I get bulky from weights...

BeachIron

if a dude said that he wanted to bulk up, everyone would tell him lifting was the way.
just because the vast majority of women don't bulk up naturally, doesn't mean that this one hasn't.

she may have put on fat, water or muscle weight. they're all possible.

Men don't bulk from lifting weights. We bulk from eating over our TDEE. Lifting is the stimulus for muscle development but it can't happen if the body doesn't have enough fuel. That is why many a man's training regime is the same for cutting and bulking cycles. Yes, there are natural variations among people but it is best to understand the process by which this happens so the OP can better control what happens.

0OneTwo3

That is curious OP: You describe yourself as "short and curvy" usually building muscle with such genetics leads to something like this: does this look like a bad "bulky" to you?

there are women who have a more masculine bone structure that tends to get exaggerated with more muscle mass. for reference:



(both of these women have been training for years btw and don't seem to be on anabolic steroids so its not possible to look either way by accident.)

so are you sure it was muscle you gained?

glovepuppet

if a dude said that he wanted to bulk up, everyone would tell him lifting was the way.
just because the vast majority of women don't bulk up naturally, doesn't mean that this one hasn't.

she may have put on fat, water or muscle weight. they're all possible.

Thank you for that....some of the comments were starting to irk me a little. I know from personal experience that it can happen. I just wish people would remember that everyone is different.

I like my arms bulky. I got them, proportionally, big without changing my diet.

Matt_Wild

So for now, I'm doing less work with ab machines than the others and focusing more pilates attention on that region to help lengthen those muscles.

FYI pilates does not lengthen muscles.

Pilates DOES claim to strengthen AND lengthen muscles.

So it alters insertion points, muscle length, ligaments and tendon placing? Most interesting.

Tell me, how biomechanically does that work?

Answer? It doesn't. Genetically you are stuck with what you have. Otherwise bodybuilders like me would be all over it! Think about it, if you lengthen a muscle you NEED a long limb :laugh:

As for the OP, can't be arsed to join in. You've decided it all even tho you are talking twaddle. You are eating too much if you are gaining. Simple as that, you can't extend something without calories. Impossible.

toutmonpossible

I'm pear-shaped and don't use direct weight resistance on the lower part of my body except for my calves. When I use weights I do get bigger.

Just because you're pear shaped doesn't mean your body is unique.

If you're new to weight lifting, you will gain a very small amount of muscle mass, roughly 5lbs at best, even while eating at a deficit. Past that, you will not gain more muscle mass unless you are eating a surplus.

I know what's worked for me over many years. I also know the kind of programs that are appropriate for a woman with my goals, which are similar to the OP's. I am not new to weight training.

This forum is filled with people who haven't strength trained for all that long, who are, or who have had long stretches of being overweight or obese, who have very different body types and goals yet somehow feel qualified to spread their "wisdom" to one and all.

When I answer a question I focus on the OPs concerns and I qualify my answer based on what I know from experience with my body type. The idea that weight training makes everyone look slimmer regardless of how their weight is distributed is nonsense. If you are already at or near your goal weight and your body distributes fat in certain ways and you don't want those areas to look bigger you should not use weight on those areas. Not everyone wants to look bigger. it's a choice.

sdpeklo

This whole thing is silly and we forget as MFP people that some people are newer and use the wrong terms for their individual scenario. This is long and many eyes will glaze but....
The people on here with the muscular profile pics.....generally know what they are talking about as they have put years into looking like that. Many of them are die hard cross-fitters or intense fitness professionals and do very intense workouts and watch their nutrition. It is down to an exact for them. They have learned through trial and error and have trained many people so these types of questions become redundant and comical.
Many of them also have backgrounds and have studied fitness and nutrition for years.

For those of us still trying to learn, OP, things get outta control when you post something like this and all these people answer this question 20xs a week. Go to community type in bulk on search. Type in nutrition. Also look at what these people are eating and consuming to get slimmer. Friend the people who your find are your ideal. Educate yourself then hit your look and educate others in a kind way on what worked for you.

Here are the take aways from this post. You want to get thinner not look "stocky" so when everyone says it is your diet and nutrition....... look at it. To the poster with the food scale....YEA!!! GO invest in a food scale. Mine is from walfart and cheap and not digital....but when my meat intake is three ounces. I know it and weigh it. Everytime. Don't guess.

