Man Muscles?

3dogsrunning

It is sad that strength and low body fat are NOT desired traits for the majority of people but all we can do is be healthy, get strong and change a few opinions at a time. I like muscles on women. My husband likes muscles on women. My daughter already wants muscles and she's 6. My sisters desire muscles like mine. Just influence those you can and to hell with the rest.

Great point.

JoRocka

God women are so stupid eating up media rubbish.

I've been trying to cut and bulk for months and I still do not look BULKY. I'm big- but I'm not that big- and I'm certainly not what I would consider bulky.

At all. I've been working out for years- since a child. But this year- in the last 6-9 months I've really been aggressive about diet... still don't look bulky.

It takes years to get truly big. and you know- even sometimes drugs.

It takes years of dedication and attention to detail to get super shredded- or super body building big.

Seriously- it's laughable how much work it takes and how little effort people can be bothered to put into NOT eating crap and not getting their over priced froofy starbucks drink much less put in 1/10 of the work it takes to get to that level.

Seriously- it's laughable.

Angie80281

When I was lifting heavy, I was 5 pounds heavier and looked leaner than ever. Walk away from the Barbie weights, load up the bar, and work your way to a sexy, feminine body. You're NOT going to bulk up, trust me.

brower47

http://www.leighpeele.com/bulky-muscles-and-training-females-the-definition

....snip for brevity....

It's the idea of what's bulky that's being misunderstood.

I think this is the problem with a lot of the arguments about lifting or not.

IMO, the blogger's definition of bulky is way off. To me (and a lot of people here) the women she has classified as bulky are decidedly not. They are fit and look strong. They have the body I am working towards.

But, I guess there are a lot more women who think the opposite (which is sad, IMO). And they are aiming for picture #2, I guess.

Still, the results pictured in the first group of photos are difficult to achieve and require a lot of time and effort. That doesn't happen accidently or overnight.

That whole blog made me sad.

She didn't define those women as bulky, she did a survey and that's what other women voted.

Yes, and that is what made me sad - the results.

Although I should not have said "whole".

I don't think it was a very good survey to begin with, at least in terms of the picture voting. She asked who people saw as muscular/bulky. That lumped muscular and bulky in together which I think many people would see as two different things. Maybe that's just me but I see all the women votes as muscular/bulky to be muscular (well defined muscles) but not bulky (typically thought of female body builders).

However, it certainly highlights the ignorance of the vast majority of women concerning lifting heavy things and subsequent effects on the female form.

iarelarry

Myth: girls doing heavy weight training will make you look like Ronnie Coleman.




Fact: girls doing heavy weight training will make you look like

MamaMaryC

I do Les Mills Pump which is a lifting program. I'm leaner and stronger. I don't have any masculine muscles going on here.

CoderGal

Can anyone give me advice on strength training exercises that will keep me looking feminine? I am trying to avoid developing bulky "man muscles."

I'm going to try to refrain from reading the rest of this thread but in order to 'grow' muscles you need a calorie surplus. You're only going to get slimmer doing strength training...and I mean heavy as you can lift for 5-8 reps heavy lifting. There's a reason why all the skinny guys are at the gym wondering why they're not getting buff. You need fuel to grow. Just because there exists buff people who lift, does not equate to you turning into one of them. While those who wish to look that way will be in to lifting, that's not the only type of look it gets you.



http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1027237-women-muscles-and-bulk-a-historical-perspective

3dogsrunning

Myth: girls doing heavy weight training will make you look like Ronnie Coleman.




Fact: girls doing heavy weight training will make you look like

And this is what a lot of women don't want to look like. The problem with this type of post is this woman put in an amazing amount of work and really dialled in her diet over years and has specifically done bulks. The average woman is not going to look like her just by lifting heavy.

FTR - I would take her body in a heartbeat.

servilia

I would say just train to be toned and not ripped... women are meant to be curvy and naturally have more body fat than men. as stated above keep your body fat level at a healthy level.. between 20-30 only marathon runners and anorexics have single digit bfi.. good luck Jim

20-30%? Are you serious? Women are meant to be any way they want to be: curvy, slender, muscular. There's no "rule" as to how a woman should look and 20-30% BODY FAT is not healthy. I would also be hard pressed to find a marathoner who has single digit body fat. It's just not going to happen.

Actually, 20-30% is considered healthy, or at least acceptable, for women.

Essential Fat 10-12%
Athletes 14-20%
Fitness 21-24%
Overweight 25-31%
Obese 32% plus

Fixed it for you.

