How to avoid buff arms!?
Replies
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pic quoting- while annoying- isnt near as annoying as beating a dead horse that was never alive to begin with.0 -
I would recommend doing exercises that stretch as well as work the muscles, like yoga and pilates, in conjunction with body weight bearing exercises like pushups, pull ups, dips. People will argue with you all day about whether it is possible, but I agree with you that people are just built differently and some are more muscular than others.
I'm the same way -- more muscular by nature -- and I have to watch out for the buff arm syndrome. I've had people comment on how muscular my arms were, both negative and positive comments. Since changing my routine consistent with the above, I get those comments less and that makes me happy.
Oh, so you can change the length and shape of muscles now?
Seriously makes me wonder what some ppl think they see ??0 -
I have PCOS too...but not higher testosterone. Man...I wish!
I lift heavy and my arms only keep getting smaller...or nothing at all.
ps. Lady who OHPs 100lbs : You MY HERO!!
:blushing: just cause I can lift heavy stuff over my head? Nawwwww.... :drinker:0 -
Hmmmm, a nice layer of padding will hide any potential "buffness" -- whether of fat or clothing. Lots of leg-based cardio (e.g. running) usually keeps arm muscle mass from building.
Buff looks hot on anyone (male or female) and is not to be confused with emaciated or with "blown up with steroids".
As one with rather buff arms, I've only ever received compliments on them so it doesn't bother me.
If I stopped using my arms so much, they would be less toned. I mean that seriously -- I carry everything rather than use carts, etc, at the store (even the hardware store), at work, at home, while gardening... It's usually faster that way and easier to maneuver. and I'll be old soon enough and unable to carry things on my own, so might as well do it now.
Truly I would not stress about it at all. Enjoy your job and your strength!0 -
I wish i had defined arm muscles...0
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Best thing to do for not gaining muscle is doing a lower weight 60% (roughly) of your max and more reps 15 - 20ish. This will help you lean up with out bulking up.
False. Diet determines whether you gain lean body mass or not. 6 reps and 15 reps will cut fat the same, but 6-10 reps will build more strength. Here is what happens when you eat 3000-4000 calories and heavy weight train.
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
In fact, this is false for men too.0 -
Best thing to do for not gaining muscle is doing a lower weight 60% (roughly) of your max and more reps 15 - 20ish. This will help you lean up with out bulking up.
False. Diet determines whether you gain lean body mass or not. 6 reps and 15 reps will cut fat the same, but 6-10 reps will build more strength. Here is what happens when you eat 3000-4000 calories and heavy weight train.
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
In fact, this is false for men too.
It's all a bit moot for the OP though, because she said that she's lifting and carrying boxes for work, so I doubt she can say "I've lifted my 8 reps, I can't lift any more boxes today"
Or "This box is more than my 60% 1RPM, I can't carry it."0 -
Pics or it didn't happen.0
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If you want to avoid buff arms don't:
be a man
inject steroids
walk around pumped and flexing (my profile picture is literally RIGHT after my workout. My muscles aren't so defined when I wear a sundress)
lift heavily 3 times per week on a hypertrophy program for a period of time measured in years
live in an alternate universe in which anyone--male or female- "accidentally" builds big muscles.
Folks need to understand when they start these threads there is a small undercurrent of insult towards those of us who are TRYING to build muscles and who work very very very very very hard for the muscles we build. There's the eww yuck factor (which you have been gracious in attempting to say, "this isn't for me, do what you want," and I do appreciate those efforts) but also the dismissing of all the hard work that it takes to build that level of fitness and muscle mass.
It literally does NOT happen by accident.
This is pretty much it.0 -
I wish I could get my arms to buff up as easily as some women think they will...0
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what kind of workouts do you do?
You could always transition to deadlifts, squats, etc..unless you are already doing these. you could always lower the weight and go for more reps...or keep the same weight and do less reps...0 -
I wish I could get my arms to buff up as easily as some women think they will...
start doing chin ups and pullups..when you get good at them..start doing weighted ones...
nothing sexier than a woman jamming out pulls/chins...0 -
I wish I could get my arms to buff up as easily as some women think they will...
You and me both.0 -
One: ....oh great, another one of YOU out there
Two: .....no one notices a drop of my muscle, I have to wait for the perfect light and angle to "look this buff'. I lift, I lift hard....and I look nothing but skinny, unless I am in the gym physically moving *kitten* or I am super tan and flex in the right light.0 -
Buff arms rock!0
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I have to say, id rather have muscular arms ov fat arms.. Id rather be strong than weak... Are you opposed to looking musclur for some reason? I'm working hard, curling 25-30 pound dumbbells, doing drag curls, concerntration curls, zottman curls, just to build my arms...well, build muscle, period.. MUSCLE IS BEAUTIFUL!0
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i dont know if anyone has said this and i dont feel like reading all of this but:
if youre lifting weights, avoid buff arms by doing light weight and doing high reps (15-18) per set!0 -
If you get super buff arms just from work I'm quitting my job and coming to work with you. I haven't managed it in the gym yet. Actually I get comments now about how skinny my arms look when I'm not flexing. Everyone says my arms have lots inches.0
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i dont know if anyone has said this and i dont feel like reading all of this but:
if youre lifting weights, avoid buff arms by doing light weight and doing high reps (15-18) per set!