I am short 5.3 1/2 and when I TRX'd prior to losing my fat...padding...or fluff....I quote looked as OP put "bulky" . I retained water over my fat . I GOT FATTER..... I ate healthy and clean but my portions were outta control. Plain and simple. I needed to lose then focus on the frame I wanted/ still want for my body.
I needed to focus on nutrition hard prior to everything else otherwise yep the water from weights and lifting and a salty meal...my hormones...my medication......it all adds up. I think if I am understanding you.... this is your struggle.

Lift/ Cardio/Crossfit/ JM/ kayak \ for fitness ....or to achieve your desired look........nutrition and diet for weight management and look at all the posts .....read in entirety. Find your nutrition and weight loss goals.....calories in vs. calories out PERIOD. How and what you choose to get there is up to you. As a shorty still getting to UGW....I focus on calories then fitness. For some it is a crossfit completion or competition for others it is a 5k or marathon or fit model look. For others it is getting down to a weight to have surgery. Find people like minded.

Asking a blank question gets you the same 10 fitness pros on here and their answers....look for specific community ....your ideals.....look for people like you with your goals....I think you will find what you are looking for and all your answers plus an amazing support system.

Also I saw my medical Doctor and registered dietician to get advice I knew and trusted prior to jumping into MFP . Not sure anyone does that before starting a nutrition program or diet or new fitness program. All I know is I was running half marathons and getting bigger everyone I did...so I needed to educate myself on nutrition and see what I was doing wrong. Pretty sure most insurance companies provide an annual physical for women once yearly that is covered or a nomial fee. My 2 cents not just to you OP but everyone who doesn't take the time to educate themselves prior to joining this community. ( Not being harsh ...keeping it real).

Best wishes on all your goal OP ! : ) Feel free to friend me.

gigglybeth

I'm pear-shaped and don't use direct weight resistance on the lower part of my body except for my calves. When I use weights I do get bigger.

I'm pear shaped and in just over a month of using weights I've lost over an inch off my hips and off my waist. So yeah, there's that.

toutmonpossible

Just because you're pear shaped doesn't mean your body is unique.

The fact that we all have the same basic physiology does not mean we are identical. The key is to find what works for the individual. I know that when I did training on my lower body with weights my hips and rear got bigger. As I was under 100 pounds and already at a fairly low body fat percentage it's not like I could lose a lot of fat to offset that. My arms, which are very thin, got bigger, but I didn't have a problem with that and I was willing to pay the price of snug jackets or going up a extra size. Many women don't want to go up an extra trouser or skirt size if they're training for basic health and to look good.

Iron_Lotus

Please, please stop perpetuating this nonsense. PLEASE!


ETA: Directed at OP

toutmonpossible

I'm pear-shaped and don't use direct weight resistance on the lower part of my body except for my calves. When I use weights I do get bigger.

I'm pear shaped and in just over a month of using weights I've lost over an inch off my hips and off my waist. So yeah, there's that.

I'm sure that many of the people in the photos that always get posted have lost a lot of fat in addition to putting on muscle. When I used weights and got bigger I had no weight to lose. My body naturally deposits more fat in my lower body. If I added muscle I looked bigger because it wasn't displacing fat. So yeah, there's that, too.

LorinaLynn

I haven't read the whole thread, but as far as clothes fitting tighter, I think of it as the differences between a marshmallow and a spool of thread. They're about the same size, but the marshmallow is squishy, so you can cram it into small spaces that the spool won't fit in.

I'm about the same size as I was before I did any lifting, but since I'm not marshmallow soft anymore, there's some clothes that fit a lot tighter. I weigh more, too, so even though I hadn't done an intentional bulk cycle, I ate above maintenance from time to time in the last two years. And seeing what happened to my badonk, I'm perfectly ok with both the weight gain, and some pants being tight. My legs, too. Yeah, there's more bulk to my quads, but in my opinion, my legs before lifting looked like a just opened can of Pillsbury cookie dough. They were a little smaller, but they lacked any definition.

Yogi_Carl

So for now, I'm doing less work with ab machines than the others and focusing more pilates attention on that region to help lengthen those muscles.

FYI pilates does not lengthen muscles.

Pilates DOES claim to strengthen AND lengthen muscles.

So it alters insertion points, muscle length, ligaments and tendon placing? Most interesting.

Tell me, how biomechanically does that work?

Answer? It doesn't. Genetically you are stuck with what you have. Otherwise bodybuilders like me would be all over it! Think about it, if you lengthen a muscle you NEED a long limb :laugh:

As for the OP, can't be arsed to join in. You've decided it all even tho you are talking twaddle. You are eating too much if you are gaining. Simple as that, you can't extend something without calories. Impossible.

