Can you gain LBM without exercise
Kdp2015
Posts: 519 Member
I know you can lose muscle, bone density etc through calorie deficit - I’d like to know if you can gain those things purely from a calorie surplus?
I’m planning to gain about 7lbs and would like to replace some of the lean weight but I’m not planning to exercise, is this possible?
I’m planning to gain about 7lbs and would like to replace some of the lean weight but I’m not planning to exercise, is this possible?
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Replies
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Are you doing any activities outside the gym that could stimulate your muscles? Otherwise, probably not. You will gain mostly if not all fat. Your body won't work hard to build muscle if it is given no reason to.
In some cases gaining fat can be beneficial if you are very underweight or as recommended by a doctor (not sure if either applies).4 -
What Sardelsa said. You would not likely gain much muscle mass without exercise. You've gotta do something to those muscles to make your body build them.
Why are you not planning on exercise? Are you physically unable to do so?1 -
In short, no. May I ask why 7 pounds exactly is your goal and why you don’t intend to exercise? If it’s an issue of time or location then even some quick work outs at home would be more beneficial than doing nothing. Doing nothing pretty much guarantees that the surplus will result in purely fat gains.
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7lbs is a guess really, my bmi is 19 and I’m 5’10 so I think I need to gain something. I don’t want to get too into exercise, I don’t mind doing a bit but don’t really want to make it a routine.0
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Not a good idea, even if you can. This was me twenty-six months ago:
I topped the scales at 254lbs at 5'3". However, in order for me to haul myself about, there had to be a certain amount of muscle under the fat. How much? Can't tell you. How much was lost when I started getting down to a healthy size? Can't tell you that either, but about a year and a half ago I started strength training to try to hold onto what I'd built without trying. I'm almost at a healthy weight now and I can see a bit of muscularity, mostly on my arms, shoulders, and thighs. But keep in mind that I went to Obesity Level 3 to build that muscle, got a major health scare, and some permanent issues.
I really, truly, hope you don't consider that an acceptable price.
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7lbs is a guess really, my bmi is 19 and I’m 5’10 so I think I need to gain something. I don’t want to get too into exercise, I don’t mind doing a bit but don’t really want to make it a routine.
If you can, I would highly recommend you do some sort of resistance exercise. Muscle is not only great for aesthetics but for health as well.1 -
Sorry I’m confused, were you underweight before you gained the muscle?estherdragonbat wrote: »Not a good idea, even if you can. This was me twenty-six months ago:
I topped the scales at 254lbs at 5'3". However, in order for me to haul myself about, there had to be a certain amount of muscle under the fat. How much? Can't tell you. How much was lost when I started getting down to a healthy size? Can't tell you that either, but about a year and a half ago I started strength training to try to hold onto what I'd built without trying. I'm almost at a healthy weight now and I can see a bit of muscularity, mostly on my arms, shoulders, and thighs. But keep in mind that I went to Obesity Level 3 to build that muscle, got a major health scare, and some permanent issues.
I really, truly, hope you don't consider that an acceptable price.
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7lbs is a guess really, my bmi is 19 and I’m 5’10 so I think I need to gain something. I don’t want to get too into exercise, I don’t mind doing a bit but don’t really want to make it a routine.
If you can, I would highly recommend you do some sort of resistance exercise. Muscle is not only great for aesthetics but for health as well.
Thanks I will try to, I just don’t want to focus on it too much - if I end up gaining 7lbs of fat so be it but I would like to rebuild at least some of the lean mass I’ve lost.1 -
Sorry I’m confused, were you underweight before you gained the muscle?estherdragonbat wrote: »Not a good idea, even if you can. This was me twenty-six months ago:
I topped the scales at 254lbs at 5'3". However, in order for me to haul myself about, there had to be a certain amount of muscle under the fat. How much? Can't tell you. How much was lost when I started getting down to a healthy size? Can't tell you that either, but about a year and a half ago I started strength training to try to hold onto what I'd built without trying. I'm almost at a healthy weight now and I can see a bit of muscularity, mostly on my arms, shoulders, and thighs. But keep in mind that I went to Obesity Level 3 to build that muscle, got a major health scare, and some permanent issues.
