Is It Normal to Gain Weight When Strength Training?
If you've started strength training and noticed your weight going up, don't panic. That's entirely normal and can actually be a good thing.
Key Takeaways
- Many people experience weight gain when starting a new strength training program.
- Things like water retention, glycogen storage, inflammation, and dietary changes can all cause temporary weight gain.
- In the long term, building muscle can increase weight because muscle is denser than fat.
- Muscle is also more metabolically active, so adding muscle mass can enhance your resting metabolism and support fat loss.
- Resistance training and building muscle can provide plenty of potential health benefits, regardless of whether they are accompanied by slight weight gain.
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Do You Gain Weight When Building Muscle?
Carriejune, founder of Minibeast, says:
"It's totally normal to gain weight when strength training. An initial weight gain does not mean you won't lose fat or become healthier overall in the long run."
If you started lifting weights hoping to lose weight, but the number on your scale keeps going up, don't worry. That's not necessarily a sign you're doing anything wrong. In fact, it might even be a sign you're doing everything right.
That number on the scale measures body weight. But body weight is a pretty imprecise measure of fitness. It includes both fat mass and lean muscle mass, plus a bunch of other stuff like bones and water.
The thing is, lean muscle mass is denser than fat mass. So you could be burning fat and building muscle and actually gain weight. In that scenario, weight gain can actually be a fantastic sign of progress. We'll discuss the many potential health benefits of building muscle and losing fat below.
That said, strength training can also influence your weight in other ways. We'll cover those potential changes, too, to help you get a full understanding of what's happening to your body when you hit the gym regularly.
What's the Difference Between Gaining Lean Mass and Body Fat?
When people think about losing or gaining weight, they often think about it in a general sense. But not all weight is the same.
Experts differentiate between two kinds of body tissue.
The first kind is fat mass. That includes all the various types of fat present in the body.
The second is lean mass. That's basically everything that isn't fat, including muscles, bones, and water.
Fat tissue has important uses, and we need it to stay healthy. But too much can cause a host of problems.
Lean mass, particularly lean muscle mass, is also important for overall health. Building muscle can provide a range of potential health benefits, which we'll discuss in more detail later.
So, two people could both gain weight, but look and feel completely different depending on what kind of weight they gained.
How Does Strength Training Affect Body Composition?
The balance between lean and fat mass is called body composition.
A healthy, balanced diet and consistent resistance training are the best ways to improve body composition.
Strength training is important because it stimulates muscle growth. Without strength training, any excess calories you consume will likely result in fat gain. Your body stores the excess energy as fat.
Diet is also important because it provides your body with the nutrients and energy it needs to build muscle.
Building muscle takes time. But visible muscle definition can start to appear within 4-8 weeks of consistent training.
Many people recommend aiming for a slight calorie surplus when strength training. The extra calories help your body pack on muscle mass.
However, they may also result in fat gain. Some people therefore try to build muscle while in a slight caloric deficit.
That process is called body recomposition. Beginners, individuals with high body fat, and people returning from injury often have an advantage here.
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What Are the Potential Benefits of Building Muscle?
The potential benefits of building muscle go way beyond aesthetics.
Muscle mass is more metabolically active than fat. That means your body burns more calories maintaining muscle mass than fat mass.
How many extra calories? Ask around, and you might hear that a pound of muscle burns 50 extra calories per day.
That's an exaggeration. Research suggests that a pound of muscle actually burns about 6 calories per day.
Still, that's two or three times the energy needed to maintain a pound of fat.
The energy your body burns while at rest is called your basal metabolic rate, or resting metabolism. Research suggests that building muscle with resistance training can effectively enhance your resting metabolism by as much as 15%.
In other words, building muscle can also help you burn fat.
We're still just scratching the surface of the potential benefits. Resistance training can enhance bone mineral density and reduce the risk of fractures, which is particularly important as you age.
