Gain weight instead of losing weight during gym workout

As long as you really train as planned and don't treat yourself to hot pot milk tea every time, this 90% increase in weight is a sign of positive body adjustment. Not only is your training not in vain, but it means that you are practicing correctly.

I just saw my friend Xiaoyu squatting in the rest area of ​​the gym last week and staring at the emo on his phone. On the screen was a screenshot of the scale. When he applied for the card three weeks ago, he weighed 128 pounds. Today, he weighed exactly 130. He was holding half a bottle of sugar-free Coke and frowning: "I only eat boiled vegetables after training every day. Is all this sweat in vain?" ”

In fact, many people are stuck in the misunderstanding of "losing weight = losing weight", forgetting that the composition of weight is not just fat: muscles, water, bones, and even food residues that have not been excreted in the intestines will all affect the number. When you go to the gym and lift weights, the originally loose muscle fibers will gradually become thicker. The density of muscle is nearly one-third greater than that of fat, and it weighs the same 2 pounds. Fat is a big, soft mass, and there is only a small piece of muscle. I have been in contact with a member before. After practicing for a month, his weight increased by 2 kilograms, but his waist circumference became 3cm smaller, and the waistband of his pants was loosened. Essentially, he lost 3 kilograms of fat and gained 5 kilograms of muscle. The number on the book has increased, but the whole person looks slimmer.

Opinions on this matter vary greatly among different fitness groups. If you ask veterans in the fitness and bodybuilding circles, they will only think that if you don’t gain weight in the first three months of the novice period, your training is really in vain: the efficiency of muscle synthesis is the highest during the novice bonus period. Gain more muscle at this time, and even if you have to change your weight in the future, you will basically lose fat. The muscles can be retained, and the foundation is good, and it is not easy to rebound after losing weight. They will even deliberately eat more high-quality protein, fearing that they will not be able to gain weight and their muscles will grow slowly.

But don’t say too much. If your weight increases and your waistline also increases, then you are most likely in trouble. Friends who do weight management have specifically mentioned two high-frequency minefields to me before.

One is compensatory eating. Many people feel that they have worked too hard after training. They pass by a milk tea shop and buy a cup of full sugar. That cup contains more than 400 calories. You can’t burn them off even if you run for 40 minutes. The excess calories are converted into fat and saved, so won’t it increase your scale? I was so hungry after training last time that I ate two bowls of beef noodles with a braised egg. The next day I gained 3 pounds. It was just because I ate too much and I couldn’t blame the training. The other is transient edema after training. For example, in the first 1-3 days after training the legs or back, the micro-damage of muscle fibers needs to be repaired. The body will actively transport water and nutrients to the damaged parts. At this time, it is normal for the weight to increase by 1-3 pounds. After the repair is completed, the excess water is metabolized and the weight falls off. After the last deadlift, my scale increased for three days in a row, and I lost 4 pounds on the fourth day. I was dumbfounded.

Seriously, don’t be fooled by those two numbers on the scale.

What is the purpose of your fitness? It’s about wearing a small skirt that fits size S, it’s about taking photos without having to tighten your belly, it’s about climbing the fifth floor without panting, it’s about the body fat percentage and visceral fat being within the healthy range during the physical examination, it’s about not competing with those cold numbers. I have seen two girls who are both 165cm and 110 pounds before. One has been working out all year round and has a body fat of 22%. She has a clear vest line and looks crisp and good-looking no matter what she wears. The other has a body fat of 30% and has been sedentary for a long time. The flesh on her waist can be traced even if she wears tight clothes. Who do you think looks thinner?

Don't stare at the scale every day. Just choose the same time to weigh it once a week. It is best to weigh it on an empty stomach on Sunday morning after going to the toilet, so that the data will be stable. If you have nothing to do, you can use a soft ruler to measure your waist, arm, and thigh circumferences, or pinch the sebum on your belly to see if it is thinner than before. These indicators are 100 times more accurate than body weight. If your goal is to lose weight, it's easy. After each exercise, add 20 minutes of jogging or an elliptical machine, and replace white rice with slow carbohydrates such as brown rice. You don't need to starve, and the weight will slowly come off.

When I first resumed fitness last year, I gained 4 pounds in the first month. My mother came to see me at my rental house. The first thing she said when she opened the door was, "Have you lost weight recently?" My face turned sharp." I took out the scale and showed it to her. She also said that my scale must be broken. Look, everyone around you can see that you have lost weight, so why are you trying to compete with the scale?