I thought I was supposed to be getting SMALLER?!

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  • brittaney10811
    brittaney10811 Posts: 588 Member
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    the first mistake most women make, is "I don't want to lift, it'll make me bulky." ... no no no no NOOO!! Not going to happen. Ahhh so want to shake any woman who truly believes that... :explode:

    ~ok...end rant~

    bottom line.... you have to lift... consistantly.... for months and months and have a good diet and dedication to the gym to get muscle definition. If you don't have defintion, it could be because the muscle is laying under layers of fat due to poor diet. That or you haven't built up much. I've been lifting for almost 9 months now, and i've got muscles, but they're under some fat yet. I know i need to get my diet under control. and once i do, it'll lean out... not bulk up more.

    best wishes for you to continue on your journey, and congrats on the flatter stomach! if you want to get some toning, you have to do strength training. it won't change you overnight or in a month, but keep it up and you'll be glad you did! :smile:
  • mcginger1
    mcginger1 Posts: 128 Member
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    i hear ya!
    i was a swimmer for over 10 years & a butterflyer... so if i even get near weights i bulk up and none of my cute dresses fit across my back/shoulders. i work really hard at balancing cardio with lighter weights and i do a LOT of toning with those stretchy band/tube things. (sorry - dont know their name) - they're fantastic and a commercial break option!

    ^^^ This. Guys, you're not the only ones who bulk up when you do strength training. I just went to the doctor and as she was taking my blood pressure, she asked if I've been lifting weights. (I laughed. "No.") She said my arms are so big, and the muscles defined, she thought I was in the gym every day. This is my biggest fear of strength training, so if I do it, I use the lightest weights and a ton of reps.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    Calling people names doesn't sound very supportive...
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
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    ... Are you seriously misreading that much? People are pointing out to the people saying you're building muscle that they are wrong, and why they are wrong. You opened up a discussion--people are not necessarily directly addressing you. What a very warped reading of this thread.

    Lots of people, as seen in a few recent comments, also confuse "defined muscles" with "bigger muscles." You're losing the fat, and seeing what was there in the first place. That looks "different," and perception's a b; it might seem bigger, but not actually be bigger at all, or as has already been said... might just be bigger from water retention.

    OP, have you been taking measurements of your arms? What is the change?
  • rmcminn89
    rmcminn89 Posts: 37
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    you're right, its not. Probably shouldn't have said that-- I was just very scared to post this question to start off with, and now I feel more self conscious than I did when I started.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    Calling people names doesn't sound very supportive...

    No, it sure doesn't.
  • 1Fizzle
    1Fizzle Posts: 241 Member
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    Muscles weighs more than fat...and when you build muscle you start to speed up your metabolism.
    Keep it up I'm sure it will turn around.

    Uh-oh...she just went there.

    OP, you have lost 6 pounds in 2 weeks, that is great progress. I agree with firstsip....take measurements.
  • Lt_Starbuck
    Lt_Starbuck Posts: 576 Member
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    I had that arm-y stuff too. Then I added in OHP and Shoulder press, Bench and Inc. dumbbell bench and started working out my arms as a whole, along with shoulders, chest and back - filling out my triceps and getting them stronger got rid of about 75% of that problem. Also - my arms lost about 2 inches each within 3 months of beginning to lift heavy.
  • alednnz
    alednnz Posts: 26
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    I believe i'm going thru the same problem, before I came back to this website I managed to lose 15 lb thru diet and a some exercise, I wonder if there are any creams that may help sticking the skin back
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    Unless she's taking steroids or has abnormally high test levels, I doubt the "muscle" gain in her arms is actual muscle gain

    ^This. It simply doesn't make sense for her arms to get giant muscles. Muscle is denser then fat. A lb of muscle is slimmer then a lb of fat...to gain size in the muscle you would have to put on significantly more weight and that doesn't make sense because she's lost weight...and if you look up some studies you don't get giant growths on a calorie deficit...You have to be on a calorie surplus to gain any noticable muscle mass...and putting it on takes a significant amount of time.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    Take measurements, take pictures, notice that there is no significant difference after a few days, and that it means your human if it fluctuates be it you're lifting or you're not.

    As for things getting bigger and smaller despite being on a deficit, look up glycogen stores on google. Glycogen=good when you're exercising.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    you're right, its not. Probably shouldn't have said that-- I was just very scared to post this question to start off with, and now I feel more self conscious than I did when I started.

    Don't feel bad.

    You are doing great. Keep up the good work. As you lose more, your arms will lose as well.
  • AmandaRhys
    AmandaRhys Posts: 25
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    Just for the record...as I said, I had the same problem...but I didn't stop strength training. I kept it up and my arms got smaller/ more defined. Please don't listen to people saying to stop strength training...it's important. Both the cardio and the strength training are important. I'm glad you posted the question because it confused me when it started happening too. Just keep going as you are.
  • determined2lose89
    determined2lose89 Posts: 342 Member
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    This happened to me....my fat moved around.
  • Lt_Starbuck
    Lt_Starbuck Posts: 576 Member
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    Just for the record...as I said, I had the same problem...but I didn't stop strength training. I kept it up and my arms got smaller/ more defined. Please don't listen to people saying to stop strength training...it's important. Both the cardio and the strength training are important. I'm glad you posted the question because it confused me when it started happening too. Just keep going as you are.

    ^
  • MissAnjy
    MissAnjy Posts: 2,480 Member
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    It sounds to me that your muscles are just retaining water to repair themselves. You don't gain muscle mass that quickly or lifting that infrequently for such a short time.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    Keep losing weight. Less fat in your arms will make them smaller.
  • NutellaAddict
    NutellaAddict Posts: 1,258 Member
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    How can I get on the 4 day muscle building program? :tongue:
  • rockedbyhislove
    rockedbyhislove Posts: 1
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    Strength training is very important, especially to women. However, the type of training is different if your goal is to develop muscle or just define what you have. You want to develop leaner muscles.....so you would want to do lighter but more reps. If you're looking to build muscle (like most guys and some women), then you want heavier weights but less reps. Try less weight but more reps for a while. But definately keep up the great work!
  • penrbrown
    penrbrown Posts: 2,685 Member
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    Hehehehehehehe. Amuses me how angry people get.

    OP: You've been given a LOT of good advice in this thread and a lot of conflicting advice. No matter who you decide to listen to I wish you the best.

    But on my part I'm going to suggest you listen to the wise people who told you to stop obsessing about appearance for awhile. Just focus on getting stronger and worry about how you look when you've been at this for awhile (three months - four months).

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