Question about strength training

gstrouphar · May 2011

Hello! I am sure this is out there on this board but I'd like to get some feedback from the experts here! I have read many conflicting "studies" regarding whether or not strength training can cause temporary weight gain. I've seen notes from some saying not possible, some saying yes, temporary due to recovery among a plethera of other responses. I'd like some real life experiences that you may (or may not have) experienced. Recently, after losing 60 lbs, I have implemented a light strenght training routine. Last week was the first week for me. I have a NordicTrac machine that uses resistance bands. No weight really, on the lightest setting. I am really looking for toning. I had a very good combination of strength/cardio only to see a ZERO weight loss (no gain) on the scale this week. I am not sure I was expecting that! I was extremely frusturated and started to look for answers. So far, I haven't really seen anything to solidify my suspicions that this strength training was the culprit, however I FEEL a difference from last week to now. Sorry for this being so long.. but have any of you experienced a similar experience? What do you recommend as a recovery period before weigh in. Should I do the strenght in the first 4 days of the week and only focus on Cardio the 3 days leading to weigh in? I know that the scale reports numbers, but I rely on the scale for motivation. Whether or not that is the best approach to my efforts is not necessairly what I am looking to debate, but I am interested in knowing how this has impacted things for any of you.

Thanks!

carolynmittens · May 2011

from my experience, i didn't notice any weight gain when i started strength training, but i definitely noticed an overall bloat to my body. my trainer said it's totally normal for that to happen, and he said it would go away in a few weeks once my body got used to the weights. he was right, it did go away and i'm finally seeing a lot more tone to my body. but the scale has NEVER moved for me, based on exercise alone. the only thing that gets me to actually lose weight is to be very, very strict with my diet. i lost a good amount of inches with lots of exercise and just an "ok" diet though - you definitely need to get your measurements taken to compare each month. it'll be just as rewarding as a scale victory, if not more so!

jbug100 · May 2011

The closer you are to your goal weight, the more difficult it becomes to lose. Your weight loss may be slower if you strength train, but your measurements will tell a different story. Several years ago, I lost 30 lbs without strength training. I was a size 10 after the weight loss. The weight came back on over the years. This time I lost the same amount of weight, but did strength training, and I'm a size 6. Find something else besides the scale to motivate you. It is a helpful tool in weight loss, but a rather crude one. Good luck!

betsyweltha · May 2011

I think that any form of working out is good... no matter what routine you hold... strength training makes me feel good but dont expect any weight loss from it... cardio and strict dieting will cover weight loss(I also am a firm believer of 20% working out 80% diet theory)... strength training will will cover feeling awesome!

llkilgore · May 2011

I strength train on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, do cardio every day but Sunday (though less on the days I strength train) and weigh in on Monday morning. That gives my muscles a full day of rest to begin to recover before I step on the scale. I used to weigh in on Friday morning and the only difference it made was that the numbers bounced around a little bit more from week to week. The average rate of loss wasn't significantly different so long as I stuck to the program.

KristofferN · May 2011

Weight lifting is one of the best things you can do for your over all body composition. The more muscle you have the more calories and fat you will burn. Muscle requires calories to work fat does not. I'm not saying you have to hit the weights hard but you should be doing at least 2-3 weightlifting workouts a week. Muscle weighs more than fat so if you are just using the weight scale to track progress then lifting weights will slow your "weight loss" progress. With this being said weight loss shouldn't be your main goal, fat% loss should be. For example, if you loss 10 lbs of fat but at the same time gain 5 lbs of muscle (which is only a 5 total lb loss on the weight scale) but you will look a ton better than if you just lost only 10lbs of fat. I hope that just made sense. I suggest getting a fat caliper. You can find them all over the place on the web. I use these http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/bbcom/fat-stat.html. , it makes measuring so much easier than the really cheap ones. You just squeeze the grips and it measure the fat for you. Don't worry about adding too much muscle, which is a common fear for women, unless you start doing steroids adding a ton of muscle will not be a problem. Hope this helped and let me know if I can be of any further help.

erryberry · May 2011

One thing to keep in mind is that strength training does burn fewer calories than lets say jogging. So for weight loss if you take on lifting weights...make sure it is in addition to whatever aerobic exercise you are doing otherwise yes you will gain weight unless you eat fewer calories.
The bloating can occur do to activity at the cellular level...lactic acid build up caused by weight lifting causes muscle cells to allow for more water molecule to be taken up into the cells. This is a natural response in the body to help move the lactic acid out of the muscle. This is a temporary condition. Drinking water helps this process go a little faster. To be honest what you have described as an activity would not cause this...most likely you are burning fewer calories than you think.
I would recommend trying pliometrics or suspension training where you get cardio blast and power moves that will burn more calories per minute while also building muscle fibers.

Abigailblue39 · May 2011

It could be water retention and perhaps excess sodium, see also http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/water.htm

I copied and pasted part of the article:

"The body has a natural mechanism for storing water and ions in the body, just as it does for storing excess calories as fat. Ions are basically charged particles which float around in your body, having various functions. You may have heard the term "electrolyte" before. An electrolyte is basically a molecule with a certain electric "charge" in your body, such as potassium (K+), or sodium (Na+), for example."

Here's what I would do:
Watch the sodium level 1500 mg per day is plenty, and drink more water to flush excess water out
For lean muscle mass instead of bulk: I do smaller weights higher reps 3 sets each 12-14 reps.
I use my own body weight for a lot of exercises, or do power yoga for strength. I always lost weight that way.
Get plenty of sleep (7-8 hours).

Xanadar · May 2011

If you strength train to the point that you are gaining muscle, then yes, you will gain muscle weight. Keep in mind, you are trying to lose body fat. The more muscle you have, the more fat you will burn ( your metabolism will increase). I would not be too concerned about gaining a lot of muscle though. It is difficult to do. And don't be overly concerned about the scale. You can buy some skin fold calipers to get a more accurate reading of your body fat percentage. And be sure to log in your strength training in BOTH the cardio and strength logs. The Strength log is to keep track of your workouts, the cardio log will track the calories you burn during your strength training. Eat back the calories you burn, so you don't go into starvation mode. If you are training at a high intensity level (P90X or INSANITY or heavy weights) then you can burn more than 1000 calories an hour. Even if you are training at a lower intensity level, you will be burning calories. Strange as it may seem, you need to eat these back to maximize your weight loss.

DustinReiner · May 2011

You would really have to try to gain weight from weight trainning, and you wouldn't notice it in a week. It would take a month or so, to even notice a very slight change., Then you would have to be pounding protein with the sole purpose of gaining weight from muscles.

Keep with the weight training, it's good for you and it's at best toning your muscles.

Good luck in your goals!

knittnponder · May 2011

I gained when I started weight training. It wasn't fat and it wasn't muscle, it was just water retention because my muscles didn't know what the heck was going on and needed to fix themselves. It hasn't really been an issue now that I'm into my routine and have been doing it for weeks but the first two I did gain. Last week I decided to run for the first time and I did it for 35 minutes. This was the first time I've run since high school and that was 20 years ago! I was up 5 pounds all week and that was the only change. My calories were within range and I don't eat a lot of sodium so I know it was the running. Plus my legs were sore (unused muscles wondering what the heck was going on again. )

Measure and test your body fat percentage. That will give you a more accurate picture of what's going on even when the scale is making you crazy.

Question about strength training

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