I get bulky from weights...

Matt_Wild

But how can you say it's the food? No change in diet, just what exercises you're doing.

BECAUSE YOU CAN'T FREAKING GROW WITH NEGATIVE CALORIES!!!!!!

Its simple laws of the universe, not just muscle growth. Energy cannot be created, only transferred. You can't create muscle from nothing. It has to have something to supply the energy. Period.

thesupremeforce

But how can you say it's the food? No change in diet, just what exercises you're doing.

BECAUSE YOU CAN'T FREAKING GROW WITH NEGATIVE CALORIES!!!!!!

Its simple laws of the universe, not just muscle growth. Energy cannot be created, only transferred. You can't create muscle from nothing. It has to have something to supply the energy. Period.

Tell that to the Incredible Hulk.

lithezebra

But how can you say it's the food? No change in diet, just what exercises you're doing.

BECAUSE YOU CAN'T FREAKING GROW WITH NEGATIVE CALORIES!!!!!!

Its simple laws of the universe, not just muscle growth. Energy cannot be created, only transferred. You can't create muscle from nothing. It has to have something to supply the energy. Period.

If you're eating enough protein, and you generate enough ATP from what you eat and your glycogen and fat reserves, you can make some muscle proteins without violating any laws of thermodynamics. It's not IDEAL for building muscle. Anyway, the OP might not be eating at a deficit if she's gone paleo, is eating a lot of protein, and isn't counting calories. So yeah, she might be bulking out. We don't know.

RGv2

Reading this whole thread was work day wasting gold.

Mia_RagazzaTosta

Reading this whole thread was work day wasting gold.

fo shizzle! I killed at least a half hour

dbmata

A new day, a new way to say:

Put the fork down, those aren't the lifts you are looking for.

Burn.

AntWrig

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?

Rehbands at the ankles.....

AntWrig

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 no. You bulk up through eating in a surplus. So, I wouldn't tell a "dude" that nonsense.

JustJennie1

I get so tired of reading that women can't get bulky if they lift weights. Yes they can and I have in the past. I used to wt lift 3x a wk, and got up to 15lb dumbells for arm work like bicep curls, and 20lbs for lower body work All my clothes were getting tighter, esp in the butt and thigh area. I don't think I would get as big as a body builder of course, but for me, the muscles get bigger easily. Now I only lift wts twice a week and change up my wt work, doing weight workout DVD's like Jari Love and Kelly Coffee Mayer, and body weight workouts like barre style and ballet workouts. It is a good balance for me and works well. You should find what works for you and that gets the results you are looking for. And of course watch your caloric intake. Good Luck!

Sorry but you are not going to get "bulky" or big muscles tossing around 15 and 20lbs of weight.

myfrogs11

bump

mystiedragonfly

I actually am "bulking" or the way I say it is my body is "retaining muscle well". The way I am judging this (since I still have a LOT of fat to burn) is by my legs and arms where the fat has almost completely disappeared (for some reason, I hold all my fat in my belly/back) and the muscles on them are thick and large. I usually have to point out to other women that I am a freak. Most women will not hold muscle the way I have been doing. Somewhere in my gene pool is the right combination for this. I, personally, am okay with this.

I swim, lift heavy, and eat clean. I've cut out high fructose corn syrup and have gone (mostly) gluten free.

A few years into this, I have realized I will never be "skinny" or even thin. I will be a thick, but fit, woman. Again, I am okay with this.

"The New Rules of Lifting" by Lou Schuler has been the biggest help to me on understanding muscle and portion size in foods.

AnvilHead

if a dude said that he wanted to bulk up, everyone would tell him lifting was the way.

Anybody who knows anything about basic nutrition/exercise and the principles of mass gain would tell him to 1) Eat at a caloric surplus, and 2) Lift heavy. Doing the latter without the former would not give the desired results.

Here, have a read of an article by a well-known coach/researcher:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/muscle-gain-mistakes.html

In case you can't deduce the title from the link, the article is titled "Muscle Gain Mistakes". For anybody too lazy to click the link, guess what he lists as the #1 mistake? Hint: The heading at the top of the very first paragraph is "Not Eating Enough".



