Help- I am getting bulky

happymom221

hello. Since the beginning of the year I have lost 70 pounds. I lift heavy and run 20 ish miles a week. 1-2x a week I do the stair master or rowing machine
Right now I only do squats for legs the other 4 lifts are upper body.
I last measured July 28 and as of yesterday I gained 1/2 inch in my calves.
I feel my legs are too curvy. You can also see my pecs when I flex and I feel bulky in the shoulders.
I am not skinny- 5'4" 150 pounds and still lots of underarm flab and inner thigh flab. What should I change? Any advice?

katnoir1

First of all - congratulations on your amazing progress

Based on what you've said, I'm guessing you want to start stripping back some of the body fat. You can try adding in some high instensity exercise, like interval sprints, to get this going. I do however feel that body fat is heavily influenced by what we eat. It might be time to start looking at your diet and see if it needs a little spring cleaning.

The other thing I would say is to maybe adjust your body image a bit. We're inundated with pictures of girls who are teeny tiny and maybe sport a six pack, but that certainly does not happen for the vast majority of people. When I first started lifting, I got really self conscious about my "man shoulders" and my growing quads. After a while though, I started seeing it as a sign of my strength. I don't have toned shoulders because I was born with them - I worked hard for them! I didn't starve myself to look this way; I hauled my *kitten* out to the gym 3, 4, 5 days a week and lifted ever-growing weights to get this far. And that is ten times more satisfying and sexier than just being skinny

TavistockToad

eat in a deficit

happymom221

Thanks for the advice about body image. I am accepting that I will have problem areas. But the calves are an area that I don't want to bulk. Skinny jeans and tall boots are affected by fit. (Not just appearance ) I also have two brand new NF coats that feel tighter in the shoulders even though I have lost weight in the 6 weeks since I bought them
This is women's strength training group so I am hoping for lifting and exercise advice especially what lift or exercise that I shouldn't be doing.

scrittrice

Honestly, TavistockToad is giving you the best advice above. If you eat at a deficit or at maintenance, you won't get bulky unintentionally. Also, it's hard to know without some specifics: Which lifts are you doing, how frequently, sets/reps/weight?

This is useful:

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2013/09/11/7-strength-training-myths-every-woman-should-know/

And just going to leave this here, in case you haven't seen it, as the title of your post made me think of it:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/977538/halp-heavy-lifting-made-me-supah-bulky/p1

VegasFit

Congrats on your weight loss! Our numbers are somewhat similar. To echo what someone else said about body image sometimes you have to just accept what is. I also have broad shoulders and large calves. I haven't bought anything more than an ankle boot in years. Even when I lost weight my calves toned up but boots are still a problem. Even in some clothes for instance when I buy a suit I have to get a larger jacket because of my broad shoulders. It is what it is.

SamandaIndia

For the ladies with weight on their calves, like me: go to Texas and then there are lots of cowboy boot options. sure it is not sexy slinky but beats ankle biters with a skirt!

cecsav1

I've always been muscular, even when I was 80 pounds heavier than I am now. There's no way in heck I could ever fit my COWS (they were calves, but they grew up! Lol) into skinny jeans. But you know what, I don't care. I'd much rather look strong and muscular while wearing my regular jeans and tennis shoes than lose any of my muscle and follow a fashion trend that's going to change anyway.

retirehappy

Everything mentioned about clothing seem like good problems to have. According to my husband, you can not have too curvy calves, just saying, don't believe everything fashion mags tell ya.

TrainerNaomiGutierrez

I don't think you are getting "bulky". Women do not have enough natural testosterone to produce that much muscle. (Unless you are running anavar cycles) the bulk isn't going to happen. At 5'4, 150 pounds, I doubt much of your muscle is even noticeable because you are still slightly overweight, so the muscle will be seen only when flexing.

I suggest changing some of your lifting. Instead of only doing squats, try focusing on deadlifts. They will build the glutes, hamstrings and lower back. Deadlifts are a great compound movement. Also, add barbell glute bridge and barbell hip thrust.

I am confident that if you change your workout, incorporate some new stuff, you will drop even more fat and continue to put on good muscle. But don't worry about looking bulky. A strong body is very attractive for a female.

moniblu

I know this is an old thread but just wanted to ask how many reps you are going for? From what I've read if you are doing low reps with heavy weight you will build more bulk, but if you are able to go for 12-15 reps you will build muscle without a lot of bulk. That's obviously a simplification, but here is a great resource I've used: https://www.verywell.com/complete-beginners-guide-to-strength-training-1229585

"Choosing Your Sets, Reps and Weight
Choosing your reps, sets and weight can be the most confusing part of strength training. How many reps and sets you do will depend on your goals.

To lose body fat, build muscle: Use enough weight that you can ONLY complete 10-12 repetitions and 1-3 sets (1 for beginners, 2-3 for intermediate and advanced exercisers). Rest about 30 seconds-1 minute between sets and at least one day between workout sessions

For muscle gain: Use enough weight that you can ONLY complete 4-8 repetitions and 3 or more sets, resting for 1-2 minutes between sets and 2-3 days between sessions. For beginners, give yourself several weeks of conditioning before you tackle weight training with this degree of difficulty. You may need a spotter for many exercises.

For health and muscular endurance: Use enough weight that you can ONLY complete 12-16 repetitions, 1-3 sets, resting 20-30 seconds between sets and at least one day between workout sessions.

To determine how much weight you should use, start with a light weight and perform one set. Continue adding weight until you can ONLY do the desired number of repetitions. The last rep should be difficult, but not impossible and you should be able to keep good form."

I would not stop working certain muscles because they are getting bigger, I would change up the way you are lifting. You should work all of your muscle groups equally to avoid injury and imbalances.

arditarose

you feel bulky because you are 5'4" and 150. I'm not sugar coating because I'm 5'4" as well. I weight train heavy. I would feel bulky at 150 and if I had a crap ton of muscle. Keep cutting.

Jalyn77

I've been following Holly Perkins program from her book called Lift to Get Lean. It's super helpful to answer all those kinds of questions and gives you exercises that are best for a leaner female frame.