Women and muscle. What is your opinion?

I guess we all have differing opinions about the purpose of this site.. I don't see anything wrong with saying that this site is about bodies.. to be quite frank, it is. I also don't understand why there had to be arguing as if one of the posters were being sexist or something.. Most women here have come here because they want to look and feel good, whether that be fitting into hot clothes (for themselves or others) or improving overall health.

The argument occurred because the person I was responding to made unwanted comments about my physical appearance and assumptions about my personal motivations for matter of dress.

I read the thread more times than I really needed to just to verify this.. You just kinda come across like you're on edge or something.

It's just an assumption, move forward.. had you left it alone, you probably wouldn't have received an unwanted PM.

muscles are healthy!



love

Thank you! This chick is hawt!!!! And I could possibly look "bulky" because I do still have some excess fat, but I'm working on it. IDK if that's why my friend thinks I look bulky, or not. I definately look better than I did when I started this journey!!! My arms were probably twice the size they are now, only difference is that before, it was all flab, and now it's less flab, and some muscle, and still overall, MUCH smaller. Lol. My waist is also much smaller, even though there is some muscle under there, somewhere, under that stubborn layer of fat! I think my before pics are viewable btw.

Your before and afters are great! You look good. Was gonna say, from personal experience, when I was overweight, my body had to build extra muscle to sling that fat around. So I got a jump start on building muscle. :devil: seeing girls throwing some weights around in the gym is hot too.

A "Get real" cookie... it's bitter but gives you a good dose of reality

Yeah, it can be bitter!

I love muscles! And I love lifting weights. The entire process is rewarding and fun

Women with muscles who still keep it feminine ROCK. Since I started lifting a couple months ago I notice guys pay close attention to my routine compared to when I was a cardio junkie. lol!

I think that nothing is sexier than a woman with muscles

My opinion on this is very simple. From a biological point of view, women are supposed to have muscles and be strong. If we weren't then we would not have survived the palaeolithic era to even be having this conversation in the first place.

Definition is a matter of personal taste, and it comes from how much body fat you have over the muscles, so if someone doesn't want muscle definition, then they don't want to let their body fat percentage go lower than the low 20s and they may even prefer the high end of the healthy range. Healthy bones and muscles are dense and strong. Weak, wasted muscles goes along with low bone density and a risk of osteoporosis and joint problems. The pictures I've seen of fitness models in the off season, i.e. women who have great muscles but during the off season let their body fat percentage go up a little, are pretty much universally considered attractive. The same women during the season with less body fat have muscle definition and visible abs, a look that some people don't like so much (others love it though!)... but those that don't like it so much do like the look of the same women with a little more fat and the same strong muscles under the fat.

Eating too little and being sedentary in pursuit of a weak, wasted body is extremely bad for health. The human body is not adapted to be sedentary, because at all points in our evolutionary past, our ancestors had to exert themselves considerably in pursuit of food, and we evolved to have and to prefer strong, capable bodies because this is what enabled us to survive. The weak and incapable died. The human body is capable of surviving on too few calories for a surprisingly long time, but this is not optimal for health; the body's adaptations to cope with too little food put short term survival over long term health, in the hope that better times are around the corner so it can go back to being strong and well fed. And there are limits to how much the human body can adapt before there are serious health consequences

If weak, half-starved bodies with wasted muscles is what many people in our society consider "feminine" then it's a tragedy, quite frankly. And the same when dependent, meek, subservient and similar are considered feminine, and confident, assertive and outspoken are considered unfeminine... some of these things may seem old-fashioned views, but they are the views that spawned the idea that being strong and possessing muscles is "unfeminine".

Why should "strong" and "feminine" be considered mutually exclusive qualities? Biologically speaking, they're not. So maybe cultural attitudes need to change.



(and just to re-iterate, muscle definition is a matter of personal taste and how much body fat you have over the muscles, you can have a strong, healthy body and have no visible muscle definition simply by keeping your body fat percentage higher - you do not need to let your muscles waste away to achieve a "softer" look... far from it, strong muscles will shape your body. Exercise is for health, healthy looks great. There are many health benefits to strength training, it's something everyone male or female can benefit from, it's really sad that so many women fear it because they fear "looking bulky" or getting more definition than they want, because that's not how it works.)

I respect both women but love the first photo.. her arms are what I aim for in mine. My arms are about the same size as the woman in the 2nd photo but not as defined.

I prefer women who strength train to bodybuilders.

I've never really liked it. I was muscular when I was in the Army (arms and legs) and it did not really float my boat. I like a more feminine, softer look. Slight definition is fine for me, but I don't want to look like I am a gym rat or like I am about to rage and crack a walnut with my butt crack.

It depends on how much. There is nothing wrong with a women who has some healthy muscle on her, but there is a point where a women can look too muscular (imo, of course). I don't like the look of women bodybuilders who have a very low bf% and a lot of muscle.

I think muscles are sexy, therefore I feel I look sexy with muscles..

don't worry what everyone else thinks... you're the one that has to like the reflection in the mirror and Like it.

And this one (I wish!).

Seriously though, Kara's got it right. You, and your husband are who matter here .

Because you asked though...I'll give out my opinion. I like muscle on women...I also like a thin layer of bodyfat over it to smooth the rough edges the slightest bit. A little more or less of either is more than ok. The muscle itself is rarely the issue though when it comes to people's opinions on muscular women, it's how much bodyfat they carry over it. Google Tianna Ta...or better yet, I'll post some pictures.

During competition:


During the off season:


The muscle underneath is exactly the same (trust me, that woman wouldn't let one ounce slip...it's too hard for women to build it back up!!), the only difference is the fat over the top of it.

Good luck with your goals!

Like this girl...yeah...not very attractive to me. In the first she looks crazy muscular except her obvious fake boobs which just look out of place, and on the bottom she is a bit scrawny (no hips). Beautiful face and hair though. That's just my opinion. We all think different things are attractive.

no hips?! really? her hips definitely don't look super wide, but they're not exactly scrawny. i think she looks pretty hot in the second pic, but the first, way too muscular for my liking.
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We won't always agree on the internet. I think she looks pretty scrawny, even more so in the bottom pic. I guess I just like some hips and *kitten* on a woman.