Strength Training Increases Water Weight at First

So you finally started working out, but after working your tail off for the first week, you hop on the scale and.....YUCK, you've actually gained a couple pounds. Relax, let me explain: Strength training naturally causes microscopic tears in your muscle membrane allowing muscles to grow back stronger and that is normal (as weird as it sounds). Whenever your body undergoes trauma as with these microscopic muscle tears, it sends blood and fluid to those areas to heal the tissues. This causes the puffiness, and it is one of the main reasons people get so discouraged when beginning a training regimen. As a fitness competitor, I would have to stop all leg training ten days before my competitions, to reduce fluid build-up in my legs. Otherwise, I would have a smooth look rather than defined leg muscles. Stick with it guys, eventually your muscles will get stronger and the swelling will drastically reduce (because your muscles will not grow as much as they did in the beginning). After about a month or so of working out, you will look in the mirror and be amazed at your transformation!
-me & my momma