HALP! Heavy Lifting Made Me SUPAH Bulky!!!

BigDave1050

Good job!!

Mine is a combination of cardio, lifting, carrying babies (well, 3 kiddos), and many, many pushpus.



Scary bulky, right?!? Rarr....

Damn your a bulky mom! I kid, I kid. Awesome job!!!!

rosiereally2

Damn gurl! Looking good.

NJL13500

Everyone looks amazing!

amyhoss

BAH..i was trying to shrink that monster huge photo before it got quoted:grumble:

But your a** and tiny waste look sooo good.

SarahBeth0625

Thanks! I never realized how weak I was before. It's a good thing to be strong and have strong muscles. Rarr! Plus it helps you burn calories even after a strength training session. My goal now would be to continue to up my resistance and push myself even more. It's weird when suddenly a certain weight (setting on the pin in the stack) doesn't feel that heavy anymore. It's crazy how the strength seems to increase suddenly even within a few days or a week!

cmcollins001

Love....just...love. Lot's o' love.

You ladies are all an inspiration. And by inspiration I mean that I need to work harder because I can't have a girl beat me up kinda inspiration.

OneEyeUp

It's crazy how the strength seems to increase suddenly even within a few days or a week!

You do actually. As you exercise, you create thousands of micro tears in your muscles, and the rest days in between patch those tears up. That means more muscle tissue. More muscle tissue = more strength.

carissar7

September 2012, 142 lbs. This picture embarrasses me because I did not think I looked this 'puffy' at the time. It's crazy how different you think you look in the mirror vs. pictures and videos. I ate whatever I wanted and did work out, but had not started lifting yet. Notice how there is some slight muscle definition trying to peek through but it's definitely covered in excess fat. I would consider this bulky.




This is me this morning. At 126/127 lbs, after lifting since February to maintain muscle and eating at a deficit to lose fat, and have been in ketosis for around 2 months (this was unintentional but I have no complaints). I'm also now one month into Stronglifts 5x5. I think I was more bulky then compared to now and being able to squat 100 lbs! Just goes to show that the whole 'lifting heavy will make you bulky' idea is complete BS. Also I haven't done any cardio in about 3 months. Whatever.

tmitchellh

Wow I love all these pics and how amazing you can look from lifting. Thank you for sharing!

I have been increasing weights for a year, but for women how much do you lift/increase on various machines??? I know everybody is different, but ballpark. FYI I am meeting with a trainer next week, but I never know if I am doing enough/too much.

I've got a lot to lose, but oddly over the last year or two even though I haven't had a dramatic weight loss or even INCHES I look different/better. WTH?? :huh:

Speak with your trainer about getting off of the machines and doing compound lifts. Machines isolate muscle groups but compound lifts with free weights enable your body to function exactly the way it is designed to - - rather than in the one or two degrees of freedom than the engineer's designed the machines to isolate.

Thanks, what about (excuse me for not knowing the correct name lol) the machines that are cabled? It seems like I can get a lot of ROM on those? I also work at a hospital and closely with a group of radiologists so I've been chatting with one of the docs who is very into lifting about things to try as well. He totally agrees that one will never lose weight unless you replace fat with muscle, not by dieting or exercising (alone), only by weight lifting and smart eating.

carissar7

WOWWWW~~~!!!! How does one get started with a lifting program? I see things on the internet of course but have no idea how to do the exercises because they have names only, what weights are required, etc. Anyone point me in the right direction???? Do I have to buy a program or are there free workouts online? Looks like Stronglifts 5 x 5 requires a membership? 5/3/1 talks about weight lifting like I should know what they mean.

I was in the same stage as you are now before I started lifting. I knew what workouts to do but didn't know HOW to do them, I was afraid of looking stupid. I highly recommend stronglifts. It does not require a membership, you don't have to pay anything. If you want to read the PDF file they send you telling you all about the program then you just put your email into their list and they send it to you (it's very long and kinda boring TBH). If you don't want to do that, a quick internet search will tell you what you need to do and there is tons of threads on here explaining the workouts. It's really very simple. There's also a 'stronglifts 5x5 for women' group on here that you can join too. You can then research proper form for the lifts or have someone with more experience help you if you go to a gym.

salgalbp

Thank you for posting. You ladies are STUNNING!

Crankstr

Wow I love all these pics and how amazing you can look from lifting. Thank you for sharing!

I have been increasing weights for a year, but for women how much do you lift/increase on various machines??? I know everybody is different, but ballpark. FYI I am meeting with a trainer next week, but I never know if I am doing enough/too much.

I've got a lot to lose, but oddly over the last year or two even though I haven't had a dramatic weight loss or even INCHES I look different/better. WTH?? :huh:

Also, i just wanted to mention I started at 40, so anyone out there can do this at any age!

