Personal trainer says I gained 9 pounds of muscle in less than two months?

peachvine29
peachvine29 Posts: 400 Member
edited December 24 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Attached are my data results since starting PT in early November, including lift sessions I've done with him and my measurements.

I’ve gained over ten pounds in 1.5 months, not tracking calories diligently (my bad) and mostly eating over maintenance, but also lifting four times a week. My lifts have increased in weight a little. My PT calculated that 9 of the pounds I gained are muscle (looking at my body fat % changes which were measured with a handheld device). I respect him but I also think and have heard that it is impossible to gain muscle that fast, though of course I would like for it to be true ;). Thoughts?

I feel I need to go into a deficit now, I am gaining too much too quickly and my clothes are getting tight... but I also want to have some muscle tone when I diet down for summer. Before training I looked too thin in clothes and too fat without clothes, now I do feel I look normal, healthy weight in clothes and chubby without. Interesting.

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Replies

  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    Those hand-held bio-electric impedance devices are not terribly accurate. You could go back in a few hours and have very different results.
  • peachvine29
    peachvine29 Posts: 400 Member
    T1DCarnivoreRunner wrote: »
    Those hand-held bio-electric impedance devices are not terribly accurate. You could go back in a few hours and have very different results.

    That's what I've read too, he told me in the beginning they aren't very accurate but that comparing from test to test over time should show if you are going up or down in body fat. But I also know you have to have the same conditions.
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    Did you take progress pics? That will be more helpful in telling you of changes most likely.
  • francesca_grey
    francesca_grey Posts: 96 Member
    There’s muscle and then there’s lean mass. If you recently started training then you probably gained a lot of water weight, both contained within your muscles and in blood volume. This happened to me (10 pound gain in 2-3 months) despite eating at just above maintenance. My measurements went up too. But after that it slowed down for a few months and then my weight started going up again because I was eating too much and not tracking. Now I’m cutting so I don’t have to go up a clothing size and while I’m bigger I’m so strong and look much better! Supposedly muscle has memory, I was so surprised at the rate I gained muscle this year that I wonder if it had to do with my drastic weight loss and my body was playing catch-up.

    This is just a suggestion from someone who has been where you are at, but rather than eating at a deficit right now, I would try eating at your estimated TDEE but still track calories diligently for at least a couple months and figure out what your actual TDEE is. In the meantime you’ll have a chance to adapt to strength training which is already a lot of stress on the body. I am eating at a deficit now after training for a year and it is much more difficult! Had I tried this when I first started, I would have quit. Building muscle is a long game as opposed to weight loss so you need a different strategy.
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
    chickencereal wrote: »
    There’s muscle and then there’s lean mass. If you recently started training then you probably gained a lot of water weight, both contained within your muscles and in blood volume. This happened to me (10 pound gain in 2-3 months) despite eating at just above maintenance. My measurements went up too. But after that it slowed down for a few months and then my weight started going up again because I was eating too much and not tracking. Now I’m cutting so I don’t have to go up a clothing size and while I’m bigger I’m so strong and look much better! Supposedly muscle has memory, I was so surprised at the rate I gained muscle this year that I wonder if it had to do with my drastic weight loss and my body was playing catch-up.

    This is just a suggestion from someone who has been where you are at, but rather than eating at a deficit right now, I would try eating at your estimated TDEE but still track calories diligently for at least a couple months and figure out what your actual TDEE is. In the meantime you’ll have a chance to adapt to strength training which is already a lot of stress on the body. I am eating at a deficit now after training for a year and it is much more difficult! Had I tried this when I first started, I would have quit. Building muscle is a long game as opposed to weight loss so you need a different strategy.

    Agree with this first part. I think it's unlikely she gained 9 pounds of "muscle" but equally unlikely that she gained 9 pounds of fat. Most of it was probably lean mass in the form of water weight with a bit of muscle and a bit of fat.
  • cupcakesandproteinshakes
    cupcakesandproteinshakes Posts: 1,159 Member
    You’ve done a bulk. Hopefully some will be muscle. And some will likely be fat.

    What you do next is entirely up to you. You could maintain your current weight and carry on weight training aka recomp. It’s a slow process though. Think in terms of years.

    We have similar stats I’m half an inch taller. I recomped for 2 and a half years at 140 pounds. Just going by the mirror I look a bit more muscular but I have no data re body fat percentage. I’m not ripped and there’s some fat in my tummy and lower half but I have a nice firmer shape overall.

    Overall I would recommend recomp to a person who has a history of yo yo dieting and does not want to do cut and bulk cycles. That’s my situation. Others here do bulks and cuts no problem but I need to sort my head out more around my relationship with food before I consider bulking
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  • saFit247
    saFit247 Posts: 117 Member
    peachvine29 wrote: »
    Attached are my data results since starting PT in early November, including lift sessions I've done with him and my measurements.

    I’ve gained over ten pounds in 1.5 months, not tracking calories diligently (my bad) and mostly eating over maintenance, but also lifting four times a week. My lifts have increased in weight a little. My PT calculated that 9 of the pounds I gained are muscle (looking at my body fat % changes which were measured with a handheld device). I respect him but I also think and have heard that it is impossible to gain muscle that fast, though of course I would like for it to be true ;). Thoughts?