How many times does it have to be repeated? You. Don't. Gain. Mass. In. A. Caloric. Deficit.

jimmmer

How many times does it have to be repeated? You. Don't. Gain. Mass. In. A. Caloric. Deficit.

Many, it would appear......

....welcome to Groundhog Day (or the Twilight Zone? I'm not sure anymore).

Matt_Wild

But how can you say it's the food? No change in diet, just what exercises you're doing.

BECAUSE YOU CAN'T FREAKING GROW WITH NEGATIVE CALORIES!!!!!!

Its simple laws of the universe, not just muscle growth. Energy cannot be created, only transferred. You can't create muscle from nothing. It has to have something to supply the energy. Period.

If you're eating enough protein, and you generate enough ATP from what you eat and your glycogen and fat reserves, you can make some muscle proteins without violating any laws of thermodynamics. It's not IDEAL for building muscle. Anyway, the OP might not be eating at a deficit if she's gone paleo, is eating a lot of protein, and isn't counting calories. So yeah, she might be bulking out. We don't know.

Its not that simple. You need enough leucine in ones diet to signal to the body there is enough dietary protein to begin protein synthesis. On top of this there needs to be enough ATP going into the body as well, via the carb input.

Put it this simply - I know lots of bodybuilders. A lot of them are assisted with various hormones. NONE of them grow whilst they diet. I know pro's, top end amateurs, I worked for one of the biggest nutrition brands in the world, I'm working for Europes biggest supplement supplier and I coach a large number of people. I know hundreds of people in this sport. Its my job after all.

You get the appearance because the fat around joints drop away making the muscle look bigger but it is an illusion - which bodybuilding is in a large part of it.

Yet you women with the hormone levels of a 10 year old boy defy all physics and hormonal laws? Just wow.

I'd agree if doing paleo she's eating at a surplus, which would explain muscle growth. Because that works with basic laws of physics and human protein synthesis.

mystiedragonfly

if a dude said that he wanted to bulk up, everyone would tell him lifting was the way.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/muscle-gain-mistakes.html

In case you can't deduce the title from the link, the article is titled "Muscle Gain Mistakes". For anybody too lazy to click the link, guess what he lists as the #1 mistake? Hint: The heading at the top of the very first paragraph is "Not Eating Enough".



How many times does it have to be repeated? You. Don't. Gain. Mass. In. A. Caloric. Deficit.

That was my number 1 mistake for years. I wasn't losing anything and was SO frustrated. I kept lowering my calorie intake thinking that would do it. Then this past January (2013), I added 500 (making that 2000 calories a day)... and I've been burning fat and dropping inches like crazy.

mag11389

I would add some yoga or some sort of stretching to your routine. My thighs were getting really bulky so I added some light yoga to my routine and it helped.

kingkoopaluv

....

LoraF83

I'm just going to repeat again that you don't get "bulky" without a calorie surplus.

You might notice your muscles getting more defined, as the fat covering them disappears. And when you aren't used to seeing muscles, you might freak out about that a little and think that you're turning into a she-hulk. This is not the case. Take measurements and you will notice that you are actually getting smaller.

For example - I have a lot of visible muscle in my legs, which you can see on my profile picture. However, my legs aren't getting bigger. They are getting smaller. My knee high boots won't stay up anymore. I've lost several inches from each leg. They aren't bulky, but I do have more visible muscle.

If someone is actually getting larger/bigger/bulkier, that means they are also having increased measurements. That indicates they are eating at a calorie surplus, getting adequate protein, etc. It's not as simple as "putting on muscle".

UsedToBeHusky

So you know that both classes were essentially doing the same thing and just working different parts of the body, right?

With one exception. Boxing is a cardio activity so you went from a program that combined strength training and cardio to a class that just focused on strength training.

Perhaps, you could just do some extra cardio on your own.

FYI, ladies don't get "bulky" from strength training unless they have hormone issues. You might want to get that checked out.

