Women and weight training

stroutman81

I've thought about this a little more.

Sadly that lady (the first one not Jamie) isn't always what women are afraid of. Some women are afraid of any bulk, or the "hard" look. It's silly really and makes me sad (for them, not for myself). It's been a while but I've had women look at my arms in thinly veiled disgust at the gym.



Even THAT is "too bulky" for some.

Nice!

And you're exactly right. Some women are afraid of the hard look, which is fine. Different strokes for different folks. What they need to understand though is the hard look is more a product of taking body fat levels below a certain threshold than it is about building muscle.

stroutman81

Thank you. I am tired of people thinking women will bulk up if they lift.

I think a lot of times it's simply a disconnect in the meaning of "bulk", For example, the OP speaks of not bulking up, then gives instruction on how to gain more muscle. Yet, my definition of "bulking up" is gaining more muscle. Personally, I don't want more muscle than I have. I just want the muscles I have to be "toned". This is why I use mostly body weight exercises for strength and never more than 10 lb weights. Because I don't want to bulk up with new muscle.

But new muscle burns more calories, increases strength, improves health. Stronger women have been shown to live longer.

A lot of things have been shown to improve health and make women live longer. I do most of them. And it's not that I'm not strong or don't have muscles. I do 100 squats, 100 lunges, 100 modified pushups, 100 tricep dips 5 days a week, plus resistance and a little dumbell work with my 10 lb weights. I believe all of that plus my 60 min a day of Zumba or hiking is going to keep me healthy and make me live longer. I don't like to lift heavy and don't believe I it's necessary.

Nothing is necessary for improvement.

If you want to optimize your body composition, heavy resistance training is necessary. But again, that's not to say you can't improve your body composition without heavy resistance training.

Big difference.

fromaquasar

Every women should read this - http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

The girl eats and trains like a machine. For me personally I'd love to look like her.

fromaquasar

Every women should read this - http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

The girl eats and trains like a machine. For me personally I'd love to look like her.

cbear017

Thank you. I am tired of people thinking women will bulk up if they lift.

I think a lot of times it's simply a disconnect in the meaning of "bulk", For example, the OP speaks of not bulking up, then gives instruction on how to gain more muscle. Yet, my definition of "bulking up" is gaining more muscle. Personally, I don't want more muscle than I have. I just want the muscles I have to be "toned". This is why I use mostly body weight exercises for strength and never more than 10 lb weights. Because I don't want to bulk up with new muscle.

You can do two things with muscle: build them or let them atrophy. Toning is a myth, which it sounds like you already know by your use of quotations.

ABetterBalance

Thu 10/06/11 03:03 PMEvery women should read this - http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

The girl eats and trains like a machine. For me personally I'd love to look like her.

Thanks for sharing this. I loved the article

bcattoes

Thank you. I am tired of people thinking women will bulk up if they lift.

I think a lot of times it's simply a disconnect in the meaning of "bulk", For example, the OP speaks of not bulking up, then gives instruction on how to gain more muscle. Yet, my definition of "bulking up" is gaining more muscle. Personally, I don't want more muscle than I have. I just want the muscles I have to be "toned". This is why I use mostly body weight exercises for strength and never more than 10 lb weights. Because I don't want to bulk up with new muscle.

You can do two things with muscle: build them or let them atrophy. Toning is a myth, which it sounds like you already know by your use of quotations.

No, actually I think toning absolutely possible and not a myth at all. But apparently I misuse the term (I was schooled by another poster on this site). The proper term is "toned up" (according to the dictionary) but I don't like that so I use toned with quotes as qualifiers. I mean making the most of muscles I have. Getting and keeping them firm, but not building them up so that they are bulky. And by bulky I mean lumpy. I don't want much visible muscle, but I want my tummy flat and my arms not to flap when I wave. That, by my definition, is toned. The way Jillian Michales arms look in the ad that pops up every time I open MFP (I"ve never seen her in anything else) is "bulky" and what I want to avoid.

So, my semantics may be wrong, but I want to be toned and not bulky.

cbear017

Thu 10/06/11 03:03 PMEvery women should read this - http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

The girl eats and trains like a machine. For me personally I'd love to look like her.

Thanks for sharing this. I loved the article

Yup, this is great. Just the inspiration I need to hit the weights tonight--thank you!

Rae6503

Every women should read this - http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

The girl eats and trains like a machine. For me personally I'd love to look like her.

3000-4000 calories? NICE.

joejccva71

Thanks for the information Steve.

Bcattoes- Did you like my #8 in my original post? lol

bcattoes

Thanks for the information Steve.

Bcattoes- Did you like my #8 in my original post? lol

Ha ha! I'm not afraid of them. I just choose to avoid them. We'll just have to wait and see whose arteries hold out the longest.

Drunkadelic

Thanks for the information Steve.

Bcattoes- Did you like my #8 in my original post? lol

Ha ha! I'm not afraid of them. I just choose to avoid them. We'll just have to wait and see whose arteries hold out the longest.

I'm putting my money on Joe

Drunkadelic

Every women should read this - http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

The girl eats and trains like a machine. For me personally I'd love to look like her.

This article changed my life - it's why I eat Paleo and lift heavy.

Are you a nerd fitness user?

KiyaK

save

ninerbuff

"I don't wanna get all bulky n *kitten*"

I see this alot whether it be from emails here on MFP, co-workers, or friends on Facebook. This is a common thinking from alot of women that if they lift weights then they are going to get all bulky and big like this:




(Ok for those guys that think this is hot, please take your right hand, grab the back of your head, and push down hard enough so it slams on your desk)

Disclaimer: I assume no responsibility for any head injury you may receive based on the instruction above.

