Will weight training make women bulky?

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  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,685 Member
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    I think you have to work reeeeallly hard (in the gym and with your diet) to look like any of these women. The first woman is bulky.
    Not bulky. Bulk is fat an muscle. She's obviously in the single digit fat percentage. She is OVERLY MUSCULAR.

    Personally... I don't aspire to look like any of these women. They all have much lower body fat than I find personally appealing. I would like to be fit/lean, but still have a little more 'cushion' over my muscles. I would consider my body ideal to be something like Jessica Biel. (which will never happen because I am a 40 year old woman covered with 40 year old skin! LOL)
    There are many 40 year females I've worked with that have "tight" skin. Usually of people's skin is wrinkly or bad, it's because of lack of moisturizing or too much sun exposure without sun block.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
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  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,685 Member
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    The only of the last three women I recognize is Jamie Eason. Here's some other photos from her FB page showing what those same muscles look like with slightly higher BF%.

    How they look when competing isn't how they look every day.

    168782_10150393934895574_327738720573_17248517_1924407_n.jpg

    230317_10150620977135574_327738720573_18957089_7616993_n.jpg
    THIS. Most cover shots of Fitness and Figure competitors show them right AFTER they've done a competition. In the off season, they have more body fat and a "softer" look.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
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    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,685 Member
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    Tae bo?
    I heard Billy Blanks likes pineapples.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Scott613
    Scott613 Posts: 2,317 Member
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    [/quote]
    Lady you're fighting a losing battle with this one!
    [/quote]
    NEVER SURRENDER! TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO DIE!

    klingon_body_builder.jpg
    [/quote]

    xena.jpg


    Yes indeed and this one brought a dangerous frisbee to the fight
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,685 Member
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    I strength train, but I don't lift heavy.
    Then you're not strength training. Light weights don't increase strength, it increases endurance.
    I rather cardio sculpt/ Cardio strength than regular strength training.
    Again then, it's not strength training. Strength training is challenging your muscle strength. 3 lbs weights don't do that. You're challenging your endurance which is not the same as strength training.
    So you should say you endurance train and not strength train. Or better yet, just say you lift weights. That way you wouldn't be wrong.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
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  • Jeff92se
    Jeff92se Posts: 3,369 Member
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    I could count on one hand the # of women here that are THAT dedicated to even get to these ladies' levels of ripped.

    95% of the women here could lift like crazy and wouldn't look like that. Even then, you'd have cut down like crazy to get that ripped look. Aspire to look like that and trust me, you'll love the results.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
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    I don't like the bulky look or even muscular arms.

    That's you. And you didn't even answer the O/P's question at all.

    Personally, I want to look like the bottom pictures the O/P posted...well, really I want to look like me with that kind of definition, lol. However, by doing weight training along with my weight loss program (calorie deficit and lots of cardio) I will NOT get that look. I WILL look that way after I finish cutting the fat, because I plan to eat at maintenance or slightly above it, reduce my cardio, and increase my weight training. I will bust my butt (literally) to get that lean, athletic look.

    But simply lifting weights while trying to cut fat won't make you look like that, unless you are a genetic hero of mine...
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
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    If you are a lady and haven't considered strength training then consider doing so. There are just too many advantages to it to leave it for another day. Don't let us boys hold all the chips ;)

    I strength train, but I don't lift heavy. I rather cardio sculpt/ Cardio strength than regular strength training.

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

    You don't honestly think that strengthening your heart (cardio "strength" training) and strengthening your body's musculature ("regular" strength training) are the same thing, do you?

    I used to do a s***load of cardio with "sculpting" classes 6 days a week. Those "sculpting" classes were like 3-5 pounds mini-Barbie weights lifted 23847572834652837456 times in an hour while hopping around in a cardio fashion. I became SKINNY FAT. I wore size 6 clothes, weighed 128 pounds, and I had 33% BODY FAT, high cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, pre-diabetes, and more. I put down the baby weights and started picking up heavy things and putting them back down. Skinny fat no more, no more medical issues, and excuse me for tooting my own horn, but I look da** good, too, lol.
  • AZackery
    AZackery Posts: 2,035 Member
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    ^^ used to think exactly like this, until I lost all my weight and still didn't like the excess fat on my body. Then I decided to focus on toning, that "perfect" body I wanted, I realized came from muscle and strength. I wish when I had started losing weight I had focused on muscle rather than cardio. I feel like I whither away when I do cardio, its good for my heart but other than that it feels like a waste.

