How much weight gain is muscle?

Turtle003

I have started lifting heavier 3x a week and I want to know how much weight gain is actually muscle or am I just gaining fat? I put on about 8lbs and I know its not all muscle according to my muffin top. But how much muscle gain should you expect to be really muscle...1-2 pounds or am I way off?

chubby_checkers

When did you start? It's probably water.

RGv2

When did you start? The most muscle weight you could gain, eating a surplus, would be approx 1/2 a pound per month.

Turtle003

I started seriously lifting 3x a week for a month now...so I dont think its all water. The 8lbs was put on in about 3 months.

DopeItUp

Are you eating in a surplus or a deficit? Looking at your diary it appears to be a deficit, so the amount of muscle you have gained is approximately zero. If you're in a surplus, and you're a beginner, I'd say at the very most maybe 1lb a month of muscle. Probably more like .5lb/month is typical.

RGv2

I started seriously lifting 3x a week for a month now...so I dont think its all water. The 8lbs was put on in about 3 months.

Very little to none is muscle weight, IMHO due to your intake.

DavPul

I started seriously lifting 3x a week for a month now...so I dont think its all water. The 8lbs was put on in about 3 months.

Now you're saying two different things. You asked about 8 lbs, but it took 3 months to gain it, but you've been lifting for 1 month? Or you've been lifting for 3 months but in the last month increased the frequency or intensity of your lifting?

Actually, it doesn't matter. I'm going to hazard a guess and say that none of the weight gain was muscle. Maybe a teeny tiny amount, but not much. But also, it wasn't fat either. It was most likely all water weight as your body adapts to the change in your exercise program.

rybo

I want to read this debate.

ilovedeadlifts

It's water....

Maybe a bit of muscle. but mostly water.

unless you're eating like crazy, in which case it's mostly fat and some muscle. Even in ideal situations, you aren't going to gain 8 pounds of muscle in a few weeks

Turtle003

I have been lifting 1-2 x a week for about a year and increased it to 3 times a week about a month ago because I have noticed I was gaining weight. I have an overall gain of 8lbs during the course of several months and I know its not all muscle...I was just curious to know how much muscle you could gain in a matter of time. My trainer tells me I am gaining muscle but I dont believe it....neither does my belt. I quit eating my exercise cals to see if I can jump start my loss again.

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

I've been eating at a surplus for about 3 months, working out like never before, gained about 9 pounds total in that time, and maybe parts of a centimeter of muscle. If I'm lucky, a pound of it overall. And most of that is in my shoulders, which has the greatest of the part of the centimeter change.

That said, I'm going into a slight deficit and getting the fluff off and continuing the lifting to maintain that maybe slight centimeter of muscle growth. Then I'll do another girlie bulk to put more on for another 5 or 6 months.

Gotta agree with it being water mostly. The ATP/ADP reaction in your muscles is basically causing cellular hydration (retaining water) to allow your muscles to repair and strengthen.

mmapags

I have been lifting 1-2 x a week for about a year and increased it to 3 times a week about a month ago because I have noticed I was gaining weight. I have an overall gain of 8lbs during the course of several months and I know its not all muscle...I was just curious to know how much muscle you could gain in a matter of time. My trainer tells me I am gaining muscle but I dont believe it....neither does my belt. I quit eating my exercise cals to see if I can jump start my loss again.

Soooo, you are attempting to eat at a calorie deficit?? And you've changed nothing else except added one more strength workout per week?

Machafin

If you are eating a surplus and getting a lot of protein, you can easily gain .5 pounds a week in muscle with a heavy lifting program.

Cr01502

It's water....

Maybe a bit of muscle. but mostly water.

unless you're eating like crazy, in which case it's mostly fat and some muscle. Even in ideal situations, you aren't going to gain 8 pounds of muscle in a few weeks

BAM

OP

Take measurements and get your body fat checked.

All we can really do is guess.

vanguardfitness

Probably mostly water as others stated.

cwolfman13

If you're at a caloric deficit for weight loss then none of it is muscle. Also, a good reason to regularly take stock of your BF%, not just the number on the scale.

now_or_never13

From your diary, you wouldn't be gaining muscle outside of very small newbie gains. You need to be eating at a surplus with a lot of protein to build muscle and even than it takes a very long time to build any real amounts (a woman can gain maybe half a pound a month if conditions are right).

If you want to build muscle start eating at a slight surplus.

I would bet it's water weight gain from either exercise or sodium/water retention.

rybo

This thread is much more calmer than I expected

I think a point that is missed over & over & over, is that if a person starts lifting weights, sees the number on the scale go up, and the size of thier muscles increase how could they NOT think they are gaining muscle? Very few people care or know enough to bother with the technicality that thier muscles hold more water now. The visual perception is they gained muscle. Does it really matter to the lay person that thier "muscle" gain is water inside thier muscles?

ninerbuff

If you are eating a surplus and getting a lot of protein, you can easily gain .5 pounds a week in muscle with a heavy lifting program.

Maybe if you're a young guy. Females won't get those results. You're talking 24lbs of muscle in a year. If only.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

waldo56

This thread is much more calmer than I expected

I think a point that is missed over & over & over, is that if a person starts lifting weights, sees the number on the scale go up, and the size of thier muscles increase how could they NOT think they are gaining muscle? Very few people care or know enough to bother with the technicality that thier muscles hold more water now. The visual perception is they gained muscle. Does it really matter to the lay person that thier "muscle" gain is water inside thier muscles?

It won't matter until they stop lifting for a few weeks and pee away their "muscles".

Sarauk2sf

If you are eating a surplus and getting a lot of protein, you can easily gain .5 pounds a week in muscle with a heavy lifting program.

Maybe if you're a young guy. Females won't get those results. You're talking 24lbs of muscle in a year. If only.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

^^yep, the 24lb is pretty much the max...for a guy. Women are about half that.

Hendrix7

It's impossible to actually tell you accurately.

/thread.

myofibril

It's impossible to actually tell you accurately.

/thread.

Co-signed.

If you are looking better, feeling better, getting stronger, feeling more confident then the actual number is largely pointless.