Women: Why are you afraid of muscle?

exercisesucks
exercisesucks Posts: 102
edited September 22 in Fitness and Exercise
I am curious. I talk to many women who are working out or are just starting to work out and many always say they want to get toned. Or, they say they dont want to bulk up. My question is: Why are you so afraid of gaining muscle? Being a women, you cant grow muscle at the rate men can do to lack of testosterone. But you can get stronger and firmer from it and it keeps things from falling, if you get my drift. So what gives?
«1

Replies

  • htimpaired
    htimpaired Posts: 1,404 Member
    Well I can't speak for others but I personally am seeking muscle. I used to have a pretty ripped body and then six years ago things happened that led to my slacking off the diet and fitness. I'm trying to get back to the muscle, believe me! So I for one do not shy away from it-I look forwards to the day I am toned and lean, not...squishy.
  • laughingdani
    laughingdani Posts: 2,275 Member
    I think most women are afraid of looking "bigger". That is a misconception that a lot of people have...that muscle = big.
    I have plenty of muscle and I am the smallest I have been in years. I am hoping to build up more muscle as I lose the last of my weight.
  • DancingYogini
    DancingYogini Posts: 377
    I love muscles on me :smile: I like looking toned and strong. That was my main goal when I came here, since I didn't have that much to lose on the scale. I was looking to drop inches and gain some definition, which I have!
  • ShellyKay67
    ShellyKay67 Posts: 489 Member
    I'm not afraid of muscle!! haha
    i actually think my arm muscles are better than some guys! (just my opinion tho)
    working on my leg muscles now with running, elliptical and weight training!
    bring on the muscle!!
  • precioustypeoflove
    precioustypeoflove Posts: 197 Member
    i dont mind alittle but i want to stay lady like and not scare my man away im not into the whole body building woman look yuk!!
  • potluck965
    potluck965 Posts: 529 Member
    I'm not afraid of muscle and have always been frustrated that I couldn't build more. Maybe it's just the women you talk to. Some women have been force fed the idea that muscle isn't feminine since they were little kids and haven't broken free of that sterotypical way of thinking.
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
    I've been obese all of my life and always admire a tightly toned female peer. I don't shy away from muscle. I look down at the tiny biceps that are starting to form & grin "Why, hello there, little friend!"
    Muscles (and new bones/definitions coming out) make me feel sexy.
  • Ravyn1982
    Ravyn1982 Posts: 225 Member
    I'm not afraid of muscle but I also don't want to look like a body builder. I don't even want a six pack. I prefer my little flab that I had when I was fit before. I'm not built for muscle though. I like toned legs and arms but a little squishiness on the tummy. Just not what I have right now. hehe
  • meagalayne
    meagalayne Posts: 3,382 Member
    You seem to be really painting all women with a very broad brush... Hate to say it, but you sound quite ill-informed. Take a look around this site for 5-10 mins and you'll find PLENTY of women that strength train, use protein supplements, and are total workout queens.
    Maybe you just haven't been looking hard enough. Why do you ask?
  • HerBravado
    HerBravado Posts: 392 Member
    I wouldn't mind some muscle, which is why I don't shy away from my weight training. (: To me, it makes me feel empowered. I feel so strong after my workouts, like I've already got some built up. lol !
  • myricksmom
    myricksmom Posts: 15 Member
    I have been steadily losing weight but my forearm measurement has INCREASED. That is from a lot of swimming. I was a tad uncomfortable with it at first but as I thought about it I realized that I walked around for years with tons of loose weight on me...why on earth should I be afraid of muscle???
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 22,186 Member
    I love muscle. I hear some say that muscles aren't feminine. To them, I say they most certainly are when they're on a woman.
  • ley1
    ley1 Posts: 115
    i like my wobbly bits...i just wish there werent so many of them lol!!
  • bbygrl5
    bbygrl5 Posts: 964 Member
    I LOVE my muscle!!! It's sexy!! In my experience when women are afraid of muscle it's also because their fat percentage is high and this mixed with muscle will give a woman a bulky look. I think it's important to have a healthy balance between lowering fat percentage and building muscle. This also helps with anyone worried about skin issues. :)
  • lutzsher
    lutzsher Posts: 1,153 Member
    I think most woman automatically think of a body builders physique without realizing that those ladies take suppliments AND train for a minimum of 6 hours per day for competition.
    The amount of weight training a "normal" person would do to stay fit won't give you those results but some woman are misinformed and think they will bulk up.
    Personally I would just like to be able to kick anyone's *kitten* . . . not that I would . . . but knowing Im strong enough to actually do it would be amazing! I'll get there and then just watch out . . . ha ha.
  • helloiloveukitty
    helloiloveukitty Posts: 448 Member
    I personally don't want the super all over visibly muscular look for me but I see tons of women who rock it and love it. No fear, just a preference.
  • ickybella
    ickybella Posts: 1,438 Member
    I'm certainly not afraid of muscle. I am so proud of the little bit I've got right now. Nice generalization, though. I'm super glad so many were able to prove you wrong. :wink:
  • schnarfo
    schnarfo Posts: 764 Member
    I loveeeeeee my new muscles from strength training! Doesnt make me look bulky just toned! Plus it makes a lot of daily chores so much easier being a bit stronger. So in response to the original post - Im not scared! Bring it on!!!
  • AEROBICVIC
    AEROBICVIC Posts: 159 Member
    LOVE LOVE LOVE MUSCLE!!! the more the better! muscle is sexy!!!

    but most of the women i train don't feel that way...they are afraid of it. even after talking to them i don't understand what they are afraid of. i have found that they're are going by the pictures they have seen of women who take roids and body build. some of those women are bigger than my husband who is a 275 pound powerlifter. now....that i can see them being afraid of.

    even after i explain why we as woman cannot naturally build that type of muscle and the fact it takes years to build it, they still shy away from wt training. they normally start a routine but never finish. i have a few girls at the gym who take it serious and compete like i do but that is it. .....couple
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
    i like my wobbly bits...i just wish there werent so many of them lol!!

