Gained Weight?! Confused?

roosevelt

First, I'd like to start with my information:

Age: 46
Sex: Female
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 120
Body Fat: 19

About 2 weeks ago, I changed my exercise routine to include 6 days of weight training for 1 hour per day and also increased my cardio to include 3 days a week on the elliptical for 1 to 1-1/2 hours each session. My goals is to increase my strength and endurance during the winter, as my husband and I are doing a Century ride in early June and I want to be ready and as fit as possible.

However, I'm confused, as I've gained weight over the past couple weeks. What might be causing this and where do I go from here? Thanks in advance for your help and input!!

cwolfman13

New exercises and an increase in intensity is additional stress on your muscles...weight lifting in particular is going to require your body to do a lot of repair...to repair your muscles, fluid is required so you retain more fluids. These fluids are also what give you that "pumped" look when you're lifting weights.

It'll taper off as your muscles grow accustomed to your routine but you will always retain a bit more water when you're lifting than you would if you weren't....you're shredding those muscle fibers.