More of those scary scary girl muscles...

Lillemeddy

You're looking hot!

deninevi

"bulky" looks great on you! Don't be scared of the free weights! Awesome progress and you are looking amazing!

carmenstop1

Looks great! I am still trying to lose my batwings!

Keep up the great work!

tameko2

I think one of the hugest differences between those pictures (shut up, hugest is a word) is actually your forearms. Other than a little definition the size or your upper arms didnt' change, but your forearms look amazing.

Of course all the little girls are still going to come in and say "noooo I don't want to look bulky and I'm DIFFERENT so I will get huge."

But maybe this will help...SOMEONE. And maybe that lady that was claiming that calorie deficits don't cause reductions in muscle mass will stop by! :noway:

dad106

You look amazing!

Don't be scared of free weights.. It's intimidating at first, but once you do them it's awesome! I do machines with plates, and at first I was like there is no way I can lug this 45 pound plate off of here and not break all my toes in the process.. but I did... and caught all the guys in my gym staring at me

LorinaLynn

Thanks, everybody! I will tackle the free weights. A few months ago, even the machines intimidated me, so I'm getting there.

And I wasn't joking about the dog. His name is Beavis, he's sexy, and he knows it.



To be fair to the 2# weights, he does now have the jaw strength of a pitbull. :laugh:

cmriverside

Great thread, and I love the pictures. Especially Beavis

Carfoodel

You look fab - thanks for sharing the piccies - I am at my 2nd week at the gym now and doing 3 half hour weights sessions working my way round the machines but I sometimes ski the free weights bit at the end - am def not going to again

psych101

Oh, Beavis is gorgeous!!

I love this post - especially the 80's prom dress lol

xx

deninevi

Thanks, everybody! I will tackle the free weights. A few months ago, even the machines intimidated me, so I'm getting there.

And I wasn't joking about the dog. His name is Beavis, he's sexy, and he knows it.



To be fair to the 2# weights, he does now have the jaw strength of a pitbull. :laugh:

So cute! He will get there, keep moving the 2#, Beavis, and you will b e stronger than a pitbull!

LorinaLynn

Thanks! Beavis is... well, let's just say his name suits him all too well. *cough*Cornholio*cough*

I had some photos in another thread today that was yanked for bad behavior that I'd like to share here. It's the difference between being just plain lean (aka skinny) vs being lean with some muscles.

First off, me at 19 years old and about 110-115 pounds. And at least 5# of that seems to have been eyebrows. Yikes... why didn't anyone introduce me to a pair of tweezers?! Going by what I think my measurements were at the time (I used to sew a lot), my body fat percentage was an estimated 15%. I can't get over how bony my wrists look... my arms look like spaghetti noodles.



Now, twenty years later, at 39 years old and around 125-130#, depending on the day. I fluctuate like mad. Estimated body fat percentage of around 19%.



I weigh more. I have more body fat... but my stomach is flatter. I have abs. I never had abs before. People say that when your bf is low enough, abs will show, but I didn't have a strong core then. Even in my 20s and my weight dipped down to 103# (not pretty!) I had no visible muscle definition because I was literally skin and bones.

From age 19 to now, I wear about the same sized clothes. These are the same jeans. They're tighter now, because my waist and hips are about an inch bigger each. Plus, perhaps denim stored in a hot attic for 20 years shrinks. I don't know. But you can definitely see. No abs. Some abs. Even though my bf% is higher now. (Big eyebrows, tame eyebrows. Huge hair... still not ready to embrace the flat iron. Same pose!)



I'm like the stereotypical exercise infomercial... "I'm 39 years old and in the best shape of my life!" I love it. I love looking better. I really love feeling better. I love being able to carry in all the groceries in one trip. (Yes, I'm strong... but still lazy!) I love being able to rearrange the furniture without asking for assistance. I love being able to help sweet little old ladies at the pet store put Tidy Cat bags in their cart. And I love cardio... I love running. And since I started lifting, my 5k time has gone from 28 minutes in late Spring to 25 minutes in the Fall. I'm aiming for under 22 minutes in the Spring. A big jump, but I love having goals.

Weights don't make you bulky unless you try really hard to be bulky. They just give you shape. Nice shapes. I have photos I took of my bum in a thong 12 years ago, and one I just took last week, and... Wow! My husband is a lucky, lucky man.

(No, I will not be sharing those.)

tameko2

That dog is so cute!

I think that picture of you at 19 should be the defacto post to scare the girls starving themselves skinny. super SCARY bony little hands and wrists (there is NO fat on your hand there) but if you'd been on MFP back then you'd have been saying "I just can't get rid of my belly and thigh flab, I need to eat less!"

20 lbs heavier and you not only look fabulous but your wrists don't look like they might snap if you tried to lift a grande latte.

LeanMeanFitnessMachine

Perfect example of why women should strength train :-) Congrats on your amazing progress!

