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Just as exercise can help people to lose weight, it can also help people to gain weight in a healthy way. Exercising, or working out, is often closely associated with weight gain & weight reduction. Whenever an overweight person mentions that they want to lose weight, working out is almost always the first suggestion that comes up.
Some people hit the gym to lose a few extra pounds while others work out to get that perfect beach body to show off in the summer. Others may want to get in shape for an upcoming marathon.
People who do not have experience with working out assume that exercising, weightlifting, and strength training only make people lose weight. This is completely wrong as in most cases, people actually gain strength and weight when they start working out.
Also, weight loss or weight gain, both depend more on the nutrition people are taking. If your primary goal is to lose fat and maintain muscle mass, you must burn more calories than you are taking. That’s why is exercise important for weight loss. But, if you take more calories than you burn, you will gain weight eventually.
Check out some of the mechanisms of exercising and weight gain. You’ll learn and know, how working out helps you to gain weight from muscle mass.
Mechanism of Exercising and Weight Gain?
When people hit the gym, their body changes in ways they have not experienced before. This is because the human body adapts and changes to the difference in routine. Exercising causes stress to the muscle fibers, causing micro-tears, which are also referred to as microtrauma.
In response to the tearing, the muscles experience some inflammation. This results in the person gaining some water weight which makes them slightly heavier than when they first started working out. However, there is nothing to be worried about as this is simply a healing response that is triggered by the body.
In response to the muscle developing micro-tears, the body retains the water. Despite the inflammation, the body retains fluid to help with the healing process. When a person starts working out, they are also likely to experience soreness as the muscles are not used to it.
Another reason for people gaining weight when they start working out is because the body stores more glycogen. Glycogen is the fuel that the body turns into energy for the workout. In order for this reaction to occur, the glycogen has to bind with water. This is why the body retains an extra amount of water when people start working out.
This excess fluid goes away as the body becomes accustomed to the exercise and needs less recovery time.
Gaining Weight From Muscle Mass
Working out burns excess fat from the body. This is what causes the weight loss that occurs due to working out. However, exercising also builds up the muscles, which have a mass of their own. It is highly unlikely that a person can gain muscle mass from working out. They have already shed weight but gaining muscle mass definitely adds to the total body weight.
It is recommended that anyone who is planning to start working out should consult a doctor or physician to find out more about their body. Your doctor might be able to tell you how exercising will affect it. Research is important as the diet you consume is just as important as the weights you lift.