I really, truly, hope you don't consider that an acceptable price.
No, I gained the muscle from being fat and heavy and needing extra strength to haul myself about. When that picture was taken, I was 114lbs above the top of the normal weight range for my height. My body had to build enough muscle for me to carry that flab with me, and I did take long walks, even at my heaviest. I just "rewarded" myself with a chocolate bar or ice cream after them, but it's not like I was a total couch potato.
That's why, when people are losing weight, the general advice is to work in strength training: most of us have built up significant muscle, even if it's hiding under the fat. It's best to hold onto it.0 -
Yep, thanks I get that but I’m talking about intentionally gaining weight not losing it.0
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7lbs is a guess really, my bmi is 19 and I’m 5’10 so I think I need to gain something. I don’t want to get too into exercise, I don’t mind doing a bit but don’t really want to make it a routine.
How did you measure that? While low, 19 is still within normal range. If your goal is to just gain weight and you don’t intend on changing any habits other than eating, then be prepared for your weight gain to be fat with no control over where it goes. I could be wrong here, but you wouldn’t be asking a question about gaining lean body mass if that wasn’t something you wanted. Exercise offers many benefits other than muscle gain too.
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Sorry I’m confused, were you underweight before you gained the muscle?estherdragonbat wrote: »Not a good idea, even if you can. This was me twenty-six months ago:
I topped the scales at 254lbs at 5'3". However, in order for me to haul myself about, there had to be a certain amount of muscle under the fat. How much? Can't tell you. How much was lost when I started getting down to a healthy size? Can't tell you that either, but about a year and a half ago I started strength training to try to hold onto what I'd built without trying. I'm almost at a healthy weight now and I c..an see a bit of muscularity, mostly on my arms, shoulders, and thighs. But keep in mind that I went to Obesity Level 3 to build that muscle, got a major health scare, and some permanent issues.
I really, truly, hope you don't consider that an acceptable price.
What she is saying is that she had to build a fair amount of muscle to be able to carry her weight around. You're going to gain some muscle if you put on a lot of weight...like obese kind of weight in order to be able to move around.
You're not going to gain any muscle gaining 7 Lbs without resistance training. With a solid eating plan and solid lifting program you might possibly get a 50/50 split of muscle and fat gaining 7 Lbs...without resistance training it's pretty much all going to be adipose tissue...not that it would necessarily be a bad thing if you're underweight.5 -
I need to gain weight regardless of what form it comes in, I would just feel more comfortable doing it if I didn’t think it was all fat.Teabythesea_ wrote: »7lbs is a guess really, my bmi is 19 and I’m 5’10 so I think I need to gain something. I don’t want to get too into exercise, I don’t mind doing a bit but don’t really want to make it a routine.
How did you measure that? While low, 19 is still within normal range. If your goal is to just gain weight and you don’t intend on changing any habits other than eating, then be prepared for your weight gain to be fat with no control over where it goes. I could be wrong here, but you wouldn’t be asking a question about gaining lean body mass if that wasn’t something you wanted. Exercise offers many benefits other than muscle gain too.
19 is within the normal range but that doesn’t mean it is healthy for everyone and I didn’t get to that weight in a healthy way.
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cwolfman13 wrote: »
Sorry I’m confused, were you underweight before you gained the muscle?estherdragonbat wrote: »Not a good idea, even if you can. This was me twenty-six months ago:
I topped the scales at 254lbs at 5'3". However, in order for me to haul myself about, there had to be a certain amount of muscle under the fat. How much? Can't tell you. How much was lost when I started getting down to a healthy size? Can't tell you that either, but about a year and a half ago I started strength training to try to hold onto what I'd built without trying. I'm almost at a healthy weight now and I c..an see a bit of muscularity, mostly on my arms, shoulders, and thighs. But keep in mind that I went to Obesity Level 3 to build that muscle, got a major health scare, and some permanent issues.