AntWrig

But how can you say it's the food? No change in diet, just what exercises you're doing.

BECAUSE YOU CAN'T FREAKING GROW WITH NEGATIVE CALORIES!!!!!!

Its simple laws of the universe, not just muscle growth. Energy cannot be created, only transferred. You can't create muscle from nothing. It has to have something to supply the energy. Period.

If you're eating enough protein, and you generate enough ATP from what you eat and your glycogen and fat reserves, you can make some muscle proteins without violating any laws of thermodynamics. It's not IDEAL for building muscle. Anyway, the OP might not be eating at a deficit if she's gone paleo, is eating a lot of protein, and isn't counting calories. So yeah, she might be bulking out. We don't know.

Its not that simple. You need enough leucine in ones diet to signal to the body there is enough dietary protein to begin protein synthesis. On top of this there needs to be enough ATP going into the body as well, via the carb input.

Put it this simply - I know lots of bodybuilders. A lot of them are assisted with various hormones. NONE of them grow whilst they diet. I know pro's, top end amateurs, I worked for one of the biggest nutrition brands in the world, I'm working for Europes biggest supplement supplier and I coach a large number of people. I know hundreds of people in this sport. Its my job after all.

You get the appearance because the fat around joints drop away making the muscle look bigger but it is an illusion - which bodybuilding is in a large part of it.

Yet you women with the hormone levels of a 10 year old boy defy all physics and hormonal laws? Just wow.

I'd agree if doing paleo she's eating at a surplus, which would explain muscle growth. Because that works with basic laws of physics and human protein synthesis.

I was going to be an *kitten* with my comment but good work.

AntWrig

I would add some yoga or some sort of stretching to your routine. My thighs were getting really bulky so I added some light yoga to my routine and it helped.

How?

jimmmer

I would add some yoga or some sort of stretching to your routine. My thighs were getting really bulky so I added some light yoga to my routine and it helped.

How?

Possibly because it lengthens muscles......

(ducks.....)

ZoeLifts

I know this thread has been going on for several days. This is all I got.

morkiemama

Bump for later reading.

lizzzylou

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.

You mean I dont get taller the more pilates I do?!?!?!?!?! :sad:

LorinaLynn

I did put on mass (because I ate at surplus somtimes) over the past two years while lifting, and while there are a few articles of clothing that are a bit snug, I'd hardly say I got bulky.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1020429-gained-13-pounds-since-lifting-scary-not-really

Today's workout was 70 lb OHP 5x5, 125 lb squat 5x5, 145 lb deadlift 1x5. That's not "OMG!" heavy, but certainly puts me in the intermediate range.

etoiles_argentees

I would add some yoga or some sort of stretching to your routine. My thighs were getting really bulky so I added some light yoga to my routine and it helped.

How?

Possibly because it lengthens muscles......

(ducks.....)

Can yoga really build muscle?

“People always ask me, ‘Don’t you lift weights?’” says yoga expert Rodney Yee. “I sort of giggle to myself and say, ‘Yes — I lift my own body weight!’”

When you do yoga poses, Yee explains, “You’re putting your body in positions and orientations that you ultimately have to support with your muscles. So you are lifting weights.”


Like many yogis, Yee doesn’t like focusing on how yoga can sculpt your physique. They want students to focus on yoga as a way of thinking, feeling and being, versus getting preoccupied with perfecting their outer appearance.

Still, when you look at Yee’s arms (the photos in this article show him in a few strength-building yoga poses) or those of his wife, Colleen Saidman (pictured above), you can’t help but want some of the yoga poses they’re having for breakfast.

The upshot is that you can increase muscle tone and definition — and even muscle size — with yoga. But because you're limited to “lifting” your own body weight, it may take a lot more skill, time and determination than it would with lifting weights.

“Yoga can be just as effective as weights when it comes to building a stronger, more impressive physique,” says Nicholas DiNubile, M.D. Yet experts agree that whether yoga can be your sole form of strength training depends on your goals.