I am not a fan of machines...compound lifts are your friend and give the most BANG for your buck!

Ask the trainer about this: http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/The_Starting_Strength_Novice/Beginner_Programs

jonilynn70

Thank you very much. It is definitely overwhelming to try to get started - I do not belong to a gym. I appreciate your advice!!

WOWWWW~~~!!!! How does one get started with a lifting program? I see things on the internet of course but have no idea how to do the exercises because they have names only, what weights are required, etc. Anyone point me in the right direction???? Do I have to buy a program or are there free workouts online? Looks like Stronglifts 5 x 5 requires a membership? 5/3/1 talks about weight lifting like I should know what they mean.

I was in the same stage as you are now before I started lifting. I knew what workouts to do but didn't know HOW to do them, I was afraid of looking stupid. I highly recommend stronglifts. It does not require a membership, you don't have to pay anything. If you want to read the PDF file they send you telling you all about the program then you just put your email into their list and they send it to you (it's very long and kinda boring TBH). If you don't want to do that, a quick internet search will tell you what you need to do and there is tons of threads on here explaining the workouts. It's really very simple. There's also a 'stronglifts 5x5 for women' group on here that you can join too. You can then research proper form for the lifts or have someone with more experience help you if you go to a gym.

pecantan09

Nice job and way to kill the myth about heavy lifting!!!!

SlimsLiftingMoreThanLipstick

SlimsLiftingMoreThanLipstick

Same here!

Dang slim you look great in those profile photos yourself - incidentally you also look like you could be Leaky's sister.

Thanks! You never know, my dad got around. LOL Just kidding!

caseythirteen

Thanks, what about (excuse me for not knowing the correct name lol) the machines that are cabled? It seems like I can get a lot of ROM on those? I also work at a hospital and closely with a group of radiologists so I've been chatting with one of the docs who is very into lifting about things to try as well. He totally agrees that one will never lose weight unless you replace fat with muscle, not by dieting or exercising (alone), only by weight lifting and smart eating

I think those have their place and I use them for things like lat pulldowns and tricep pushdowns but for the core compound moves (squats, deadlifts, over head press, rows and chest press), the best is free weights. Get under that barbell!

PetulantOne

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.

1 pound!! That is just amazing!

tmitchellh

:laugh:

Wow I love all these pics and how amazing you can look from lifting. Thank you for sharing!

I have been increasing weights for a year, but for women how much do you lift/increase on various machines??? I know everybody is different, but ballpark. FYI I am meeting with a trainer next week, but I never know if I am doing enough/too much.

I've got a lot to lose, but oddly over the last year or two even though I haven't had a dramatic weight loss or even INCHES I look different/better. WTH?? :huh:

Also, i just wanted to mention I started at 40, so anyone out there can do this at any age!

I am not a fan of machines...compound lifts are your friend and give the most BANG for your buck!

Ask the trainer about this: http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/The_Starting_Strength_Novice/Beginner_Programs

THANKS! Actually we just got this getfit tool at work where it lets you create your own workout calendar by goals so I put fat loss/gain muscle/strength training and voila it gave me a work out each day using a lot of free weights and only like one machine so I can use that along with whatever the trainer gives me. I'm going to take a gross disgusting before picture before I start this new regime. I'm kind of glad I didn't do this a couple years ago (the picture) because if its bad now it was horrible then

PetulantOne

SQUAT, BEEP!!! (rhymes with witch)

They need to have a jaw drop smily. You look amazing!

LovingCruz

WOW!!!! You look Awesome!!

Cr01502

Well done ladies. You all look amazing.

EmilyOfTheSun

While I was a cardio junkie:


After I started lifting:

TheApocalypse

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.

Damn, N.... you win the internet...

Kekibird

Amazing! Keep it up girl!

gonnamakeanewaccount

You look absolutely amazing. Wow. Huge difference!

6550mom

love LOVE L-O-V-E this thread. It's just what I was looking for today.

I'm doing SL5X5, but really just started. Doing Insanity, I dropped weight and inches consistently. But, I just can't sustain that kind of cardio 6 days a week. I wish I loved cardio/running, but I don't. I love lifting.

So, thank you all for taking the time to post your before and after to let me know to trust in the process because I was seriously thinking it wouldn't work for me (*special snowflake syndrome) or that I needed to cut calories more or some other previously held notion of how to achieve the body I want.

You all rock!

Rubie81

You guys all look amazing! Excellent work.

Barbell_Jules

You look amazing! Everyone who shared pictures looks amazing! Lifting heavy is sooooo worth it!

ltfletcher25

I am assuming you are working towards a competition. Great progress and yes lifting Heavy destroys fat as long as you are consistent with a good diet. This is good stuff. If you were to just lift light and easy with high reps you wouldnt have seen the results as fast as you did. Great Job.