Ummm no.

brower47

Myth: girls doing heavy weight training will make you look like Ronnie Coleman.




Fact: girls doing heavy weight training will make you look like

And this is what a lot of women don't want to look like. The problem with this type of post is this woman put in an amazing amount of work and really dialled in her diet over years and has specifically done bulks. The average woman is not going to look like her just by lifting heavy.

FTR - I would take her body in a heartbeat.

I second this response. That woman is amazingly fit and it's obvious that it took a TON of work and heavy lifting to get her there. The average woman that lifts heavy isn't going to have the ability to stick to a diet or lifting program to net these results.

LorinaLynn

God women are so stupid eating up media rubbish.

Uninformed does not equal stupid.

Before I joined here, I didn't know what heavy lifting did for women. It's something that's NEVER discussed in any kind of mainstream way. Even subscribing to magazines like Shape and Self, which are about health and fitness, I've never seen heavy lifting advocated. Shape magazine had a link on their facebook page recently about the benefits of strength training, and advised using 10 pound dumbbells for deadlifts.

Knowing what I know NOW, that's laughable, because that's like lifting two 12 packs of soda... it's not a heavy enough weight to challenge most everyone. But that's the kind of advice most women hear.

And if they hear about women who lift "real" weights, it's ultra lean fitness models or female body builders, who, while gorgeous, look a little more muscular than the average woman might want to look. I do lift heavy, but my end goal is more Bettie Page than Jamie Eason. And thanks to things I've learned on this forum and while doing my own research, I know that a Bettie Page body is entirely possible with heavy lifting. More possible than it was with light weights and high reps.

But before I came here? I never considered it. I wasn't stupid. I just hadn't been exposed to it.

LiftAllThePizzas

What's sad is that many women would consider both of those to be "bulky" and "unattractive" (and a bunch of other negative adjectives.)

StacieHof

The heavier I lift the skinnier I look. It isn't easy to build muscle especially on a deficit. I've tried.

This...I want more muscle but it is so hard Don't worry lift as heavy as you can you’re NOT going to get bulky!!!

brower47

I would say just train to be toned and not ripped... women are meant to be curvy and naturally have more body fat than men. as stated above keep your body fat level at a healthy level.. between 20-30 only marathon runners and anorexics have single digit bfi.. good luck Jim

20-30%? Are you serious? Women are meant to be any way they want to be: curvy, slender, muscular. There's no "rule" as to how a woman should look and 20-30% BODY FAT is not healthy. I would also be hard pressed to find a marathoner who has single digit body fat. It's just not going to happen.

Actually, 20-30% is considered healthy, or at least acceptable, for women.

Essential Fat 10-12%
Athletes 14-20%
Fitness 21-24%
Overweight 25-31%
Obese 32% plus

Fixed it for you.

Ummm no.

Seeing as how the average American female is overweight, I'd say, ummmm yes. 'Average' does make people feel much better about their weight than using the term overweight. A rose by any other name...

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

Read this - http://www.leighpeele.com/bulky-muscles-and-training-females-the-definition

Generally, you won't be able to accidentally get man muscles, just like you won't accidentally be a millionaire by getting a job. It takes specific sustained effort.

Thank you for this! So many posts like this one lately have made my head swim in confusion:

I do get bulky when I've lifted in the past.
People have stated, no, you can't get bulky, then proceed to post a pic of someone's who bulky as evidence of non bulkiness.
In Contreras' Strong Curves he gives the example of two women, same program. One "bulked" up quickly and with great success, the other slower and never to the same level of "bulk". Some women add muscle quicker than others.

It's the idea of what's bulky that's being misunderstood.

That article did a great job pointing that everyone's idea of bulky is different and they're all right.

.

Even though the person was merely taking a survey of people's skewed views of the female body, The hard truth is that the women aren't even remotely bulky. Have you ever seen Hillary Swank in her size 0-2 dress that she wore to receive the Academy Award for Million Dollar Baby? Bulky? Really?

Here's the truth. I lift heavy 4 days a week, and I have nearly the exact dimensions I did when I was skinny-fat. The only difference is in my overall body firmness and the way I look without clothes, which I am very proud of given that I am a 40 year old woman. I still look exactly the same in my jeans as I did when I was skinny-fat.

Also, I love how Jessica Biel's biceps are called "bulky" according to this survey. I also wonder how many of the women taking the survey have biceps that are a lot more than hers. Her biceps are estimated between 10 3/4 inches and 12 inches.