    I love cardio. I focus on toning too.
    and FYI, don't assume the pictures you saw are what you will ever look like. Those girls work incredibly hard and lift very large amounts of weight. It\s usually their job and primary focus (the one's not on roids atleast). I can guarantee, you wont have a body with that much muscle definition.. so maybe its a good thing you're not even trying.

    My body is different from those women bodies. I always look at my body.
    I also used to think muscle was gross, again its a realization that most woman with the "ideal" bodies do weights. The ones who are twig skinny, are anorexic. Which ones more attractive to you?

    My body.
  • DRetel
    DRetel Posts: 136 Member
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    Wait, what??? You said you strength train, but then later you said you don't. Which is it?
    You lift 2lb weights and call it what?
  • AZackery
    AZackery Posts: 2,035 Member
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    Wait, what??? You said you strength train, but then later you said you don't. Which is it?
    You lift 2lb weights and call it what?

    Quote me saying that I don't strength train and then quote me saying I lift 2 pounds. I will wait for your answer, then I know what I will do next.
  • Rayman79
    Rayman79 Posts: 2,009 Member
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    The only of the last three women I recognize is Jamie Eason. Here's some other photos from her FB page showing what those same muscles look like with slightly higher BF%.

    How they look when competing isn't how they look every day.

    168782_10150393934895574_327738720573_17248517_1924407_n.jpg

    230317_10150620977135574_327738720573_18957089_7616993_n.jpg
    THIS. Most cover shots of Fitness and Figure competitors show them right AFTER they've done a competition. In the off season, they have more body fat and a "softer" look.

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

    OK, as much as I hate to be the guy who re-posts pics all the time, how hot is Jamie with a little bit of fat on her (ie when not in her leaning out cycle)?!?

    I had an epiphany too... AZackery is one of the best things about this forum! I honestly wait to hear her input on each topic cos I know it's going to be soooo much fun! :bigsmile:
  • Jeff92se
    Jeff92se Posts: 3,369 Member
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    AZackery. How about a picture of yourself? To correctly illustrate your body that you have?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,088 Member
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    Baby giraffes....run and hide.
  • AZackery
    AZackery Posts: 2,035 Member
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    AZackery. How about a picture of yourself? To correctly illustrate your body that you have?

    I don't have to prove myself to anyone.
  • rileamoyer
    rileamoyer Posts: 2,411 Member
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    Profile pic is my niece (all 5 ft of her). She works out daily and competes frequently (lots of trophys in her house). When she is not posing she looks normal, fit and fabulous!
  • Jeff92se
    Jeff92se Posts: 3,369 Member
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    AZackery. How about a picture of yourself? To correctly illustrate your body that you have?

    I don't have to prove myself to anyone.

    IMHO you do. As you reference yourself as the body type you admire.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
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    ^^ used to think exactly like this, until I lost all my weight and still didn't like the excess fat on my body. Then I decided to focus on toning, that "perfect" body I wanted, I realized came from muscle and strength. I wish when I had started losing weight I had focused on muscle rather than cardio. I feel like I whither away when I do cardio, its good for my heart but other than that it feels like a waste.

    I love cardio. I focus on toning too.

    "Toning" is accomplished by weight lifting, not cardio. Cardio makes your cardiovascular system more efficient with only a slight increase in muscular endurance and even less increase in total strength. "Toning" is where you increase the size, strength, and endurance of the muscles by overloading them with force...you know, lifting heavy weights.

    If toning was a focus, you would be picking up heavy weights and putting them back down. You admit to not doing that. You can't have it both ways.
  • DRetel
    DRetel Posts: 136 Member
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    Making friends in every thread you visit! :-)
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    I don't like kale. I'm not sure if I've ever had kale properly prepared, because I tried making it once about 20 years ago and didn't know what I was doing and it was kinda gross. Plus, I know Gwyneth Paltrow is always touting the benefits of kale and I'm not particularly fond of her body. So I'm not going to eat kale, and no one can make me.

    I'm also not going into threads about kale recipes saying how I don't like it. No one cares that I don't eat it. I'm not on a mission to disrupt every thread on the forum that's about kale.

    Can we please keep this thread alive? There's lots of good information in it for the people who WANT that kind of information.

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