Muscles?

jennb2096

So I started a new exercise routine on Monday and have been sore since. I know that starting a new routine your body can store extra water and on the scale it would appear as a weight gain. How long does this usually last for? How many days does this last? Until the muscle soreness is completely gone? A few days after that? How many pounds is an acceptable gain?

jemhh

The water weight gain will vary by person and exercise. I didn't have any water weight gain when I started running or bodyweight exercises. When I switched to lifting, I went up 3 pounds overall the first month and then it took me until the end of the next month to get back to the weight I was when I started (e.g., July 1 - 160 lbs, Aug 1 - 163 lbs, Sept 1 - 160 lbs.) In that time period, however, my appearance changed due to changes in body composition (fat loss was still happening.) So the "how long" question is hard to answer.

As for soreness, that can vary too but if you are brand new to exercise 3-5 days wouldn't be unusual. You can still exercise despite the soreness. Once you are exercising regularly, the soreness decreases and sometimes disappears entirely.

MommyMeggo

jennb2096 wrote: »

So I started a new exercise routine on Monday and have been sore since. I know that starting a new routine your body can store extra water and on the scale it would appear as a weight gain. How long does this usually last for? How many days does this last? Until the muscle soreness is completely gone? A few days after that? How many pounds is an acceptable gain?

Depending on the exercise- lifting heavy especially- it can be a few days to a week+.

Sara1791

I started a new program 4-ish weeks ago. The soreness was much diminished after a couple of weeks (If it's just muscle soreness, keep exercising) but the scale is just starting to move now. YMMV.

p8yn02016

Typically the soreness if not over done lasts 2 3 days and to avoid water retention try and watch your potassium lvl and keep it low key. Good luck on building muscle

ntnunk

For whatever it's worth, I started a strength training routine (Stronglifts 5x5) Monday of last week. Tuesday morning my weight was up 3 lbs, which I can only attribute to the lifting as I never see water weight swings that large (and I've been monitoring my weight daily for 2+ years now, so I'm pretty familiar with my rhythms and patterns). It lasted about a week and a half. Two days ago my weight suddenly dropped 3 lbs overnight, bringing right back to my usual weight range. It's been holding steady ever since.