Moving on...

Ladies, unless you are taking a good amount of drugs you will not look like the woman (i think that's a woman?) above. There are a few rules you should follow and adhere to when it comes to how the human body works.

Rule #1: In order to grow, you have to consume more energy than you are burning.
Rule #2: When you are in denial, please re-read rule #1 over and over until it sinks.

You cannot build new tissue unless you are taking in more calories (energy) than you are burning. It's been that way since ..well..forever!

Now you say "well I just started working out and I can see my muscles now!". This isn't NEW tissue. This is muscle memory. Basically you are conditioning and defining up the muscle that you CURRENTLY have that was in hibernation underneath the fat that you carry. The same principle goes with men. Bodybuilders call this "newbie gains". Although they really aren't gains, they are just waking the muscles up that have been asleep for so very long.

Now some guys may argue this regarding the "newbie gains" term. Newbie gains can also be referred to as a bodybuilder or athlete that gains more muscle in their first year of weight training, than they would in let's say their 4th year. Of course this is only possible if they are eating a calorie surplus.

Moving on once again.

I recommend ALL women that are physically able to, LIFT WEIGHTS. The benefits of the muscle glycogen being burned out is more than you actually realize for fat burning. Sure you have to eat a calorie deficit to lose weight and burn fat, but by having glycogen burn and refeeds you are being more efficient in your burning process. Lyle McDonald explains this in alot more detail over at bodyrecomposition.com. So yes, lift weights people. Do it in addition to doing cardio, just don't OVERDO your training.

I recommend 3 days a week of weight training packed in with 2-3 days a week of cardiovascular training. Always leave yourself atleast ONE day of complete rest.

Of course my usual speel:

1. Monitor your TDEE calorie level which is composed of your BMR + TEA + TEF:
TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expedenture
BMR = Basal Metabolic Rate
TEA = Thermal Effect of Activity
TEF = Thermal Effect of Feeding

2. Eat at a 500-1000 or a 20% calorie deficit under your TDEE calorie number to lose 1-2lbs per week.
3. Get 2-4 servings of fruits, 4-6 servings of veggies every day.
4. Drink plenty of water (or for your technical geeks...fluids)
5. Get 6-8 hours of sleep every night.
6. You don't have to eat clean food all the time to lose weight and be healthy.
7. You dont' have to eat 5-6 meals every 2-3 hours to "stoke the metabolic fire"
8. Don't be afraid of fats (including saturated fats) - Yes Bcattoes this one is for you too.
9. Don't overdo it in the gym.
10. Take a good multivitamin and fish oil.

See you soon.

-J

Lol, I couldn't even look that beefed without steroids.

ninerbuff

Thank you for this post! I have one question too. Can I do cardio and lifting in the same session? I usually do cardio first for 45 minutes and then lift.

Lift first, cardio last. Reserve your glycogen for strength not cardio.

kmbrooks15

OK, so here's a question from a "newbie" (been at it for two weeks, and yes, I am doing weights 3 days a week): for women, I've always heard that doing more reps at a lower weight is better than fewer reps at higher weights. Right now, I'm on the lowest weight on the machine (10 lbs.) for about half of the machines, and the next weight up (20 lbs.) for the rest (the shoulder and upper back stuff is moving more slowly than the biceps, triceps, and legs). But as this gets easier, do I up the weight or the reps?

I totally get what you're saying about not "gaining muscle". My daughter commented a couple of days ago: "Mom, you're getting muscles!" I told her I'd always had those muscles, but they were weak and buried under layers of fat!

ninerbuff

I think a lot of times it's simply a disconnect in the meaning of "bulk", For example, the OP speaks of not bulking up, then gives instruction on how to gain more muscle. Yet, my definition of "bulking up" is gaining more muscle. Personally, I don't want more muscle than I have. I just want the muscles I have to be "toned". This is why I use mostly body weight exercises for strength and never more than 10 lb weights. Because I don't want to bulk up with new muscle.

Then you're mistaken. It takes a lot to put on muscle. You have to OVERLOAD the muscle to cause hypertrophy. Then you have to feed it to grow. To add muscle means increasing calories. So if you are on a maintenance diet, the chances of gaining muscle, even if you lifted like a body builder are improbable. At this point then, you are "conditioning" the muscle (the real word for "toned").

Jeff92se

I think a lot of times it's simply a disconnect in the meaning of "bulk", For example, the OP speaks of not bulking up, then gives instruction on how to gain more muscle. Yet, my definition of "bulking up" is gaining more muscle. Personally, I don't want more muscle than I have. I just want the muscles I have to be "toned". This is why I use mostly body weight exercises for strength and never more than 10 lb weights. Because I don't want to bulk up with new muscle.

Then you're mistaken. It takes a lot to put on muscle. You have to OVERLOAD the muscle to cause hypertrophy. Then you have to feed it to grow. To add muscle means increasing calories. So if you are on a maintenance diet, the chances of gaining muscle, even if you lifted like a body builder are improbable. At this point then, you are "conditioning" the muscle (the real word for "toned").

Can you gain strength w/o gaining size? I would like to be stronger but not necessarily bigger. Or is that counter productive?

ninerbuff

Can you gain strength w/o gaining size? I would like to be stronger but not necessarily bigger. Or is that counter productive?

Doing ISOMETRIC lifts can make you stronger without having to get bigger. Take the bench press for example. Do this on a Smith Machine. Lower the bar to about midway on a full bench press for yourself and lock it in. Then load up the bar with more weight than you can push. Then lie on the bench and push as hard as you can for 20 seconds. Rest 20 sec and do it again. Repeat 5 times. You can do this for about any exercise, but be careful with back exercises.