LBS vs INCHES

chartt

I have been working really hard (extra) I had been doing the treadmill, and had been losing so I added swimming and since I have gained 4 lbs everyone is telling me that it is muscle weight but I thought that to gain muscle weight that one had to actually be lifting weight. I was told that you dont gain muscle weight just by doing cardio. True or false?

Lyadeia

You did not gain 4 pounds of muscle by starting swimming.

Most likely, your body is getting used to the new exercise and the muscles are filling with glycogen or water to repair them after your workouts. This happens frequently to new exercisers, or those of us who change up what we are doing. It is not fat gain/loss, and it is certainly not muscle either.

grimendale

You did not gain 4 pounds of muscle by starting swimming.

Most likely, your body is getting used to the new exercise and the muscles are filling with glycogen or water to repair them after your workouts. This happens frequently to new exercisers, or those of us who change up what we are doing. It is not fat gain/loss, and it is certainly not muscle either.

This. When you first start working out, or significantly increase the difficulty level, you generate microtears in your muscles and your body retains water and glycogen to repair the damage as part of the inflammation response. The retention should go away in a few weeks. If you were very inactive before you started swimming, you could generate small muscle growth as a result of cardio. When people say that you can't gain muscle doing cardio, they really mean significant muscle mass. Slight increases due to increased exertion are to be expected (though probably not 4 lbs worth).

runningjen74

My guess water weight and I wouldn't be stressed about it, but....some people eat more after swimming. You haven't said how long it has been. Keep an eye on your diary.

chartt

I had been doing the walking/ treadmill for around 6 mos and swimming for about a month now.

chartt

I was pretty sure it wasnt muscle, I didnt know the body retained water to repair itself. thats good to know. My clothes are fitting so much looser so I think I'm going to stay away from the scale.

cwolfman13

You did not gain 4 pounds of muscle by starting swimming.

Most likely, your body is getting used to the new exercise and the muscles are filling with glycogen or water to repair them after your workouts. This happens frequently to new exercisers, or those of us who change up what we are doing. It is not fat gain/loss, and it is certainly not muscle either.

This ^^^. Provided you are within your calorie goals, it is water retention while your body adapts to a new workout and uses different muscles that need repair which leads to water retention.

A male with halfway decent genetics who kills it in the weight room might put on 6 Lbs of actual muscle in a year...maybe...possibly. So, trust me...you didn't put on 4 Lbs of muscle in a couple weeks of swimming.