Gain weight ?

[Chloep]

Did any of you put on weight after you started weight training and cardio ?

I did ! And it worries me ..

Also - is it true that if you don't ache like hell the day after your workout, IT MEANS YOU ARE NOT DOING IT CORRECTLY ??

I ache like mad the first 3 sessions.
subsequently, its always just a dull ache. thats despite the fact that i've been increasing those weights !

[Niky Brady]

It's perfectly normal to put on weight after beginning to weight train because you are building muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat. Don't worry, soon the fat will start to come off. As for being sore, it is good to feel sore as long as it's not in the wrong places (joints, back, etc..). You're going to feel sore in wierd places because you're using muscles you've never used before, the soreness means the muscles have been ripped and need to repair themselves which causes a buildup of lactic acid. I take L-glutamine to relieve the soreness. Increasing the weight will almost always make you a bit sore because you're asking your muscles to do something they've never done. I personally like feeling a bit sore (more of a tight feeling than actual pain)- assures me that I'm actually working ;).

[Chloep]

the problem is, i'm not aching !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

if i ache, i'd feel like i've REALLY WORKED OUT.
but nowadays i don't.

does supplements like l-carnitine help in muscle healing and reducing the muscle ache ??

i've been taking those, and can feel myself more energetic.

[tokenyanke]

Hey there!

Believe me, weight gain is rather normal after starting weight workouts. I ended up gaining 10 lbs in 6 weeks. Today I was actually down 2 lbs, so maybe I'm starting to burn off the fat. I won't hold my breath, but I can hope! lol...

I do have way more muscle and way more definition already, though. My measurements have stayed the same as they were when I was 8 lbs lighter, which tells me I'm really building muscle. Also, my lean body weight has gone up 7 lbs from when I started.

From all I've read in the past, L-Carnitine is great for muscle recovery and if you've been taking it for a while, that might be why you aren't feeling sore. I feel sore sometimes depending on what muscles I've worked, but it's gotten to where I mostly just feel muscle fatigue and my arms and legs often feel a bit shaky for a while and then I'm fine again. :thup:

[francis]

When starting a weight training program in an attempt to lose fat, it is actually better to gain weight, this means you are putting on more muscle which means you are building more mitochondria. Mitochondria burns fat. It would help more to get into an aerobic exercise as well. The aerobic exercise will allow more oxygen to flow though your blood stream allowing the mitochondria to burn the fat more efficiently. Drinking more water will also help with body fat burning efficiency because it will help to "flush" it out. or so I understand. Hope this makes you feel better :daze:

[Chloep]

My pants are not getting looser, thats why I feel abit distraught.

But my arms are looking more toned so its a good thing.

Still don't really know how to work my abs .. could be why the waist is not getting smaller ?

Sure hope the weight will go down soon ..

[Gwyneth]

http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/Jun/20026124533660659310897.jpg

I hope this helps, it explains why scale weight doesn't say anything about progress when you're exercising.

(I've been looking for this pic quite some time now and didn't want to keep it from y'all!)

[Natrushka]

Chloe, you could do all the stomach exercises in the world but that would not effect the size of your tummy - spot reducing does not work . It is all a function of how much, and how little, body fat you have. As you lose fat you'll lose it all over. How it comes off is determined by your genetics and how you gained it.

Give it time.

Gwen, thanks. Usually I have to pull out that picture, and when I do I get all the "eewwwwwwww" posts ;)

Nat

[tammay]

Thanks for this post. I joined a gym about 5 weeks ago and increased my exercise significantly (walking 6 miles a day, 45 minutes of resistance/abs exercises 7 days a week) and I haven't been seeing it on the scale (but them my scale and I have issues... :D). I saw a decrease in an average of an inch all around after 3 weeks which was encouraging. Hopefully it'll keep going in the right direction (down, that is.)

Tam

[Shark01]

Many people think working the ab region at all makes your waist bigger, which makes sense when you consider you are growing ab muscles, why wouldn't they get bigger?

As for you getting sore, the body gets used to exercise so it gets harder and harder to shock it. There are two corrallaries for this:

If you are sore the day after a workout, you ARE tearing the body down enough to build muscle

If you are not sore after the workout you MAY still be building muscle, you just can't be sure

Two ways the keep the soreness (remember, it's muscle soreness you want, not joint) is to

1. Vary the excercises you do often (for example do dumbell bench presses instead of barbell or machine presses)

2. Vary the intensity often (one week use more weight, fewer repititions, the next cut the weight and raise the reps)

[Chloep]

Hi all,

Its abit hard to vary the exercise.
The gym I go to is rather small, and there are no trainers around to help.
Whats available is just the pulley system.

I usually use it to work my :
a) tricep
b) biceps
c) lats
e) chest.

EVery session, I'd do the same 4 exercises (2 sets of 10 reps each).

Is it ok ?

[Shark01]

Do you have access to a more complete gym? If you really are restricted to a set number of exercises, you can vary the weight and # of repetitions to give the workout variety and keep the muscles growing.

The first thing you need to do is find out what your upper strength level is. For each exercise, find the heaviest weight you can do 4 clean reps with. So on a "heavy" day, use 75-80% of your max weight and try to get 8 clean reps. On a "light" day, use 50% of the max weight and try for 12 reps. 2 sets is sufficient for growth if you are working hard.

One one or two sets each session, (for example your second tricep set) try to go to failure, which means after you can't do a full rep keep going until it becomes difficult to even lift the weight. Vary the body parts you do this on, you can't do it on every exercise it's just too intense but it really works great.

Also, you didn't say you worked shoulders and legs. If this isn't a typo, they are very important body parts to work :thup: