Women lifting heavy question

ShannonMpls

I am sure I am going to get me some nasty remarks for this...lol. But for ME, and my preference, this is just a TINY bit too bulky.

This won't happen without an extreme amount of effort and very careful (bulk and cut cycles) diet.

She's also flexing, isn't she? When I flex, I have defined biceps and triceps. I don't care for how my shoulders look mid shoulder press. I don't love how my back looks flexed.

But I don't walk around flexed. I work hard in the gym so I love how my arms and shoulders look, relaxed, in tank tops. It's clear that I lift weights and I have some sweet subtle definition but I have yet to get mistaken for a man

StormyGal8

You won't get any nasty comments for saying that's not your preference, at least not from me.

What we often see here though is a much less tasteful approach to discussing preferences.

She looks like that because she worked hard, built muscle, and got her body fat percentage pretty low. If you keep a higher body fat percentage you won't be cut like that. If you don't eat at a surplus you won't build that much muscle, unless you are one of the aforementioned genetic outliers.

This answers my question, and doesn't make me feel like an idiot for asking. Thank you.

freckledrats

There's almost no way for an ordinary heavy lifting lady to get as muscular as that picture. You'd have to have unusual genetics or a lot of testosterone to get there. People exist who look like that without crazy steroids or hormones, but you can bet that they are not just in there lifting heavy three times a week, and they're definitely not doing it on maintenance calories. You gotta feed lean tissue for it to grow like that. You gotta feed it a LOT. Not only that, you need to hit macros better than the average bear, too. LOTS of protein and dedication.

I've been lifting heavy 3 times a week for 6 months with an on/off cutting diet that I have trouble maintaining. Since my diet still kinda sucks, I look mostly the same. Sometimes you can see my bicep move under my fat lol

Edit: I forgot to mention... too look "bulky" or "toned" you also have to get your body fat % down, otherwise you will simply be strong with a layer of chub hiding all your bulky muscles.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

It's also worth saying that you are not going to just wake up one morning with huge muscles. There are many many days between the first day of lifting and the day you look like that model. Muscles aren't going to sneak up on you.

StormyGal8

You got some good advice here. Take a look at my pictures if you want to see a feminine girl who lifts weights. I am 110 pounds, so I don't think I have the weight to be bulky. :laugh: But I certainly pick up the heavier dumbbells and barbells, and I'm not afraid to do so.

There are a couple of girls I know who look like the pic you showed, and these girls 1) workout 1-2 hours every day (Crossfit girls) and 2) eat a LOT and take supps - I consider myself an average joe lifter, I lift for health and to look hot, I don't eat enough to build that kind of muscle, but I lift in similar style to these girls I know.

It truly comes down to what you are eating. If you're not eating enough (i.e. bulk eating), you're not going to develop muscle like that. PERIOD.

Thank you, yes, that's pretty much the physique I would like to have eventually. I understand that I still have a lot to lose to get there, but there's no harm in starting to lift now. I have ZERO issues with the idea of women lifting heavy, just wanted to know how to avoid getting to a place I didn't want to be, which has been answered

Thank you for sharing.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

You won't get any nasty comments for saying that's not your preference, at least not from me.

What we often see here though is a much less tasteful approach to discussing preferences.

She looks like that because she worked hard, built muscle, and got her body fat percentage pretty low. If you keep a higher body fat percentage you won't be cut like that. If you don't eat at a surplus you won't build that much muscle, unless you are one of the aforementioned genetic outliers.

This answers my question, and doesn't make me feel like an idiot for asking. Thank you.

Good I'm glad. Good luck reaching your goals! :flowerforyou:

karllundy

You are getting great, non-judgmental responses here...yay! I don't have anything to add. Just glad for the sane discussion.

airen123

I lift heavy. There's a pic of me in workout clothes after a lifting session in my pics. It has definitely changed my shape, and for the better. If you bulk, it's because you're eating more than you're burning.

3foldchord

So, that being said, I have seen lots of women who ARE bulky. Where is the fine line between lifting to get strong, and lifting to bulk up? Are these bulky women doing something different than your average Josephine, in order to bulk up those arm muscles? I would love to get stronger, but would rather not have big bulky muscles.

My fitness goal is to be strong! But I still want to look soft (as in feminine, not as in squishy).

