quesion/debate about women weightlifting

PikaKnight

MrM27 wrote: »

djcrillz wrote: »

OK, TRUTH time. Some women CAN naturally put on muscle relatively easily, so I get annoyed when people make broad generalizations and say it's universally impossible to be a "bulky" female. It happens! Building muscle is not that hard for everyone. Some women's bodies are more responsive to lifting than others. It's a spectrum, everyone responds differently, easier for some than others. But you don't know until you try!

That said, this shouldn't scare you away from lifting. As everyone is saying, NO you won't look like competitive bodybuilder without considerable effort no matter what your body type, male or female. It won't happen by accident. And chances are pretty high that you are NOT the type that puts on muscle easily anyway. So lift away! If you notice muscle is building easily, consider yourself blessed! You won't have to work very hard to maintain it, and if you start to get too big in an area you want to keep small, just moderate your loads/reps a bit on any exercises that target that area. Like I said though, you probably won't even have to worry about that, I'm just throwing that out there, in case it does happen to you, so you won't feel like a freak ("I'm starting to look like Xena, but everyone on MFP says I can't get bulky! What's wrong with me?")

You can definitely start lifting before all the weight comes off, it can only serve to benefit your weight loss goals, since it will help you preserve muscle mass and BMR as your weight drops. However, keep in mind that you still need to eat in a deficit or you may end up adding some muscle under the fat that you have left to lose, which might make you feel a bit larger. That muscle-under-fat scenario can be mistaken for "bulk" as well.

No one is saying women cannot get bulky. It can happen and it takes years upon years. It takes year for men to do it as well. No one is making broad generalizations that it's a slower process for women. It's science. Free testosterone plays a big role in that. No one is going to go start lifting weight and in 3 months be bulky because they put on so much muscle.

Building muscle isn't easy. It isn't supposed to be easy. Your body wants to maintain and you are forcing it to change with proper nutrition, caloric surplus and proper training. Proper training as is tension overload.

Many times people say bulky and to them looking bulky might mean something different than it will to someone else but in this case the OP specifically said "female bodybuilders". The bodybuilders have put years into it, natural and some not natural. No one wakes up looking like the Hulk by mistake.

^Yep. No one "accidentally" gets bulky.

PikaKnight

BerrySlim wrote: »

I know what you mean. Some fitness girls look too heavy in the arms. Just don't lift heavy with arms shoulders and chest exercises. If you want a feminine look lift heavy with leg, butt, back exercises only. Don't forget your abs and you won't need weights for those.

What? No.

ndj1979

OP - sounds like you have already gotten great advice..

I would say yes, start lifting heavy now, and find a structured program like strong lifts, starting strength, new rules of lifting for woman, etc and stick to it.

Do you know your current body fat%? If it is above 22% then you may want to get to 18 to 22% or under when bulking, which I believe - peeps correct me if wrong here - is the rage for females to start bulking…< that would be my only addition ...

BusyRaeNOTBusty

MrM27 wrote: »

CaffeinatedConfectionist wrote: »

MrM27 wrote: »

No one wakes up looking like the Hulk by mistake.

Except, of course, for the Hulk.

Well, technically he wakes up looking like Bruce Banner. Then he goes to the gym and someone is curling in the squat and then, we'll we all know what happens next.

Unless Bruce had a bad dream which made him angry...

squirrlt

MrM27 wrote: »

No one is saying women cannot get bulky. It can happen and it takes years upon years. It takes year for men to do it as well. No one is making broad generalizations that it's a slower process for women. It's science. Free testosterone plays a big role in that. No one is going to go start lifting weight and in 3 months be bulky because they put on so much muscle.

Building muscle isn't easy. It isn't supposed to be easy. Your body wants to maintain and you are forcing it to change with proper nutrition, caloric surplus and proper training. Proper training as is tension overload.

Many times people say bulky and to them looking bulky might mean something different than it will to someone else but in this case the OP specifically said "female bodybuilders". The bodybuilders have put years into it, natural and some not natural. No one wakes up looking like the Hulk by mistake.

With all due respect, I think your comments regarding testosterone may not be entirely accurate. While it's true women have less free testosterone in our bloodstreams, we are far more responsive to the testosterone that we do have. Also, it may not play the same role in the female body in terms of muscle growth as it does in the male body.

Muscle growth is unfortunately not as well studied in females as in males, but there is actually some evidence that women put on muscle just as fast as men. It's science! Here's one example:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11890579?dopt=Abstract

Our frames are generally smaller than men, so in terms of scale, we are not going to look like a dude even with a lot muscle. But it's unlikely that it's harder or slower for females to build muscle if we put in the same effort as men. But like I said, some are more responsive than others. It will take years for some, months for others to see big changes in their bodies, and it depends on your starting point as well. Genetics/diet/training all play a role in rate at which you gain muscle.

Anyway, just wanted to clear up the "science". My point was, gender does not necessarily preclude you from being able to look more muscular (aka "bulky"-if that's how she defined it) than OP would like.