HALP! Heavy Lifting Made Me SUPAH Bulky!!!

HealthyBodySickMind

Wow all of you ladies are inspiring,now for some one like myself who is about 65 lbs over weight,would it be best if I waited untill I was say 30 lbs over weight and then started to lift heavy?

No reason to wait.

CallMeCupcakeDammit

This thread is full of so much awesome! I don't have pics, but I'm almost done with NROLFW (at the end of stage 6), then I'll figure out which program to use next, until I can afford to join a gym. My bulk is my fat. Last night I picked up my 113 lb daughter, just to see if I could, with no problem. I was pretty excited! Thanks for starting this thread, Lea! I hope some of my new friends will see this.

Sarauk2sf

Wow all of you ladies are inspiring,now for some one like myself who is about 65 lbs over weight,would it be best if I waited untill I was say 30 lbs over weight and then started to lift heavy?

No reason to wait.

^^agreed. Start now

LittleMiss_WillLoseIt

Wow all of you ladies are inspiring,now for some one like myself who is about 65 lbs over weight,would it be best if I waited untill I was say 30 lbs over weight and then started to lift heavy?

No reason to wait.

I still have about 50 lbs to lose and have been lifting since October. Yes the scale has slowed down a bit, but my measurements have still been decreasing! No need to wait!


Lea, you are AMAZING and so are the other women that have posted in here. I can't wait to have a progress picture that is good enough to compare my before with...so INSPIRING!!

Keegansmum6

thanks for everyone for your replies!

jenstanley13

wow is all I know to say to the amazing transformations shown here. I just started NROL4W and love it so far (only on 2nd week), these success stories definitely motivate me to keep lifting and increasing the weights!

mrsmustgetmuscles1

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MireyGal76

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WOW. You have me speechless! AWESOME JOB!

cavia

You look great! I've been lifting heavy for 8 weeks and am super excited if this is what awaits me in 3 months' time!!!

durangocal

Inspirational thread! I've been working out for years with cardio (40 min or so) being my main focus, then adding 15 minutes of weights. I started reading about doing a little cardio in order to have strength to lift heavier and in the past few months I've progressively found myself doing the exact opposite-spending 15 minutes on cardio and 45 minutes doing weights and in the past few months I've seen a bigger change in my body composition than I have in the YEARS of doing cardio. My weight hasn't changed much but I've lost a huge number of inches!

desiv2

Wow! You are HOT!

This makes me so excited for my lifting! Week 7! I can only dream to get such good results in 5 months!

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Threads like these are what convinced me to try stronglifts. I did weight machines in college and never saw any visible improvements from them. I'm less then a month into stronglifts and I can already see changes for the better.

This thread has also reminded me that I still haven't taken any "before" pics. Need to suck it up and get that done.

Robin_Bin

Tagging for later inspiration.
Great job, lifters!!!

siany01

Thank you to everyone who has posted pics you all look amazing. I have my gym induction on Saturday and original plan was to do stronglifts but I was starting to doubt if it was the right way for me to go. This thread has totally convinced me that it is 100% the right way to go, so thank you for starting this thread it's been a huge motivation to me.

sarahstrezo

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Seriously amazing!

3dogsrunning

Threads like these are what convinced me to try stronglifts. I did weight machines in college and never saw any visible improvements from them. I'm less then a month into stronglifts and I can already see changes for the better.

This thread has also reminded me that I still haven't taken any "before" pics. Need to suck it up and get that done.

My biggest regret is not having a good before pic. I have a sort of "before" pic but I had lost some weight at that point already (its in my photos) And I really avoided full body shots back then.

craigmandu

Wow....all you ladies in this entire thread look absolutely amazing. I don't want to come across all condescending or anything, but I'm proud of you all!

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Threads like these are what convinced me to try stronglifts. I did weight machines in college and never saw any visible improvements from them. I'm less then a month into stronglifts and I can already see changes for the better.

This thread has also reminded me that I still haven't taken any "before" pics. Need to suck it up and get that done.

My biggest regret is not having a good before pic. I have a sort of "before" pic but I had lost some weight at that point already (its in my photos) And I really avoided full body shots back then.

Yeah I'm already at my goal weight-- I have one real before pic at my heaviest weight, but even that is a flattering shot and I'm fully clothed. But I would like to have a "before weights" shot. Making an appointment with myself to do that in the morning.

nz_deevaa

IN. Because heavy lifting has made me supah bulky too!

