Women Who Lift: Before and Afters!

My mom doesn't believe that lifting is good, she thinks I'll get bulky and that it's stupid because you can't sustain it for later in life (she used Arnold Schwarzenegger as an example.like look at him now it's gross) I showed her things on the internet but she doesn't believe they are real, so show me your before and afters please! HEAVY LIFTERS (women)
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Replies

  • stonel94
    stonel94 Posts: 550 Member
    urgent!
  • golfergirl92
    golfergirl92 Posts: 79 Member
    I lift at the gym and it's really awesome to know that I'm getting stronger! Women can't get "bulky" or look like Arnold cause we don't have enough testosterone in our bodies to spur muscle growth like that. We can get "toned" as some people put it and we can get definition, but we can't get bulky unless you're doing steroids. Lifting doesn't burn as many calories as cardio in the same amount of time, so I do both. :)
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    This is old, and only after 30 days...but it's all I've got at the moment.


    lifting30days.jpg
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
    From this (245 pounds)
    2ced7baa0eedc1180c7ef1bb3c05cbca1408569.jpg

    to this (214 pounds, 5 months post partum with my youngest):
    deda02c97fd2ea6410f203d0efe4d21e1408569.jpg

    to this (165 pounds)
    616ec56e4c56d8657741955bf30918e91408569.jpg

    Lifting heavy, running, and eating all the food!
  • davepearson86
    davepearson86 Posts: 158 Member
    If you end up looking like Arnold please let me know because that would be awesome!
  • queenstl
    queenstl Posts: 64 Member
    great job ladies, i so want to get into lifting. my hubby has all the equipment set up in the garage and my oldest son is the only one that uses it, lol. I said this is the year of the weight. keep up the great work.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
  • Will_Thrust_For_Candy
    Will_Thrust_For_Candy Posts: 6,109 Member
    This is my before and current :happy:

    eOPBpFal.jpg
  • _TastySnoBalls_
    _TastySnoBalls_ Posts: 1,298 Member
    we don't have the hormones to make us look like arnold. So, unless you're gonna start taking mega doses of steroids/testosterone, you have nothing to worry about.
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
    My fiancee before and after...

    yojustbeforegottogether.jpg
    581790_10151564938351611_1041918766_n.jpg
  • CallMeCupcakeDammit
    CallMeCupcakeDammit Posts: 9,377 Member
    I don't have pics of myself. This is Sara deadlifting 325 lbs. She's not bulky.

    4qffo_zps66a72ba3.gif
  • Factory_Reset
    Factory_Reset Posts: 1,651 Member

    Read this OP

    the OP of that thread is no longer with us, pours one out for Lea, but still worth a look!!
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    I don't have any before and afters ready at the moment but I can tell you that I saw a huge difference with the heavy lifting. When I was doing cardio alone I was thinner but flabby. The heavy lifting has really tightened my body up and I look better than I did when I was in my 20s BEFORE I had kids.

    I would recommend heavy lifting to a woman any day!!!!

    Heavy compound lifts A++
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    I don't have any handy to post in the thread but I have some in my profile.

    I went from a doughy size 10-12 at 186 lbs to a firm size 2-4 at 145 lbs. I am muscular, and I weigh a lot for my size- but I doubt anyone who's seen me in jeans would call me bulky.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    87c7d01a-3c75-4bc4-af34-259594ae4b78.jpg
  • ZoeLifts
    ZoeLifts Posts: 10,347 Member
    Hopefully you can tell in my one year before and after photos some difference and that I am not bulky, but have gotten smaller. I love heavy lifting!

    p5wftqp.jpg?1
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    You can find my pics here:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/903628-one-year-of-barbells-and-ice-cream-my-story-so-far-pics


    It was made nearly a year ago. My profile pic is much more current...still not bulky, and I lift very frequently and have done a bulk cycle since to actually try to gain muscle.
  • LishieFruit89
    LishieFruit89 Posts: 1,956 Member
    I believe the thread with Twiggy in the title is also about lady lifters.

    Check out the New Rules and Stronglifts groups, youll find plenty of proof
  • beachgirl172723
    beachgirl172723 Posts: 151 Member
    Bump
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    hope these work...

    started late 2010

    378__320x240_front-comparison.jpg

    mid 2011
    Amber1.jpg

    first year competing 2012
    Gary-and-Amber-Day-200x300.jpg
  • acampbellc
    acampbellc Posts: 3 Member
    Just started lifting so I'm not their yet, but how to be soon. I have family saying sort of the same things, but do what feels right for you! I simply told my mom today (who insists I'm getting too small and shouldn't loose anymore) that I want to see lines in my body that I KNOW I earned,& that in order to get there it REQUIRES heavy lifting and a lower body fat then I'm at now. Your body will only do what you allow it to do, wether your looking slight definition, want to be the female version of Arnold (nearly impossible would require either hard core dedication and calories for a women or steroids), or simply want to do it because you love to lift don't let anyone or anything stop you!
  • amcsouth
    amcsouth Posts: 283 Member
    Wow!! You all look amazing! :smile:
  • stormystrickland
    stormystrickland Posts: 187 Member
    bump
  • My fiancee before and after...

    yojustbeforegottogether.jpg
    581790_10151564938351611_1041918766_n.jpg
    I'd love to know exactly what she did BC I am built just like her... not lie. She looks stunning! It's nice to find someone built like me to look up to. Shes so carved! Very nice.
  • Fithealthyforlife
    Fithealthyforlife Posts: 866 Member
    OP: If your mom considers the women who have posted here bulky (I'm not saying she does but it's possible), then she has a perceptual issue which you'll need to correct if you want her to eventually lift along with you (or at the very least, fully approve of your lifting, which is what you are hoping for). Easier said than done...some people unfortunately still believe that women's bodies should be very soft and never have any visible muscle tone. Shame, really. Hope your mom isn't like that, and good luck with your lifting program!

    That said, I think the thing that could push someone like her over the edge is if you kindly explain to her that people who eat at a deficit to lose weight do not actually build muscle; rather, weight training allows for rapid and efficient fat loss, which reveals the muscle that was already there in the first place. It's not just about building muscle, after all. Maintaining is another, just-as-useful reason to weight train.

    .
  • jburd07
    jburd07 Posts: 4 Member
    great thread and the perfect inspiration I need. I just met with my PT for the first time yesterday and I don't know what I am getting myself into, but these pics give me hope it will be worth it
  • mank32
    mank32 Posts: 1,323 Member
    tagged for pix and linx

    my mother said almost the same thing a few weeks ago when i told her i want to lift. "Please just don't get all muscle-y like those blah blah blah..." i told her i couldn't because i'm a woman and i don't have the hormones for it. that was the end of that. :tongue: