Will you hold more water if!!

acatalina

acatalina

Cathlete
Will you hold more water if your muscles are always sore?
I mean if you are working to failure w/ all your weight w/o's, will your body retain more water to replace the glycogen you used up in the natural healing process???
Any smart minds that know please post!!
I am not liking my scale lately...I am hoping it is only water from working out harder...


Anne
Aka( Storm)

http://www.picturetrail.com/acatalina
 
Don't know the scientific perspective, but from my personal experience, YES, this does happen to me. If I've been working out really hard, and my muscles are sore, I "gain" a couple of pounds overnight, and the weight stays with me for a few days, and seems to disappear when my DOMS disappears. I've read that our muscles are mostly water, and when we "traumatize" them by working them really hard, they hold onto water as they're working to repair themselves.

Also if you're working out really hard, and sweating more than usual, I think our bodies hold onto water just in case they need to produce gallons of sweat again...
 
It really doesn't have to to with glycogen replenishment, but the fact that your body interprets any harder-than-usual stress (going up in weights, doing a more intense weight workout) as a threat, and can retain fluids as a safety precaution. Once your body adapts, you don't retain the fluids anymore. At least that's what I've read.
 
I can speak from persona experience that if I am really "busting it", I will experience some water retention.

Usually I notice it on the days I do a really intense leg workout, heavy weights and going all out. Usually its about 1-2 lbs depending on where I'm at in my hormonal cycle. ( 2 lbs if I'm PMS) Fortunately, it goes away after about 36-48 hours after the workout.

Lynn M.
 
Hi,

I experienced that after my third week of P90X doubles and I'm a long time exerciser. I ended it with a long bike ride and I bet my legs and butts were at least 1/2 inch bigger. The same with the upper body, the muscles justed looked like they were popping out. After a week of recovery they are still hard, but look much smaller. It's hard because when they are like that I feel like I might be gaining weight, which for me is deadly because then I adjust food intake which now I know I shouldn't have done.

Tracy
 
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