Muscle mass!

xLouYoungx

(I am a 19 year old female)
So I started the gym 5 weeks ago, going 3 days a week for one hour a time. Here is what a typical session for me at the gym looks like:
Treadmill 8km/hr-10 minutes
Elliptical-10 minutes
Rowing machine, highest setting-9/10minutes (1000m then another 3 minutes later on, in between using the dumbbells)
I then move on to strength training:
Squat/shoulder press with a 5kg dumbbell-3x10 reps
Dumbbell swing with a 5kg dumbbell-3x10 reps
30 x Push up twists
Dumbbell side bend with a 5kg dumbbell- 3x10 reps
Medicine ball twist 3x30 reps
I then use the power plate for 2 minutes repeating 2 moves shown by gym instructor
2x30 second plank
Shoulder press 40kg-3x10 reps
Leg extension 30kg-3x10 reps

So bearing in mid that I usually never weigh myself, I tend to just go by how my clothes fit and how I look, I weighed myself about 10 days ago and my scales came up with 9st 10 pounds which I half expected. Today I weighed myself, just to find out that I am now 10st 5 pounds!!!!
I understand (as everyone says) muscle weighs more than fat etc but is that really true? Could that be the reason my scales claim that I have put on 9 pounds in 10 days (which I thought was absolutely impossible)?
After showing my weight, my scales came up with:
Body fat-18%
Muscle mass-44.6%
Water-52% (I cant remember the exact number, it could have been 54%, but there abouts)

So as i'm typing this i'm starting to see why my weight is getting heavier (even though I look more toned) and that I am sounding very stupid (!) but what is the normal/average muscle mass for women? Because no matter where I look on the internet, I cant seem to find any information on it.

Thank you!

Lukazetta

(I am a 19 year old female)
So I started the gym 5 weeks ago, going 3 days a week for one hour a time. Here is what a typical session for me at the gym looks like:
Treadmill 8km/hr-10 minutes
Elliptical-10 minutes
Rowing machine, highest setting-9/10minutes (1000m then another 3 minutes later on, in between using the dumbbells)
I then move on to strength training:
Squat/shoulder press with a 5kg dumbbell-3x10 reps
Dumbbell swing with a 5kg dumbbell-3x10 reps
30 x Push up twists
Dumbbell side bend with a 5kg dumbbell- 3x10 reps
Medicine ball twist 3x30 reps
I then use the power plate for 2 minutes repeating 2 moves shown by gym instructor
2x30 second plank
Shoulder press 40kg-3x10 reps
Leg extension 30kg-3x10 reps

So bearing in mid that I usually never weigh myself, I tend to just go by how my clothes fit and how I look, I weighed myself about 10 days ago and my scales came up with 9st 10 pounds which I half expected. Today I weighed myself, just to find out that I am now 10st 5 pounds!!!!
I understand (as everyone says) muscle weighs more than fat etc but is that really true? Could that be the reason my scales claim that I have put on 9 pounds in 10 days (which I thought was absolutely impossible)?
After showing my weight, my scales came up with:
Body fat-18%
Muscle mass-44.6%
Water-52% (I cant remember the exact number, it could have been 54%, but there abouts)

So as i'm typing this i'm starting to see why my weight is getting heavier (even though I look more toned) and that I am sounding very stupid (!) but what is the normal/average muscle mass for women? Because no matter where I look on the internet, I cant seem to find any information on it.

The BF scale is very inaccurate when there is water in your system. It uses bio-electric signals that are only dependable if there's repeatability (you keep weighing yourself daily).

Weigh yourself again tomorrow and see what it reads.

An average, healthy woman is around 22% body fat: http://healthruby.com/i/body_fat_chart.jpg

Also, it's very hard to put on muscle mass but I don't know how long you've been training. Most average bodybuilders gain 10-15lbs of lean muscle per year with strict diet/regimen.

ninerbuff

Muscle glycogen/water uptake in the muscles and in the liver. Not uncommon. It's very, very hard to gain muscle for a female, and practically impossible to do it on calorie deficit.
BTW, with the exception of the cardio warmup (10 minutes), I'd switch the strength to the beginning so you can utilize the glycogen for lifting and not cardio. This makes it more efficient for the use of glycogen and you'll get more out of your strength training.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

desireedare

I agree with ninerbuff, definitely switch your cardio routine to the end of your workout. Try HIIT (high intensity interval training) because it is much better for fat loss than just running on the treadmill or eliptical. You can get the same fat burning effect in half the time. As for muscle, it won't be hard to gain as long as you're increasing your weight every week and getting the right amount of carbs are proteins directly after your workout!

xLouYoungx

Thanks a lot. I will start with the strength training and finish with the cardio.

It is definitely frustrating!

Would it be beneficial for me to add in 1 or 2 swimming sessions?

Thanks