I think that fine line is personal opinion to some degree, but to bulk you need to eat at a surplus and put in a LOT of time and reps and weights and time and calories.
I jusst started Stronglifts 5X5. I can tell that bulking up is NOT gonna happen to me, LOL. but I am stronger! I don't ad as much weight as the program suggests (5# more each session basically, but I just add 0-2# each session for the most part- that's all I can handle right now)

jlapey

I am sure I am going to get me some nasty remarks for this...lol. But for ME, and my preference, this is just a TINY bit too bulky.

This won't happen without an extreme amount of effort and very careful (bulk and cut cycles) diet.

^^This, also keep in mind that this woman probably competes, is show-ready in this picture and is flexing. On a normal day, outside of competition, not even she looks like this. Never mind, that this is a professional photo, likely photo-shopped a bit.

cwolfman13

I am sure I am going to get me some nasty remarks for this...lol. But for ME, and my preference, this is just a TINY bit too bulky.




EDITED TO ADD: I would never call anyone's preference "gross" or "disgusting". It's not my place to judge anyone, inside or out. We all strive to make ourselves whatever we wish to become, and no one has any right to knock someone else for that. I would rather not be quite so "built" as this, but I don't think there's anything wrong with it. Obviously she worked hard to get there, and is proud of it. We should all be able to feel that way about ourselves.

This doesn't happen by just going to the gym and lifting some weights. This is an example of optimal dedication to body building and a body builders diet...also, very good genetics. To achieve this you would have to do body building bulking and cutting cycles. You would have to have a diet that is spot on...hitting all of your macros and calorie goals. This also takes YEARS and YEARS of such dedication, not a few weeks or months. If it were that easy, I'd have one rockin' body by now...it's just not that easy. Again, stop worrying about it and lift.

100 reps and circuit type training is fine for muscle endurance and also burns a lot of fat (which is probably why you're seeing more "tone". But really, for optimal strength gains you need to lift heavier weights for less reps. Typical strength programs are in the 3x5 to 5x5 set and rep range. You will make awesome strength gains and get some physique improvement. More moderate weight in the 3-5 x 8-12 rep range will do more for your physique but you'll sacrifice some of your strength gains (you'll still get stronger though). Any more than 15 reps and you're doing muscular endurance.

Hexahedra

It's also worth saying that you are not going to just wake up one morning with huge muscles. There are many many days between the first day of lifting and the day you look like that model. Muscles aren't going to sneak up on you.

Yup. In a way this kind of question is similar to the common "I've worked out for two weeks, where's the result?"

StormyGal8

This doesn't happen by just going to the gym and lifting some weights. This is an example of optimal dedication to body building and a body builders diet...also, very good genetics. To achieve this you would have to do body building bulking and cutting cycles. You would have to have a diet that is spot on...hitting all of your macros and calorie goals. This also takes YEARS and YEARS of such dedication, not a few weeks or months. If it were that easy, I'd have one rockin' body by now...it's just not that easy. Again, stop worrying about it and lift.

100 reps and circuit type training is fine for muscle endurance and also burns a lot of fat (which is probably why you're seeing more "tone". But really, for optimal strength gains you need to lift heavier weights for less reps. Typical strength programs are in the 3x5 to 5x5 set and rep range. You will make awesome strength gains and get some physique improvement. More moderate weight in the 3-5 x 8-12 rep range will do more for your physique but you'll sacrifice some of your strength gains (you'll still get stronger though). Any more than 15 reps and you're doing muscular endurance.

1) I asked so I could stop worrying about it. I asked specifically if these women were doing something different than the average woman...the entire purpose of this post was to explain to me why I wouldn't bulk up. Obviously, if I was looking for excuses not to lift heavy, I would just not do it, and never ask. I just wanted to understand, scientifically, why some women get bulkier, when everything says women don't bulk up like men do. Now I understand why, so I know that, since I am not dedicating myself to bulking up, nor following a diet that would foster maximum muscle growth, that it's very unlikely a concern. Now, as well, I understand that if I see muscle developing in a way that I don't like, I can just scale back, and that will stop it.

2) Thank you for the explanation regarding reps, and the different benefits of lifting differently. Is there any harm in doing strength training and muscular endurance at the same time? I mean, can I lift heavy one day, and then do my high rep class another, or would that be detrimental. I am finding that I am really enjoying lifting, but the ones I do in my class are light. My squats are only like 33lbs (bar included), but for 100 reps.

karllundy

This doesn't happen by just going to the gym and lifting some weights. This is an example of optimal dedication to body building and a body builders diet...also, very good genetics. To achieve this you would have to do body building bulking and cutting cycles. You would have to have a diet that is spot on...hitting all of your macros and calorie goals. This also takes YEARS and YEARS of such dedication, not a few weeks or months. If it were that easy, I'd have one rockin' body by now...it's just not that easy. Again, stop worrying about it and lift.

100 reps and circuit type training is fine for muscle endurance and also burns a lot of fat (which is probably why you're seeing more "tone". But really, for optimal strength gains you need to lift heavier weights for less reps. Typical strength programs are in the 3x5 to 5x5 set and rep range. You will make awesome strength gains and get some physique improvement. More moderate weight in the 3-5 x 8-12 rep range will do more for your physique but you'll sacrifice some of your strength gains (you'll still get stronger though). Any more than 15 reps and you're doing muscular endurance.

1) I asked so I could stop worrying about it. I asked specifically if these women were doing something different than the average woman...the entire purpose of this post was to explain to me why I wouldn't bulk up. Obviously, if I was looking for excuses not to lift heavy, I would just not do it, and never ask. I just wanted to understand, scientifically, why some women get bulkier, when everything says women don't bulk up like men do. Now I understand why, so I know that, since I am not dedicating myself to bulking up, nor following a diet that would foster maximum muscle growth, that it's very unlikely a concern. Now, as well, I understand that if I see muscle developing in a way that I don't like, I can just scale back, and that will stop it.

2) Thank you for the explanation regarding reps, and the different benefits of lifting differently. Is there any harm in doing strength training and muscular endurance at the same time? I mean, can I lift heavy one day, and then do my high rep class another, or would that be detrimental. I am finding that I am really enjoying lifting, but the ones I do in my class are light. My squats are only like 33lbs (bar included), but for 100 reps.

For what it is worth, I lift heavy two days a week (M and F) and do a class for endurance on W. In between I do moderate cardio on Tuesday and Thursday. I am still eating at a deficit and have lost a lot of weight and lots of BF following this schedule, but only added moderate muscle mass in the very beginning (~5-7 lbs.).

JoRocka

Woman who truly get bulky...1) are genetic outliers; 2) have a spot on body building diet and eat a surplus of calories (it is scientifically impossible to build any significant muscle mass at a calorie deficit); 3) Do a lot more than hit the weight room for 30 minutes to an hour a few times per week...these people pretty much live in the gym; 4) take a lot of supplements, including hormones like testosterone; 5) are often on steroids or other HGH supplements. Also, these women work out to body build for YEARS....not a few months or something.

Stop worrying about something that is NOT going to happen to you in a million years. A dude with reasonably good genetics who has a spot on diet and really hits the weight room hard will maybe...possibly...if he's lucky put on about 6 Lbs of actual muscle mass in a year...if he's lucky. Unless you're some kind of genetic outlier, it's not going to happen so stop the madness and stop doing 100 reps of stuff.

/thread

Beeps2011

Here's me lifting heavy for >16 months, actually:



I think it is REALLY HARD for women to get "bulky"....if they aren't using drugs to get there!

It would be GREAT if all the "misinformation" about women lifting heavy would just go away....

StormyGal8

For what it is worth, I lift heavy two days a week (M and F) and do a class for endurance on W. In between I do moderate cardio on Tuesday and Thursday. I am still eating at a deficit and have lost a lot of weight and lots of BF following this schedule, but only added moderate muscle mass in the very beginning (~5-7 lbs.).

Do you find you are getting stronger?
This is sort of what I was thinking of maybe doing, if I can manage to fit it all in...lol Do you rest on weekends?

Beeps2011

And here's nearly 17 months of progress.....

JennC831

Here's me lifting heavy for >16 months, actually:



I think it is REALLY HARD for women to get "bulky"....if they aren't using drugs to get there!

It would be GREAT if all the "misinformation" about women lifting heavy would just go away....

Whoop! Whoop! Go Venus!!!

JennC831

And here's nearly 17 months of progress.....

Love it!!!