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Do Sore Muscles Weigh More Than Usual Weight?

- Written By

Margaret Rodrigues , PHD, BSN

Updated on

This article is based on scientific evidence, written by experts and fact checked by experts. Our team of experts strive to be objective, unbiased, honest and to present both sides of the argument. This article contains scientific references. Read more about our process.

do sore muscles weigh more

Not only you, but almost everyone who works out might see that their weight will fluctuate a little bit. The individuals who work out regularly will definitely see a rise in their body weight. One of the most abundant reasons in this process are sore muscles. Do sore muscles weigh more? The transformation from a skinny guy to a lean body might show a little update in your weight.

There might be many questions popping up into your mind regarding this situation like why are my muscles starting to get sore, do sore muscles weigh more, are sore muscles dangerous, etc. We assure you that all of your questions are answered here with full accuracy and complete factual information.

What exactly is muscle soreness?

Once you begin a workout program, your body weight may rise owing to muscular pain.

Muscle soreness is caused by the disintegration of muscle fibers and does not last for more than a single or two days after each workout. It happens to shield the particular muscle tissues from the freshly implemented training programmed. However, it is important to note that muscular discomfort is only transient and generally starts to go away after an additional session.

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It is a common phenomenon to happen muscle soreness after body workouts, it is totally normal and there is no individual who does not suffer from it. The real question is “Do sore muscles weigh more?”. Which is described in the following paragraph.

Do sore muscles weigh more?

It would be quite upsetting to discover that you have gained pounds after trying out to get rid of it. Although, many males who were trying to, instead, gain weight, will not be disappointed but they will feel happy for what they have just achieved by their efforts. But still, many people still worry and get anxious about the hard work they put in and try to get rid of the fat bod. So, this phenomenon becomes an issue for them.

That is the reason why certain individuals use body measures instead of figures on a scale to monitor their development. As we all already know, it is completely conceivable to weigh more when you have sore muscles, even if the increase in weight is likely to be transitory. 

Experts Comment

So, as conclusively said, Yes. The sore muscles do weigh more than their usual weight and may cause your numbers on the weight scale to fluctuate.

Reason for the soreness of muscles & weight increase

As we have already discussed, sore muscles might weigh more than usual and they can cause your numbers on the weight scale to increase which might be very disappointing and demotivating for many people out there. It is not a matter of worry or anxiousness, so here we talk about the exact and actual reasons for the soreness of the muscles and also their dangers and hazards (if any).

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Human body’s natural reaction

If you are not accustomed to exercising (or to particular types of workout), new activity strains the muscles. Micro rips, irritation & inflammation result. The accumulation of water surrounding the areas of inflammation and tiny rips is part of your body’s therapeutic mechanism. While muscles are undergoing repair, the retention may cause momentary increase in weight.

Muscles need glycogen supplements

Glycogen gives your muscles strength. As you initially begin to tone out the muscles, they require a greater amount of energy. This implies a greater amount of glycogen and, as a result, more fuel that is used in the tissues, which adds to their overall weight. This increase in weight might vary from 1 to 3 pounds, depending on every pound muscle carrying approximately 3 pounds of water within.

Fluctuation & gains in muscle mass

Doing exercise can result in higher mass of lean muscle in as little as a couple of weeks. That weight could show up as some more lbs.

Experts Tip

If you exercise to lose fat rather than to increase muscle, then you might not gain muscle mass or weight at all. The amount of fat you drop will be greater than the amount of muscular tissue mass you acquire.

The real question again is, Do sore muscles weigh more than the actual weight? If you have been attempting to shed fat or just tighten up your physique, don’t worry regarding the excess weight. Muscles are smaller than fat. 

Water depreciation increasing the blood in your system

Having excessive blood circulating through your body implies you require additional fluids. For everything, the human body needs greater amounts of water to stay cool when working harder than usual. The additional fluid also contributes to keeping your heart statistics constant.

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Consuming extra water, on the other hand, can create transitory retention of water in the tissues of the body. That implies gaining a little extra pounds, which will disappear in a small amount of time.

Lets watch this video to get more knowledge about muscle soreness!

Source / Fitness Pudding

The bottom line

As we come to the conclusion of our article, we would like to summarise our thoughts into a single paragraph. Do sore muscles weigh more? Yes. The sore muscles that have been affected by lifting unusual amounts of weights and exercising do weigh more. Many people will take it as a con and drawback of working out.

But as we have already cleared this confusion, soreness of the muscles is a normal and common process that happens with every individual in the gym. If you are trying to gain weight, and you notice an increase in your weight in just the initial times of the working out regimens, then it is just the soreness of the muscles that is causing the weight to increase. If you are trying to lose weight, then you may not see any change in your weight at all.

How we reviewed this article

Trend Of Health has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy

Sore muscles
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Muscle damage from eccentric exercise: mechanism, mechanical signs, adaptation and clinical applications
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Body Recompositing: Can Trained Individuals Build Muscle and Lose Fat at the Same Time?
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Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy After Aerobic Exercise Training
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The effects of 8 weeks of regular aerobic exercise on the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome in non-athlete girls
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