New.. pearshaped and need help.

mfpcopine

I always used to fear lifting for fear of bulking...but for me it is worth a shot.

That's fine. If you get bigger than you'd like (you won't bulk up), you can always do something else, like walking, running, bodyweight exercises. You will not be as strong as if you did weight work, but if you don't have a specific need for that kind of strength you may not care.

My only point whenever I comment in response to questions like that of the OP is that you may get bigger in a way that you are not comfortable. It is a myth that women never get bigger. If your arms and shoulders get bigger, why wouldn't your butt, hips, and legs?

Anthonydaman

Welcome Amanda, nothing wrong with a toned pear shape at all

chickenmcv

I don't use "Barbie" weights, and I have a feeling I've been exercising and reading about exercise for far longer than you have. Whether to use heavy weights on your lower half depends on your goals. I said that in the response you quoted. It IS a complex subject and depends on the individual's genetic make up.

It should say something to you that women athletes and dancers who are concerned about the appearance of their legs do not use heavy weights or are very careful about how they are used. Do you think they are all stupid? They depend on their bodies for their livelihoods. I've also read interviews with trainers for movie stars who've talked about the same concern with their pear-shaped clients. What incentive do they have to make that up?

The people who advocate weight work for women are often as dogmatic as the people who used to claim that strength training would harm women. It's not a black and white subject and I would have thought that the discussion of weight training for women would be more sophisticated at this point. I was wrong.

Complete LOL at this post. You can't back up any of this hearsay.

Ladies, do your squats. Go heavy. You'll be fine.

Lolli1986

I always used to fear lifting for fear of bulking...but for me it is worth a shot.

That's fine. If you get bigger than you'd like (you won't bulk up), you can always do something else, like walking, running, bodyweight exercises. You will not be as strong as if you did weight work, but if you don't have a specific need for that kind of strength you may not care.

My only point whenever I comment in response to questions like that of the OP is that you may get bigger in a way that you are not comfortable. It is a myth that women never get bigger. If your arms and shoulders get bigger, why wouldn't your butt, hips, and legs?

i guess my point is that, for me at least, running still resulted in massive muscles, so there is no need for me to avoid lifting out of a fear of my muscles getting bigger. running and bodyweight exercises both make my muscles bigger, so i might as well lift as well!

i would argue that most pears are mainly fat-gathering pears, right? we gather fat on the butt, hips, thighs. for most pears, anything that trims that fat down will result in a more balanced shape.

i'm really, really a pear in terms of both fat-gathering and muscle-distribution. even when i'm 16%bodyfat i am still a major pear. for someone like me, it might make a bit of difference what exercise I do...mayyyybe if i stuck to only yoga, pilates, and walking i could keep my muscle mass super-lean, but what amount of difference are we talking about in terms of 'increased muscle size'? like a centimetre? the regular (non body-building) weight-lifting women around here all have nice lean legs...

the ones who are specifically trying to bulk their legs are getting bulk, but again, my bulky running legs beat most of them in terms of bulk.

i really think it's not all as stressful as it has been made out to be over the years.