I really, truly, hope you don't consider that an acceptable price.
What she is saying is that she had to build a fair amount of muscle to be able to carry her weight around. You're going to gain some muscle if you put on a lot of weight...like obese kind of weight in order to be able to move around.
You're not going to gain any muscle gaining 7 Lbs without resistance training. With a solid eating plan and solid lifting program you might possibly get a 50/50 split of muscle and fat gaining 7 Lbs...without resistance training it's pretty much all going to be adipose tissue...not that it would necessarily be a bad thing if you're underweight.
Thank you that makes sense
Resistance training doesn’t sound too scary I’ll look into it thanks0 -
I need to gain weight regardless of what form it comes in, I would just feel more comfortable doing it if I didn’t think it was all fat.Teabythesea_ wrote: »7lbs is a guess really, my bmi is 19 and I’m 5’10 so I think I need to gain something. I don’t want to get too into exercise, I don’t mind doing a bit but don’t really want to make it a routine.
How did you measure that? While low, 19 is still within normal range. If your goal is to just gain weight and you don’t intend on changing any habits other than eating, then be prepared for your weight gain to be fat with no control over where it goes. I could be wrong here, but you wouldn’t be asking a question about gaining lean body mass if that wasn’t something you wanted. Exercise offers many benefits other than muscle gain too.
19 is within the normal range but that doesn’t mean it is healthy for everyone and I didn’t get to that weight in a healthy way.
It sounds like you may have lost a lot of muscle in the process of getting where you are by doing so without exercise/ aggressively. If that is what you meant by not doing it in a healthy way. It would probably be a good idea if some of your gained weight was muscle. But ultimately it is up to you what you want to do.2 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »
Sorry I’m confused, were you underweight before you gained the muscle?estherdragonbat wrote: »Not a good idea, even if you can. This was me twenty-six months ago:
I topped the scales at 254lbs at 5'3". However, in order for me to haul myself about, there had to be a certain amount of muscle under the fat. How much? Can't tell you. How much was lost when I started getting down to a healthy size? Can't tell you that either, but about a year and a half ago I started strength training to try to hold onto what I'd built without trying. I'm almost at a healthy weight now and I c..an see a bit of muscularity, mostly on my arms, shoulders, and thighs. But keep in mind that I went to Obesity Level 3 to build that muscle, got a major health scare, and some permanent issues.
I really, truly, hope you don't consider that an acceptable price.
What she is saying is that she had to build a fair amount of muscle to be able to carry her weight around. You're going to gain some muscle if you put on a lot of weight...like obese kind of weight in order to be able to move around.
You're not going to gain any muscle gaining 7 Lbs without resistance training. With a solid eating plan and solid lifting program you might possibly get a 50/50 split of muscle and fat gaining 7 Lbs...without resistance training it's pretty much all going to be adipose tissue...not that it would necessarily be a bad thing if you're underweight.
Thank you that makes sense
Resistance training doesn’t sound too scary I’ll look into it thanks
I would look into New Rules of Lifting for Women. That's what my wife started with. The program is good (though I think it gets a bit convoluted at the end of the program), but the read is really good and will tell you what you're doing and why and dispel a lot of myths and misinformation in regards to women and weight lifting.
As I recall, it's a 3x per week program so it's very efficient and doesn't take up a ton of time. My wife had pretty good results with it. She did Strong Curves after and has been working with a trainer now for a few years.2 -
If you are at a BMI of 19 and under muscled because of the way you lost weight, adding 7lbs of fat on top of that may not do you any favors health wise. You would most likely end up skinny fat.