(oh wait. What?)

SpeSHul_SnoflEHk

Before, a few months prior to heavy lifting:



170 lbs. Size 12 dress. Approximately 30% BF.
Waist = 33 inches
Hips = 41 inches
Under bust = 38 inches
Thighs = 23 inches
Arms = 13 inches



Now, 5 months after starting a progressive loading heavy lifting program:



151.8 lbs. Size 4 dress. Approximately 20% BF.
Waist = 27 inches
Hips = 36.5 inches
Under bust = 31 inches
Thighs = 21.5 inches
Arms = 11 inches


17.2 lbs lost. 4 sizes lost. Approximately 10% BF lost. 21 inches (and counting) lost.



Still think heavy lifting will make you "bulky?" Think again.


Heavy lifting ladies, I invite you to post YOUR before and after pics. Maybe, just maybe, we can attempt to snuff out this, "WEIGHT LIFTING WILL MAKE ME HYOOOOGE" myth.

Pure awesomeness.

Now, were the steroids injections, or could you ingest them if you were afraid of needles?

cmeiron

DAT BACK!!! Inspirational!!!

SpeSHul_SnoflEHk

]

Pure awesomeness. That goes to all of you who posted, and even those who didn't who lift heavy, and work it hard! Keep up the good work.

PikaKnight

Bulky is a subjective term. An opinion. Your after pic is not a look I aspire to for myself. You're not as bulky as some of the women on here with weight lifting progress pics, but yes, my *opinion* is that you look bulky *to me*.

Is it a "bad" look? Am I "body shaming" you to say that I don't like that particular look? NO.
Just as it is not body shaming to say I never want to look like Peta Wilson. She's a beautiful woman, but I find her too thin. Again, not a look to which I personally aspire.

Congratulations on achieving a look that YOU want, and feel is attractive. Congratulations again on finding a fitness activity that you enjoy.

But can we please stop with the constant lulz at women who do not enjoy weightlifting? We get just as tired of hearing about how pathetic we are for not lifting "heavy" as you get of us saying we don't want to be bulky. It's not hard to share your success without poking fun at the people with a different view of success.

Haters gon' hate.

^Agreed.

And I want to know which woman you thought was bulky. I'm seriously wondering and confused. Is it because someone has some definition and shows some muscle they are bulky? Is that your subjective definition of that?

Also, no one has poked fun at anyone with a different view of success...most certainly was there any "lulz" at women who do not enjoy weightlifting NOR any mention that those who don't are "pathetic".

Either you are deflecting your own insecurities on Lea and the other's for their beautiful hard work, or you truly are just starting to start drama. Neither which are appreciated.

Stop taking something positive and twisting it into something negative.

kthanxbai

PikaKnight

OP and so many others who posted here, seriously... Ah mazing. One of the best threads for body change ever on MFP.

Body comp is so freaking important but so many women are afraid to lift. Well done!

Edit: Even as a guy for the longest time I didn't think lifting helped. I've been casually lifting for the past 6 months (twice per week) and I can't believe the results. I'm going to bump it up to 3-4 times per week, though I'll never stop cardio because I LOVE running

They are amazing. I'm hoping in another year I'll be putting up some awesome progress pictures like these

PikaKnight

Double post

chubby_checkers

kar328

Wow! thank you ladies for the pictures and stories. They're all incredible, you all look wonderful. The word "bulky" would never enter my mind on any of them. Healthy, fit, strong, powerful, wonderful and more would. I've got a lot of weight to lose, I've been seeing a trainer once a week and asked him to show me the Stronglifts program next week. This is a great reinforcement that I'm not doing something beyond my reach at my current (and still pathetic) fitness level.

Thanks for sharing!!:flowerforyou:

redheaddee

What is nice to see is people whose weight on the scale has changed only a little, but the difference is freaking huge. That is very encouraging. There is so much awesomesauce in this post I am going to pass out.

GlassslippersAndFairyDust

Oh look, heavy lifting made me bulky, too!


No heavy lifting, after losing 23 lbs:


One month of heavy lifting, 5/3/1 program
The weight difference from the first to second photo is one pound.

You look amazing! You have the perfect body.......not hitting......just sayin' :flowerforyou:

bobbietaylor733

bump to read later