When you start working out LBM (Lean Body Mass) may be affected quite quickly. You may or may not see a difference on the scale – but you should notice with measurements. It is about the exchange of tissue, not necessarily bulking up like Arnold. You want to have more lean mass to increase metabolism and strength in more than just muscle, but connective tissue, our organs and immune system as well. While gaining true muscle takes longer, as a beginner to resistance training or coming back from being away for awhile, you may experience slight increases in muscle size quickly as the body starts to adapt as it is a new stimulus. However, this will depend on your diet as well and if you are eating enough, especially protein.
But let’s dive a little deeper into LBM—here are a few key factors that can contribute to its increase:
- When you start exercising, your muscles store more glycogen (a form of carbohydrate) to fuel your workouts. For every gram of glycogen stored, the body retains about 3 grams of water, which temporarily increases your muscle mass and overall weight.
- a. Side note, sometimes people jump on no carb diets because of a decrease in weight. It is not necessarily weight loss, it’s just water – so carbs are not bad, but we do need to manage them in a sense where you use the fuel and not store as fat (ie. if not able to burn them fast enough).
- Exercise improves muscle hydration as your body adapts to recovery and repair. This added water content within the muscle cells can cause a noticeable increase in LBM. So, make sure to keep hydrated, as the body has extra things to hydrate in a sense.
- a. 8×8 Rule: Follow the 8×8 rule by drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water throughout the day. This ensures a steady intake of fluids.
- b. 1×1 Rule: Avoid drinking more than 1 litre of water per hour, as the kidneys can only excrete this amount efficiently. Drinking too much water too quickly can lead to water intoxication.
- c. During Exercise: When exercising strenuously, add 8 ounces of water every 15 minutes to replace the fluids lost through sweating.
- d. Cold Water: Drink cold water as it helps cool the body more effectively than hot water. When we sweat, the evaporation from the skin absorbs energy and cools the body. Drinking hot water can be counterproductive, especially when sweating excessively. Cold water hydrates and cools the body faster, and studies have shown that athletes rehydrate more efficiently with cold water.
- e. Electrolytes: If you still feel thirsty after drinking water, consider adding electrolytes to your intake. Electrolytes are essential for maintaining hydration levels and proper bodily function.
- Exercise creates micro-tears in muscle fibres, triggering inflammation as part of the repair process. This can lead to temporary water retention, making LBM appear to go up. While this might sound concerning, it’s actually a crucial part of muscle growth and improvement—helping muscles become stronger, more toned, and resilient.
- If you’ve lost fat while simultaneously gaining muscle, glycogen, and or water weight, the net result could show up as increased LBM as well as total body weight. This is why you can lose percent body fat and still have gained LBM and total body weight in general.
The takeaway from this is eat enough – especially protein, to support the amount of exercise you are doing and DO NOT PUT all your success in the scale. It may not reflect the true picture whether it is weight gain, or loss. Do the extra steps of measurements and finding out your LBM! Let us at DEEM help you.
Mikkie Nettles-Pollon, Certified Personal Trainer/Holistic & Sports Nutritionist
Not sure where to begin, contact me at info@deemhealth.ca
250-541 -0411.
www.deamhealth.ca
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