat; and it's not muscle (except for any newbie gains), but it is technically "lean mass" in that it is intracellular water in your muscles.
TL;DR version: New lifters can gain strength, sometimes a lot, without actually adding any new muscle mass; new lifters may add some muscle mass (newbie gains) even without a calorie surplus; and new lifters will likely add some scale weight in the form of water drawn into the worked muscles.
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to clarify ..I was saying that you can gain strength without putting on any new muscle..
strength gains do not equal muscle gains….0 -
Agreed, when one strength trains he/she is not intending to put on muscle, only to gain strength.
Also there is no such thing as "toning".0 -
muscle doesnt weigh more than fat,it weighs the same but the muscle takes up less space.gaining strength also does not always mean gaining muscle. I lift while in a deficit and I have gotten stronger but havent built much if any muscle.I have been lifting for almost 3 years, I have gained some muscle but a lot of that was from when I wasnt eating in a deficit.XC_Guitar17 wrote: »I'm okay with gaining weight and toning up as long as I'm gaining mostly muscle. And I understand that muscle weighs more than fat, so by gaining muscle, I would gain some weight. That's cool. I just need "strength gains," as you (ndj1979) put it, and from what I understand, gaining strength means gaining muscle.
I hope that makes sense. And I may be totally wrong or I may be understanding your answer to my question wrong - like I said, I'm new to this strength training thing.
Thanks for the response by the way.
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CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
muscle doesnt weigh more than fat,it weighs the same but the muscle takes up less space.gaining strength also does not always mean gaining muscle. I lift while in a deficit and I have gotten stronger but havent built much if any muscle.I have been lifting for almost 3 years, I have gained some muscle but a lot of that was from when I wasnt eating in a deficit.XC_Guitar17 wrote: »I'm okay with gaining weight and toning up as long as I'm gaining mostly muscle. And I understand that muscle weighs more than fat, so by gaining muscle, I would gain some weight. That's cool. I just need "strength gains," as you (ndj1979) put it, and from what I understand, gaining strength means gaining muscle.
I hope that makes sense. And I may be totally wrong or I may be understanding your answer to my question wrong - like I said, I'm new to this strength training thing.
Thanks for the response by the way.
It would be pleasing, to me at least, if we could keep this tired old argument over semantics out of the gaining section. You do understand that both statements are equally right and wrong, don't you?
It shows up on the main boards pretty frequently so there's plenty of opportunities to flog it death there, if you enjoy doing so.
OP simply wanted to know if he would gain weight (while eating at maintenance), he won't.
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You shouldn't gain weight. I am new to strength training and I am no expert but I can tell you what I have experienced. I started working with a personal trainer at the beginning of last month. I consistently eat at a deficit. I strength train three to four days a week. I am considerably stronger than I was two months ago but I have still lost at least one pound a week.0
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If you want to build more muscles, you need to eat at a calorie surplus.0
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how about instead of rudely telling me where I should go to comment on things, because you dont like it,you skip over what I say/said? its a public forum and I have just as much right to post things as others do.CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
muscle doesnt weigh more than fat,it weighs the same but the muscle takes up less space.gaining strength also does not always mean gaining muscle. I lift while in a deficit and I have gotten stronger but havent built much if any muscle.I have been lifting for almost 3 years, I have gained some muscle but a lot of that was from when I wasnt eating in a deficit.XC_Guitar17 wrote: »I'm okay with gaining weight and toning up as long as I'm gaining mostly muscle. And I understand that muscle weighs more than fat, so by gaining muscle, I would gain some weight. That's cool. I just need "strength gains," as you (ndj1979) put it, and from what I understand, gaining strength means gaining muscle.
I hope that makes sense. And I may be totally wrong or I may be understanding your answer to my question wrong - like I said, I'm new to this strength training thing.
Thanks for the response by the way.
It would be pleasing, to me at least, if we could keep this tired old argument over semantics out of the gaining section. You do understand that both statements are equally right and wrong, don't you?
It shows up on the main boards pretty frequently so there's plenty of opportunities to flog it death there, if you enjoy doing so.
OP simply wanted to know if he would gain weight (while eating at maintenance), he won't.0 -
This content has been removed.
