Ladies with muscles

englishfox
englishfox Posts: 13
in Fitness and Exercise
I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on this for me. Since I was young I grew tall very quickly i was probably 5ft8 at around 11/12 yo. And i was very muscular, I was a keen swimmer, i ran track at school, did a lot of strength training around 14/15 yo and then played rugby (2nd row) for several years until last year.

Now i'm 22 and have put some significant weight over that muscle. But I've noticed whilst I'm now losing the fat, my muscles seem to be bigger than ever.

Has anyone one else heard of this body type, where you have large muscles and a large amount of subcutaneas fat too? And although I'm not worried about being muscular when I'm slimmer, does anyone know if i will get bigger doing crossfit and lifting?

Thanks x

Replies

  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    You'll get bigger when eating at a surplus.

    You'll maintain what you have when eating enough protein at a deficit, assuming stimulus is there.

    It's not really a body type btw, it's just muscle with fat on top. That's most people in industrialized society.
  • davideickelmann
    davideickelmann Posts: 87 Member
    I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on this for me. Since I was young I grew tall very quickly i was probably 5ft8 at around 11/12 yo. And i was very muscular, I was a keen swimmer, i ran track at school, did a lot of strength training around 14/15 yo and then played rugby (2nd row) for several years until last year.

    Now i'm 22 and have put some significant weight over that muscle. But I've noticed whilst I'm now losing the fat, my muscles seem to be bigger than ever.

    Has anyone one else heard of this body type, where you have large muscles and a large amount of subcutaneas fat too? And although I'm not worried about being muscular when I'm slimmer, does anyone know if i will get bigger doing crossfit and lifting?

    Thanks x

    Sounds like a heavyweight powerlifter's body. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-nlhZ0RR4A

    If you already have lots of muscle mass, you won't get significantly bigger unless you start supplementing testosterone/hgh/insulin and using a bodybuilding routine with a heavy emphasis on time under tension. Crossfit and weight training will lean you out if you eat at a deficit.

    If you're going to do Crossfit, make sure that you use proper form with your lifts, and if you don't know what proper form is, ask. Nothing will stop your workouts faster than a back injury. Good luck!
  • davideickelmann
    davideickelmann Posts: 87 Member
    It's not really a body type btw, it's just muscle with fat on top. That's most people in industrialized society.

    Most people in our society have atrophied muscles with lots of fat on top. I don't think that's what she was describing.
  • wareagle8706
    wareagle8706 Posts: 1,090 Member
    You have a mesomorph body type from what you've descibed. By happy with it lol. Most people would kill for it.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on this for me. Since I was young I grew tall very quickly i was probably 5ft8 at around 11/12 yo. And i was very muscular, I was a keen swimmer, i ran track at school, did a lot of strength training around 14/15 yo and then played rugby (2nd row) for several years until last year.

    Now i'm 22 and have put some significant weight over that muscle. But I've noticed whilst I'm now losing the fat, my muscles seem to be bigger than ever.

    Has anyone one else heard of this body type, where you have large muscles and a large amount of subcutaneas fat too? And although I'm not worried about being muscular when I'm slimmer, does anyone know if i will get bigger doing crossfit and lifting?

    Thanks x
    It's called bearmode or strongfat and there's nothing wrong with it. This body type is great because all you have to do is lose a little weight to get to that coveted ottermode.
  • 0OneTwo3
    0OneTwo3 Posts: 149 Member
    does anyone know if i will get bigger doing crossfit and lifting?

    involuntarily? no.

