Weights - Lean not muscle

denelifet

michelletowle52 wrote: »

I go heavier than some men in the gym and I'm a tiny little lady only 4ft10. I'm now a lot leaner than my profile picture too. I squat one and a half times my body weight. Dead lift 100kg leg press 150kg. 12/15 reps 4+ sets. Go as heavy as you want with good form. Enjoy it sounds like you are.

^^ I also go heavier than some men, literally.....and pound for pound I can wipe out more than half the men in my gym...


http://strengthlevel.com/strength-standards --> just for some happy reading material

summerkissed

My profile pic is lifting really heavy weights deadlift 134kg, bench 70kg and leg press 210kg.....99% of girls won't get bulky lifting heavy, diet got me lean not cardio! So lift with the boys I say!!

lisalsd1

My husband and I are on the same powerlifting program. I'm 5'3, 125ish; he's 6'3, 200ish. I wouldn't consider myself "bulky," and I'm doing the same set/rep scheme as a man. Of course, his deadlift is 200lbs more than mine.

ar9179

Ignore the gymnast/weight lifter comparison. It's misleading. I also think it's stupid, but that's my opinion.

I'm a gal who likes heavier weight and lower reps. I prefer free weights and follow Strong Lifts 2x/week. It's done more for my body composition than any other exercise. There is no way I'll ever look like that second pic unless I start using steroids.

I'm chunky and eat at a deficit (I try anyway) to lose fat. I lift heavier weights to keep as much muscle as I can while eating at a deficit. The byproduct is getting so much stronger, muscles getting very dense from being challenged, and measurements decreasing even when my eating isn't 100% on target.

CarlydogsMom

I'd bet my ability to squat that the photo of that weightlifter was photoshopped.

ltworide

I enjoy lifting heavy & going with lower reps using the large compound lifts to build lean, dense muscle & increase strength. Other times I'll go with reasonably heavy weight (ie. 10-12 rep max & do some density work to increase my work capacity (ex. Pick 3 exercises hitting different movement types/body parts & do as many reps/rounds as possible with a specified time doing 5-6 reps of each exercise). Still other times I'll use free motion cable machines, resistance band, Dumbbell, Kettlebell, bodyweight exercises & go for lighter weight & higher reps, ie. 10-15 reps, for metabolic conditioning work. If I'm doing some work for speed/power improvement I'll go with lighter weights & low reps, ur. 3-5 reps, with lots of rest between sets to ensure I'm fresh.

I say pick a goal, the more specific the better, then design your program & select the exercises that meet your goal.

I do not believe that women need to train differently unless they have differing goals.

AnvilHead

CarlydogsMom wrote: »

I'd bet my ability to squat that the photo of that weightlifter was photoshopped.

Photoshop or not, I'd be willing to bet a tidy sum that there was a lot more than heavy lifting and protein involved in building that body. "Supplements" that non-professional/non-competing women would have a hard time getting ahold of (legally, anyway) and would probably never think of taking - along with freaky good genetics. Either way, 99% of women will never look like that - and 100.000% of women will never "unintentionally/accidentally" look like that. Inferring that women who train like bodybuilders will look like that is disingenuous to say the least.

Traveler120

_Waffle_ wrote: »

Do you want the body of a gymnast



or the body of a weightlifter.

or how about the body of a sprinter


or that of a marathoner


There are so many ways to build a lean and muscular physique.

CarlydogsMom

AnvilHead wrote: »

CarlydogsMom wrote: »

I'd bet my ability to squat that the photo of that weightlifter was photoshopped.

Photoshop or not, I'd be willing to bet a tidy sum that there was a lot more than heavy lifting and protein involved in building that body. "Supplements" that non-professional/non-competing women would have a hard time getting ahold of (legally, anyway) and would probably never think of taking - along with freaky good genetics. Either way, 99% of women will never look like that - and 100.000% of women will never "unintentionally/accidentally" look like that. Inferring that women who train like bodybuilders will look like that is disingenuous to say the least.

Totally agree, esp. with last line.

AnvilHead

Or how about the body of a powerlifter?:



Staci is discussed often on MFP. She's 5'4", 142 lbs. She deadlifts 315 lbs. (at the time the article accompanying the photo was written) and bench presses over 140 lbs. That's a much more accurate portrayal of what weight lifting can do for a 'natural' (not steroid-enhanced) female physique.

kshama2001

AnvilHead wrote: »

CarlydogsMom wrote: »

I'd bet my ability to squat that the photo of that weightlifter was photoshopped.

Photoshop or not, I'd be willing to bet a tidy sum that there was a lot more than heavy lifting and protein involved in building that body. "Supplements" that non-professional/non-competing women would have a hard time getting ahold of (legally, anyway) and would probably never think of taking - along with freaky good genetics. Either way, 99% of women will never look like that - and 100.000% of women will never "unintentionally/accidentally" look like that. Inferring that women who train like bodybuilders will look like that is disingenuous to say the least.

I still think it's photoshopped, but agree than a woman will never unintentionally look like that.