I think I know what's going on here. I agree you can't detach the insertion points, lengehten the bone and re-attach That would be silly and not very comfortable either I would imagine.

When people talk about longer muscles (and I was one of them), what they really mean is to increase the flexible range of the muscle. For example, a person who cannot touch their toes will have shorter hamstrings than one who can. The person who cannot touch their toes can work on the muscle's flexible range until they get nearer the floor - so the hamstring muscle is now "longer" when it is at full stretch.

Photographs of people who are super flexible are usually in some kind of pose that shows that off and so some people assume that they have somehow acheive longer muscles.

Carl
(Bodyweight and yoga fan).

cwolfman13

if a dude said that he wanted to bulk up, everyone would tell him lifting was the way.
just because the vast majority of women don't bulk up naturally, doesn't mean that this one hasn't.

she may have put on fat, water or muscle weight. they're all possible.

Actually, they would say to lift weights and EAT. 'Cuz science and **** dictates that you can't bulk anything on a calorie deficit. This point...and actual flippin' science seems to escape many on this thread and MFP in general.

If she is indeed bulking, it is because she's eating at a calorie surplus. If she lifted and ate at a deficit, she wouldn't be bulking...again...science.

Matt_Wild

I lift weights.. I make sure I do more reps and lighter weight so I don't end up bulky. So my arms are solid yet slimmer than they have ever been.

I do fewer reps and heavy weights and I'm not bulky AT ALL. My arms are solid yet slim as well, but they are much stronger and better defined than they were when I did light weight and high reps. That worked alright for awhile, but I've seen much better results from lifting heavy.

You do realise that hypertophy between 8-30 reps builds the same muscle size. Beyond this you are just burning ATP, your not doing nothing at all in anyway. You either build muscle or you lose or stay the same, you can't do a partial growth lift, that doesn't make any sense.

gigglybeth

I'm pear-shaped and don't use direct weight resistance on the lower part of my body except for my calves. When I use weights I do get bigger.

I'm pear shaped and in just over a month of using weights I've lost over an inch off my hips and off my waist. So yeah, there's that.

I'm sure that many of the people in the photos that always get posted have lost a lot of fat in addition to putting on muscle. When I used weights and got bigger I had no weight to lose. My body naturally deposits more fat in my lower body. If I added muscle I looked bigger because it wasn't displacing fat. So yeah, there's that, too.

No one can paint with such a massively broad brush and say, "Pear shape+weights=bigger lower body". If you for whatever reason that is true for you, doesn't make it true for every pear shaped woman on earth.

My friend loves running. I've tried to be a runner and even did a couple of 5Ks. I eventually realized I freaking hate running. Does that mean running is bad for all pear shapes? No, it just means I freaking hate running.

krhn

What you ate isn't the issue. It's how much. You can gain weight eating perfectly clean and you can lose weight eating Twinkies or other junk. CrossFit is intense and it will increase your appetite so if you are not carefully tracking your calories I can imagine you could have gained weight simply because of the hunger.

That said, you can gain muscle mass and lose fat while eating around maintenance if you're new to training. If you think you look bulky then again, the answer is not to blame your training regime, but to eat at a deficit to strip off the excess fat.

^^^THIS ????

bumblebums

So for now, I'm doing less work with ab machines than the others and focusing more pilates attention on that region to help lengthen those muscles.

FYI pilates does not lengthen muscles.

Pilates DOES claim to strengthen AND lengthen muscles.

I have claimed to have invented the question mark. That does not make it true.

Pilates does not lengthen muscles--the shape of your muscles is determined by genetics, not the exercises you do. You can certainly increase the size of your muscles by training, but the shape is pre-determined. There is only so much strength you can build with Pilates-style body weight exercises, hence nobody usually builds Schwarzenegger-size muscles doing it.

AllonsYtotheTardis

n'rmind. not worth the strike

Lupercalia

if a dude said that he wanted to bulk up, everyone would tell him lifting was the way.
just because the vast majority of women don't bulk up naturally, doesn't mean that this one hasn't.

she may have put on fat, water or muscle weight. they're all possible.

Men don't bulk from lifting weights. We bulk from eating over our TDEE. Lifting is the stimulus for muscle development but it can't happen if the body doesn't have enough fuel. That is why many a man's training regime is the same for cutting and bulking cycles. Yes, there are natural variations among people but it is best to understand the process by which this happens so the OP can better control what happens.

THANK YOU. :drinker:

jennifershoo

It's 90% diet. Your training has very little to do with your bulk.

That's why lifters bulk and cut and bulk and cut. They don't train differently, they change their diet for the desired result and continue training.

This^