Thin and lean or muscular and strong--which is better?

Rae6503

I like muscles and would be sad if I lost any.

But "Other people's opinion of you is none of your business". Do what you want. Not what we want.

christiandm2012

I do more cardio in the summer and concentrate on getting strong during the winter when I can consume more calories and good fats to help build the muscle. As a man I want to be lean but muscular.

RaeannePemberton

It's true. running is NOT going to get you the same results as lifting heavy.

look at a sprinter vs. a distance runner. totally built differently. totally different machines.

lifting is going to build you more like a sprinter, fast-twitch type muscles.... distance running works slow twitch and when you get up in mileage you will not be building muscle but can actually break down muscle fibers depending on how you fuel your runs.

i have done the gamut myself. recently i have started doing crossfit which is a nice mix. look up elisabeth akinwale, or annie thorsidottir.... those are my "go to" body types. that's the body i'm after.

crossfit isn't for everyone... but i do like their motto "outlift a lifter and out run a runner" ;->

ctooch99

Well, speaking as a guy, I like women with a little bit of "meat" on them. I think fitness is the sum of many variables - cholesterol, blood numbers, body fat percentage, activity level, cardio health etc. - not just appearance.

I do believe that women can be ultra fit and strong while still retaining some of their curves and femininity. I think when someone gets so lean that you can see their muscle striations and veins, it's impressive but not necessarily attractive (at least not to me anyway).

I think the female body has beautiful natural curves and lines and I think retaining some of that smoothness is highly attractive.

Don't flame me ultra fit ladies!!! Just my opinion...

yoovie

Here's my take on it.

Thin and lean can be graceful and classic - but lends itself more to a damsel in distress than a woman who can take care of herself. most people hear thin and lean and think ballerina, but dancers are some of the strongest women out there. Take a good look at their bodies when they arent covered in makeup and costumes on stage, they have real, strong, beautiful muscles everywhere.

Getting strong and building up a bit of muscle will make you feel less like you need protection from everything, stronger in your own skin when you strut down the sidewalk, more confident in who you are when you walk proudly into a room, or when you can dance low low low at the club You feel like you can handle more, because you are constantly putting more on your shoulders and proving to yourself that you can handle it, over and over and over.

The confidence and glow that comes with being strong and having beautiful girl muscles and being able to take care of myself in any situation (to me) far outweighs that of being a classically weaker sex, as soft and beautiful as they may be, inspiring others to protect them as though they were a baby bird.

Im no baby bird.

Im a bird of prey.

missym357

I understand your crossroads and have had to evaluate my goals at a similar point. The conclusion that I have come to is to do the things that I love and let the chips fall where they may. I love dance- it makes me happy and so that is what I focus on. I do lift weights, but it is not my focus, it is simply to hold on to any muscle that I can, so that I can be strong and have definition. So yes, it is a mix of all of the above. I do not have much desire to put a lot of effort into building up my muscles though- especially right now, during the summer because I don't have a lot of time. So I focus on what I love and don't worry about the rest.

If you love running, then go for it! Lifting a few times a week would help preserve some muscle which can't be a bad thing and you can have the best of both worlds.

LindaCWy

Honestly OP, I have nothing to say except for this; you....look....amazing. Truly, you do, and however you achieved the body you currently have you should be proud, I for one am extremely envious.

ninerbuff

I run, my body is starting to burn fat for energy for it. I'd consider myself lean. I'm 5'3" 109# and about 14% body fat.

14% is the body fat of an ELITE female athlete. Honestly I look at your physique and guess you around 21% body fat. Females usually have 6 packs at 16%-18% body fat. So whatever method you're using, it's probably not accurate.

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

LeenaRuns

I with you Carrie! I'm trying to get definition in my arms and legs while training for my half.

LindaCWy

I run, my body is starting to burn fat for energy for it. I'd consider myself lean. I'm 5'3" 109# and about 14% body fat.

14% is the body fat of an ELITE female athlete. Honestly I look at your physique and guess you around 21% body fat. Females usually have 6 packs at 16%-18% body fat. So whatever method you're using, it's probably not accurate.

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

Instead of "guessing" by eyeballing you could just read her profile to see she checks in at 15%. Can you really eyeball BF%?

JenaePavlak

I agree that long distance running and heavy strength training (to gain muscle mass) are at odds at each other... Do some reading on what your body goes through for long distance running.. how it will use muscle for energy. Now running long distance once in awhile will be good for endurance, but heavy training with many long runs will "eat" at your muscles a bit.. Take a look at sprinters vs long distance runners...

I used long distance running for my first year of weight loss and when I got closer to my goal, I started more HIIT and run on avg no more than 3.5mi at 7min/mi paces.. I'd much rather look like an overall fit athlete (just my preference).. I'm mostly focusing on my lifting and only run 4-5 times a week for 20-25 min (with a couple HIIT sessions)..

Muscular does not necessarily mean your "big".. I see all my muscles but no one has ever called me big.. I sure as hell don't feel big. I say, it goes with how you feel, but you won't know til you try...


"Lift Heavy! Run Hard!" =D
www.facebook.com/jenaesmithfitness

qtiekiki

Lean, muscular and strong would be my choice.

You should do what makes you happy.

sundaywishes

Here's my take on it.

