Why does the scale go up during a muscle-building phase?

On Ep. 377, Nikkiey explains that the scale shows you one number but not what that number is made of. A higher reading during a lean bulk is mostly the physical mass of the food you ate plus the water stored with glycogen. That is what people mean by water weight, and it is not fat. She also asks you to stop weighing yourself at the end of the day. On Ep. 52, she points out that muscle is denser than fat and takes up less space. She went from 140 pounds in 2015 to 155 pounds and looks completely different, with a smaller waist and smaller clothes.

In a build, a rising scale is the point. On Ep. 112, a guest explains that most women have collapsed weight and fat into one idea, but you can gain or lose weight without any fat entering or leaving your body. The goal of a bulk is to add muscle. Some fat comes along with it, so you aim to maximize muscle and minimize fat. On Ep. 355, Leah's coach told her that gaining some weight confirms she is eating enough to fuel the muscle she is building. After Leah had gained only one pound, her coach warned that she would slide back to maintenance. In a video on build phases, Nikkiey is upfront that you will gain weight and look a little softer for a while. She says this is temporary, usually three to six months and sometimes a year. She adds that a build isn't the right first step if you still need to lose 30 or more pounds.

Cheryl, a 57-year-old client, stopped weighing every day and now weighs only on Saturdays. She decided in advance that hitting 150 wouldn't scare her. When the scale jumped, she looked at her water intake instead of cutting food, and the next week she was down two pounds.