Women, Muscles, and "Bulk:" A historical perspective

There are a million threads about women and "bulky" muscles, but yes I am starting a new one.

Are you worried that lifting heavy weights, lifting light weights, or even just running on an elliptical will make you "bulk up" and look like a man? Please, consider this.

You exist today because thousands of your female ancestors carried their children, and the water and food to keep them alive, nearly 24 hours a day for the entire span of their lives. You are sitting here sipping green tea and debating whether or not picking up a 10 pound weight will make your arms look too big, because your great great great great great grandmother carried your great great great grandmother through a 200 mile migration while balancing a gourd filled with water on her head.

Her physique might have looked something like these huge manly women:



Later on, your ancestors might have settled down and engaged in agriculture. Maybe they tended to dairy cattle like this bulky woman:



Or maybe she swung a scythe all day like this unfortunate manly person:



How ever they survived, they did it by carrying heavy loads constantly, like many women all over the world still do today:



Take a minute to be thankful that you can even be asking this question, and be grateful for your amazing, capable, strong body.