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CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
how about instead of rudely telling me where I should go to comment on things, because you dont like it,you skip over what I say/said? its a public forum and I have just as much right to post things as others do.CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
muscle doesnt weigh more than fat,it weighs the same but the muscle takes up less space.gaining strength also does not always mean gaining muscle. I lift while in a deficit and I have gotten stronger but havent built much if any muscle.I have been lifting for almost 3 years, I have gained some muscle but a lot of that was from when I wasnt eating in a deficit.XC_Guitar17 wrote: »I'm okay with gaining weight and toning up as long as I'm gaining mostly muscle. And I understand that muscle weighs more than fat, so by gaining muscle, I would gain some weight. That's cool. I just need "strength gains," as you (ndj1979) put it, and from what I understand, gaining strength means gaining muscle.
I hope that makes sense. And I may be totally wrong or I may be understanding your answer to my question wrong - like I said, I'm new to this strength training thing.
Thanks for the response by the way.
It would be pleasing, to me at least, if we could keep this tired old argument over semantics out of the gaining section. You do understand that both statements are equally right and wrong, don't you?
It shows up on the main boards pretty frequently so there's plenty of opportunities to flog it death there, if you enjoy doing so.
OP simply wanted to know if he would gain weight (while eating at maintenance), he won't.
Then please stop being wrong. Muscle is denser than fat.0 -
where did I say that it wasnt more dense than fat? pretty sure I said it weighs the same but just takes up less space. how am I wrong in saying whats been proven?CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
how about instead of rudely telling me where I should go to comment on things, because you dont like it,you skip over what I say/said? its a public forum and I have just as much right to post things as others do.CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
muscle doesnt weigh more than fat,it weighs the same but the muscle takes up less space.gaining strength also does not always mean gaining muscle. I lift while in a deficit and I have gotten stronger but havent built much if any muscle.I have been lifting for almost 3 years, I have gained some muscle but a lot of that was from when I wasnt eating in a deficit.XC_Guitar17 wrote: »I'm okay with gaining weight and toning up as long as I'm gaining mostly muscle. And I understand that muscle weighs more than fat, so by gaining muscle, I would gain some weight. That's cool. I just need "strength gains," as you (ndj1979) put it, and from what I understand, gaining strength means gaining muscle.
I hope that makes sense. And I may be totally wrong or I may be understanding your answer to my question wrong - like I said, I'm new to this strength training thing.
Thanks for the response by the way.
It would be pleasing, to me at least, if we could keep this tired old argument over semantics out of the gaining section. You do understand that both statements are equally right and wrong, don't you?
It shows up on the main boards pretty frequently so there's plenty of opportunities to flog it death there, if you enjoy doing so.
OP simply wanted to know if he would gain weight (while eating at maintenance), he won't.
Then please stop being wrong. Muscle is denser than fat.
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Because you can just as easily say that, given the same volume of material, the muscle weighs more. (A 1" cube of muscle weighs more than a 1" cube of fat). It's a non-argument that gets people all spun out around here. That's why nobody wants it introduced in the Gaining Weight forum.CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
where did I say that it wasnt more dense than fat? pretty sure I said it weighs the same but just takes up less space. how am I wrong in saying whats been proven?CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
how about instead of rudely telling me where I should go to comment on things, because you dont like it,you skip over what I say/said? its a public forum and I have just as much right to post things as others do.CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
muscle doesnt weigh more than fat,it weighs the same but the muscle takes up less space.gaining strength also does not always mean gaining muscle. I lift while in a deficit and I have gotten stronger but havent built much if any muscle.I have been lifting for almost 3 years, I have gained some muscle but a lot of that was from when I wasnt eating in a deficit.XC_Guitar17 wrote: »I'm okay with gaining weight and toning up as long as I'm gaining mostly muscle. And I understand that muscle weighs more than fat, so by gaining muscle, I would gain some weight. That's cool. I just need "strength gains," as you (ndj1979) put it, and from what I understand, gaining strength means gaining muscle.
I hope that makes sense. And I may be totally wrong or I may be understanding your answer to my question wrong - like I said, I'm new to this strength training thing.
Thanks for the response by the way.
It would be pleasing, to me at least, if we could keep this tired old argument over semantics out of the gaining section. You do understand that both statements are equally right and wrong, don't you?
It shows up on the main boards pretty frequently so there's plenty of opportunities to flog it death there, if you enjoy doing so.
OP simply wanted to know if he would gain weight (while eating at maintenance), he won't.
Then please stop being wrong. Muscle is denser than fat.
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Maybe he means 'look muscular'?0
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Just to clarify for everyone who's been saying "he" I'm a girl haha.