Thin and lean can be graceful and classic - but lends itself more to a damsel in distress than a woman who can take care of herself. most people hear thin and lean and think ballerina, but dancers are some of the strongest women out there. Take a good look at their bodies when they arent covered in makeup and costumes on stage, they have real, strong, beautiful muscles everywhere.

Getting strong and building up a bit of muscle will make you feel less like you need protection from everything, stronger in your own skin when you strut down the sidewalk, more confident in who you are when you walk proudly into a room, or when you can dance low low low at the club You feel like you can handle more, because you are constantly putting more on your shoulders and proving to yourself that you can handle it, over and over and over.

The confidence and glow that comes with being strong and having beautiful girl muscles and being able to take care of myself in any situation (to me) far outweighs that of being a classically weaker sex, as soft and beautiful as they may be, inspiring others to protect them as though they were a baby bird.

Im no baby bird.

Im a bird of prey.

^^ This. But at the same time, if you feel like you look better and like your body better when you're a bit thinner rather than muscualr, do what makes you happy.

hesn92

Both lol... I want to be thin but also strong...

yoovie

Personally, I want to be lean and toned-- but NOT too "muscular" because I don't like how that looks. JMO.

what do yall mean when you say toned

Carrie3B

Thanks everyone for your tips/suggestions! And I love the "Lift Heavy, Run hard!" motto! I in no way expect to be some elite long distance runner--I will be running a Half Marathon in the Fall but that's probably as far as I can go--LOL! So I will try for both lean and strong although being short, my legs are bulking up and definitely don't look like those "runner legs" that I envy! :-)

Oh--and that's not me at 14% body fat (it was someone else that posted that). The last I had mine taken, it said 17% on the inbody machine at the gym but I still question the accuracy of that.

I lifted today and it felt great! SORE, but great! So I guess I'll just keep on keepin' on! :-)

JNick77

Hi--I'm kind at a crossroads with my fitness and although I know it's a "personal preference", I was wondering your opinion. A little background--I started back to the gym last Dec and started going to bootcamp several times a week as well as other cardio/strength training classes. I also took up running and started increasing my miles (usually ran around 7-10 miles, 3 times a week). I decided to give up bootcamp and focus on the running for a few months. My weight got down but I felt like I had lost a lot of the muscle that I had built. Recently, I started weight training (heavier--or at least heavy for me) with a personal trainer and I love it. I can see more definition and I'm getting stronger.

My question/problem--I feel like the long distance running and weight training are kind of at odds with each other. Running tends to make me lean but no real muscle and weight lifting makes me strong but BIGGER. Note that I am only 5'2 and have always been petite--I don't love the idea of my legs and butt getting bigger. And believe me, they HAVE! I tried on some jeans that have always fit (even when I weighed 10 pounds more) and my legs were squeezed in them. I know it's muscle but I have always liked the leaner/thinner look.

Which do you think is better--lean or strong???

Thanks!! :-)

I would prefer lean and strong. Muscular definition or even size isn't always an indication that one has good strength. But somebody that is lean and strong will likely have a nice body. Lean implies low body fat and strength indicates physical fitness, strong/firm muscles.

Lift heavy at first but then you'll have to mix it up after a while. SL 5x5 isn't a bad start but it's definitely a short-term program. Marathon running isn't always great for helping to maintain muscle, you'll benefit more from 30-60 min light jogs or short sprinting intervals.

waldo56

I run, my body is starting to burn fat for energy for it. I'd consider myself lean. I'm 5'3" 109# and about 14% body fat.

14% is the body fat of an ELITE female athlete. Honestly I look at your physique and guess you around 21% body fat. Females usually have 6 packs at 16%-18% body fat. So whatever method you're using, it's probably not accurate.

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

Instead of "guessing" by eyeballing you could just read her profile to see she checks in at 15%. Can you really eyeball BF%?

Yes. Actually at lower BF%'s it is one of the most accurate methods, since definition is a function of BF%.

mlb929

I actually just read a book on running and weight training. Basically, I decided to change up the way I was doing things. I was lifting heavy with fewer reps, this book explained as a runner, it's better for runners to constantly fatigue the muscles, so when doing a marathon, it's better to keep lower weights and higher reps to keep the muscle endurance up. I've switched over to A LOT of reps with lighter weights, and I actually look better. My muscle definition is way better than it was and my strength is still quality. I'm presently 120 lbs, 5'4" and 17% body fat.

PANZERIA

My personal prefernece is muscular and strong...and here's why.

It's not about fitting into clothes. Even now with a 30% BMI, I'm still able to find clothes that fit and are flattering.

Here's a story: (hopefully you read all of these)

I recently moved to a small northern town where my hubby is stationed as one of the cops. I, obviously, hear some of the goings-on of the town, being a cop wife and all. One of the things here is that almost every single woman is sexually assaulted/raped before they are 20 years old. It's a sad reality.

The reason I want to be fit and strong is simply this - there is NO WAY that anyone, man or woman, is EVER going to physically take away my pride and dignity as a human being.

Now, as for my personal beliefs, I think that every woman should strive to be strong enough to physically defend herself. If you can't reach that pepper spray in your purse, or your concealed knife in your boot, you NEED to be able to fight a 6'4" 250lb drunk guy. This is coming from a cop's wife (and pretty soon, a cop too =D), so obviously I see society in a different way than most people, but in a society that places blame on the victims of rape and sexual assault, a woman cannot be too careful.

:drinker: Hope this helps! Cheers to your journey! :flowerforyou: