If you are already at a healthy body weight but have little bulk, then your goal should be weight gain rather than weight loss. Strength training will help you add additional weight to your body from muscle tissues, and it is one of the best ways to engage in a fit and healthy lifestyle.
Significance
Strength training causes small damage to the muscle fibers. After each session the body repairs this damage, but it also adds new muscle cells to prevent the same damage from occurring again when you engage in an activity that requires an equal amount of force. The addition of new tissue adds bulk to the muscles and adds new contractile mechanisms. This is called hypertrophy.
Weight
Muscle is one of the denser forms of tissue in the body. According to David Simar PhD, from the School of Medical Sciences in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of New South Wales, muscle weighs about 1.06kg/l---or about 8.46 lbs. for every gallon. Fat only weighs about 0.92kg/l.
Maximum Gains
In one study by the Colgan Institute of Nutritional Sciences, it was discovered that the maximum amount the muscles can grow is 1 oz. per day. Over an entire year that equates to about 23 lbs. However, the average person will gain far less. About 10 to 15 lbs. of muscle is considered a good gain during the first year.
Long Term Gains
Rapid gains are common during the first six to eight months, but once you begin to build a lot of muscle, each subsequent gain becomes much harder. After a time you should still be putting on 2 to 5 lbs. a year. With enough diligent training and consistent hard work, it's possible to add 40 to 50 lbs. of muscle over a lifetime.
Fat Loss
If you are trying to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, then it could be difficult to find the perfect balance. This is because you might have to overcome some muscle loss along the way. About 25 percent of all weight loss inevitably comes from muscle, although 75 percent of muscle is actually water. Depending on how much you weigh when you begin, you may end up weighing more or less by the time you attain the physique you want.
Member Comments