Weights are best for building bulk

“If all you’re looking to do is build muscle, weight training is the more practical approach,” advises DiNubile. In fact, the American Council on Exercise defines strength training as “exercising with progressively heavier resistance for the purpose of strengthening the muscular skeletal system.”

Yet the key phrase here is progressively heavier resistance. Basically, your muscles and bones must be overloaded to keep developing. With traditional weight training, as your muscles adapt to the resistance and get stronger, that weight is no longer a challenge, and you have to add more weight to achieve the same results.

With weight training, theoretically you can continue to grow the size and strength of your muscles forever — as long as you continue to add weight.



There are several reasons yoga is a more balanced way to do strength training:

A regular yoga practice can reduce your risk of injury and condition your body to perform better at things you have to do every day: walk, sit, twist, bend, lift groceries .... A form of functional fitness, yoga moves your body in the ways it was designed to move to help ensure that it keeps functioning properly. For example, in yoga you use both large and small muscles and move in many directions (twisting, arcing, etc.), not just back and forth on a one-dimensional plane, as in the forward-back motion of a bicep curl.

Yoga tones muscles all over your body, in balance with each other. Weight training exercises typically isolate and flex one muscle or muscle group at a time.


Yoga relies on eccentric contraction, where the muscle stretches as it contracts, giving the muscles that sleek, elongated look while increasing flexibility in the muscles and joints. Weight training relies on the opposite physical principle of concentric muscle contraction, which means the muscle gets smaller as it contracts. Without proper stretching, the muscle fibers heal close together, giving the muscle that compact, bulging look.

Yoga increases muscle endurance because you typically hold any given pose for a period of time and repeat it several times during a yoga workout.

For good general fitness, do some of both.

I advise clients who are just trying to stay fit and healthy (not do body-building) to get a mix of both body-weight exercises and workouts using weights or resistance tools. Many studies have shown that the more variety in your workout routine, the faster you’ll see results.

Note that body-weight exercises also include good-ol’ pushups, squats and other calisthenics — any type of movement that requires you to hold or lift yourself up with your limbs.

While the most important thing is to find a form of exercise you love and can see yourself doing as a lifelong habit, I encourage my clients to continally try new and different forms of exercise. If you include many types of workout techniques, you’ll continue to test and push your body in different ways, and you'll keep growing as a fitness enthusiast and as an individual.



Which yoga poses are best for developing strength?


Yee explains that certain types of yoga poses build muscle tone in different ways.

“Challenging arm balances and inversion poses are very effective for building muscle strength,” he says, “because they flex groups of smaller muscles — not just the major muscles you work with a weight machine — to support the body’s weight during the pose.”

“Holding standing poses such as the Warrior Poses and Triangle Pose is great for strengthening the leg muscles.” he adds. “And in balance poses such as Tree Pose, one leg has to hold up your entire body. So you’re increasing your strength just by putting your weight on that leg.”

By holding the positions longer, doing more repetitions, and learning new yoga poses, you can make your yoga practice more or less challenging, just as you can with traditional body weight exercises like squats and lunges. Just don’t try to go straight to the advanced yoga videos and poses like arm balances to get on a fast-track to “cut” arms.

I can add a few articles from bb.com if you like.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

jimmmer

I would add some yoga or some sort of stretching to your routine. My thighs were getting really bulky so I added some light yoga to my routine and it helped.

How?

Possibly because it lengthens muscles......

(ducks.....)

Can yoga really build muscle?

“People always ask me, ‘Don’t you lift weights?’” says yoga expert Rodney Yee. “I sort of giggle to myself and say, ‘Yes — I lift my own body weight!’”

When you do yoga poses, Yee explains, “You’re putting your body in positions and orientations that you ultimately have to support with your muscles. So you are lifting weights.”


Like many yogis, Yee doesn’t like focusing on how yoga can sculpt your physique. They want students to focus on yoga as a way of thinking, feeling and being, versus getting preoccupied with perfecting their outer appearance.

Still, when you look at Yee’s arms (the photos in this article show him in a few strength-building yoga poses) or those of his wife, Colleen Saidman (pictured above), you can’t help but want some of the yoga poses they’re having for breakfast.

