GTA San Andreas gym guide: How to increase stamina, muscle, lung capacity and other fitness stats in GTA San Andreas - High School of Posts and Telecommunications and Information Technology

Fitness stats in San Andreas are a unique RPG-style mechanic that features prominently in this Grand Theft Auto game.

Eating at restaurants or going to the gym can influence CJ’s fitness stats.

This in turn affects gameplay, allowing you to run faster or swim longer, or attract different girlfriends based on their tastes.

This page explains how muscle, endurance, fat, and lung capacity statistics work, where to find gym locations in San Andreas, and the various gym moves and exercises available.

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If you are looking for more explanations, we have pages on how to leave Los Santos, girlfriends and GTA San Andreas tricks.

GTA: San Andreas Definitive Edition – Gameplay Comparison.

How fitness, muscle, stamina, fat and lung capacity statistics work in GTA San Andreas

CJ has several fitness stats (muscle, stamina, fat, and lung capacity) that will significantly affect our gameplay in several ways, such as the ability to swim underwater for a long time or being able to take more fall damage.

These will start at 0 and it is up to you to level them up and exercise diligently, to maintain a healthy lifestyle that will be beneficial in the long run.

Here’s how they all work, one by one:

Muscle

As the name implies, this stat measures CJ’s muscularity, which will determine how much damage you deal in close combat, as well as reducing fall damage, and influences Respect and Sexual Appeal stats.

You can improve this statistic by exercising in a gym using the treadmill or stationary bike, and also running, swimming, and cycling.

Fat

As the name implies, this stat measures CJ’s body fat, it will increase by eating food and decrease by exercising, running, swimming and cycling, or not eating for an extended period of time.

While being overweight will decrease most of CJ’s abilities such as health, running speed and jumping, the opposite is also true as it is not recommended to have no fat at all as you may lose muscle or even health.

lung capacity

Lung capacity, shown when CJ is swimming, represents how long he can hold his breath when diving underwater. If the player stays underwater for too long, the oxygen meter will deplete and CJ will begin to lose health until she drowns or comes out of the water.

Endurance

Endurance indicates CJ’s overall stamina when running, swimming, and cycling, and the lower his stamina means he will tire more easily and stop after short distances unless he exercises and levels up.

Completing the Burglar side quest, which involves stealing a total of $10,000 worth of items, will reward the player with infinite stamina regardless of their previous progress.

How to increase stamina and lung capacity in GTA San Andreas

You can increase your endurance by simply running, swimming or cycling, gaining 5% endurance for every 150 seconds of swimming and 300 seconds of cycling or running.

However, if you want it to grow faster, in gyms you will gain 4% Stamina for every 14 seconds of exercise on the treadmill and stationary bike.

Lung capacity increases when swimming underwater for long periods, and an oxygen bar will appear when you dive underwater showing the amount of time you have before you start drowning. You can also swim on the surface of the water without expending energy, but this will not improve your lung capacity.

How to lose muscle and why muscle keeps decreasing in GTA San Andreas

As you progress on your adventure, CJ will lose muscle and fat if you don’t keep him well fed. This is not something you want to happen, as losing muscle will make you weaker in combat. You can even lose health and die if CJ has no muscle or fat to lose.

To stop muscle loss in GTA San Andreas, it is recommended to go to any of the following food establishments at least once a day:

Pizza Co stacked well
ringing bell
Burger shot

Likewise, if you give CJ too much food, he will vomit and you will not be able to purchase food for the next 11 hours of the game.

GTA San Andreas Gym Locations

Immediately after the “Drive-Thru” story mission, you will receive a call from Sweet. Once that call ends, there will now be gyms available, where you can work out to improve CJ’s stats.

There are five gym locations spread across San Andreas, three of them visible and two more hidden. The list of Gyms is as follows:

Explanation of the exercises and movements of the GTA San Andreas gym

Gyms have various equipment that you can use to change your stats. These include:

Equipment		Description
Treadmill		The treadmill increases resistance as fat decreases. With 10 difficulty levels, higher ones get easier as you gain more stamina. When you start running, the power and distance bars on the screen that show power will begin to deplete and you will need to maintain your pace to keep them full. If you don’t, CJ will fall off the machine.
Stationary bicycle		The Stationary Bike increases Resistance while decreasing Fat. With 10 difficulty levels, higher ones get easier as you gain more stamina. When you start riding the bike, the power and distance bars on the screen that show power will start to run out and you’ll need to pace yourself to keep them full. If you don’t, CJ will fall off the machine.
bench press		The Bench Press increases Muscle while decreasing Fat, with weights ranging from 40 lbs to 320 lbs. When you start, an energy bar and snooze indicator will appear on the screen, and the energy bar will begin to deplete. You must maintain the pace to fill the meter and complete a repetition.
dumbbells		The Bench Press increases Muscle while decreasing Fat, with weights ranging from 20 lbs to 110 lbs. When you start, an energy bar and snooze indicator will appear on the screen, and the energy bar will begin to deplete. You must maintain the pace to fill the meter and complete a repetition.