For all women afraid of gaining muscles!

HealthyBodySickMind

Lifting weights or doing crossfit or any other sort of strength training does not cause women to bulk up. It is extraordinarily hard for adult women to put on muscle weight, since you need testosterone to do it. The women you see who look like the bulked up women look that way because they are getting assistance (steroids). If you're not using steroids, all strength training will do is help prevent muscle loss during weight loss (which everyone who is losing weight experiences some of), and increase definition. It won't make you look manly.

I'm not doing weight loss, as I'm already tiny (although no where near as skinny as the non-crossfitter skinny girl model pic) I'm hoping to do a lot more than "prevent muscle loss" when my best friend and I start Crossfit. I've had more muscle before and I already know I won't "bulk up." I tend to build rather lean and wiry. I'm already pretty strong: ask any of the folks in the mosh pit that see a scrawny girl and then find out she hits hard/can take the hits. I've backpacked miles with 1/2 my body weight as a pack weight and I can carry my 50 lb dog in my arms no problem, as well as pick up my 400lb motorcycle from its side. As others have said, I'm really just wanting to improve my core strength/balance/flexibility. I'm not really worried that it will make me look a certain way.

As for the person who mentioned body fat percentage: I am completely unable to figure that out. I've tried numerous online calculators, measured my waist at the narrowest and at my navel, measured my neck, hips, wrist, and forearm and have had outputs all over the board: 13%, 17%, 19%, 24%, 26% ?!? Seriously, that's quite a spread. Anyhow, I'm pretty sure mine's low, I'm not skinny-fat, I'm just plain skinny: here's to adding more muscle.

ninerbuff

I don't agree with that. Sorry. I am on a calorie deficit diet AND I am gaining muscle. Maybe you mean that you can't gain muscle on a starvation mode. That would make sense: if you aren't even covering your metabolic needs you will actually break down the muscle mass for energy. On an healthy lowcal diet, you CAN (and should - my opinion) build up muscle.

Practically impossible though. Several studies have been done on it by peer review. You need to be in calorie surplus. To build muscle, is to add weight. Along with that muscle you will also add fat. Just like when you lose weight, you lose a combination of fat and lean muscle.
The biggest misconception is that when people see definition, they mistakenly think it's muscle gain, while in truth it's fat loss revealing muscle.
You don't have to take my word for it. ASCM, The Journal for Sports Medicine, The Journal for Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism all will tell you the same.


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

laveyniyahr

I wouldn't mind looking like any of those girls in the picture but yea I'm afraid I might add more muscle to the bulges of muscle I have already. I'm praying my calf muscles won't look like a pro body-builders when I'm done. Hopefully!

Iamjulez

Yes, muscle does burn fat... which is why it's always a bonus to add exercise to a diet routine

I am SO not worried about looking muscular! I can't WAIT to have my old guns back...and my amazing butt and thighs! I love muscles... looking strong on the outside is just the icing on the cake of losing weight and getting a healthy body.

foster59803

Bring on the lady muscles... and I would love to look like one of the beautiful crossfit ladies posted!

EmeriaDewes

Bump

runningfromzombies

You realize that those ladies who compete at the high levels for the Crossfit games aren't your average woman trying to lose a few pounds and "tone up", right? It take years of dedication and nutritional perfection to get to that level of fitness and physique, not to mention genetics. That would be like telling me I shouldn't lift weights because I'll look like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Please don't confuse elite athletes and their elite results with the average Joe(anne).

^This.