"Bulky" vs "Muscular". The real definition.

foster59803

Honest question, do the women here think she's bulky? Olympic tier female weightlifter in the 75kg weight class.

For me, I wouldn't say she was bulky... but i do think she would look muscular or for lack of a better word "toned" if she lost a few % body fat. The OP's example of the other olympic female competitor...she did look bulky to me.

ninerbuff

More muscular in "competition" and "bulkier" in the offseason. TIANNA TA is one of my favs.




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

AlyRoseNYC

I want to be whatever Jamie Eason is

crisanderson27

More muscular in "competition" and "bulkier" in the offseason. TIANNA TA is one of my favs.

Perfect example! Same physique...just a little more bodyfat in the off season.

yvonnej1

Great thread, making a much needed point. I am ummm permanently in the "off season" :happy:

psuLemon

good post

crisanderson27

Great thread, making a much needed point. I am ummm permanently in the "off season" :happy:

As if that is a bad thing!!

chuisle

*like* Especially's Rae's breakdown.

hiker282

If you like bulky gymnasts, you're about to be in paradise!

mfpcopine

Many women aren't concerned about bulking up; rather, they're worried about getting bigger in certain areas of their bodies. Not every woman who works out is going to look like the fitness model illustrating the "muscular"look, just as not every man who works out will develop the physique of a body builder. Genetics and other factors play a role.

mousepaws22

I think Zoe Smith looks great! Would a body fat of around 20% show a woman's muscles or have a more softer look?

WifeNMama

So how do I become "muscular and defined" for a woman who has a lot of muscle but also fat, eats at a calorie deficit, and wants to start weight lifting for better definition and strength?

I always liked the thin "toned" look thinking that was supposed to be the ideal for a woman but now like the "muscular defined look BETTER! I will never be thin so why try!!! I think all the women in the pictures are beautiful....

What you need to do is lose fat while maintaining this muscle you already have. This is done by dieting at a moderate calorie deficit (which means loss will be slower but this is good). Eating adequate protein while dieting (1 gram per pound of lean body mass). And, lasting, by strength training with "heavy" (for you) weights.

Ok so I'm set at a 0.7 lb/ week deficit, strength training 3 days a week, 3 sets of 8 reps as much as I can take with each so I am shaking and pausing (trying not to!) between reps. Cardio on alternate days. Not sure of my BF% but I'm trying to lose about 25 lb. more.
I'm trying to build muscle but lose weight, get more definition. Lots of reading from different sources suggests it can be done, just really tricky.
Do I have a shot at it? This is so much more than "burn more than you eat".

piebird79

Great post, thanks!

TrophyWifeSass

My favorite thread from today. Thank you

sandiki

I don't care how I appear.. As long as what I see and feel from my efforts are rewarding to me.. bulky .. muscular.. Long as I'm feeling fit and fab.

superstarcassie

Currently "bulky" but much happier than when I was obese! Getting strong, just working towards lowering body fat at this point!

suziecue66

More muscular in "competition" and "bulkier" in the offseason. TIANNA TA is one of my favs.

Perfect example! Same physique...just a little more bodyfat in the off season.

Yeh, that's a great example. Thanks.

suziecue66

So how do I become "muscular and defined" for a woman who has a lot of muscle but also fat, eats at a calorie deficit, and wants to start weight lifting for better definition and strength?

I always liked the thin "toned" look thinking that was supposed to be the ideal for a woman but now like the "muscular defined look BETTER! I will never be thin so why try!!! I think all the women in the pictures are beautiful....

What you need to do is lose fat while maintaining this muscle you already have. This is done by dieting at a moderate calorie deficit (which means loss will be slower but this is good). Eating adequate protein while dieting (1 gram per pound of lean body mass). And, lasting, by strength training with "heavy" (for you) weights.

Could you have really muscular legs with a lot of fat on them, start training as a beginner, have a moderate calorie deficit and gain some more muscle on legs and lose some fat at the same time? Your legs become more muscular than you would like?

meshashesha2012

So how do I become "muscular and defined" for a woman who has a lot of muscle but also fat, eats at a calorie deficit, and wants to start weight lifting for better definition and strength?

I always liked the thin "toned" look thinking that was supposed to be the ideal for a woman but now like the "muscular defined look BETTER! I will never be thin so why try!!! I think all the women in the pictures are beautiful....

What you need to do is lose fat while maintaining this muscle you already have. This is done by dieting at a moderate calorie deficit (which means loss will be slower but this is good). Eating adequate protein while dieting (1 gram per pound of lean body mass). And, lasting, by strength training with "heavy" (for you) weights.

Could you have really muscular legs with a lot of fat on them, start training as a beginner, have a moderate calorie deficit and gain some more muscle on legs and lose some fat at the same time? Your legs become more muscular than you would like?

if you're eating at a deficit then the odds of you gaining muscle are very very very low. you would more than likely end up gaining strength and keeping the muscle you had when you began

jadedone

Great thread, making a much needed point. I am ummm permanently in the "off season" :happy:

The off-season is my goal.

Rae6503

So how do I become "muscular and defined" for a woman who has a lot of muscle but also fat, eats at a calorie deficit, and wants to start weight lifting for better definition and strength?

I always liked the thin "toned" look thinking that was supposed to be the ideal for a woman but now like the "muscular defined look BETTER! I will never be thin so why try!!! I think all the women in the pictures are beautiful....

