Conflicted...

Well, today I stepped on the scale and holy smokes I now weigh in at 183 lbs. This is coming from 173 lbs that I was to start IronMan Wisconsin 2007.

But here is the problem, in order to add muscle for my Strength Training program – you need to add calories. No other way around it. From the books that I have read regarding strength training, they talk about doing some cardio work along with your strength training. But they also tell you to limit the cardio so that you do not “use” up too many calories that you’ll need to build muscle.

I have continued my Base IronMan training which calls for around 8 to 9 hours a week on the bike, treadmill, and pool. This should be consuming quite a bit of calories.

They also suggest adding the proper protein / carbohydrates as soon after your lift as possible. This apparently will help your muscles recover faster and will assist in the building of muscle. Based on that advice, I have added a Hammer Recoverite drink immediately after the lift. This certainly helps take some of the “weakness” out of my chest and arms. But of course it adds calories to my diet and weight to the scale.

I’ve also noticed that after my lift I am very hungry – which of course I deal with by consuming more calories.

So, should I be pleased that I’m gaining weight / muscle or is this not a good thing – I’m not too sure at this point.