That being said, I think females build muscle differently than males? Because I hear girls on my team worry about getting really "big" (meaning muscular like a guy) all the time. Similarly, my ultimate goal is to be toned. Toned in a "runner's way" if that makes sense. I want to gain strength in my arms and core, and if that also means gaining muscle and gaining (or losing) a bit of weight, that sounds great to me.
Thank you all for the help so far. I honestly was not expecting people to respond to my question so much, and I greatly appreciate the help that each of you has offered. I'll be happy to clarify anything farther or answer any questions relating to my goals/original post.
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No they build the same as with males. Just slower.XC_Guitar17 wrote: »Just to clarify for everyone who's been saying "he" I'm a girl haha.
That being said, I think females build muscle differently than males? Because I hear girls on my team worry about getting really "big" (meaning muscular like a guy) all the time. Similarly, my ultimate goal is to be toned. Toned in a "runner's way" if that makes sense. I want to gain strength in my arms and core, and if that also means gaining muscle and gaining (or losing) a bit of weight, that sounds great to me.
Thank you all for the help so far. I honestly was not expecting people to respond to my question so much, and I greatly appreciate the help that each of you has offered. I'll be happy to clarify anything farther or answer any questions relating to my goals/original post.
Waaaaaaayyyyyyyyy slower. Outside of really frackin' kick *kitten* genetics of course...for which I do know someone...but only one in all of the females I know.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »
No they build the same as with males. Just slower.XC_Guitar17 wrote: »Just to clarify for everyone who's been saying "he" I'm a girl haha.
That being said, I think females build muscle differently than males? Because I hear girls on my team worry about getting really "big" (meaning muscular like a guy) all the time. Similarly, my ultimate goal is to be toned. Toned in a "runner's way" if that makes sense. I want to gain strength in my arms and core, and if that also means gaining muscle and gaining (or losing) a bit of weight, that sounds great to me.
Thank you all for the help so far. I honestly was not expecting people to respond to my question so much, and I greatly appreciate the help that each of you has offered. I'll be happy to clarify anything farther or answer any questions relating to my goals/original post.
Waaaaaaayyyyyyyyy slower. Outside of really frackin' kick *kitten* genetics of course...for which I do know someone...but only one in all of the females I know.
I guess patience, persistent strength training, and getting enough protein are what I need to reach my goals then?
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Also, do I need to eat right at my recommended daily calorie and protien intake if I want to build muscle/strength, or eat at a calorie/protein surplus? From what you guys are saying it sounds like I need a surplus but I'm just clarifying.0
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Muscle gains don't come from nothing. To add muscle means you'll add weight. So small surplus is needed to build tissue and surpluses will add weight.XC_Guitar17 wrote: »Also, do I need to eat right at my recommended daily calorie and protien intake if I want to build muscle/strength, or eat at a calorie/protein surplus? From what you guys are saying it sounds like I need a surplus but I'm just clarifying.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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I have a really busy schedule, what is the most productive way to gain weight?0
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Muscle gains don't come from nothing. To add muscle means you'll add weight. So small surplus is needed to build tissue and surpluses will add weight.XC_Guitar17 wrote: »Also, do I need to eat right at my recommended daily calorie and protien intake if I want to build muscle/strength, or eat at a calorie/protein surplus? From what you guys are saying it sounds like I need a surplus but I'm just clarifying.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Cool. Thank you.0 -
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If you're trying to add muscle, you have to put in the time. If you're just trying to gain weight, to gain it, you just eat more than you burn.junyanpeng wrote: »I have a really busy schedule, what is the most productive way to gain weight?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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If you want to put on muscle it takes protein at the right time which is all the time- 10 grams every hour or 30 grams every three hours and try to stay in a positive calorie intake of at least 250 calories. I highly recommend 50 grams of casein (slow digesting protein before bed time. The rest is easy just lift weights until your happy with your progress then cut your calories to a deficit of 250 calories while keeping your protein in the 60% range of your total caloric intake and carbs under 15%. I do this every year and it works great..
Building muscle is 80% intake and 20% exercise!!
Muscle is dense so it does take up less space than fat but a pound of anything weighs the same as a pound of anything else.. I feel dumber for having to type this..lol.. Good luck0 -
If you just want to build strength only (no mass, no weight), eat at maintenance and lift. If you want to build muscle mass and strength, eat at a surplus and lift.0
sorry
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