Galletakek

Gorgeous mama!!!

shamr0ck

You look great!

Another testimonial. I use DEXA scans to track my body composition - one of the things i like about it is being able to see where specific gains and losses happen. Over a 4 month period, i put 12 ounces of muscle on to each of my arms - and in that time frame, i lost an inch off one bicep, and .75 off the other, because i also lost almost the same weight in fat off my arms. We know that muscle is more dense than fat (but it doesn't weigh more!)

And i lift heavy.

LorinaLynn

I think that picture of you at 19 should be the defacto post to scare the girls starving themselves skinny. super SCARY bony little hands and wrists (there is NO fat on your hand there) but if you'd been on MFP back then you'd have been saying "I just can't get rid of my belly and thigh flab, I need to eat less!"

Worse than that... At the time, I had a skinny boyfriend (no more than 130# himself) who'd poke me in the stomach and say, "You need to do something about that."

What's hilarious is that even with those noodle arms... I still beat him at arm wrestling. :devil:

At the time, I didn't think I could run, so I never tried. I'm loose-jointed, and my knees and ankles used to pop out of joint. So I foolishly thought, "Well, then... I shouldn't exercise because I might hurt myself." As a result, I was weaker than I should be and would hurt myself often. Now that I have stronger muscles holding my body together, those loose ligaments don't give me any problems whatsoever.

ninerbuff

Thanks! Beavis is... well, let's just say his name suits him all too well. *cough*Cornholio*cough*

I had some photos in another thread today that was yanked for bad behavior that I'd like to share here. It's the difference between being just plain lean (aka skinny) vs being lean with some muscles.

First off, me at 19 years old and about 110-115 pounds. And at least 5# of that seems to have been eyebrows. Yikes... why didn't anyone introduce me to a pair of tweezers?! Going by what I think my measurements were at the time (I used to sew a lot), my body fat percentage was an estimated 15%. I can't get over how bony my wrists look... my arms look like spaghetti noodles.



Now, twenty years later, at 39 years old and around 125-130#, depending on the day. I fluctuate like mad. Estimated body fat percentage of around 19%.



I weigh more. I have more body fat... but my stomach is flatter. I have abs. I never had abs before. People say that when your bf is low enough, abs will show, but I didn't have a strong core then. Even in my 20s and my weight dipped down to 103# (not pretty!) I had no visible muscle definition because I was literally skin and bones.

From age 19 to now, I wear about the same sized clothes. These are the same jeans. They're tighter now, because my waist and hips are about an inch bigger each. Plus, perhaps denim stored in a hot attic for 20 years shrinks. I don't know. But you can definitely see. No abs. Some abs. Even though my bf% is higher now. (Big eyebrows, tame eyebrows. Huge hair... still not ready to embrace the flat iron. Same pose!)



I'm like the stereotypical exercise infomercial... "I'm 39 years old and in the best shape of my life!" I love it. I love looking better. I really love feeling better. I love being able to carry in all the groceries in one trip. (Yes, I'm strong... but still lazy!) I love being able to rearrange the furniture without asking for assistance. I love being able to help sweet little old ladies at the pet store put Tidy Cat bags in their cart. And I love cardio... I love running. And since I started lifting, my 5k time has gone from 28 minutes in late Spring to 25 minutes in the Fall. I'm aiming for under 22 minutes in the Spring. A big jump, but I love having goals.

Weights don't make you bulky unless you try really hard to be bulky. They just give you shape. Nice shapes. I have photos I took of my bum in a thong 12 years ago, and one I just took last week, and... Wow! My husband is a lucky, lucky man.

(No, I will not be sharing those.)

Great comparison! Like you I'm heavier than I was at 19 (I was still a stick), but now when many of my HS friends see me on FB or get togethers, they are usually shocked at the transformation I made from a skinny kid to now. Age is really only a number when it comes to your physique.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Xtina_Beba

Love me some muscle! great progress

AudgePaudge

Absolutely beautiful That's how women need to look!

LorinaLynn

I realized today while carrying in a 35 pound tub of Tidy Cat that it equals the amount of weight I lost. Jeez... no wonder I was tired all the time. No wonder the dog dragged me on walks. Of course I'd move in slow motion if I had to carry a tub of Tidy Cat everywhere all the time!

I thought it would be funny to snap of picture of me "carrying" that extra weight. And it reminded me of someone who said she didn't want to lift weights because she didn't want to look like she was flexing when she picks up a glass of milk. I'm pretty happy with how my arm looks here, but unless it's a glass of mercury, not milk, I can't imagine anyone looking like they're flexing while hoisting a glass. I wouldn't recommend chugging a glass of mercury, either.



And that's one reason I do strength train... I don't want to need help cleaning the cat boxes. I wouldn't mind HAVING help, but I don't' want to need it.