How can you tell if its fat or water retention?

[Elite_Fry]

How can you tell if its fat or water retention that your gaining?

 

[MS]

In the short term it's hard to tell the difference. The best way to measue subQ BF is to find someone who is an EXPERT at skinfold measurements. If you do skinfolds consistently and hold the fold long enough to 'squeeze' the water out of that patch of skin, you can get a reasonable idea. However if you've added glycogen/intramuscular water then there's no way to be 100% certain without putting you in a bomb calorimeter or something else pretty drastic (freeze dried flubberboy???)

The best rule of thumb is to gauge whether or not your strength is increasing and how you look in the mirror/how you clothes fit.