For what it's worth, Jessica Biel and I are the same height (5'7"), weight (121 pounds), and dimensions for bust, waist, and hips (36-26-36). I wear a size 2-4 jean, and my biceps are 10 3/4 inches fully flexed. In real life, this woman is thin with a gorgeous bottom, but she's cut because of a low body fat percentage.

Bulky? No. Women's views are skewed.

LiftAllThePizzas

I would say just train to be toned and not ripped... women are meant to be curvy and naturally have more body fat than men. as stated above keep your body fat level at a healthy level.. between 20-30 only marathon runners and anorexics have single digit bfi.. good luck Jim

20-30%? Are you serious? Women are meant to be any way they want to be: curvy, slender, muscular. There's no "rule" as to how a woman should look and 20-30% BODY FAT is not healthy. I would also be hard pressed to find a marathoner who has single digit body fat. It's just not going to happen.

Actually, 20-30% is considered healthy, or at least acceptable, for women.

Essential Fat 10-12%
Athletes 14-20%
Fitness 21-24%
Overweight 25-31%
Obese 32% plus

Fixed it for you.

Ummm no.

Seeing as how the average American female is overweight, I'd say, ummmm yes. 'Average' does make people feel much better about their weight than using the term overweight. A rose by any other name...

Yep. Above the "fitness" range would not be "alternative fitness" but instead would be "not fit, because of having a higher weight." I bet there's a single word that would cover such a condition but it eludes me at the moment.

brower47

I would say just train to be toned and not ripped... women are meant to be curvy and naturally have more body fat than men. as stated above keep your body fat level at a healthy level.. between 20-30 only marathon runners and anorexics have single digit bfi.. good luck Jim

20-30%? Are you serious? Women are meant to be any way they want to be: curvy, slender, muscular. There's no "rule" as to how a woman should look and 20-30% BODY FAT is not healthy. I would also be hard pressed to find a marathoner who has single digit body fat. It's just not going to happen.

Actually, 20-30% is considered healthy, or at least acceptable, for women.

Essential Fat 10-12%
Athletes 14-20%
Fitness 21-24%
Overweight 25-31%
Obese 32% plus

Fixed it for you.

Ummm no.

Seeing as how the average American female is overweight, I'd say, ummmm yes. 'Average' does make people feel much better about their weight than using the term overweight. A rose by any other name...

Yep. Above the "fitness" range would not be "alternative fitness" but instead would be "not fit, because of having a higher weight." I bet there's a single word that would cover such a condition but it eludes me at the moment.

*pst* It's overweight.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

My favorite comment on this topic (from another post) is that it's like being afraid you'll go out jogging one day and run a marathon by mistake.

But then there was a thread a few days ago about a woman who ran 13 miles by accident, so. . . carry on.

Huh? I missed that one :laugh:

She said she had estimated that she ran 6 miles, but when she plugged it into her app it was more than twice that. I said with estimations like that I hope she's using a food scale.

I_Will_End_You

I would say just train to be toned and not ripped... women are meant to be curvy and naturally have more body fat than men. as stated above keep your body fat level at a healthy level.. between 20-30 only marathon runners and anorexics have single digit bfi.. good luck Jim

servilia

I would say just train to be toned and not ripped... women are meant to be curvy and naturally have more body fat than men. as stated above keep your body fat level at a healthy level.. between 20-30 only marathon runners and anorexics have single digit bfi.. good luck Jim

20-30%? Are you serious? Women are meant to be any way they want to be: curvy, slender, muscular. There's no "rule" as to how a woman should look and 20-30% BODY FAT is not healthy. I would also be hard pressed to find a marathoner who has single digit body fat. It's just not going to happen.

Actually, 20-30% is considered healthy, or at least acceptable, for women.

Essential Fat 10-12%
Athletes 14-20%
Fitness 21-24%
Overweight 25-31%
Obese 32% plus

Fixed it for you.

Ummm no.

Seeing as how the average American female is overweight, I'd say, ummmm yes. 'Average' does make people feel much better about their weight than using the term overweight. A rose by any other name...

Yep. Above the "fitness" range would not be "alternative fitness" but instead would be "not fit, because of having a higher weight." I bet there's a single word that would cover such a condition but it eludes me at the moment.

*pst* It's overweight.

No you're all wrong. Admittedly they shouldn't have used the word average but it's also not overweight. Other sources state 21-32% is in the healthy range for women. Show me a source other than yourself that states 25-30% is overweight.