Regular resistance training can lower blood pressure, protect your joints, improve your balance, support heart health, and more. It can also provide mental health benefits, enhancing energy, lowering stress, and supporting overall mood.
You might not need to work out as much as you'd think to unlock some of these potential benefits. Even two 15-minute sessions per week can yield tangible health benefits.
How Can Heavy Lifting Affect Weight?
Lifting weights doesn't necessarily mean you'll gain loads of weight, especially if you have a handle on your diet.
Many women avoid the gym for fear of bulking up. But women generally produce 15-20 times less testosterone than men, which makes it harder to pack on loads of muscle. Instead, many women who engage in strength training see improvements in strength and tone, rather than massive bulking.
Strength training can affect your weight in ways beyond muscle gain, too.
Many of these potential changes involve water. When you work out, your muscles develop tiny tears, which can cause inflammation and water retention. That extra water retained by your body can increase your weight.
Your muscles need glycogen for energy. When you train consistently, your body builds up its glycogen stores to ensure your muscles have the energy they need to keep up with your workouts.
Muscle glycogen storage requires water. The more glycogen your body stores, the more water it retains.
All kinds of things just like these examples can influence your body weight. Glycogen, body fluid, sodium intake, hormones, sleep, digestion, meal timing, what you ate... So many factors can influence the number on your scale.
That's why it's important to take a long-term view. Your weight on a single day doesn't actually tell you much. It's the trend over weeks and months that counts for long-term health.
This is also why it's important to track more than your body weight. Keep track of your progress in the gym to ensure you're maintaining progressive overload. Pay attention to your diet to make sure you're hitting your calorie, macro, and nutrient goals.
How Can I Gain Weight Healthily?
So, we've established that gaining weight isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially if you're strength training and building muscle.
In fact, many people find that building muscle requires a caloric surplus over weeks and months. The extra energy makes it easier for your body to train and to repair and build muscle tissue.
People often recommend aiming for a caloric surplus of 300-500 kcal per day. That should be enough extra food to support your training and muscle growth without adding too much extra fat.
Not all calories are made equal. If your goal is building muscle, you need to focus on eating a lot of protein. Your body needs protein to build new muscle tissue.
Experts often recommend aiming for 1.4 - 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. That's about 0.7 - 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day.
If you need a little help hitting your daily protein goal, use a high-quality protein powder.
Protein is one of three core macronutrients. The other two are carbohydrates and fats. Try to build your diet around lean protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates. Aim for whole foods that are packed with nutrients.
Don't forget to train. Extra calories without training usually mean fat gain. Try to train 3 - 4 times per week. Make sure to give yourself enough time for adequate recovery, which includes taking rest days when needed.
It's entirely possible to organize a high-quality fitness routine yourself. But doing so can be complicated, especially if you have a busy schedule.
Instead, many people turn to professionally designed workout programs for support. Minibeast's 8-Week Workout Challenge is an expert-designed nutrition and training program that hundreds of thousands of people have used to build muscle and lose weight.
You get access to five full workout programs, custom calories and macros, example meal plans, demonstration videos, a 24/7 private support group, and much more.
Conclusion
Weight training can cause weight gain. But it's possible to gain weight while improving body composition, because muscle mass is denser than fat. Improving body composition can enhance overall health and wellness in many ways.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Did I Gain 10 lbs After Working Out?
Weight gain after exercise is often caused by inflammation and water retention. It's very unlikely that your body suddenly added 10 lbs of fat or muscle tissue.
Should I Stop Lifting Weights to Lose Weight?
No! Lifting weights is really important when losing weight. It helps prevent muscle loss, and building muscle can support weight loss by enhancing your resting metabolism.
Is It True You Gain Weight Before Losing It?
Not necessarily, though gaining a little weight when starting a new fitness routine is normal. It's often caused by things like water retention, dietary changes, and glycogen storage.
Keep Reading: This Is the Right Way to Breathe While Working Out
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