Getting too big - I have to lay off the heavy weights

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

The advice your pt is giving you might not help you de-bulk. Mid-weight, high-rep is generally for bodybuilding/hypertrophy work. That's going to pump your muscles a bit and if your body image suggests bulk, then you aren't going to like that.

What will help is eating below TDEE and continuing your heavy lifting program. You might lose some strength, but you'll be happier with your results if you start eating at a deficit. It'll melt away the body fat.

Lifting for power and strength doesn't necessarily create bulk. But it will create strength, burn a good bit of calories, and help you reduce body fat if you cut back the calories.

DaniH826

Agree with everything said above about eating at a surplus and getting bigger because of that.

Start "cutting" (i.e. lifting at a surplus) and I bet the "too big" issue will resolve itself.

Also, please stop blaming lifting for something that's more than likely the result of your diet, not your lifting. This is why heavy lifting gets a bad rap in female circles and why more women don't do it. False conclusions and misplaced blame.

Exotl

As a female who also puts on muscle faster than the average woman, I would say circuit training is what has helped me balance burning calories with keeping toned in the past.

sandradev1

Agree with everything said above about eating at a surplus and getting bigger because of that.

Start "cutting" (i.e. lifting at a surplus) and I bet the "too big" issue will resolve itself.

Also, please stop blaming lifting for something that's more than likely the result of your diet, not your lifting. This is why heavy lifting gets a bad rap in female circles and why more women don't do it. False conclusions and misplaced blame.

^^^ This^^^^

TavistockToad

You do know that TDEE is supposed to be your maintenance number, correct? Anything more then that, and I'm not surprised that you are putting on muscle.

If you kept lifting heavy, but ate less then TDEE(like 15 to 20 percent less) you'd stop gaining muscle, still retain what you have, and lose the fat that's on top of muscle.

Also, yoga/pilates, while great for you, does NOT lengthen muscles to make you look leaner. Your muscles are at a set length, and cannot be lengthened or shortened.

This!

KaraAlste

I have no exersize right now besides housework. I really want to start off swimming. MMM and then ofcourse the hot tub sounds good too.:happy:

Kim55555

hmmmm, so maybe i'll be ok going back to lifting heavy once I go back to my 10% cut. I have been in deficit since April 2010 and needed a break so for the past 7 weeks i've been eating over tdee and unintentionally bulking lol.

stepheatscake

I wouldn't stop completely, just do more cardio. If you're body fat is low you'll look good no matter how much muscle you put on.

Kim55555

yeah i'll see. im currently 22% bf. I might try the lower weight higher reps for a while and see what kind of impact it has on me first. Ive decided i wont rule out heavy weights just yet.

jesz124

Pics or it didn't happen.

Kim55555

In regards to the comments that I need to eat at a defecit. Yes I know this. I've been resetting my metabolism. You can read about my story here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/919536-get-your-metabolic-rate-tested-my-metabolic-reset-story if your interested.

Anyhow once my weight has stabilised which I think it has just started to happen I'll start my cut again. I was in defecit for the past 2 3/4 years and needed a break from it.

Had some interesting results today when I had my reappraisal.

My arms increased by 1 cm, my chest by 2 cm's and good news is my waist decreased by 1 cm and my hips 1.5cm. I'm up just 1.3 kg

I forgot to mention before that my tops have been feeling tighter around the shoulders and chest area but i've noticed my clothes are looser in the waist area. There is a noticeable difference

I think i'll be fine once I start eating at defecit again. Until then I'm having a rest from the weights.

lol my poor instructor. She would die to swap places with me. She wants muscle so bad. She told me she would kill to look like me haha. There she is busting her *kitten* to put on the tiniest amount of muscle and here I am, all i have to do is pretty much look at the weights whilst i eat in surplus and I get bigger. (im exagerating here) Granted I know it wasn't all muscle weight i put on, some of the weight would have been fat, water and glycogen storage, puffiness etc but some of that scale weight was muscle mass. I have the genetics for it.

I just have to be patient now once my weight has stabilised for a few weeks I'll cut again and this time i'll be able to cut eating 2000 - 2300 gross calories wooohooo. My tdee I think seems to me like its approx 2500 gross calories. I'll give it a few more weeks just to make sure.