    Ditto, toned is fine, muscle definition isn't. You like it that's fine, I'm not scared of it I just don't like it.

    Different strokes and all that
  • DancingDreamer
    DancingDreamer Posts: 520
    its not a scared thing. we just dont want to look like that. i would like toned arms and legs but i dont want to look like a muscle-y body builder. i want to look like the sexy toned belly dancer that i see myself as in my head. not everyone WANTS muscle. its not a matter of fear, its a matter of preference. if a lady wants to be all muscle-y i say more power to her, its just that ****I**** dont want to look like that. understand it now? :)

    oh and being "toned" IS gaining muscle, just not a huge amount to warrant stark muscle definition. its a lighter form of muscle. so again. no fear, we just want less! thats all ^__^
  • jmmtaylor
    jmmtaylor Posts: 225
    Women are not necessarily afraid of muscles...we just don't want the "body builder" type muscles. That is why we say "toned" because we can build muscle and still look "normal" and not like a body builder. Lower weights and more reps will give you lean muscles and tighten it all up :)
  • exercisesucks
    exercisesucks Posts: 102
    You seem to be really painting all women with a very broad brush... Hate to say it, but you sound quite ill-informed. Take a look around this site for 5-10 mins and you'll find PLENTY of women that strength train, use protein supplements, and are total workout queens.
    Maybe you just haven't been looking hard enough. Why do you ask?

    Please read my post before replying. I said most of the women I talk to, not all women or even most women. And since this is a broadcast message in a forum on the internet it is perfectly logical to make broad assumptions based on the information available.
  • heathercrist1
    heathercrist1 Posts: 806 Member
    I will admit I am one of those women that has recently stopped lifting weights in the traditional sense (more than 3lbs) and started doing more cardio and toning exercises (ie. Tracy Anderson Method). I am the type of person that has large legs/thighs that get even more muscular depending on the types of exercise I do (running, spinning, lunges, squats) and large shoulders that get even larger depending on the weights I lift. I've been trying to transform my body and create a more long and lean look as opposed to the muscular athletic body traditional workouts give me. I still strive to be strong with sexy long, lean muscle. I'm not "afraid" of muscle....I just want my muscle to be in the form that best suites my body. And before you comment on my "wimpy" 3lb weights I use...look up a Tracy Anderson arm workout and do it and THEN tell me how long you hung on before you put your arms down and screamed out due to the burn!
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    I found that I was not going to get rid of my big hips, so I started to develop my shoulders and arms to balance out with the bottom part of my body. I love my muscles!
  • exercisesucks
    exercisesucks Posts: 102
    I will admit I am one of those women that has recently stopped lifting weights in the traditional sense (more than 3lbs) and started doing more cardio and toning exercises (ie. Tracy Anderson Method). I am the type of person that has large legs/thighs that get even more muscular depending on the types of exercise I do (running, spinning, lunges, squats) and large shoulders that get even larger depending on the weights I lift. I've been trying to transform my body and create a more long and lean look as opposed to the muscular athletic body traditional workouts give me. I still strive to be strong with sexy long, lean muscle. I'm not "afraid" of muscle....I just want my muscle to be in the form that best suites my body. And before you comment on my "wimpy" 3lb weights I use...look up a Tracy Anderson arm workout and do it and THEN tell me how long you hung on before you put your arms down and screamed out due to the burn!

    I do not think youre wimpy at all. LOL. I dont have a problem with a women choosing lighter or no weights. My question was more curiosity than finger pointing. I know many women who have no desire to do weight training and I dont think they have ever given any real thought to why. I am a fan of weights as well as limiting weights in workouts. I have found success doing P90X and Insanity. I was in no way disparaging your choice. Congrats on your efforts and I hope you continued success.
  • ArchyJill
    ArchyJill Posts: 548 Member
    I have recieved disparaging remarks about my muscle tone and they can all just bite me ;) My theory is there are only two zones I want to wobble, the rest had better be rock solid!
  • exercisesucks
    exercisesucks Posts: 102
    I have recieved disparaging remarks about my muscle tone and they can all just bite me ;) My theory is there are only two zones I want to wobble, the rest had better be rock solid!

    ROTFLMAO!!! :laugh:
  • modernfemme
    modernfemme Posts: 454 Member
    I don't think women are so much afraid of muscles as they are just more preoccupied with the calories and losing of the actual weight. I think it just gets left by the wayside.
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
    Speaking from personal experience, I have been there. I thought the Victoria's Secret skinny minny body was attractive, I used to be the girl lifting 5 pound dumbbells and thinking I was doing something. I was 105 pounds and a weakling. Now I am 110 pounds, wear the same size, but I can lift heavy things, I have good endurance and I look better! My shoulders and arms are sculpted, you can see the muscle definition in my legs. And because I lift heavy, I can eat way more than I used to! It is much much better. Even my husband agrees I look 100x better.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories