Could I GAIN weight by training for a marathon?

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artemistx
artemistx Posts: 1
in Fitness and Exercise
I read an article saying that after 20-30 minutes of cardio, you start to burn some muscle. And the theory was that if you lose muscle, your metabolism will slow.

Is this true? So when I do my long run for 2-3 hours, am I am going to be burning muscle? I trained and completed a half marathon and did not drop an ounce.

I am excited about the idea of completed a marathon, but at the same time, I want and need to lose some weight and don't want to work against myself.

Thoughts?

Replies

  • jogglesngoggles
    jogglesngoggles Posts: 362 Member
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    This is just my personal experience...When I was training for a marathon I DID gain weight and lost muscle mass! I was eating a lot more carbs to fuel me for my long run, which is where the gain I believe came from, and I stopped lifting heavy to avoid soreness in my legs, hence the muscle loss!

    This time around I'm eating much better (lots of vegetables) and am having different results!

    Best of luck!
  • glin23
    glin23 Posts: 460 Member
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    You can definitely gain weight marathon training. As long as you're honest with yourself about your calories burned and you reign in your calorie consumption, you'll be fine.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    Long bouts of steady state cardio cause muscle loss and metabolic adaptation, meaning you break down muscle, and your metabolism actually adapts to the increased cardio and absorbs it. For example, if you burn 300 calories every single day from steady state cardio, over the course of a few months, your body will actually burn less calories until those 300 calories everyday are absorbed.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    Try and incorporate some strength training alongside your running. Full body workout once or twice a week should help minimise muscle loss while you train.

    Fuelling yourself well will also be important so make sure you're eating back those exercise cals and getting plenty of protein and carbs.
  • Happylady123
    Happylady123 Posts: 166 Member
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    I have been in training, too, and have read that your body starts storing glycogen. With the glycogen water is also stored which accounts for some of the weight gain.
  • laurynwithawhy
    laurynwithawhy Posts: 385 Member
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    You can absolutely gain weight, whether or not you are losing muscle. Marathon training is intense and you will need to fuel your body appropriately. Unless you are logging diligently it will be very very easy to over-eat and go over your calorie goal.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    During my first marathon training I don't know if I lost any muscle mass, but I DID gain a few pounds. That's probably because I wasn't tracking calories at the time so I ate to make up for what I burned through training (and then ate some more).

    I've run several marathons/half-marathons since then, but during training for my last couple of races, I incorporated strength training. With heavy lifting, I've increased my race pace dramatically and have been able to prevent training injuries by keeping my support muscles strong. I didn't lose any lean mass and since I was on maintenance, I didn't gain or lose any weight.

    There's no reason you need to waste away or gain weight. Eat right and train right and you should be fine. I HIGHLY recommend incorporating heavy lifting into your training. It has made a huge difference in my performance. :drinker:
  • laurasuzanne2006
    laurasuzanne2006 Posts: 103 Member
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    you could if you don't watch what you eat. You can be hungrier but keep everything in moderation and you should be fine. I'm actually losing weight. And as others have said add some weight training
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
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    Yes, training for a marathon can make you gain weight because your priority has to shift from fueling your body for endurance and speed gains (surplus rather than deficit). In addition, because of the high amount of steady state cardio involved while eating this way you will lose LBM.

    Training for a marathon is not something you should do if you are still at a level where you are concerned about weight loss, and the kind of training you have to go through to do it comes at a cost in other areas. Don't do it unless you ABSOLUTELY want to.
  • vmclach
    vmclach Posts: 670 Member
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    as a marathon runner who runs 50-60 miles a week...

    There are days the scale said I was 140 when i'm normally 135, but I think that's normal.

    I'd say just train for your marathon. I've never seen someone develop a weight problem from distance running.

    NO, Distance running will NOT make you look like kara goucher overnight.

    And it WILL make you want to eat a lot more. but chances are you need it.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    When I go thru my marathon training cycles, I'm at the lightest I'll weigh all year. I stuff down ice cream & peanut butter to keep from losing too much.
  • bert16
    bert16 Posts: 725 Member
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    I'm sure you CAN gain weight during marathon training; as others have said, just eat more than you're burning and there you go. I, however, lost 30 lb. when training for my marathon; I also gained a small amount of muscle mass, as determined by pre- and post-marathon training DEXA scans. I did no strength training during that period of time; I just followed my training plan and ran, while carefully logging my caloric intake here on MFP. So, while you can gain weight during the training, you can also certainly lose it, too, if you watch how much you eat and don't use high mileage as an excuse to eat whatever you want!

    Happy running! :flowerforyou:

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