Women: Why are you afraid of muscle?

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  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
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    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 agree she looks awesome, also Jada Pinkett Smith comes to mind...wow. She has been hitting the weights for sure!

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

    You will never be "bulky" unless you take steroids or supplements that provide testosterone. TRUST ME ON THIS. The 12 lean girls in my CrossFit class and my instructor will attest to this.

    Here is Miss Figure Olympia, totally natural, on and off season. Does she look bulky to you?

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    One of her quotes: "Squats are my favorite exercise. I've gone as heavy as 315 pounds for four reps. They work a lot of different muscles and are great for shaping the legs."

    So yeah, she lifts heavy.
  • Supa817
    Supa817 Posts: 17 Member
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    I love my new muscles!!! My new favorite body parts are my legs and my obliques because that's where I have the most definition at the moment... I'm working on getting more definition in my arms. My trainers push me to train with heavier weights at times to gain strength. I don't mind muscles at all :)
  • itzamos
    itzamos Posts: 24
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    I actually don't like the firm fitness-model look. I'm not opposed to anyone else liking that, but I really do just want to be a smaller version of what I look like now. I'm a woman! I'm soft!
    (Though yes, I DO lift weights sometimes :>P )
  • millerll
    millerll Posts: 873 Member
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    No fear here! Bring it on! I've been lifting for years and love it. It drives me crazy when women tell me "I don't want to lift heavy weights and get bulky. I want to be toned like you." :huh: Well, I've got news for you - I lift heavy weights, and there's no such thing as toned. You either build muscle or you do not. "Toning" actually refers to the reduction of body fat so that the underlying muscle definition begins to show. At least in my opinion.

    I would love to look like a bodybuilder, but I don't have 5 hours a day to spend in the gym. :grumble: I do admit that a lot of men think I'm kinda gross looking. Screw 'em. I'd rather be "obsessed" with building a good physique than worrying about breast implants and spray tans. :glasses:
  • AEROBICVIC
    AEROBICVIC Posts: 159 Member
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    i love the fact that i can rep 450 pounds on the leg press and bench my body weight. I'm only 4'11" and always had a "stocky" body. i grew up on a 60-horse horse farm throwing around 100 pounds sacks of feed, putting up acres of hay, carrying water buckets, cleaning stalls along with training/riding several horses a day. i HAD to have a muscular body just do live my life, now we are down to 1 horse and having fun. being fit and muscular helps me cut, split and stack wood for our outdoor woodburner, train sports with my 13 yr old son and husband, be able to ride quads for 12 hour days in the mountains, teach several aerobic/cycling classes a week and back to back classes, and basically do what most people dream of doing because i have the endurance and stamina to do so. my husband is a power lifter so he help build the muscle mass i have and loves the way i look (still need to shed some body fat before I AM happy) and supports my workouts 100%. having the support from family and friends is a large tool when setting goals and achieving them. it doesn't matter if you lift 3 pounds or 30, as long as your are taking care of your body and love the results, keep it up! strong, healthy people are happy people!
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
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    bump
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    No input other than Miss Figure Olympia is the hotness! :P

    Carry on :)
  • ivyjbres
    ivyjbres Posts: 612 Member
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    We're not afraid of pretty muscle. We have a problem with this:

    claudia-partenza.jpg
  • pkgirrl
    pkgirrl Posts: 587
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    Okay, I actually AM afraid of gaining muscle, and am currently doing empty stomach cardio every morning to lose some.

    But I'm a weird exception, as far as females go. I DO gain muscle very easily, easier than my boyfriend, actually. Last summer I started p90x, but I quit about a month in because my shoulder width was becoming unflattering. It was good at first, and I still maintain some definition up there, because it helps balance out my otherwise fairly pear body. That being said, my legs are really muscular. I've never had a problem with cellulite, (not complaining about that!) however, my calves are HUGE. I blame all the sprint drills I used to do when I was big on interval cardio. I'm relatively lean, about 20% body fat, but my calves are shredded, and about 16 inches. Doesn't sit well on somebody with 22 inch thighs haha.

    So maybe I'm not afraid of having muscle, I like definition for sure, but I know for a fact that for some women, taking it too far is a legitimate concern.
  • glfprncs2
    glfprncs2 Posts: 625 Member
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    I think what happens with a lot of women is that if they are overweight, when they begin working out and lifting weights, they do increase muscle mass, but they haven't yet shed the layer of fat that is over those muscles. Sooo...some women think that they are 'bulking up' instead of toning up. What they're forgetting though is that over time, if you continue to include a cardio workout alongside your strength workouts, maintain a calorie deficit and eat cleanly, they will then lower the body fat percentage, lose the bulkyish look, (and actually be) smaller, yet toned.

    After 3 rounds of P90X where I lifted moderate weights, I did a round of ChaLean Extreme this spring and her mantra is, "Go heavy or go home." I used 25-30 lb. dumbbells for bicep, shoulder press, chest press/fly and back work, and 12-15 pounds for smaller muscle groups like triceps and posterior delts. I truly went to failure in 10-12 reps in months 1 and 3 and 6-8 reps in month 2. I could have used heavier dumbbells for lower body work (squats and lunges), but just didn't have the $$ to invest at the time. I actually weigh about 7 pounds heavier than I did at the end of my 3rd round of P90X, but I'm SO much smaller in size. To really get the results you want, though, you HAVE to eat cleanly. Period. If you don't, you may not get that lean, muscular look you desire.

    Also, I've always been a 'big girl.' I'm 5'9" and I have a big frame. The more I lift, the smaller I get. I will lift for life, and I will always push myself to lift heavy.
  • jennylynn84
    jennylynn84 Posts: 659
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    I think most women are afraid of looking "bigger". That is a misconception that a lot of people have...that muscle = big.
    I have plenty of muscle and I am the smallest I have been in years. I am hoping to build up more muscle as I lose the last of my weight.

    This. I think there are a lot of women who don't realize that our hormone levels will not allow us to get bulky like men do. So they don't want to lift weights.
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
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    What they're forgetting though is that over time, if you continue to include a cardio workout alongside your strength workouts, maintain a calorie deficit and eat cleanly, they will then lower the body fat percentage, lose the bulkyish look, (and actually be) smaller, yet toned.
    To really get the results you want, though, you HAVE to eat cleanly. Period. If you don't, you may not get that lean, muscular look you desire.
    The more I lift, the smaller I get. I will lift for life, and I will always push myself to lift heavy.

    Amen to that.

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