Women and lifting

In order to get bulky, you would have to eat a LOT, workout for hours, take steroids and have the right genes. Long story short, don't worry about bulking up. It's used as a scare tactic for women. I started StongLifts about a month or so ago and I've increased strength, lost inches and lost bf%. Here's what I can do:

deadlift: 115lbs
weighted squat: 110lbs
barbell row: 70lbs
bench press: 50lbs
overhead press: 50lbs

You dont' need to do a lot of weight just higher reps and keep your cals in check.

I'm going to disagree with this. I was doing low-medium weights for YEARS with very little results. If you read the book New Rules of Lifting for Women, you'll find out that we should train like men if we want to tone. Don't fall for the old myths and the scare tactics. good luck!

p.s. There's a group dedicated to women who lift. I would recommend that you check them out. LOTS of inspiration!

she knows what she's talking about ^^

Bump : thanx will revert back to this ..

Heavy.

It's still discouraging the number of women that fear "getting bulky", even most guys that work out have to work really hard (or cheat) to get "bulky".

Take a visit to your local CrossFit gym, just tell them you want to check them out. Watch a class and observe the strong women who aren't bulky or manly looking.

You dont' need to do a lot of weight just higher reps and keep your cals in check.

LOL

Hi Guys,
So I'm 19 years old, 49kg. I do strength training 3 times a week and cardio 3 times a week. I'm just wondering how much weight should girls be lifting in order to get lean not bulky?

Go heavy and check this thread http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1045433-women-lifting-heavy-with-pics

You dont' need to do a lot of weight just higher reps and keep your cals in check.

LOL

Don't just laugh at people that don't know better. This site was designed for us to support each other and increase knowledge of healthy lifestyle. Some things deserve to be laughed at, this isn't one. Share your personal experience and knowledge.

You dont' need to do a lot of weight just higher reps and keep your cals in check.

Total 1980s man science point of view. HAHA ~
The 'women should lift barbie weights for an hour' myth has be debunked.
You're not going to bulk, you're going to look oooo so sexy. lol

Lift as heavy as you can, like Beatlegirl said.

*now has the song 'Maniac' swirling though her head*

We weight about the same, and I lift heavy. I work out about 4/5 times a week. Never ever do cardio, if I do it's only for a max of 10/15 minutes for warm up. It depends on what your goal is. When I started working out I was addicted to cardio because it was easy but I wasn't seeing any results, I was loosing weight... not inches and that's not what I wanted. When you do steady state cardio you burn carbs and muscle, not fat. If you're looking to burn fat start doing HIIT and lifting weights. Once I got my diet right, started eating A LOT more and started lifting I shredded body fat and inches. I always try to do 4 sets of 5, if I can complete them all... not enough weight. Always challenge yourself and trust me, I work out very hard and it's very difficult for women to gain muscle.

I was actually going to recommend the same book. It is phenomenal. By lifting a large amount of weight, you will not bulk up. Lower reps with more weight will help you build strength. The higher reps and lower weight will build the endurance fibers in your muscles up. However, these endurance fibers are ones that women are naturally better with, so the higher reps and lower weight is not really going to do as much as the strength training. Anyway, long short of it, you won't bulk up. Rock out your strength training. And really, you should check out that book. It is The New Rules of Lifting for Women by Lou Schuler.

You dont' need to do a lot of weight just higher reps and keep your cals in check.

Completely wrong. Low weight/high reps is good for fat loss, not muscle gain. Endurance lifting vs. Muscle Building lifting.

And to get "bulky", you'll have to lift massive amounts of weight for years, and eat like a freaking elephant. There's a very strong possibility that this won't happen to you.

As a woman, you'd find it extremely hard to get anywhere close to bulky. We just don't have the same hormones as men, that allow them to put on significant muscle size.

If that was your goal then you'd have to eat lots (a surplus) to gain fat and muscle, train in a way that was best for hypertrophy (8-12 reps), eat more, no doubt take some form of "help" (steroids..growth hormones), eat more, and be patient. It takes years to add size even when pretty much your whole life is about training.

Lift heavy, something that challenges you. 3lb dumbells (or any weight for that matter that you can lift with ease) is not going to get you anywhere except better at lifting that weight multiple times (endurance). Find a weight that you can lift for around 6-8 reps or less. The last 2 should be a struggle, with good form. When you can complete your target sets/reps, move up the weight. You will get stronger, and probably gain a little bit of muscle in the early days unless you're in a huge deficit (at your weight, I doubt you are) but nothing major so don't worry. Extra muscle helps to burn fat, so it'll be easier to stay lean As long as you're not eating in a surplus, you won't gain fat either.

If you work really hard, and lift really heavy, you might get as bulky as these girls:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/987513-lifting-is-the-most-horrible-thing-to-a-woman-since-twiggy

^^this is the best link for OP

Check it out. Read their stories. Lift, eat, be fabulous!

Women and lifting, brings to mind...