What you need to do is lose fat while maintaining this muscle you already have. This is done by dieting at a moderate calorie deficit (which means loss will be slower but this is good). Eating adequate protein while dieting (1 gram per pound of lean body mass). And, lasting, by strength training with "heavy" (for you) weights.

Could you have really muscular legs with a lot of fat on them, start training as a beginner, have a moderate calorie deficit and gain some more muscle on legs and lose some fat at the same time? Your legs become more muscular than you would like?

People very new to lifting can gain some muscle while on a calorie deficit. But it's not much. When eating at a surplus a woman can only hope for gaining a pound a month (and that's over her entire body not just her legs). So "newbie" gains would not be more than that and would probably be less. Maybe a half pound a month, that doesn't convert to very many inches gained.

I have muscular legs with fat on them, pretty much have since I was 11. Did before I started weight lifting again. When I started lifting again I decided I wanted to go all in and I actually ate at a surplus instead of a deficit. I only gained an inch on my upper thighs and my quads (lower, a few inches above the knees) actually got smaller. So I'm not sure what happened my leg muscle probably stayed about the same size, and some leg fat came off on the lower section and some gained on the upper section. There are some before and after pictures in my profile (Sept to Feb).

But for me there's no "more muscular than I would like". I like muscular legs. My legs are genetically "bulky" as well. I've grown okay with this. It's where my body stores it's fat and that's just who I am. I'd rather have muscular legs with some fat over them than just fat legs or skinny legs. Eventually I want muscular legs with "less fat" than they have now...

Fredrikanita

bump

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

So to sum up:

Bulky = muscular with high body fat, 27%+

Muscular = muscles with moderate body fat. 20% to 26%

Muscular and defined = muscles and lower body fat 12% to 19%

That's true. So many women think they "bulk up" when lifting heavy which isn't true. The only reason for this is for most of the time they're building muscle under their thick layers of fat which is why their getting bigger but it won't happen if they were to have a low to normal body fat percentage. I'm an intermediate heavy lifter & right now my body fat falls between 19-20% which explains why my body look "toned" for the general population but still not that defined because I still have a few fat to shed. So ladies to look "muscular" requires a very low body fat which is very difficult to achieve & you need to have very strict diet for that.

ninerbuff

Could you have really muscular legs with a lot of fat on them, start training as a beginner, have a moderate calorie deficit and gain some more muscle on legs and lose some fat at the same time? Your legs become more muscular than you would like?

Depends on your disposition. If your legs are already "muscular" you probably aren't new to lifting. If you're a former athlete returning after a long layoff..........possible. If you're obese/very overweight...........possible. But even if your disposition were those 2, the gain of muscle would be minimal at best.

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

nz_deevaa

I thought I had muscular thighs -- until I started losing weight off them, now they look like regular thighs. LOL.

suziecue66

So how do I become "muscular and defined" for a woman who has a lot of muscle but also fat, eats at a calorie deficit, and wants to start weight lifting for better definition and strength?

I always liked the thin "toned" look thinking that was supposed to be the ideal for a woman but now like the "muscular defined look BETTER! I will never be thin so why try!!! I think all the women in the pictures are beautiful....

What you need to do is lose fat while maintaining this muscle you already have. This is done by dieting at a moderate calorie deficit (which means loss will be slower but this is good). Eating adequate protein while dieting (1 gram per pound of lean body mass). And, lasting, by strength training with "heavy" (for you) weights.

Could you have really muscular legs with a lot of fat on them, start training as a beginner, have a moderate calorie deficit and gain some more muscle on legs and lose some fat at the same time? Your legs become more muscular than you would like?

People very new to lifting can gain some muscle while on a calorie deficit. But it's not much. When eating at a surplus a woman can only hope for gaining a pound a month (and that's over her entire body not just her legs). So "newbie" gains would not be more than that and would probably be less. Maybe a half pound a month, that doesn't convert to very many inches gained.

I have muscular legs with fat on them, pretty much have since I was 11. Did before I started weight lifting again. When I started lifting again I decided I wanted to go all in and I actually ate at a surplus instead of a deficit. I only gained an inch on my upper thighs and my quads (lower, a few inches above the knees) actually got smaller. So I'm not sure what happened my leg muscle probably stayed about the same size, and some leg fat came off on the lower section and some gained on the upper section. There are some before and after pictures in my profile (Sept to Feb).

But for me there's no "more muscular than I would like". I like muscular legs. My legs are genetically "bulky" as well. I've grown okay with this. It's where my body stores it's fat and that's just who I am. I'd rather have muscular legs with some fat over them than just fat legs or skinny legs. Eventually I want muscular legs with "less fat" than they have now...

Thanks for that.

MikeyD1280

I just wanted to add that just because you have low body fat % does not mean you will look more defined or muscular as you can clearly see here.

I really do not like skinny bashing but this picture just makes me sad

and she probably thinks she is not think enough..

JustJennie1

More muscular in "competition" and "bulkier" in the offseason. TIANNA TA is one of my favs.

Perfect example! Same physique...just a little more bodyfat in the off season.

Yeh, that's a great example. Thanks.

Gorgeous body in both pics. Definitely someone I would love to model myself after.

AmyM713

So to sum up:

Bulky = muscular with high body fat, 27%+

Muscular = muscles with moderate body fat. 20% to 26%

Muscular and defined = muscles and lower body fat 12% to 19%

I am aiming for the muscular and defined, that is my dream look.

IpuffyheartHeelsinthegym

this!