An article for women that don't WANT to lift heavy

la_vie_est_belle_

Despite what most people on MFP and fitness "experts" say, recently I have decided to stop lifting as much, for the exact reasons described in this article. Before everyone gets defensive and jumps on this post, not everyone LIKES the way that heavy lifting makes you look as a female, and that's ok. It's your body and you can do what you want with it. I just thought I'd share this article for the women that feel the same way I do when it comes to lifting heavy but feel like they SHOULD because that's what everyone tells them to do.

http://www.yourtrainerpaige.com/2014/01/yes-women-can-get-too-bulky/

And before you go up in arms about this post, at least read the article. The title is decieving

meshashesha2012

even better article written by an actual expert with years of experience helping women get the body they want

http://bretcontreras.com/how-to-attain-a-slender-look-like-jessica-alba-zoe-saldana/

levitateme

I know that "bulky" is an arbitrary concept. I just really don't understand women who would rather be "lithe" like the article states. Waifs are so 1994 (see Winona Ryder) IMO. Personally, I'd rather be strong and look like it.

In for interesting debate I guess.

Acg67

Despite what most people on MFP and fitness "experts" say, recently I have decided to stop lifting as much, for the exact reasons described in this article. Before everyone gets defensive and jumps on this post, not everyone LIKES the way that heavy lifting makes you look as a female, and that's ok. It's your body and you can do what you want with it. I just thought I'd share this article for the women that feel the same way I do when it comes to lifting heavy but feel like they SHOULD because that's what everyone tells them to do.

http://www.yourtrainerpaige.com/2014/01/yes-women-can-get-too-bulky/

And before you go up in arms about this post, at least read the article. The title is decieving

"But with a client who doesn’t want to put on much muscle, I don’t typically have them lift heavy. *gasp!* Now, we don’t go lifting 5 lb. pink dumbbells, but I’ll typically keep their rep range in between 8-12, and have little rest between each exercise (15-30 seconds.) It’s my job to help them get the body they want in a healthy, efficient manner."

She seems to not really understand hypertrophy. No mention of eating in a surplus either. Lifting heavy in and of itself isn't going to make you bulky

mantium999

"and people – even fitness professionals – don’t dig deeper to see if there could be more to an answer than what’s at the surface"

written in an article that provides no depth or useful information whatsoever. I see and understnad the sentiment behind the creation of the piece, but the execution was lacking.

kaseyr1505

I don't want to lift "heavy" simply because I realize that it isn't something I can keep up with, and I don't enjoy it. I think that women who do are attractive, and I admire their hard work, but it's just not something I want for myself.

I don't think you should avoid doing something because you *might* get too bulky, that's kind of arbitrary. You don't deadlift one day and turn into the Hulk.

If you don't want to lift, don't. "I don't want to" is a perfectly acceptable reason, IMO.

ew_david

If you feel you should do something because someone else is telling you to do it, you're doing it wrong.

Do what you like, do what you want, worry about you.

The end.

Sugarbeat

She made a good point about not all folks wanting the same body but the implication I got was the same as everyone at MFP -"LIFT HEAVY."

Disclaimer: I have nothing against heavy lifting.

la_vie_est_belle_

Not saying that she's an expert, but I like her point.

I started lifting a lot this year, ate at a deficit, and to be honest, I like the way my upper body looked a lot more BEFORE I started lifting (though my abs look more defined) . I know most people would say, "the bulk is because of a calorie surplus" but it wasn't because I ate at a deficit.

To each their own I guess is what I'm saying.

ironanimal

Sure, whatever floats your boat.

But, FYI; it isn't the lifting alone that causes hypertrophy, and if you'd much rather use your time away with the smallest dumbbells known to man, go ahead.

TR0berts

"But with a client who doesn’t want to put on much muscle, I don’t typically have them lift heavy. *gasp!* Now, we don’t go lifting 5 lb. pink dumbbells, but I’ll typically keep their rep range in between 8-12, and have little rest between each exercise (15-30 seconds.) It’s my job to help them get the body they want in a healthy, efficient manner."

She seems to not really understand hypertrophy. No mention of eating in a surplus either. Lifting heavy in and of itself isn't going to make you bulky

Yeah - that stuck out to me, too. The client doesn't want to put on much muscle, so she gives them a routine that is designed to put on as much muscle as possible? Given proper diet, of course. But, still...

She was doing so well, up to that point - consider the client's goals/perceptions, as opposed to your own. Then, that.

randomtai

If you feel you should do something because someone else is telling you to do it, you're doing it wrong.

Do what you like, do what you want, worry about you.

The end.

QFT!
/thread

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Can I ask what made you change your mind since you posted your pro-lifting thread about looking better at a heavier weight thanks to muscle?

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Not saying that she's an expert, but I like her point.

I started lifting a lot this year, ate at a deficit, and to be honest, I like the way my upper body looked a lot more BEFORE I started lifting (though my abs look more defined) . I know most people would say, "the bulk is because of a calorie surplus" but it wasn't because I ate at a deficit.

To each their own I guess is what I'm saying.

