So I’ve been lifting weights 2x per week for the last 4 weeks. Essentially for 30 minutes at a time doing a circuit type program. Very basic doing chest, back, bi’s, tri’s and shoulders along with a core workout. 10-12 reps per exercise 3x around. Is it possible to gain weight that quickly? In four weeks? I haven’t lifted for a few years. I am still doing my S/B/R workouts too. Who knows, maybe it’s the aplle crisp my wife keeps making me eat.
So I’ve been lifting weights 2x per week for the last 4 weeks. Essentially for 30 minutes at a time doing a circuit type program. Very basic doing chest, back, bi’s, tri’s and shoulders along with a core workout. 10-12 reps per exercise 3x around. Is it possible to gain weight that quickly? In four weeks? I haven’t lifted for a few years. I am still doing my S/B/R workouts too. Who knows, maybe it’s the aplle crisp my wife keeps making me eat.
No, it’s impossible to gain that much. Put down the fork, fatty.
Well, how much have you gained? A pound or two could be contributed to increased muscle mass, but if you’ve put on like 10 pounds…then no.
Under the most optimal conditions, you can hope to gain around 1 pound of muscle per month though weight lifting. That’s working out frequently (not 2x a week for 30 minutes, and certainly not while SBR’ing), and eating perfectly while getting plenty of rest.
Your one hour of weight lifting a week is not causing you to gain weight.
maybe it’s the apple crisp my wife keeps making me eat.
In what way is she MAKING you consume said treat? Are there consequences if you don’t, or rewards if you do?
Please explain this dastardly power she has over you
You gain weight by eating more calories than you consume, not by lifting weights. Lifting weights helps decide whether any surplus calories will become fat or muscle in your body.
I know you said you’re still doing SBR, but have you dropped the quantity/quality of those workouts to accommodate the weight training?
Well…you will gain weight from increased muscle mass only if his muscles are growing at a rapid pace!
Well, how much have you gained? A pound or two could be contributed to increased muscle mass, but if you’ve put on like 10 pounds…then no.
Possibly, but most likely not, unless the OP is 20 years old, and has all the variables correct. It’s not nearly as easy to gain muscle mass as people seem to think it is.
For the OP, no. Strength training will not cause any weight gains at all unless you’re eating an excess of calories, and even then unless you’re doing a program structured for hypertrophy, balancing it with adequate recovery, and consuming a decent macro nutrient ratio, a significant portion of the gain can be fat.
This fear that some endurance athletes have of gaining weight from strength training is ridiculous.
How much have you gained?
Were you at a really low (below normal) weight at end of season? If you were really low in terms of weight and bodyfat you could see a fairly big increase (initially)- but this is the return to normal.
Be careful thinking it is all muscle (unless you want to put some fat on).
I started weight training at a higher level than my during the season maintenance level. After 2 months I had gained about 5 lb. I realized that most of that 5 lb. was sitting in my gut- was not muscle gain.
A couple weeks of cutting back on the extra food I was back to normal.
I force myself to lift hard to lose weight. Hard strength training seems to be the only way I can get those last couple of stubborn pounds off. I am always at my lightest when I am lifting the hardest.
I always gain weight when I weight train consistently. Last time I did IM, my coach forbid me to lift and I lost about 10+ lbs
Well, how much have you gained? A pound or two could be contributed to increased muscle mass, but if you’ve put on like 10 pounds…then no.
I would highly doubt he has gained a pound or two of muscle, in 4 weeks, by lifting twice a week for half an hour while continuing to SBR. His muscle gains probably aren’t even a rounding error on his scale yet.
I force myself to lift hard to lose weight. Hard strength training seems to be the only way I can get those last couple of stubborn pounds off. I am always at my lightest when I am lifting the hardest.
Same here. Strength training always helps me lose weight. It seems to be the only form of exercise that doesn’t make me hungry.
I ended the season around 168. I’m at 171-172 now. 168 was probably even 2 pounds over where I should’ve been a month or so ago. Like someone else said, I’ve gotta put the fork down. I’m 5’10" and 44 years old. My goal next next season is to be around 162 on race day.
That is not much weight gain- could be muscle, could be fat. You would probably know from the gut pinch test.
Given that your goal is to race at 162- you probably want to formulate a diet plan to take weight in the other direction.
Just make sure you are getting adequate calories to fuel your training and recovery.
So I’ve been lifting weights 2x per week for the last 4 weeks. Essentially for 30 minutes at a time doing a circuit type program. Very basic doing chest, back, bi’s, tri’s and shoulders along with a core workout. 10-12 reps per exercise 3x around. Is it possible to gain weight that quickly? In four weeks? I haven’t lifted for a few years. I am still doing my S/B/R workouts too. Who knows, maybe it’s the aplle crisp my wife keeps making me eat.
If you’re a newbie hard core weight lifter, eat right and have the right genetics, you would be lucky to put on 2 pounds a month of lean body mass. I personally don’t think this can be obtained by lifting two times per week. Here is a general guideline compliments of Lyle McDonald. It appears we as humans can put on about 50 solid pounds before we have to turn to less than legal methods of getting bigger.
Years Training :Muscle Gain:
1 year 20-25 pounds (2 pounds per month)
2 years 10-12 pounds (1 pound per month)
3 years 5-6 pounds (.5 pound per month)
4 years 2-3 pounds (not worth calculating)
So I’ve been lifting weights 2x per week for the last 4 weeks. Essentially for 30 minutes at a time doing a circuit type program. Very basic doing chest, back, bi’s, tri’s and shoulders along with a core workout. 10-12 reps per exercise 3x around. Is it possible to gain weight that quickly? In four weeks? I haven’t lifted for a few years. I am still doing my S/B/R workouts too. Who knows, maybe it’s the aplle crisp my wife keeps making me eat.
No, it’s impossible to gain that much. Put down the fork, fatty.
Maybe I’m just a weak-willed dessert hound, but when I put on muscle, I tend to put on some fat with it. This is somewhat explained/justified by the fact that both are due to insulin effects. N=1, but if I want muscle, I need a “growth” phase followed by a “cut” phase, which is what many lifters/bodybuilders seem to do.
Why are you doing a bodybuilding type training, specifying different body parts? Of course you are going to gain muscle mass. And let’s be clear about muscle weighing more than fat…1 lbs. of muscle weighs the exact same as 1 lbs. of fat.
But muscle is more dense than fat so takes up less area. So a more muscular body type will weigh more while occupying the same space. Be it a tri suit or a pair of jeans! 