Weight lifting question from a newbie

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mactaffy84
mactaffy84 Posts: 398 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Might be a silly question, but I'll ask anyway since I don't have a lot of expertise in lifting weights. I've read that one can go up in weight after lifting because of muscle soreness. How much can this be? Does it hit soon after lifting weights? Thanks.

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  • landis66856
    landis66856 Posts: 1 Member
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    Hello!

    I lift weights 3-4 times per week and lift heavy weights for me (benching 100 pounds for 3 sets of 10 for example). For about 24 hours after a workout, my muscles are swollen in appearance since they are holding extra water as they recover. It is something that I can see and feel in my muscles, but not something I can see on the scales.

    Hope that helps!
  • shellfly
    shellfly Posts: 186
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    Nevermind my response - I didn't realize the OP was talking about scale weight; thought she was asking about increasing the weight on her lifts.
  • sarahg148
    sarahg148 Posts: 701 Member
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    Nevermind my response - I didn't realize the OP was talking about scale weight; thought she was asking about increasing the weight on her lifts.


    Lol...I didn't realize that either until I read your response! To OP. For me, I do tend to level off for a few weeks until my muscles get back into training again. I usually start to firm up and then the weight starts to come down again but a bit more slowly, for me. But as long as I lose inches and get firmer AND my clothes fit better...then I don't care about the number so much.
  • dtimedwards
    dtimedwards Posts: 319 Member
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    3-5lbs max. And you won't "gain" it every time... meaning you won't gain 15# of water after 3 sessions.

    I want to smash my keyboard every time I see see "water weight" or "retaining water" to a "why am I not losing any weight" question. Water makes the scale jump up and down from day to day... it doesn't keep replacing the weight you are losing.
  • TrailNurse
    TrailNurse Posts: 359 Member
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    I usually fluctuate a few pounds after I lift. When you start lifting, you have to put the scale away because it will mess with your mind and before you know it you will start to avoid the weights, which is exactly what you don't want to do....because in the end, it's what will make you smaller regardless of what the scale says.
  • mactaffy84
    mactaffy84 Posts: 398 Member
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    Thanks. I'm not wondering why I'm not losing weight. I just hear these great things about lifting and I want to reap some of the benefits everyone is talking about! I just have never done the process and I want to make sure I'm doing it correctly and part of that, for me, is getting an idea what to expect. For instance, if one doesn't gain this "weight", then would I be doing something wrong? Sorry if my original post wasn't clear. As I stated, this is all really new for me. Thanks!
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    I usually gain about 2-3 lbs in water the day or two after I lift heavier than normal. It lasted the entire first month I was lifting.
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
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    3 or 4 pounds, but I dont feel like it shows.
  • acogg
    acogg Posts: 1,870 Member
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    My understanding is that the body retains water in order to cushion and repair the damaged muscle and so we gain weight from water retention.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Thanks. I'm not wondering why I'm not losing weight. I just hear these great things about lifting and I want to reap some of the benefits everyone is talking about! I just have never done the process and I want to make sure I'm doing it correctly and part of that, for me, is getting an idea what to expect. For instance, if one doesn't gain this "weight", then would I be doing something wrong? Sorry if my original post wasn't clear. As I stated, this is all really new for me. Thanks!

    Not necessarily. Just be prepared for the possibility. And like someone else said, if it's a sudden jump it's water. If it gradually creeps up it's likely something else.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    3 or 4 pounds, but I dont feel like it shows.

    I don't think it shows on me but if I take my measurements I'll show a gain of half an inch all over. It freaked me out at first because people always say "your weight will go up so take measurements instead" so I thought that meant measurements wouldn't go up.

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