How much weight gain is normal?

I have been working out for 16 months. The last 10 months I have increased my weight lifting gradually. I only lift weights twice a week. One day upper and abs one day lower and abs. (1 hour) I do cardio 3 days per week (1 hour).  I can feel my body getting tighter and I can see some changes in the way my body looks but I still have fat on top of the muscles and it isn't going anywhere. Infact, I have GAINED 8 pounds. I suspect I have some additional water weight right now but I was wondering how much weight gain is typical when building muscle. It seems like my gain has been over the last 2 months and I can see more muscle in the last 2 months.  Ilike the muscle but I really want to get rid of at least 20 more pounds.

I am certainly NOT an expert, and I'm sure someone else will have a more informed answer than mine, but... I find that at this point, I can either gain muscle *or* see a drop on the scale, but not at the same time.  So, if you are focused on building muscle (very important to improve your metabolism), then you need *some* additional calories to refuel muscle fiber growth, so you are less likely to see a drop on the scale.  I alternate focusing on strength (with a few extra calories) for a few weeks, then cardio (with lower calories) for a few weeks.  I still do both, all the time, but I increase the weight/lower the reps when I'm focusing on strength. Sorry, but I can't comment on how much weight you actually gain when adding muscle...the best suggestion I can make is to take your measurements, or pay attention to how your clothes fit! Hope that helps! Tami

The best way to know how much muscle mass you're carrying from one month to the next is to have your body composition checked.  Your dr. may be able to do this for you or you can have it checked at your gym or on a home scale that measures body composition. Depending on what you find with your body composition, you can adjust your exercise routine or your diet to get things moving in the direction you want. Cheers, Brian