    this is probably one of the top 5 questions on here btw. so you could look up older topics or related groups.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    Well, consider this, you were already muscular and then for some amount of time you were carrying around a significant amount of weight and likely eating at a surplus. You may have built some more muscle, especially in your legs. This is coming from no scientific background, just thinking "out loud."
  • Librariangetsfit
    Librariangetsfit Posts: 71 Member
    At first I was afraid to get bulky, I was tired of trying to lose weight with just cardio (boring). Finally I gave up and got so frustrated by my lack of progress, I asked one of my body builder friends to show me how to lift. It has done wonders for my body. The great thing about maintaining your muscle mass, is you look smaller because it is more dense than fat. Seriously give lifting a try and stay with it.
  • RebeccaHite
    RebeccaHite Posts: 187 Member
    Swimming leans out your bulky muscles(makes them longer)If you are tall and gained fat before on top of it that means you had to carry more weight around(like weight lifting every day so it's no surprise that extra weight caused more muscle growth underneath ...I tend to gain muscle mass because I love food and I love to workout.I also wont complain much about it because it's what god gave me and my genetics won't change to look like a model on T.V or magazine W/O going under a knife Right?I cant were alot of cute shirts because My bicep's are 12 inches and I tend to rip cute shirts with sleeves(like most stores assume everyone is a tooth pick with skinny arms....So I know my sister got bulky with alot of muscle mass and started swimming to thin it out because it was just heavy carrying around all that muscle and she was really cut like a guy and didn't want that....It works though.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    It's not really a body type btw, it's just muscle with fat on top. That's most people in industrialized society.

    Most people in our society have atrophied muscles with lots of fat on top. I don't think that's what she was describing.

    Really can't tell from the third paragraph. Lacks a description of "large".
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Swimming leans out your bulky muscles(makes them longer)

    Oh, how so? I've been swimming lately, I could really use a couple inches length to my legs.
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
    Swimming leans out your bulky muscles(makes them longer)

    Oh, how so? I've been swimming lately, I could really use a couple inches length to my legs.

    Yoga and now swimming! I've gotta start doing this stuff; I'd love to be able to reach the top shelf in my kitchen one day.
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
    There's people of all shapes and sizes at my CrossFit box, but none of them are getting bulky. Some of the girls who started that were a little hefty have trimmed down. Their muscles are definitely there and the fat is melting off. One of them already dropped several dress sizes!

    I haven't lost any weight since starting CrossFit (my diet could be more consistent), but I have lost inches and I'm fitting into clothes I haven't worn in 5 years! I'm starting to see muscle definition and my legs look a lot better (I'm even wearing shorts!). I'd like to slim down more but it really is amazing what lifting and HIIT can do for the shape you're working with.
  • englishfox
    englishfox Posts: 13
    I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on this for me. Since I was young I grew tall very quickly i was probably 5ft8 at around 11/12 yo. And i was very muscular, I was a keen swimmer, i ran track at school, did a lot of strength training around 14/15 yo and then played rugby (2nd row) for several years until last year.

    Now i'm 22 and have put some significant weight over that muscle. But I've noticed whilst I'm now losing the fat, my muscles seem to be bigger than ever.

    Has anyone one else heard of this body type, where you have large muscles and a large amount of subcutaneas fat too? And although I'm not worried about being muscular when I'm slimmer, does anyone know if i will get bigger doing crossfit and lifting?

    Thanks x

    Sounds like a heavyweight powerlifter's body. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-nlhZ0RR4A

    If you already have lots of muscle mass, you won't get significantly bigger unless you start supplementing testosterone/hgh/insulin and using a bodybuilding routine with a heavy emphasis on time under tension. Crossfit and weight training will lean you out if you eat at a deficit.

    If you're going to do Crossfit, make sure that you use proper form with your lifts, and if you don't know what proper form is, ask. Nothing will stop your workouts faster than a back injury. Good luck!

    That sounds about right, I get a noticeable pump on my arms and quads after circuits but yet my fat sort of lays aside from it which was why I was asking. At the moment I'm on a high protein but deficit intake at around 1600 post exercise.

    Thanks for your help!
  • englishfox
    englishfox Posts: 13
    Swimming leans out your bulky muscles(makes them longer)If you are tall and gained fat before on top of it that means you had to carry more weight around(like weight lifting every day so it's no surprise that extra weight caused more muscle growth underneath ...I tend to gain muscle mass because I love food and I love to workout.I also wont complain much about it because it's what god gave me and my genetics won't change to look like a model on T.V or magazine W/O going under a knife Right?I cant were alot of cute shirts because My bicep's are 12 inches and I tend to rip cute shirts with sleeves(like most stores assume everyone is a tooth pick with skinny arms....So I know my sister got bulky with alot of muscle mass and started swimming to thin it out because it was just heavy carrying around all that muscle and she was really cut like a guy and didn't want that....It works though.