Kim55555

Keep lifting heavy. Reduce cals to 15% under TDEE. Do not go for the lighter weight more rep BS.

However, I have to ask if you understand TDEE? Your posts indicate that you may not.

Check this out. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/935378-a-lady-who-lifts-1-year-of-progress-pics

gday check out out my metabolic reset story, yep i know what tdee is. I have been experimenting for the past 7 weeks to learn just how much it is. I think it is actually higher than I thought. Before starting my reset I thought maybe it would be around 2300 but i think its actually closer to 2500 ! thanks for the link btw. I'm hoping to stabilise my weight at the 2500 mark. If that is true then i'll want to eat at 2500 for a while just to be 100% sure on this and then when I go to cut I'll know how low I need to go. I think i'm actually able to eat more at cut than I thought so.

twelfty

probably been said but i'd go for a lighter weight and higher reps 15 - 20, tone it up don't lose it!

3dogsrunning

probably been said but i'd go for a lighter weight and higher reps 15 - 20, tone it up don't lose it!

No!

I don't think has been said and it shouldn't be.

Kim55555

Pics or it didn't happen.

lol why would i make this stuff up!! haha!!. It might be hard to tell I've put muscle on though by looking at recent photos (if I were to put them side by side) seeing I've gained just the 1 cm on the arms and 2cm on my chest but I could try and post them side by side. I think its the shoulders that are most pronounced and have the most growth. Some of my tops sports singlets and button up tops are getting so tight now.

i dont like your tone of voice. Maybe your just jealous i dunno. Do you struggle to add muscle? Most women do but there are some women that find it a lot easier than others. Not many women but there are some, and no we dont all have to be taking steroids to make it happen or spend the whole day in the gym either, or have the same amount of testosterone as the men, we just need to be eating in surplus with good amounts of protein to be able to do it. hmmm i wonder how much testosterone i do have actually. If I had more than an average women then I would've thought I'd have manly features like facial hair and deep voice which i dont have. lol I wonder if i could get tested haha. Maybe I have slightly more than average for a women hmmm or maybe I just have the genetics for muscle growth. Interesting isnt it.

Lyadeia

I'm not liking the way i'm looking. Getting too big!! and yes females can put on muscle

I have been eating more than my TDEE as I have started maintenance.

There's the problem right there.

Why are you eating above maintenance if you are starting to maintain?

etoiles_argentees

unless pilates looks like this



there isn't going to be any 'lengthening' of muscles. this is anatomy 101, people.

can the OP provide pictures of getting too "muscular" from this heavy lifting? sounds like she's eating too much, so gaining too much fat i would believe. gaining too much muscle......can we see?

Pilates reformers sort of DO look like that.

AntWrig

I'm not liking the way i'm looking. Getting too big!! and yes females can put on muscle

Anyway just had a session with a pt, he recommends i take 2 - 3 weeks off from weights concentrate on cardio and then when i come back that I should do lower weights higher reps. I am really going to miss lifting heavy. I just get such a buz out of it and like to increase my strength. I dont even know what the point of doing a higher rep workout is if its not going to challenge me. Anyway i'll have to figure something out. All I know is I would actually like to lose a little muscle if possible. I dont want the bulky look that I have and that I am getting by lifting heavy. I want to lean out debulk.

I have been eating more than my TDEE as I have started maintenance. I think i'll have start cutting back a bit on my food and eat at tdee although atm i'm finding i'm wanting/needing more food. People are commenting that I am bigger, lol and when my new supervisor started work she made a comment that she thought I was a bodybuilder haha.

Any other women out there who are working at debulking? I'll have to start doing some research

You're full of glycogen.

Kim55555

probably been said but i'd go for a lighter weight and higher reps 15 - 20, tone it up don't lose it!

hi

One option I'm thinking of is doing a 12 rep range just 1 time a week whole body or if I really miss the heavy weights I could treat myself to just 1 full body session a fortnight or something i dunno. About a year ago an instructor told me she used to put on muscle too and she found that once a fortnight worked best for her. I guess lifting heavy once a fortnight is better than nothing hey. I was also told by the pt the other day that muscle needs to be worked at least no more than 10 - 14 days apart before you lose the conditioning.

So maybe one week i could do lighter endurance weight training with 12 reps and the following week go really heavy. That could work !