Possible to gain a pound of muscle in a week

amyclavey10 · May 2015

okay so after a naughty weekend and a week training in the gym to even it out stepping in the scale surprised me,
I was 11 St 12.5 before the naughty weekend and 12stone after a week. So a weight gain yet my body fat is 37% both times! Does that mean it could be partly muscle. I understand these machines are not accurate so that's a possibility, but then it made me think is it even possible to gain a pound of muscle in a week, I've been losing almost a pound a week which I feel is a little slow with how much I work out and my deficit.

So... What do u guys think?

malibu927 · May 2015

Nope. Unless you just started lifting for the very first time this week, it's not muscle, and I even doubt that would be a pound's worth.

EvanKeel · May 2015

whatever is measuring your BF% is inaccurate...significantly so if the conclusion is that you'd be gaining a pound of muscle in a week. It's likely just fluid weight for the most part.

ETA: Also, 1lb/week loss is great. Keep doing that.

DeguelloTex · May 2015

I doubt there's a woman on the planet who could gain a pound of muscle in a week, even with elite pharmaceuticals.

sarahlifts · May 2015

Sadly No.

Holly_Roman_Empire · May 2015

It's not muscle.

Likely, it's just natural body weight fluctuations, possibly attributed to water retention, your period, sodium intake, etc.

Nyappykim · May 2015

It's most likely water weight and not fat/muscle.

leggup · May 2015

Impossible. Lol. Body Fat readers in gyms can be off by as much as 20%. Unless you were in a Dr.'s office and they measured your BF% by dunking you in a tank or hooking you up to an elaborate machine... your reading is off.

You're probably retaining water/experiencing normal fluctuations unless you ate 3,500 calories over maintenance.

Chrysalid2014 · May 2015

1lb per month, I believe, would be considered an extraordinary muscle gain for a woman.

HeySwoleSister · May 2015

It's possible to gain 5 pounds of WATER weight in a DAY. (and to lose it all again overnight!) Don't sweat a small fluctuation like a single pound, especially if you aren't weighing very often and only have one data point. (I'm a fan of frequent weighing and watching long term trends, rather than infrequent weighing and fussing over every trip to the scale)