Weight training/muscle building resources for people with thyroid disorders

[Eimear78]

Hi folks,

Can anyone give me any decent resources about muscle building with a thyroid problem. I am not appearing to gain muscle despite lifting heavy and getting personal bests daily.

I eat a high protein diet to complement the training but struggling to see any change in muscle mass.

Thanks for your help.

Eimear

[Pearlteapot]

I think you need to say if you are hypo or hyper as the answer may differ. I haven’t seen anything about there being a problem with hypo. Weight lifting is recommended for hypo to increase metabolic rate but no mention of difficulties building muscle.

[Eimear78 in reply to Pearlteapot]

I'm hypo. I have been a resistance trainer of one form or another for years and I am not sure it has boosted my metabolism because I seem to be not building muscle.

[Pearlteapot in reply to Eimear78]

I’m sorry, I have no answers. Maybe someone else will know about this.

Before diagnosis and medication I lifted heavy and did build muscle.

What makes you think it is thyroid related? When were you diagnosed, when did you stop building ?

Edited. Just read your earlier posts. Sorry should have done that before. Seems like you did well for a while then it stopped.

On stuff hips. I was thinking about that this morning. I’ve recovered my hip mobility in the last two months and don’t know if it’s the medication or yoga. Probably both. Been practicing around 3x week.

[Eimear78 in reply to Pearlteapot]

I think it's probably medication related but that is an ongoing saga. Shortly after I was diagnosed I was working with a PT and was gaining muscle at that stage. I've gained fat since then and I am not seeing the same level of muscle definition nor can shift the fat. I'd rather get the muscle and anything else would be a bonus.

[Pearlteapot in reply to Eimear78]

I edited my last post.

[Eimear78 in reply to Pearlteapot]

I am thinking of getting back into yoga again...

[Pearlteapot]

I used to practise a LOT of yoga and do olympic lifting. The yoga was v good for the squat and shoulder mobiility. My PT said oly lifters are among the most flexible of all athletes even without yoga but I didn't really believe him. Then I stopped during pandemic and just as i was starting to train again again found that I wasn't recovering, then got diagnosed with this nightmare. When I re-started yoga at the beginning of this year I couldn't believe how stiff my hips had become, now I realise it may have been hypo related - or not! - it becomes easy to think everything is hypo caused. Perhaps I was just stiff because I hadn't been practising. Perhaps you are not building because one always always works harder with a PT.

[Eimear78]

You have to be flexible to drop under a snatch properly. I used to do CrossFit then got injured and since then my flexibility has been rubbish. I've worked with a couple of PTs and there's been a fixation with me losing weight but they don't seem to understand that calories in v calories out doesn't work in the same way as anyone with a normal thyroid. For me building muscle was the key but it's not happening.

are you less stiff now?

[Pearlteapot]

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

I was reading this and thought of you. Have you already seen this article ?

Quite concerning but some solutions offered.

Yes my flexibility is coming back very well thank you. I read the other day that hip stiffness is a hypo thing (what isn’t?!) so my improvement might be due to the medication as much as to my efforts in the yoga studio, but I am nearly back to where I was.

I also think the twisting postures are working some gut magic on me. When I restarted they made me feel absolutely nauseous but that has passed and I can feel my ab strength coming back. I think the twisting and compression of the gut is good for digestion.

radd wrote a very good post on exercise and muscle a couple of days ago. I’m on my phone so can’t paste but suggest you find it if you didn’t already see it.

[radd in reply to Pearlteapot]

Eimear78

I can't see any of your recent TFT's posted, but you need adequate thyroid hormone levels (particularly FT3) and then the co-factors to make them work effectively, such as iron, Vit B12, folate & Vit D.

Then if you are still not managing to gain any fitness or build muscle see my reply to this post for other preventative barriers ...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[Eimear78 in reply to radd]

radd i had a blood test on Wednesday and can post results. I am taking Levothyroxine and Liothyronine and I supplement with vitamin B12 and folate, Vitamin D amongst other things. I’ll have a read through of the post. Thank you.