how much does muscle weigh?

Options
sabes2631
sabes2631 Posts: 403
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been doing crossfit - lots of squats and pullups and push ups. I see new definition.
My scale this morning is about 4 pounds up -its been a gradual increase. I started the classes 2 weeks ago...
Am I gaining muscle that fast?

Replies

  • Eliannasmom
    Eliannasmom Posts: 55 Member
    Options
    Muscle weighs the same as fat... 16 oz is a pound no matter what it is :( However you will look amazingly better with 5 pounds of extra muscle vs. 5 pounds of extra fat! Also, your body may just be retaining more water as you get into more exercise give it a couple of days and I bet it all evens out!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
    Options
    It is nearly impossible to gain muscle that fast, unless you are on 'roids. Not to mention if your are set up in a caloric deficit it is next to impossible to gain muscle. Most likely what you are experiencing is water weight via water retention, as you begin or increase intensity in workouts your muscles store water to help repair. Once your body gets used to the exercise you should loose that water.
  • SarahNicole317
    SarahNicole317 Posts: 302 Member
    Options
    It's not impossible to gain muscle on a caloric deficit. You could have gained a couple of pounds of muscle if you started doing crossfit from nothing at all. The other couple may be water weight. You need to have your body fat taken to give you a better idea... or atleast take your measurements.
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
    Options
    Muscle Gain in 2 weeks of excersising AND a calorie deficit??? Not likely. I'm with Eric probably water weight.
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
    Options
    As others have said, a pound of muscle and a pound of fat weighs the same, a pound is a pound. What people mean when they say muscle weighs more than fat is that they are talking about volume. A pound of muscle takes up less room than a pound of fat.

    Back to your question, you're most likely retaining water, I heard that can happen when you start muscle training.
  • sabes2631
    sabes2631 Posts: 403
    Options
    I think I am hungrier and therefore eating more - i was craving red meat the other day. So my calorie deficit is not there - but i am off on my intake anyway - and with the new workout my running (cardio) has slowed down.

    How do I measure body fat %?
  • sabes2631
    sabes2631 Posts: 403
    Options
    I think I am hungrier and therefore eating more - i was craving red meat the other day. So my calorie deficit is not there - but i am off on my intake anyway - and with the new workout my running (cardio) has slowed down.

    How do I measure body fat %?
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    Options
    It's not impossible to gain muscle on a caloric deficit. You could have gained a couple of pounds of muscle if you started doing crossfit from nothing at all. The other couple may be water weight. You need to have your body fat taken to give you a better idea... or atleast take your measurements.

    MMmm, actually, it is, by definition, impossible to gain significant muscle (measureable) while in a caloric deficit. BUT, what can happen is you can activate dormant muscle fibers, which will require the storage of more glycogen both in the liver and at the site of the muscles in use, which will not only make it look like your muscles are growing, but it will cause you to gain weight, until your muscles get to around 90% efficient for a given exercise, you won't gain significant mass, this is why beginner resistance and weight training persons see immediate gains in strength which then plateau after 4 to 6 weeks, it's because you aren't gaining new muscle, rather you are teaching existing muscle to work at full capacity again.

    So technically you didn't gain any muscle (and won't, not while in deficit), but you did gain good weight, I.E. you increased your muscular efficiency, and gained weight because of the extra needed energy, this is a good thing, re-activating muscle fiber is as good as building new fibers (well, we don't actually build new fibers, we add to length or bulk of existing fibers, which is how muscle grows, there's much controversy over whether it's possible to actually build new muscle fibers right now, it's still being tested and studied).

Categories