    I feel I need to go into a deficit now, I am gaining too much too quickly and my clothes are getting tight... but I also want to have some muscle tone when I diet down for summer. Before training I looked too thin in clothes and too fat without clothes, now I do feel I look normal, healthy weight in clothes and chubby without. Interesting.

    gtfwmwe3ebdv.jpg
    gec0b4cjiq9q.jpg

    So what the trainer has done is he has kept your Fat % before training as constant , now you have gained 10 pounds and as per him the Fat % variation is very less which is 10% of gained weight. So obviously his knowledge about body composition is quite less as he is not factoring a lot of paramters such as water, fat mass,bone density ,Lean mass etc. So basically its not that easy for assessing the muscle mass just like that , if you are really interested to know the most accurate value then DEXA scan is one option you can look into.

  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,498 Member
    mmapags wrote: »
    peachvine29 wrote: »
    Fflpnari wrote: »
    I doubt 9 pounds of muscle were gained, sorry

    Same here, I didn't believe him when he said this, I guess maybe he was trying to make me feel better and make our efforts look successful, however I don't blame him for my fat gain, I am well aware it is because I have loosened the reins a bit. I have probably gained a little muscle and have definitely bettered my form and technique, but also gained fat rapidly. I know I can get back down again, though.

    Yeah, no way. That would make you a biological miracle. Those hand held devices are worth *kitten* for accuracy. As a woman, in a month and a half, you may have gained a pound to a pound and a half of muscle. Stir good but 9 lbs.? Nope.

    You seem to have the right, healthy perspective on it all.

    Agree, a male on gear, but not a natural female. Also good perspective by the OP.
  • fit_mama30
    fit_mama30 Posts: 178 Member
    Theoldguy1 wrote: »

    Agree, a male on gear, but not a natural female. Also good perspective by the OP.

    I was just going to say that. A female on gear could probably gain that much if nutrition & diet is on point but a natural? Nope.



  • peachvine29
    peachvine29 Posts: 400 Member
    edited December 2019
    I thought my trainer was smart and I trusted him... He has a degree in Exercise Science, is the director of personal training at his company (he was previously a director at a different company before too), and is a competitive power lifter. He is also only 24. But that's totally right about the lean body mass, he never mentioned anything about water weight, etc, just fat and muscle gain that could have happened. I tried asking him if I should be eating in a surplus, maintenance, or deficit if I wanted to lose fat but also gain muscle, or if I should focus on either first, he just said that is up to me, I'm not sure how much he really knows about nutrition and their effect on training and muscle building.

    I didn't really take progress pictures, but I do have some from over the summer to the beginning of this month, which definitely show better body composition even though I'm heavier: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10775127/did-i-bulk-recomp-do-i-look-leaner-even-though-i-m-heavier/p1

    I have him as a trainer until March, I signed a contract with him... I feel my program looks good, I do two upper, two lower, one cardio, and one yoga day a week. I might try and rein in my calories at maintenance until then.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    peachvine29 wrote: »
    T1DCarnivoreRunner wrote: »
    Those hand-held bio-electric impedance devices are not terribly accurate. You could go back in a few hours and have very different results.

    That's what I've read too, he told me in the beginning they aren't very accurate but that comparing from test to test over time should show if you are going up or down in body fat. But I also know you have to have the same conditions.

    If you can present the exactly same level of hydrated body for the device to measure, you can get a consistent figure over time to see a trend.

    Even though accuracy would be terrible.

    That ability to have the exact same hydrated body though. Drink an extra glass of water at work before going in and you've gained LBM!

    Which is why many studies don't call it LBM, but FFM( Fat Free Mass, as opposed to FM) - tad more understandable to most.
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  • neugebauer52
    neugebauer52 Posts: 1,120 Member
    edited December 2019
    Never mind that personal trainer and his x - ray vision. How do you feel? Are you happy and content? Relaxed and a better person inside and out? If so, your family / work colleagues have noticed (or not) and will comment accordingly. A trainer is here to make money off you to support his own life style - obviously he will tell you what you want to hear, just keep on paying!
  • francesca_grey
    francesca_grey Posts: 96 Member
    peachvine29 wrote: »
    I have him as a trainer until March, I signed a contract with him... I feel my program looks good, I do two upper, two lower, one cardio, and one yoga day a week. I might try and rein in my calories at maintenance until then.

    I know the plan I am following is not perfect but it doesn't matter since I'm a beginner. Plus I enjoy what I am doing and consistency (and form) will always trump a perfect program. Good luck and please report back what you do and the results! I am an inch shorter than you and was around the same weight before I started so I am curious. I hope you fall in love with lifting.
  • cupcakesandproteinshakes
    cupcakesandproteinshakes Posts: 1,159 Member
    OP I’m not a programming expert but I don’t think all is lost. As a newbie to resistance training almost any programme will work as long as you can keep adding weight to the bar. He may not be the best trainer in the world but that does not necessarily mean he is trying to rip you off.

    Can you get out of the contract or have you paid all up front?

    If you can’t get out of the contract I would carry on with his programme and in the meantime do your own research into post novice programmes for when you finish with him. There’s a thread at the top of this forum with a lot of free programmes including some intermediate ones.
  • joshdoucette84
    joshdoucette84 Posts: 12 Member
    You couldn’t gain 9 pounds of pure muscle in two years
This discussion has been closed.

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