Women and weight training

But what if I WANT to look like that chick in the first picture???


Just kidding... :bigsmile:

Lots of great reading and tons of info!

Thank you. I am tired of people thinking women will bulk up if they lift.

I think a lot of times it's simply a disconnect in the meaning of "bulk", For example, the OP speaks of not bulking up, then gives instruction on how to gain more muscle. Yet, my definition of "bulking up" is gaining more muscle. Personally, I don't want more muscle than I have. I just want the muscles I have to be "toned". This is why I use mostly body weight exercises for strength and never more than 10 lb weights. Because I don't want to bulk up with new muscle.

You can do two things with muscle: build them or let them atrophy. Toning is a myth, which it sounds like you already know by your use of quotations.

No, actually I think toning absolutely possible and not a myth at all. But apparently I misuse the term (I was schooled by another poster on this site). The proper term is "toned up" (according to the dictionary) but I don't like that so I use toned with quotes as qualifiers. I mean making the most of muscles I have. Getting and keeping them firm, but not building them up so that they are bulky. And by bulky I mean lumpy. I don't want much visible muscle, but I want my tummy flat and my arms not to flap when I wave. That, by my definition, is toned. The way Jillian Michales arms look in the ad that pops up every time I open MFP (I"ve never seen her in anything else) is "bulky" and what I want to avoid.

So, my semantics may be wrong, but I want to be toned and not bulky.

Same as me.. and I am sorry but to me BOTH those women look HORRIBLE..The first one especially but the second has no boobs, and all you can see are veins ...yuck. I am strong now - just fat. I'll take dropping the fat and exposing the muscles I currently have. I don't lift weights in the gym. I lift weight at work, 9 times out of 10 I am out lifting the men who work with me. I don't think seeing the shape of individual muscles is very sexy at all on a man OR a woman. Nice to see I am not the only 'crazy' woman.

Thank you. I am tired of people thinking women will bulk up if they lift.

I think a lot of times it's simply a disconnect in the meaning of "bulk", For example, the OP speaks of not bulking up, then gives instruction on how to gain more muscle. Yet, my definition of "bulking up" is gaining more muscle. Personally, I don't want more muscle than I have. I just want the muscles I have to be "toned". This is why I use mostly body weight exercises for strength and never more than 10 lb weights. Because I don't want to bulk up with new muscle.

You can do two things with muscle: build them or let them atrophy. Toning is a myth, which it sounds like you already know by your use of quotations.

No, actually I think toning absolutely possible and not a myth at all. But apparently I misuse the term (I was schooled by another poster on this site). The proper term is "toned up" (according to the dictionary) but I don't like that so I use toned with quotes as qualifiers. I mean making the most of muscles I have. Getting and keeping them firm, but not building them up so that they are bulky. And by bulky I mean lumpy. I don't want much visible muscle, but I want my tummy flat and my arms not to flap when I wave. That, by my definition, is toned. The way Jillian Michales arms look in the ad that pops up every time I open MFP (I"ve never seen her in anything else) is "bulky" and what I want to avoid.

So, my semantics may be wrong, but I want to be toned and not bulky.

Same as me.. and I am sorry but to me BOTH those women look HORRIBLE..The first one especially but the second has no boobs, and all you can see are veins ...yuck. I am strong now - just fat. I'll take dropping the fat and exposing the muscles I currently have. I don't lift weights in the gym. I lift weight at work, 9 times out of 10 I am out lifting the men who work with me. I don't think seeing the shape of individual muscles is very sexy at all on a man OR a woman. Nice to see I am not the only 'crazy' woman.

Seeing the shape of the individual muscles has almost nothing to do with the size of the muscle and almost everything to do with the level of fatness of the individual. It's a massive optical illusion that scares many women out of the weight room who most definitely should be in there.

I see it all the time with figure competitors. When their 'contest lean,' in the eyes of the outside onlooker, they look huge and muscle bound. But that's only because of their vascularity and definition. In the off-season, when their body fat levels rebound to normal levels, most would say they have the ideal, shapely feminine physique.

Notice that nothing happened to the muscles in terms of size. The differences occur due to the flux in fat levels.

Same as me.. and I am sorry but to me BOTH those women look HORRIBLE..The first one especially but the second has no boobs, and all you can see are veins ...yuck. I am strong now - just fat. I'll take dropping the fat and exposing the muscles I currently have.

You are not crazy! I think the first woman is HIDEOUS! I can't imaging why one would want to look like that on purpose!!??? The Jamie Eason picture I don't find horrible but she is too lean for me in that picture. I think women look best with about 18 to 20% body fat personally but that's just me. My wife, who began strength training a few months ago is about 19% body fat and has developed nice muscle structure and she is looking fiiiiiine to me these days!

Every women should read this - http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

The girl eats and trains like a machine. For me personally I'd love to look like her.

Awesome!

Most women don't think they'll look like that picture if they lift weights. They think they might get defined muscles-which is undesirable to lots of people. I've notice people on here think "bulky" refers only to those body builder women, and in my experience, it doesn't. I personally wouldn't like to look like the first lady or the second. Both are way too muscular for my tastes.