Strength training and weight gain

blytheny
blytheny Posts: 63 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I realize this is an OLD topic, but I couldn't find a relevant & recent post, so here I am. :wink:

I've added strength training into my workout for 4 weeks. Prior to it, I was mostly cardio (eliptical x 50 min, 3-4x week) because I injured my shoulder doing strength training in the fall with a personal trainer.

So, I'm doing exercises she taught me but avoiding heavy shoulder ones - mostly biceps, triceps, light shoulders, core work and back, some quads/hamstring.

My time spent with the weights is about 25-30 min, 3-4x week.

I was steadily losing about 2 lbs/week (keeping my calories at MFP's recommendations) but then WHAM - this week I gained 2.5 lbs. (And it's not "that time of the month", no increased sodium intake)

My measurements have steadily gone down - even with the 2.5lb weight gain, I lost an overall 1.5". So that tells me I'm losing, even if the scale went up.

So, I'm guessing it's increased muscle mass... is this the norm, timing-wise, for someone relatively new to strength training? Is there a period of loss and then gain as the body adjusts?

Thanks for any input - I've read numerous articles, and would like feedback from people here now.

Replies

  • blytheny
    blytheny Posts: 63 Member
    bump
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    You didn't gain 2.5 lbs of muscle in a week. It would be hard to do that in a month.

    The scale will fluctuate for many reasons.

    The number of a scale is really just that a number. If your goal is to lose size, your measurements are a good way to verify that. My scale can literally vary 5 lbs up or down depending on what I am doing that day.
  • 33Freya
    33Freya Posts: 468 Member
    Hey as long as your measurements are going down, you're doing well. Remember that the scale is just a tool, not the end-all. New lifters will retain more water in the muscle at first, and you will see gains higher in the beginning that later on, but probably not that much. Still, great job, keep it up!
  • ME0172
    ME0172 Posts: 200
    You didn't gain 2.5 lbs of muscle in a week. It would be hard to do that in a month.

    The scale will fluctuate for many reasons.

    The number of a scale is really just that a number. If your goal is to lose size, your measurements are a good way to verify that. My scale can literally vary 5 lbs up or down depending on what I am doing that day.

    This. It isn't 2.5 pounds of muscle mass in one week. Could be a variety of things. Keep measuring and taking pictures and going by how your clothes feel. You won't gain muscle mass that quick.

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