    That's good to know as I swim a lot especially if get shin splints after long distance trail runs. I know what you mean, my shoulders and hips are naturally wide set so I'm not a dainty fellow haha but I'd rather be strong and fit than when I was 300lbs.
  • englishfox
    englishfox Posts: 13
    You have a mesomorph body type from what you've descibed. By happy with it lol. Most people would kill for it.

    I've heard Mesomorph used for people with low body fat high muscle mass so I guess once I get down to a healthy body fat % I would be classed as this?

    Thanks for replying x
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Swimming leans out your bulky muscles(makes them longer)If you are tall and gained fat before on top of it that means you had to carry more weight around(like weight lifting every day so it's no surprise that extra weight caused more muscle growth underneath ...I tend to gain muscle mass because I love food and I love to workout.I also wont complain much about it because it's what god gave me and my genetics won't change to look like a model on T.V or magazine W/O going under a knife Right?I cant were alot of cute shirts because My bicep's are 12 inches and I tend to rip cute shirts with sleeves(like most stores assume everyone is a tooth pick with skinny arms....So I know my sister got bulky with alot of muscle mass and started swimming to thin it out because it was just heavy carrying around all that muscle and she was really cut like a guy and didn't want that....It works though.

    That's good to know as I swim a lot especially if get shin splints after long distance trail runs. I know what you mean, my shoulders and hips are naturally wide set so I'm not a dainty fellow haha but I'd rather be strong and fit than when I was 300lbs.

    You can't make your muscles longer, it's a myth. Swimming is great exercise, but your muscles are the length that they are. They're fixed to your bone at both ends.
  • davideickelmann
    davideickelmann Posts: 87 Member
    There's people of all shapes and sizes at my CrossFit box, but none of them are getting bulky. Some of the girls who started that were a little hefty have trimmed down. Their muscles are definitely there and the fat is melting off. One of them already dropped several dress sizes!

    I haven't lost any weight since starting CrossFit (my diet could be more consistent), but I have lost inches and I'm fitting into clothes I haven't worn in 5 years! I'm starting to see muscle definition and my legs look a lot better (I'm even wearing shorts!). I'd like to slim down more but it really is amazing what lifting and HIIT can do for the shape you're working with.

    You won't lose weight as long as your muscles continue to grow at the same rate that you're burning fat (since you just started, this will be the case for a while) and are eating maintenance/above. As your muscles start to stall/their growth places an increased demand on your diet, you'll likely start to lose weight as the fat continues to go.

    Honestly, ignore your scale, because now that you've started lifting, the frame of reference that had given the numbers meaning (your previously constant lean body mass) is gone. Instead, get a tape measure, and track your measurements (thigh circumference, waist, bicep, hips, and chest are always good ones to track). You'll see real progress, and it will actually correlate to how you look.
  • englishfox
    englishfox Posts: 13
    It's not really a body type btw, it's just muscle with fat on top. That's most people in industrialized society.

    Most people in our society have atrophied muscles with lots of fat on top. I don't think that's what she was describing.

    My muscle isn't atrophied I've definitely maintained/gained mass throughout my fat gain x
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
    There's people of all shapes and sizes at my CrossFit box, but none of them are getting bulky. Some of the girls who started that were a little hefty have trimmed down. Their muscles are definitely there and the fat is melting off. One of them already dropped several dress sizes!

    I haven't lost any weight since starting CrossFit (my diet could be more consistent), but I have lost inches and I'm fitting into clothes I haven't worn in 5 years! I'm starting to see muscle definition and my legs look a lot better (I'm even wearing shorts!). I'd like to slim down more but it really is amazing what lifting and HIIT can do for the shape you're working with.

    You won't lose weight as long as your muscles continue to grow at the same rate that you're burning fat (since you just started, this will be the case for a while) and are eating maintenance/above. As your muscles start to stall/their growth places an increased demand on your diet, you'll likely start to lose weight as the fat continues to go.

    Honestly, ignore your scale, because now that you've started lifting, the frame of reference that had given the numbers meaning (your previously constant lean body mass) is gone. Instead, get a tape measure, and track your measurements (thigh circumference, waist, bicep, hips, and chest are always good ones to track). You'll see real progress, and it will actually correlate to how you look.

    Thank you for this great advice! :flowerforyou:

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