stop overdoing cardio and hit the damn weights!!!

It would take close to a year for a woman to put on enough muscle to actually become bigger, without testosterone supplements. The women who come on here and claim that they put on tons of muscle just by looking at a barbell are generally dealing with a body dysmorphic issue in their head, not reality.

In other words, they just don't know what they're talking about. That's the attitude I'm referring to

It's not an attitude. It's honesty. A normal woman (not a professional athlete) will be lucky to put on about 5 pounds of muscle in a year. 5 pounds of muscle spread out over the human body will not be noticeable to the naked eye. That's also eating a perfect surplus and heavy progressive strength training with numbers and progression hitting perfectly. Most woman will manage far less than that. It's a mental game. Body fat reduces, exposing muscle, and they immediately think they've built large amounts of muscle and are becoming manly and huge, even though all measurements have decreased. It's unfortunate, but the majority of people on the planet have zero understanding of how thir bodies actually function and look.

Thank you....

I like doing weights, but I'm much more interested in cardio, as it is more accessible for me (I only have a few sets of dumbbells at home and that's it), and I find it a lot more relaxing and fun in general. I love walking or running, it's more my style. Just because lifting is more your style of exercise, and cardio isn't, doesn't mean we should do things your way. It is your opinion. You do your exercise and I'll do mine!

I used to do only cardio. I've been doing the kettle bell with my cardio a little over a week now and feel a major difference. My back does not hurt and I have more energy.

I'm staunchly in the camp of do both/do what you enjoy/just do something..... but FWIW for those saying it's nearly impossible for a woman to noticeably grow muscle mass in a relatively short period of time, my n=1:

I spent 3 weeks on a rescue medical trip where every 1-3 days, I had to haul extremely heavy anesthetic and surgical equipment in and out of two Penske trucks. It took roughly 3 hours to unload/load each time. I spent this entire 3 weeks in loose-fitting scrubs, but when I got home and put on real clothes, my biceps literally did not fit into my fitted shirt sleeves anymore. We ate well on the trip so I at first assumed I'd just gained weight, but when I checked, I had in fact lost about 5 lbs. I just turned into Popeye.

That said, I didn't think it was a bad thing at all.

Some people just don't enjoy strength/resistance training. I do cardio because that's what I like to do.

I'm so sick of the cardio haters looking down their noses at me. Bite me already. If I wanted to lift heavy things I'd do it. But I don't. I do want to be fast though and I'll do just enough strength training to build a strong core an shoulders. Otherwise I'll do so much cardio it'll make your head spin.

End of rant. Have a nice day. :-)

I want to feel strong and look good naked, not feel weak and look good in clothes, buts thats just my goal

^This is awesome! It doesn't matter how many times you see posts on here about lifting weights and how it will burn more fat than cardio. It doesn't matter what success stories tell you about not starving themselves and using lifting to change the shape of their bodies. People believe what makes sense to them, even though they've never tried it themselves. If I had a penny for everytime I've heard "I need to lose the fat through cardio and starvation first, then I'll "tone" up"

Nope sorry gone back to cardio. It's what I enjoy more. Am still doing strength workouts at home but doing more cardio than anything. Strength hurts me like crazy & makes it hard to do anything, cardio does not do that to me at all.

Each person is different.

mmk

I just send them this article:
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

Seems to help explain most of it.

Just WOW....i mean WOW.

bump

Just started lifting with my BF and my roomie. I've noticed a difference in my arms for sure which I like. I'm not bulky at all just a little firmer. I've lost weight actually doing it too. I do enjoy some cardio though. For me that is my relaxation especially spin where the music is pumping loud and I can zone out. Finding the balance has been fun. Plus Nikki Blackketter is a huge inspiration for me.

Umm, no. I will not hit the weights. And not because I think it'll make me bulky.
1. I don't want to.
2. I reeeaallly enjoy walking and jogging.
3. I have no intentions of paying for a full gym membership to have access to weights.
4. I'm still working on losing fat, toning is for when I'm closer to my goal. I can barely do many squats or lunges right now.

I don't get why so many people think everyone should lift. People are going to do what they enjoy.

This exactly

I love lifting and love the look ive achieved lifting...i feel sexier...i can be at a higher weight and not look over weight or at a lower weight and not look starved. Muscle makes u look curvier in my opinion.i love my curves. My *kitten* and legs have never looked better.

As much as I absolutely love lifting, I think it's important, when giving advice, to consider the other person's goals, current physical condition, and other physical and mental aspects of the person you're giving advice to. Context matters a lot.

Just because someone's goals or preferences aren't your own doesn't mean that you're right and they're wrong (or visa versa).

^^This

You stated that you are still trying to burn fat, and toning will come after that. Well, that's actually counterproductive. You will burn MORE FAT, but doing strength training, than by doing massive amounts of cardio. There are many studies to back this up, but I will just give you this one, and let you do the rest of the research for yourself. https://www.precisionnutrition.com/rr-cardio-vs-weights

I'm not saying don't do any cardio, just that adding strength training (not necessarily weight lifting, I do a lot of body weight exercises), will accelerate your fat loss.