hey just wanted to know are there any diabetic type 1 here who weight train or bodybuild here and do you find it hard to gain muscle mass?
the same problem for me,i gain muscle slowly but i lose it easly ,and that really sucks
Yeah, I hit a plateau and that's it. Definitely an issue when the hormone you need to build muscle is in short supply.
hormone as in insulin?
Hi there!
I used to compete in powerlifting and set about 15 records over the course of 2 years in drug-free female lifting. (If you YouTube Ginger/Powerlifting you'll find some old videos!).
The thing is though, that for a diabetic to properly make gains in the gym like a non-diabetic, nutrition and blood sugars need to be properly fine-tuned. If your blood sugars are running high, your body is not going to recover from your training and not have the fuel it needs to properly build muscle. If your diet is lacking, you'll also struggle. And of course, diabetic or not, if your training program isn't intelligent or logical, you won't make the gains you want.
Building muscle as a diabetic is TOTALLY possible but it really depends on how well your diabetes is being managed and how smart your nutrition/training program is! There is no reason diabetes should stop you as long as you're making your health/diabetes a major priority when you pursue somethign like powerlifting.
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That's actually not why it's hard, but diabetics naturally are in a state of hyper-insulinemia...meaning we get more insulin as diabetics than we would if we weren't diabetic. This is why it actually makes weight-loss more difficult, but for weight-lifting, and muscle gain, as a diabetic you have access to the number one hormone that helps build muscle. So if our doses and diets and training are in line, there's no reason why a diabetic can't build muscle. It really comes down to learning, learning learning. Even people who are NOT diabetic struggle to put on muscle and it's often the result of poor training program design and poor nutrition habits.
Infact I gained around 45lbs (mostly muscle) in one year once I started on insulin pump. I followed good nutrition and worked out with a personal trainer. You can gain weight being type 1 diabetic. Just plan your insulin intake, nutrition and workouts properly. Now I am maintaining my weight and muscle mass. Doing Crossfit for a year and gained more strength in the process.
Clarify please Ginger,
I was referring to the fact that, as a T1 anyway, I have 0 endogenous insulin at his point in my life. The "if" in balancing dosing, diet, and training is, indeed, the entire reason why there's more to take into consideration than if you were non-diabetic, right?
From what I understand, we do have to inject more insulin to cover a given meal than we would have normally produced had we not been diabetic. I guess, in that sense, we are constantly in hyper-insulinemia if you consider the fact that we also need to cover basal requirements as well. I would assume that our exogenous basal doses are also comparatively larger.
However, injecting the appropriate effective dose is the trick. Throw in training to increase muscle mass, and it's quite a trick.
I was always an athlete, began serious weight training for track and field after high school, and was diagnosed T1 at the age of 20. My training most definitely took a serious hit. I dropped 20 lbs of lean mass before I knew it. It took me a long time after diagnosis to figure out how to gain it back.
Most definitely, I was able to gain it all back, and more, once I got my dosing, diet, and training figured out. It definitely can be done and I didn't mean to imply that it couldn't. But, for me anyway, there's no comparison to my pre-diabetes days. It's just a lot more work.
Weight-loss for me is no problem. I stop lifting weights for any amount of time and I turn into a Shrinky-Dink.
I have been the same. During my first two years of college I gained 50lbs of mostly muscle while training as a thrower. We would lift 3-4 days a week and also do other plyometric workouts. I never had trouble thanks to good control, proper nutrition and proper workouts. Work hard and make sure you set yourself up to succeed. Even though you are moving heavy weight on the outside, a lack of blood sugar control can tear things done inside.
Hey guys, I know I'm late to the party here, but ginger is dead right!
As long as you're eating right, controlling your BGLs and pushing yourself at the gym you're not going to be disadvantaged by your diabetes!
When you consider that a lot of body builders without diabetes take insulin to coincide with their diet and supplement regimes because of its anabolic effect during growth and recovery we're almost advantaged by our need to take higher doses of the hormone.
And another thing is that many protein powders have igf-1 in them. Which is insulin-like growth factor 1. Designed to mimic the effects of insulin with the consumption of whey proteins to allow better absorption and use for growth and recovery.
Doesn't make it not crap to have diabetes but its a minor benefit for us when it comes to muscle growth and recovery.
Hey! I've been going to the gym for a year now and have made some gains but they are nowhere as close to my desired goal. I weighed 8 stone when I began and I now weigh 11. I do find I put on weight and muscle a lot slower than most guys but I just keep going. Keep at it, push yourself harder and harder during each workout and you'll get there :)