See a couple of post above.0 -
Normally, when a woman refers to 'buff' ore 'muscular' is really means 2 things:
1) there is a higher fat coverage which gives the impression of 'bulk'
2) there is a lower fat coverage which gives the very defined lean 'ripped' look
The trick, like Goldilocks wanted, is to to get it just right!0 -
for the sake of not repeating what's already been said, i would suggest the OP avoid isolation exercises and do more compound lifts.
i know in the past *for me* when i've done a mix of medium weights AND isolation movements like bicep curls, skull crushers, tricep push downs, etc my arms were really really cut. later i moved to more compound lifts and olympic lifts and looked less "buff" but was a lot stronger.
the other thing was that i also had a little bit higher percentage of body fat on me once i started doing the O lifts.
by the way i'm taking buff to mean super cut arms, not necessarily huge arms0 -
Folks need to understand when they start these threads there is a small undercurrent of insult towards those of us who are TRYING to build muscles and who work very very very very very hard for the muscles we build. There's the eww yuck factor (which you have been gracious in attempting to say, "this isn't for me, do what you want," and I do appreciate those efforts) but also the dismissing of all the hard work that it takes to build that level of fitness and muscle mass.
sorry, but why is it an insult to you that they dont want what you want?
not everyone wants the same body type? i dont get why it has to be taken as an insult?
if we used to the criteria that posts shouldnt be created because they might insult someone who wants what you have but dont want, then there would be very few posts :laugh:0 -
Folks need to understand when they start these threads there is a small undercurrent of insult towards those of us who are TRYING to build muscles and who work very very very very very hard for the muscles we build. There's the eww yuck factor (which you have been gracious in attempting to say, "this isn't for me, do what you want," and I do appreciate those efforts) but also the dismissing of all the hard work that it takes to build that level of fitness and muscle mass.
sorry, but why is it an insult to you that they dont want what you want?
not everyone wants the same body type? i dont get why it has to be taken as an insult?
if we used to the criteria that posts shouldnt be created because they might insult someone who wants what you have but dont want, then there would be very few posts :laugh:
Who said posts shouldn't happen? Not me. Good lord woman. Anyone who's read threads like this knows that it can get testy when the I don't want to get bulky types get told by people who know that it ain't gonna happen. I was attempting to head that defensively stuff off at the pass. You may not be bothered by the "www gross bulky " threads but among my friends who lift, I find most women seeking muscles find these threads aggravating irritating and that they quickly descend into ignorant body hate. You didn't seem to notice but I said it was an undercurrent (as in not direct or overt, mild instead) and I gave credit to the OP for attempting to clarify that it's cool just not for her which is cool. But that wasn't gonna stop the ewes gross chorus from coming in here and enlightening us that their husbands don't want to cuddle with something hard.
As to your other post, I don't know why you're giving advice about sets and reps when she's not weight training. OP is worried that nonexercise activity will get her muscles swole.0 -
Let me provide the below quote as your recommendation isn't true.. You either work your fast twitch muscle fibers (low rep to provide explusive power) or your slow twitch muscle fibers (high rep for endurance). I am a 5'11, 195 lb, 12% body fat guy and I have yet to gain a single pound of lean body mass and I lift heavy and in the 6-10 rep area. The reason... I am on a calorie deficit. Now from the past, i have a lot more lean body mass than the average person my size (i was a soccer and ice hockey player for years) but I also was consuming 5000+ calories a day.i dont know if anyone has said this and i dont feel like reading all of this but:
if youre lifting weights, avoid buff arms by doing light weight and doing high reps (15-18) per set!Best thing to do for not gaining muscle is doing a lower weight 60% (roughly) of your max and more reps 15 - 20ish. This will help you lean up with out bulking up.
False. Diet determines whether you gain lean body mass or not. 6 reps and 15 reps will cut fat the same, but 6-10 reps will build more strength. Here is what happens when you eat 3000-4000 calories and heavy weight train.
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
In fact, this is false for men too.0 -
Ahhh I am thankful for this post because I feared the same thing. From reading everyone's responses I can see I have nothing to worry about.0
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If you're a woman don't even worry about it it's hard enough for guys to get buff arms women don't have nearly enough testosterone to be able to gain a lot of muscle0
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If you want to avoid buff arms don't:
be a man
inject steroids
walk around pumped and flexing (my profile picture is literally RIGHT after my workout. My muscles aren't so defined when I wear a sundress)
lift heavily 3 times per week on a hypertrophy program for a period of time measured in years
live in an alternate universe in which anyone--male or female- "accidentally" builds big muscles.
Folks need to understand when they start these threads there is a small undercurrent of insult towards those of us who are TRYING to build muscles and who work very very very very very hard for the muscles we build. There's the eww yuck factor (which you have been gracious in attempting to say, "this isn't for me, do what you want," and I do appreciate those efforts) but also the dismissing of all the hard work that it takes to build that level of fitness and muscle mass.
It literally does NOT happen by accident.
I wish it would happen by accident. I've been lifting heavy for several months, and there's definitely more muscular definition (which is something I want) but it certainly happened after months of hard work on my part.0 -
From another point of view... my husband has been working in warehouses for the past 8 years or so, which includes lots of heavy lifting. And while he's certainly strong and has nice muscles when he flexes, even as a man with normal male testosterone levels, not eating in a calorie deficit, working 40+ hours a week, it hasn't made him buff.0
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