Water weight gain from new workouts

jelleigh

Hey! I know that some people report a weight spike when starting a new workout routine (or when recovering from a strenuous weight lifting session? I hear people saying DOMS a lot). My question is, how hard does a workout need to be to have this happen and how much weight gain is common?
Like I was doing 21 day fix in August/September but took a break due to holidays and then a week long virus. I started again on Monday (and it felt really harder than before) and now I'm seeing a weight spike. Connected do you think?

LyndaBSS

Yep, connected. From what I've seen, it tends to be a couple of pounds. It goes away soon enough.

AnnPT77

jelleigh wrote: »

Hey! I know that some people report a weight spike when starting a new workout routine (or when recovering from a strenuous weight lifting session? I hear people saying DOMS a lot). My question is, how hard does a workout need to be to have this happen and how much weight gain is common?
Like I was doing 21 day fix in August/September but took a break due to holidays and then a week long virus. I started again on Monday (and it felt really harder than before) and now I'm seeing a weight spike. Connected do you think?

I doubt that there's a standard answer to this: Betting it's individualized.

When I feel motivated, I strength train in Winter (on-water rowing off season), stopping in Spring. I usually seem to gain a couple of otherwise unexplained pounds when I start strength training in Fall, and it hangs around until I drop a couple of otherwise unexplained pounds in Spring when I stop, as long as I'm reasonably consistent in progressive challenge on a consistent schedule all the way through.

I've read others say their exercise gains work differently than that.

You might see a bit of a gain from re-starting after several weeks off. If you track your intake and exercise calories, plus you haven't reduced your daily life activity level, and you haven't eaten enough over maintenance to account for the scale jump . . . it's likely water weight, whether from the exercise resumption, or from something else.

HoneyBadger302

I've had spikes of upwards of 5 pounds (rare), and going from inconsistent to consistent can have a couple pound spike, but if I'm being consistent in my workouts, any spikes seem pretty minimal. But if I'm being as consistent as I should be I'm also making sure I'm supporting my training with better supplement implementation, but historically if I'm inconsistent, I don't really bother as it's really not as important.

CSARdiver

It's driven be so many variables - the conditioning of the individual, sodium intake, normal water intake/output, hormonal fluctuation, body composition, genetic variability...endless...

The largest one I experienced was 12 lbs - this was after a Spartan Beast and Super, followed up with a high sodium celebration meal. All back to normal after 5 days of routine activity and hydration.

ElizabethKalmbach

CSARdiver wrote: »

The largest one I experienced was 12 lbs - this was after a Spartan Beast and Super, followed up with a high sodium celebration meal. All back to normal after 5 days of routine activity and hydration.

That's kind of surprising, since I expect I'm a much smaller human than you. I was thinking it might have some slight correlation to body size or muscle mass. I can achieve 10-12 lbs of water retention often enough that I know when and where to look for it - Usually after spending several days camping and eating large quantities of preserved food and doing a bunch of really bizarre things to my *normal* rate of water and electrolyte consumption.

MikePTY

As others have said, it's personalized, so YMMV. But personally, I definitely carry a few extra pounds when I work out regularly. Maybe 3-4. On occasions when I stop working out, which is usually accompanied by eating more food, I usuay lose weight pretty quickly for a couple of weeks even if my calorie intake is bad. My body seems to start to drop the water weight maybe 1-3 weeks after I stop exercising.

Like @CSARdiver, I will get spikes if I do extra strenuous exercise, even from my base exercise level. I gained 6 pounds in 2 days after I did a 4 hour martial arts belt test. My body just seemed to hold onto every bit of water I gave it after that. That went away in about a week though.

CSARdiver

ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »

CSARdiver wrote: »

The largest one I experienced was 12 lbs - this was after a Spartan Beast and Super, followed up with a high sodium celebration meal. All back to normal after 5 days of routine activity and hydration.

That's kind of surprising, since I expect I'm a much smaller human than you. I was thinking it might have some slight correlation to body size or muscle mass. I can achieve 10-12 lbs of water retention often enough that I know when and where to look for it - Usually after spending several days camping and eating large quantities of preserved food and doing a bunch of really bizarre things to my *normal* rate of water and electrolyte consumption.

The curse of Eve

HUUGE impact from hormones - the intent of which is to protect cells and structures from damage. Skinny jeans weren't considered in the evolutionary process.

ElizabethKalmbach

Yeah, the hormones are a super annoying set of mystery variables. Does it then follow that menopause alleviates some of the tendency, or is it one of those many, many "it's not that simple..." things?

middlehaitch

My post menopausal observations.

Menopause cut back on the menstrual cycle water weight variations, but the exercise, travel, salty food etc, water weight retention variables will still be there.

I carry an extra couple of pounds while lifting, drops off after ~10 days.
Travel is 5-7 lbs, drops within 4-6 days.
Higher salt intake, gain varies (1-3 lbs) and does the time to drop it (1-4days).

Vacations,
air travel, extra food, extra salt, hot weather, alcohol, lots of outdoor activities, for me equals a 7-10 lbs water gain, (enough that I have to take 2nd week big girl clothes and shoes) it goes within the week. Actual weight gain is nil to minimal because of the activity level.

I’ve never dropped the exercise/lifting water retention until I stop that activity. That extra water/glycogen is continuously needed for repairing my body. That is why I think it takes me longer to drop that water weight than water weight from travel, salt, heat, etc.

Cheers, h.

ElizabethKalmbach

@middlehaitch Thank you for jumping in with the data points I was curious about!

I am really not comforted by your report, though. :P Being a female continues to fail at impressing me. Thus, I leave you with the applicable quote from Galaxy Quest that popped into my mind as I read your post.

Gwen DeMarco:
What is this thing? I mean, it serves no useful purpose for there to be a bunch of chompy, crushy things in the middle of a hallway. No, I mean we shouldn't have to do this, it makes no logical sense, why is it here?

Jason Nesmith:
'Cause it's on the television show.

Gwen DeMarco:
Well forget it, I'm not doing it, this episode was badly written.

AnnPT77

I'd recommend not stressing over-much about water weight: While stress-related water weight probably isn't as common as some of the other sorts, it is seemingly among the whackiest and least predictable.

. . . except I'm not really joking.

MelanieCN77

I've seen a 2lb scale spike two times in the last couple of weeks from resistance work. It went away within a few days.

riffraff2112

most likely connected. From my experience intensive exercise especially followed by re-hydrating almost always results in a spike.