GTA San Andreas gym guide: How to increase stamina, muscle, lung capacity and other fitness stats in GTA San Andreas

Publish date: 2023-03-23

Fitness stats in San Andreas is a unique role playing game-style mechanic which features heavily in this Grand Theft Auto game.

By eating at restaurants or going to the gym, you can have an impact on CJ's fitness stats.

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

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

On this page:

If you're looking for more explainers, we have pages on how to leave Los Santos, girlfriends and GTA San Andreas cheats.

GTA: San Andreas Definitive Edition - Gameplay Comparison.

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

CJ has several fitness stats - Muscle, Stamina, Fat, and Lung Capacity - that will significantly affect our gameplay in various ways, like the ability to swim underwater for a long time or be able to take more fall damage.

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

Here's how they all work, one-by-one:

Muscle

As the name indicates, this stat measures CJ's musculature, which will determine how much damage you inflict in melee combat, as well as reduce fall damage, and is influential to the Respect and Sex Appeal stats.

You can improve upon this stat by working out at a gym using the Treadmill or Stationary Bicycle, and also by running, swimming, and cycling.

Fat

As the name indicates, this stat measures CJ's body fat, it'll be increased by eating food and decreased by exercising, running, swimming, and cycling, or not eating over an extended period of time.

While being overweight will lessen most of CJ's capabilities like health, running speed, and jumping, the opposite is also true, as having no fat at all isn't recommended since you can lose Muscle or even Health.

Lung Capacity

Displayed when CJ is swimming, the Lung Capacity represents how long you can hold your breath when diving underwater. If the player stays underwater for too long, the oxygen meter will deplete, and CJ will start losing health until he either drowns or gets out of the water.

Stamina

Stamina indicates CJ's overall endurance when running, swimming, and cycling, and the lower your Stamina is, it means that he will get tired easier and stop after short distances unless you exercise and level it up.

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

How to increase stamina and lung capacity in GTA San Andreas

You can level up your Stamina by just running, swimming, or biking, gaining 5% Stamina for every 150 seconds of swimming and 300 seconds of biking or running.

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

Lung Capacity is increased by swimming underwater for extended periods, and an oxygen bar will show up when you dive underwater showing the amount of time you have before starting to drown. You can also swim on the surface of the water with no stamina cost - but this won't progress your lung capacity.

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

As you progress in your adventure, CJ will lose Muscle and Fat if you don't keep him well fed. This is not something you want to happen, since losing Muscle will lead to you being weaker in combat. You can even lose health and die if CJ has no Muscle or Fat to lose.

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

Well Stacked Pizza Co
Cluckin' Bell
Burger Shot

Likewise, if you give CJ too much food, he will throw up, and you won't be able to buy food for the next 11 in-game hours.

GTA San Andreas gym locations

Right after the story mission "Drive-Thru", you will get a call from Sweet. After that call ends, Gyms will now be available, where you will be able to exercise to improve CJ's stats.

There are five Gyms places scattered across San Andreas, with three of them showing up and two more hidden. The list of Gyms goes as follows:

Gym		Location
Ganton Gym		Ganton, Los Santos
Cobra Marital Arts Gym		Garcia, San Fierro
Below the Belt Gym		Redsands East, Las Venturas
Verona Beach Gym		Verona Beach
Madd Dogg's Private Gym		Madd Dogg's Crib, Mulholland

GTA San Andreas gym exercises and moves explained

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

Equipment		Description
Treadmill		The Treadmill increases Stamina as it decreases Fat. With 10 levels of difficulty, the higher ones become easier as you get more stamina. When you start running, the power and distance bars in the screen displaying power will start depleting, and you must keep the pace to keep them full. If you fail to do it, CJ will fall off the machine.
Stationary Bicycle		The Stationary Bicycle increases Stamina as it decreases Fat. With 10 levels of difficulty, the higher ones become easier as you get more stamina. When you start cycling, the power and distance bars in the screen displaying power will start depleting, and you must keep the pace to keep them full. If you fail to do it, CJ will fall off the machine.
Bench Press		The Bench Press increases Muscle as it decreases Fat, with weights ranging from 40 lbs to 320 lbs. When you start, a power bar and a repetition indicator will show up on the screen, and the power bar will start depleting. You must keep the pace to fill the gauge and complete a rep.
Dumbbells		The Bench Press increases Muscle as it decreases Fat, with weights ranging from 20 lbs to 110 lbs. When you start, a power bar and a repetition indicator will show up on the screen, and the power bar will start depleting. You must keep the pace to fill the gauge and complete a rep.

Best of luck with your stat goals in San Andreas!

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