Gaining muscle just by running

leelxxsh

So I know that when exercising, it's possible to gain weight sometimes simply due to muscle gain. I know that happens with weight training, but I'm not sure about cardio.

I've gained about 2.5 pounds these past 2 weeks, and at first I wasn't sure why but I looked back on my food diary and saw I haven't been making the best food choices for the last 2 weeks (it's open if anyone's curious), so that would explain it.

But regardless, I was wondering if it's possibly to gain enough muscle from doing something like running every other day for 20 minutes. I'd like to start weight training soon (I go back to school in 3 weeks and don't see the point in getting a gym membership now when I have a free one at school), so for now the treadmill I have at home and some Zumba is my only form of exercise. Thoughts?

AJ_G

There's no way you've been gaining muscle, you're eating at a deficit, you're doing cardio, and your protein intake is absurdly low. Weight gain/weight loss has nothing to do with what you're eating, and everything to do with how many calories you're eating, and how many calories you're burning.

RGv2

^^^Yep.

cwolfman13

1) You don't gain any appreciable muscle with cardio.

2) You certainly don't build 2.5 Lbs of muscle in a couple of weeks...if that were possible, every guy on the planet would be yolked. A male with half way decent genetics, eating a surplus of calories with a spot on diet high in protein and working his *kitten* off in the weight room might...maybe...perhaps put on a good 8-10 Lbs of muscle in an entire year.

3) 2.5 Lbs is well within the range of natural body weight fluctuations. Also, if you're new to running it is likely your muscles are retaining water...they do that any time you switch up exercise and/or increase intensity because your muscles need water to repair.

4) It is likely you're also eating around maintenance...as you say, you havent been making the best food choices.

Brad805

Weight gain for men is reported by some to be around 0.5lb/wk and it is0.25lb/wk for women. Those figures are with very good nutrition and earlier on in ones training. I do not think you have added 2.5lb of muscle mass in the time frame mentioned by running or by any other means for that matter.

jmc0806

if you just started running, it's probably just your muscles retaining more water to repair themselves

edit: just saw this was already mentioned above

MoreBean13

No, you didn't gain muscle from running. It's nearly impossible, with a slight caveat for serious sprint training.

What happened is that your muscles are swollen with fluid from the new training. It will go away.

jacksonpt

Can you gain muscle from running? No, at least not any noticeable amount.

Can you retain water (and thus "gain" weight) from exercise? Absolutely.
Is this what is likely happening to the OP? Yep.

zipnguyen

hard to gain "muscle" while on a calorie deficit as many have stated. Unless your new to say lifting you could experience newbie gains but that is under certain conditions. Given that intermediate male natural bodybuilders spend about 1 year to gain like 3-7lbs it's tough to say that your gain is purely 100% muscle.

ayalowich

There's no way you've been gaining muscle, you're eating at a deficit, you're doing cardio, and your protein intake is absurdly low. Weight gain/weight loss has nothing to do with what you're eating, and everything to do with how many calories you're eating, and how many calories you're burning.

That simply isn't true. The types of calories you take in definitely have an effect. It isn't as simple as saying all calories are created equal.

As far as running 20 minutes every other day causing muscle weight gain, I'd have to say there is next to no chance of that. You certainly can change your physique from running and you will look leaner with less body fat, but I don't think you actually gain muscle.

jacksonpt

There's no way you've been gaining muscle, you're eating at a deficit, you're doing cardio, and your protein intake is absurdly low. Weight gain/weight loss has nothing to do with what you're eating, and everything to do with how many calories you're eating, and how many calories you're burning.

That simply isn't true. The types of calories you take in definitely have an effect. It isn't as simple as saying all calories are created equal.

Can you elaborate?

I don't understand how the body can build new tissue (thus increasing overall energy need) when it is in an energy deficit. How do you build a house without a surplus of wood?

agggie550

There's no way you've been gaining muscle, you're eating at a deficit, you're doing cardio, and your protein intake is absurdly low. Weight gain/weight loss has nothing to do with what you're eating, and everything to do with how many calories you're eating, and how many calories you're burning.

What he said
Also if you are getting your heart rate up to a certain level, which by running I assume you are, your body starts to act more in a cardio exercise manor (starts breaking down muscle for fuel) then a fat burning manner (exercising at a lower heart rate).

luckydays27

you are not eating enough. Most of your diary has you eating at less than 1200 cals a day. If you are running, you should be eatting more food.

1200 is not enough food to run your body. Through fitness into that mix as well and you are burning far more than you are taking in. Either use the MFP method with a 500 cal daily deficit and eat back most of your fitness cals OR figure out your TDEE and eat ~20% less than that (dont eat back your fitness cals when doing TDEE method).

Pick one, stick with it, and see where you are in a month. If you have not lost weight by them, you are not accurately logging your food/exercise.

I know this defies traditional "diet" advice but you need to eat more to lose weight, especially when exercising.

JNick77

So I know that when exercising, it's possible to gain weight sometimes simply due to muscle gain. I know that happens with weight training, but I'm not sure about cardio.

I've gained about 2.5 pounds these past 2 weeks, and at first I wasn't sure why but I looked back on my food diary and saw I haven't been making the best food choices for the last 2 weeks (it's open if anyone's curious), so that would explain it.

But regardless, I was wondering if it's possibly to gain enough muscle from doing something like running every other day for 20 minutes. I'd like to start weight training soon (I go back to school in 3 weeks and don't see the point in getting a gym membership now when I have a free one at school), so for now the treadmill I have at home and some Zumba is my only form of exercise. Thoughts?

Are you by chance closing in our experiencing your TOM?? A 2.5lb gain in the last week sounds like bloating or possibly carrying some glycogen absorbed by your muscles.

LolBroScience

There's no way you've been gaining muscle, you're eating at a deficit, you're doing cardio, and your protein intake is absurdly low. Weight gain/weight loss has nothing to do with what you're eating, and everything to do with how many calories you're eating, and how many calories you're burning.

That simply isn't true. The types of calories you take in definitely have an effect. It isn't as simple as saying all calories are created equal.

As far as running 20 minutes every other day causing muscle weight gain, I'd have to say there is next to no chance of that. You certainly can change your physique from running and you will look leaner with less body fat, but I don't think you actually gain muscle.

Just by reading some of your comments in previous posts, you really dont have a total grasp on energy balance, or the effects macros relative to body composition do you?

leelxxsh

I guess some of you missed in my post that I know that my weight gain was caused by questionable food choices, so that's that haha. I was just curious about whether or not it was possible in general

Edit: I started running a few weeks ago and increase intensity dramatically, so the theories that I'm retaining water are true. Even though I used to Zumba hardcore, the movements are different so I guess the same rules about water retention apply