"The term “skinny fat” is actually a popular term that describes a very real medical condition called sarcopenic obesity. This condition refers to an individual who may have what would be considered a normal/healthy weight, but metabolically, this person shares many health characteristics as someone who is overweight or obese
A person who is sarcopenic obese will have high fat mass and low muscle mass."3 -
I used an online bf% checker (a Navy one I think) it put me at around 18%...not sure where that puts me reallymom23mangos wrote: »If you are at a BMI of 19 and under muscled because of the way you lost weight, adding 7lbs of fat on top of that may not do you any favors health wise. You would most likely end up skinny fat.
"The term “skinny fat” is actually a popular term that describes a very real medical condition called sarcopenic obesity. This condition refers to an individual who may have what would be considered a normal/healthy weight, but metabolically, this person shares many health characteristics as someone who is overweight or obese
A person who is sarcopenic obese will have high fat mass and low muscle mass."
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I used an online bf% checker (a Navy one I think) it put me at around 18%...not sure where that puts me reallymom23mangos wrote: »If you are at a BMI of 19 and under muscled because of the way you lost weight, adding 7lbs of fat on top of that may not do you any favors health wise. You would most likely end up skinny fat.
"The term “skinny fat” is actually a popular term that describes a very real medical condition called sarcopenic obesity. This condition refers to an individual who may have what would be considered a normal/healthy weight, but metabolically, this person shares many health characteristics as someone who is overweight or obese
A person who is sarcopenic obese will have high fat mass and low muscle mass."
Perfectly healthy if right, but it's just a guess. You would need to get a DEXA to know for sure.3 -
mom23mangos wrote: »If you are at a BMI of 19 and under muscled because of the way you lost weight, adding 7lbs of fat on top of that may not do you any favors health wise. You would most likely end up skinny fat.
"The term “skinny fat” is actually a popular term that describes a very real medical condition called sarcopenic obesity. This condition refers to an individual who may have what would be considered a normal/healthy weight, but metabolically, this person shares many health characteristics as someone who is overweight or obese
A person who is sarcopenic obese will have high fat mass and low muscle mass."
While yes, this is a thing...I don't think I've ever seen it with someone who is clinically underweight or borderline underweight and putting on a few Lbs. Even if under muscled, anyone who I've ever seen underweight or borderline also has a very low fat mass. I don't think putting on a little fat in this instance would result in sarcopenic obesity.
You typically see this on the higher ends of the BMI scale with someone who is under muscled. I think the OP should lift and or exercise for a variety of good health reasons...but I don't think "skinny fat" would really be much of a concern in this instance with a 7 Lb gain.1 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »mom23mangos wrote: »If you are at a BMI of 19 and under muscled because of the way you lost weight, adding 7lbs of fat on top of that may not do you any favors health wise. You would most likely end up skinny fat.
"The term “skinny fat” is actually a popular term that describes a very real medical condition called sarcopenic obesity. This condition refers to an individual who may have what would be considered a normal/healthy weight, but metabolically, this person shares many health characteristics as someone who is overweight or obese
A person who is sarcopenic obese will have high fat mass and low muscle mass."
While yes, this is a thing...I don't think I've ever seen it with someone who is clinically underweight or borderline underweight and putting on a few Lbs. Even if under muscled, anyone who I've ever seen underweight or borderline also has a very low fat mass. I don't think putting on a little fat in this instance would result in sarcopenic obesity.
You typically see this on the higher ends of the BMI scale with someone who is under muscled. I think the OP should lift and or exercise for a variety of good health reasons...but I don't think "skinny fat" would really be much of a concern in this instance with a 7 Lb gain.
Agreeing here. I don’t think a 7 lbs gain would be a problem. (Saying this as I know it wouldn’t be for me and I’m the same BMI, 19-20, shorter and older of course)
Would encourage using your muscles in some way though.
Thanks for the new term @mom23mangos, I’ve always known it as normal weight obesity, sometimes with metabolic thrown in.
I would have most certainly have been SO if I had stayed at the top of my BMI range (heaviest ever) without exercise.
Cheers, h.1
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