Women: Why are you afraid of muscle?

DancingDreamer

its not a scared thing. we just dont want to look like that. i would like toned arms and legs but i dont want to look like a muscle-y body builder. i want to look like the sexy toned belly dancer that i see myself as in my head. not everyone WANTS muscle. its not a matter of fear, its a matter of preference. if a lady wants to be all muscle-y i say more power to her, its just that ****I**** dont want to look like that. understand it now?

oh and being "toned" IS gaining muscle, just not a huge amount to warrant stark muscle definition. its a lighter form of muscle. so again. no fear, we just want less! thats all ^__^

jmmtaylor

Women are not necessarily afraid of muscles...we just don't want the "body builder" type muscles. That is why we say "toned" because we can build muscle and still look "normal" and not like a body builder. Lower weights and more reps will give you lean muscles and tighten it all up

exercisesucks

You seem to be really painting all women with a very broad brush... Hate to say it, but you sound quite ill-informed. Take a look around this site for 5-10 mins and you'll find PLENTY of women that strength train, use protein supplements, and are total workout queens.
Maybe you just haven't been looking hard enough. Why do you ask?

Please read my post before replying. I said most of the women I talk to, not all women or even most women. And since this is a broadcast message in a forum on the internet it is perfectly logical to make broad assumptions based on the information available.

heathercrist1

I will admit I am one of those women that has recently stopped lifting weights in the traditional sense (more than 3lbs) and started doing more cardio and toning exercises (ie. Tracy Anderson Method). I am the type of person that has large legs/thighs that get even more muscular depending on the types of exercise I do (running, spinning, lunges, squats) and large shoulders that get even larger depending on the weights I lift. I've been trying to transform my body and create a more long and lean look as opposed to the muscular athletic body traditional workouts give me. I still strive to be strong with sexy long, lean muscle. I'm not "afraid" of muscle....I just want my muscle to be in the form that best suites my body. And before you comment on my "wimpy" 3lb weights I use...look up a Tracy Anderson arm workout and do it and THEN tell me how long you hung on before you put your arms down and screamed out due to the burn!

edorice

I found that I was not going to get rid of my big hips, so I started to develop my shoulders and arms to balance out with the bottom part of my body. I love my muscles!

exercisesucks

I will admit I am one of those women that has recently stopped lifting weights in the traditional sense (more than 3lbs) and started doing more cardio and toning exercises (ie. Tracy Anderson Method). I am the type of person that has large legs/thighs that get even more muscular depending on the types of exercise I do (running, spinning, lunges, squats) and large shoulders that get even larger depending on the weights I lift. I've been trying to transform my body and create a more long and lean look as opposed to the muscular athletic body traditional workouts give me. I still strive to be strong with sexy long, lean muscle. I'm not "afraid" of muscle....I just want my muscle to be in the form that best suites my body. And before you comment on my "wimpy" 3lb weights I use...look up a Tracy Anderson arm workout and do it and THEN tell me how long you hung on before you put your arms down and screamed out due to the burn!

I do not think youre wimpy at all. LOL. I dont have a problem with a women choosing lighter or no weights. My question was more curiosity than finger pointing. I know many women who have no desire to do weight training and I dont think they have ever given any real thought to why. I am a fan of weights as well as limiting weights in workouts. I have found success doing P90X and Insanity. I was in no way disparaging your choice. Congrats on your efforts and I hope you continued success.

ArchyJill

I have recieved disparaging remarks about my muscle tone and they can all just bite me My theory is there are only two zones I want to wobble, the rest had better be rock solid!

exercisesucks

I have recieved disparaging remarks about my muscle tone and they can all just bite me My theory is there are only two zones I want to wobble, the rest had better be rock solid!