The upshot is that you can increase muscle tone and definition — and even muscle size — with yoga. But because you're limited to “lifting” your own body weight, it may take a lot more skill, time and determination than it would with lifting weights.

“Yoga can be just as effective as weights when it comes to building a stronger, more impressive physique,” says Nicholas DiNubile, M.D. Yet experts agree that whether yoga can be your sole form of strength training depends on your goals.

Weights are best for building bulk

“If all you’re looking to do is build muscle, weight training is the more practical approach,” advises DiNubile. In fact, the American Council on Exercise defines strength training as “exercising with progressively heavier resistance for the purpose of strengthening the muscular skeletal system.”

Yet the key phrase here is progressively heavier resistance. Basically, your muscles and bones must be overloaded to keep developing. With traditional weight training, as your muscles adapt to the resistance and get stronger, that weight is no longer a challenge, and you have to add more weight to achieve the same results.

With weight training, theoretically you can continue to grow the size and strength of your muscles forever — as long as you continue to add weight.



There are several reasons yoga is a more balanced way to do strength training:

A regular yoga practice can reduce your risk of injury and condition your body to perform better at things you have to do every day: walk, sit, twist, bend, lift groceries .... A form of functional fitness, yoga moves your body in the ways it was designed to move to help ensure that it keeps functioning properly. For example, in yoga you use both large and small muscles and move in many directions (twisting, arcing, etc.), not just back and forth on a one-dimensional plane, as in the forward-back motion of a bicep curl.

Yoga tones muscles all over your body, in balance with each other. Weight training exercises typically isolate and flex one muscle or muscle group at a time.


Yoga relies on eccentric contraction, where the muscle stretches as it contracts, giving the muscles that sleek, elongated look while increasing flexibility in the muscles and joints. Weight training relies on the opposite physical principle of concentric muscle contraction, which means the muscle gets smaller as it contracts. Without proper stretching, the muscle fibers heal close together, giving the muscle that compact, bulging look.

Yoga increases muscle endurance because you typically hold any given pose for a period of time and repeat it several times during a yoga workout.

For good general fitness, do some of both.

I advise clients who are just trying to stay fit and healthy (not do body-building) to get a mix of both body-weight exercises and workouts using weights or resistance tools. Many studies have shown that the more variety in your workout routine, the faster you’ll see results.

Note that body-weight exercises also include good-ol’ pushups, squats and other calisthenics — any type of movement that requires you to hold or lift yourself up with your limbs.

While the most important thing is to find a form of exercise you love and can see yourself doing as a lifelong habit, I encourage my clients to continally try new and different forms of exercise. If you include many types of workout techniques, you’ll continue to test and push your body in different ways, and you'll keep growing as a fitness enthusiast and as an individual.



Which yoga poses are best for developing strength?


Yee explains that certain types of yoga poses build muscle tone in different ways.

“Challenging arm balances and inversion poses are very effective for building muscle strength,” he says, “because they flex groups of smaller muscles — not just the major muscles you work with a weight machine — to support the body’s weight during the pose.”

“Holding standing poses such as the Warrior Poses and Triangle Pose is great for strengthening the leg muscles.” he adds. “And in balance poses such as Tree Pose, one leg has to hold up your entire body. So you’re increasing your strength just by putting your weight on that leg.”

By holding the positions longer, doing more repetitions, and learning new yoga poses, you can make your yoga practice more or less challenging, just as you can with traditional body weight exercises like squats and lunges. Just don’t try to go straight to the advanced yoga videos and poses like arm balances to get on a fast-track to “cut” arms.

I can add a few articles from bb.com if you like.

Wow, that's quite some wall of text.

You can progressively overload bodyweight, kettlebell, dumbbell, barbell, sandbag, strongman, etc exercises and get stronger muscles. What of it? Yoga incorporates some pretty advanced bodyweight exercises that take people years to master and provide massive scope for progressive overload. What of it?

I'm not sure what the point of your response was here?

lorigem

Reading this whole thread was work day wasting gold.

Word.