I think it's more likely that you lost fat and revealed the muscle underneath, especially since you're seeing abs.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

Not saying that she's an expert, but I like her point.

I started lifting a lot this year, ate at a deficit, and to be honest, I like the way my upper body looked a lot more BEFORE I started lifting (though my abs look more defined) . I know most people would say, "the bulk is because of a calorie surplus" but it wasn't because I ate at a deficit.

To each their own I guess is what I'm saying.

I'm guessing what you are seeing is muscle definition, not "bulk". You are keeping and shaping muscle you already have as you lose some of the fat which was covering them. This makes them more defined. They are more likely not actually increasing in size a considerable amount.

But if you don't like it, you don't like it. Nothing wrong with that. Doesn't effect me.

neandermagnon

I don't want to lift "heavy" simply because I realize that it isn't something I can keep up with, and I don't enjoy it. I think that women who do are attractive, and I admire their hard work, but it's just not something I want for myself.

I don't think you should avoid doing something because you *might* get too bulky, that's kind of arbitrary. You don't deadlift one day and turn into the Hulk.

If you don't want to lift, don't. "I don't want to" is a perfectly acceptable reason, IMO.

^^^^ this

the idea of not lifting heavy because you will look "too bulky" - even if your definition of "bulky" is that totally not bulky woman that they showed, is just stupid. You're not going to look like her by accident!! You can lift heavy and never get any muscle definition if you keep your body fat percentage in the low to mid 20s. You want to look like a bikini model? Then lift. That look comes from lifting but keeping your body fat percentage a little higher than the fitness models:

bikini model = 18-21% body fat
fitness model = 15-18% body fat
female body builder = 13-14% body fat

If you don't believe me, then look at pictures of female body builders in the off season when their body fat percentage is around 17-18%... they look like bikini models, like magazine fashion models, like the really mega-hot women that most women on this planet say they would do anything to look like (except when they're told that they need to lift weights they're like "but I don't want to get bulky")

"I don't lift because I don't want to and/or don't like it" is fine by me. Whatever. But all this BS about "I dont' like the way I think it's going to make me look" is stupid.

neandermagnon

Not saying that she's an expert, but I like her point.

I started lifting a lot this year, ate at a deficit, and to be honest, I like the way my upper body looked a lot more BEFORE I started lifting (though my abs look more defined) . I know most people would say, "the bulk is because of a calorie surplus" but it wasn't because I ate at a deficit.

To each their own I guess is what I'm saying.

I think it's more likely that you lost fat and revealed the muscle underneath, especially since you're seeing abs.

^^^ this

as the article made it pretty clear, the "bulky" that some women don't like is visible muscle definition. which is fine, because that's a matter of personal taste

so... the solution to that is to keep your body fat percentage around 20-23% - i.e. enough fat to cover up any definition but not enough to add any actual bulk (in the true meaning of the word bulk)

but as I said, if you don't want to lift because you don't like lifting, then don't. Life is really too short to spend time doing stuff you hate.

mantium999

Out of curiosity, what changed since a month ago when you posted "I will say I love the results weight training has given my body. For a while I was doing a split routine(training different body parts on different days) but now i started doing a full body strength training circuit program."

If you had just changed your program at that time, it's arguable you haven't been doing it long enough to properly assess its impact on your body composition.

PikaKnight

Not saying that she's an expert, but I like her point.

I started lifting a lot this year, ate at a deficit, and to be honest, I like the way my upper body looked a lot more BEFORE I started lifting (though my abs look more defined) . I know most people would say, "the bulk is because of a calorie surplus" but it wasn't because I ate at a deficit.

To each their own I guess is what I'm saying.

You didn't gain muscle or get bulky on a deficit. You lost body fat. If you didn't want to change the appearance of your upper body, then you shouldn't have lost the weight. Heavy lifting didn't do what you think it did.

azymth99

In the early 90's I was training to become a professional wrestler. To bulk up I had to eat 3500 to 5000 calories a day. We're talking: 3 chicken breasts for dinner, 2 cups of white rice, an entire stalk of broccoli, 3 cups of oatmeal for breakfast, 2 pieces of toast loaded with peanut butter and half a cantaloupe filled with yogurt (you get the idea). Not to mention my 2 protein shakes and supplements (nothing illegal, mind you). One of my training partners drank an entire gallon of whole milk EVERY day.

I spent about 3 hours in the gym every day with a coach. I did 1 week of strength training- lifting 3-5 reps (with a spotter) of 80-90% of my maximum lift- with a week of rest before hitting the same exercise again. So, I was benching about 300# for my regular workouts. During strength weeks we only did squats, bench press, dead-lifts, pull-downs and military presses. For the next 2 weeks we did sculpting workouts- 3 exercises for each area so all of the muscles were worked (chest fly, decline fly, incline press- for example).

At the time, I weighed 250 pounds and it was 90% muscle- (and I was one of the smaller guys at 6' 2"). My point is: you have to work, really work to get bulky. Lifting weights alone will not bring you size. You have to eat at a calorie surplus and lift very heavy stuff. For most women lifting, this is not a concern.

Yes, it can happen, but you REALLY have to work at it. Just lifting weights in the gym will not make you bulky.