ROTFLMAO!!! :laugh:

modernfemme

I don't think women are so much afraid of muscles as they are just more preoccupied with the calories and losing of the actual weight. I think it just gets left by the wayside.

kdiamond

Speaking from personal experience, I have been there. I thought the Victoria's Secret skinny minny body was attractive, I used to be the girl lifting 5 pound dumbbells and thinking I was doing something. I was 105 pounds and a weakling. Now I am 110 pounds, wear the same size, but I can lift heavy things, I have good endurance and I look better! My shoulders and arms are sculpted, you can see the muscle definition in my legs. And because I lift heavy, I can eat way more than I used to! It is much much better. Even my husband agrees I look 100x better.

DigitalRain

I think a lot of women have the misconception that when they start to lift weights, they will end up looking like those lady body builders on the cover of muscle and strength magazine that look like they can bench a cadillac.

I don't think they are aware that it leans out the body and that those women train in insane amounts and eat a special diet to look that extreme. Regular weightlifting for fitness and weight loss does not equate to looking like amazon.

MontanaB

once I've shifted my first 24lbs I'm going to start doing more gentle weights than what I do now - just because I used to enjoy doing them at the gym and I think it will help me tone up a bit - I don't want to become a powerhouse but just a little bit of definition around certain areas would be nicer than what I have now

edorice

I don't think they are aware that it leans out the body and that those women train in insane amounts and eat a special diet to look that extreme. Regular weightlifting for fitness and weight loss does not equate to looking like amazon.

Exactly, and some of the pro bodybuilders take Andro and other testosterone boosters. It's funny how women think that they will look like a pro-bodybuilder if they lift more than a five pound weight.

fitnewlife

If you lift weights your muscles will only become more defined because you will be reducing your body fat. You cannot develop muscles like a man unless you take supplements that would do it. Besides, muscles help to burn fat and who doesn't want to get rid of fat. I encourage you to lift weights and see the results.

Have you seen Michele Obama's arms? She's not manly but you can tell she does some type of strenght training. I think when a woman's arms are defined and she wears something sleeveless, that's sexy, not manly.

i dont mind alittle but i want to stay lady like and not scare my man away im not into the whole body building woman look yuk!!

fitnewlife

I'm not afraid of muscles. I have a vision board and on that board is a picture of Angela Basset. Her arms are amazing and I've found exercises on the internet to help get my arms defined like her. I don't like to wave my hand and once my hand stops, my arms is still moving because of fat. I make sure I do pushups to help develop my muslces in my arms.

Right now I love my legs, I have great muscle tone, they are not bulky. I can see them through my dress pants and jeans. I don't have cellulite (Thank God). I do cardio, lunges, and squats, both with weights. The Trainer is purposely trying to develop my legs more so he has me running 16 flights of stairs, walking lunges, squats with the weight bar, sprints, and all types of things. He sees the potential to really get my legs cut and I'm down for it.

My legs could be consider skinny by many. I say they may be skinny but they sure are fit.

So I encourage any woman to put down the 2lb weights and challenge yourself. You will be amazed at how toned you can get if you lift weights. And imagine if you are eating clean while you incorporate weights into your routines?

fitnewlife

I so agree. The more I lift, the more I feel myself sweating and working hard. I appreciate my trainer pushing to lift heavier than I would make myself.

I think a lot of women have the misconception that when they start to lift weights, they will end up looking like those lady body builders on the cover of muscle and strength magazine that look like they can bench a cadillac.

I don't think they are aware that it leans out the body and that those women train in insane amounts and eat a special diet to look that extreme. Regular weightlifting for fitness and weight loss does not equate to looking like amazon.

rybo

Glad to see so many women not afraid to pick up a weight.

But in the defense of the originial poster, outside of this thread, I see TONS of women showing fear of getting muscles. So I can see where that generalization came from.

fitnewlife

So can I. I hope by so many of saying we love lifting it will encourage others to give it a try.

Glad to see so many women not afraid to pick up a weight.

But in the defense of the originial poster, outside of this thread, I see TONS of women showing fear of getting muscles. So I can see where that generalization came from.

platoon

Oooh! Oooh! I want muscle! :-)

TheNewJessieMae

I want to be defined and toned. I want people to see my muscle, but I don't want to look "bulky"