I'm not intersted in bulking up!!!

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darlene98
darlene98 Posts: 49 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I was wondering if anyone else is having this problem. I workout at least 3 to 4 times a week. I thought I was doing ok but when I started working out with a trainer, Her focus is alot of strength traing that includes alot of weights. I have notice that I am not losing much weight but I am looking a little "bulky" This would be great if I were 5' 7" but I am a 5' 2"! Don't want to look like a female body builder. What are your thougths? Also I am looking for some new friends to come along with me on the weight loss journey. It's not easy doing this alone!

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  • Rynatat
    Rynatat Posts: 807 Member
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    When you first start working out with weights you may seem to bulk, but if you lower the weight you'll tone & firm more. Also, everyone's genetics are different, so some may bulk up on weights while others lose. I take me & my Baby Sister as an example: she does some basic routines & she has 6-pack abs and a great figure, but she can't get rid of her love handles. I bust my butt and massacre my abs & can barely get them to look "flattish" but my love handles are getting tight & toned: she got my Dad's genes & I got my Mums, we build, lose & firm differently.
    Ask the trainer if you can just use 5lbs or less since you'd rather tone and strengthen than bulk & strengthen. If he balks at your request, get a different trainer: a good PFT listens to you & what you want & then helps you achieve your goals. After all, you're paying them to get what you want.
  • bbygrl5
    bbygrl5 Posts: 964 Member
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    I'm 5'3" and you will NOT bulk up from doing weights. The bulky look comes from your muscle building up and still having a high fat percentage to lose OR from women who do serious lifting over a long time, years. When I use the weight machines, I do sets of 60lbs on my arms, 70lbs on legs and 90 lbs on glutes. I've been doing weights an average of 2-3 times a week for about a year now. Look at my pics. I'm not bulky. You just have to also keep working on getting lean. :)
  • sillygoose1977
    sillygoose1977 Posts: 2,151 Member
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    Building muscle helps burn fat and calories. You are not going to end up bulking up. If I were you I would keep up with the strength training.
  • GorillaNJ
    GorillaNJ Posts: 4,052 Member
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    It takes a LONG time to "bulk up" I would discuss your concerns with your trainer but chances are he/she will tell you the same thing and get you back to your strength training. Building fat helps your body burn fat, so keep at it!
  • servingthealiens
    servingthealiens Posts: 144 Member
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    Unless you're supplementing testosterone, you won't look like a body builder.

    This isn't directed specifically at you, but it's so annoying when women are afraid of strength because they don't want to "get huge". Like, I took a weight training course in college for my PE credit and there were these 2 girls in there that didn't want to lift too much so they wouldn't get "gross muscles".

    1) Muscles are not gross. They are healthy, sexy, and NECESSARY.
    2) Being strong and fit is in NO way unfeminine.

    You need strength training to be fit and have a well-rounded program. Period.
  • limestar
    limestar Posts: 198 Member
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    you will not bulk up. if you do not want to weight lift ask your trainer for workouts that you can use your own body weight like calisthetic exercise. i am doing insanity and that is basically lifting your own body weight and you still get the benefits of cardio and strenght training. i will add you so we can motivate each other. i also do kettlebells training and that is awsome and I am not bulking up at all.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,022 Member
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    It's not the amount of weight that makes you bulky. It's the type of lifting you're doing. Isolation exercises like biceps curls and leg presses can make your arms and legs bulky because you're focusing all that weight on a specific muscle group. If you do full body movements like squats, deadlifts, lunges, etc., you'll get leaner and stronger because you're using many muscle groups to push/pull the weight instead of just one. There is a lot of research online about this topic. One blog I really like is www.losestubbornfat.com. The guy who writes it is a trainer who works mostly with female clients. He has them lift really heavy weights, and they do not get bulky because they're doing explosive full body lifts instead of isolation lifts.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    Unless you're doing really heavy weight, training for a long time, taking all kinds of supplements and eating a huge excess of calories, you're not going to build huge muscles. And even if you are using heavy weight, you'll build a little bit, but mostly you'll just tone. Make sure you're also doing plenty of cardio to help burn fat.
  • carl1738
    carl1738 Posts: 444 Member
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    Keep up the weight training! You're seeing muscle pushing out the fat. As you lose the fat, you'll see more tone and less bulk. Women generally have a very hard time bulking up because of their low levels of testosterone.
  • joycechastity2
    joycechastity2 Posts: 30
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    During one of my many workout phases that never seem to last I used a lot of weight training. I build muscle fast and was afraid of bulking up. But I didn't. I didn't see lower numbers on the scale as much but my body changed and my clothes fit better. Try not to look so much at the numbers on the scale and judge by the way your clothes are fitting.
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
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    What they all said. :smile:

    Give your trainer a chance to work with you. As long as you're on a calorie restricted diet, you will not "bulk up".
  • ArchyJill
    ArchyJill Posts: 548 Member
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    I'm 5'3" and you will NOT bulk up from doing weights. The bulky look comes from your muscle building up and still having a high fat percentage to lose OR from women who do serious lifting over a long time, years. When I use the weight machines, I do sets of 60lbs on my arms, 70lbs on legs and 90 lbs on glutes. I've been doing weights an average of 2-3 times a week for about a year now. Look at my pics. I'm not bulky. You just have to also keep working on getting lean. :)

    Hit the nail right on the head! Also, beware that when you lose fat in some areas others will look bigger by comparison till it all evens out....when I started losing on my hips and ribcage area my tummy looked bigger (to me) but that didn't last too long!
  • darlene98
    darlene98 Posts: 49 Member
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    I am also doing Insanity and it is kicking my butt!!! Since I tried it earlier in the year before I started really hitting the gym and could not get through it so of course I gave up. This time around it seems I can get through the workouts. Glad to hear someone else is "insane" as well!
  • mccorml
    mccorml Posts: 622 Member
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    yah i had your same problem but my friend whos a nutritionist said that i can do all the weights i want because im trying to look buffer but it wont show if i have to high of a body fat percentage and ill just look bigger :/ so i went an lost weight lol
  • GremlinJenny
    GremlinJenny Posts: 151
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    I agree with everyone else's comments. Also, talk with your trainer. She should be able to adapt her workouts to what you want to achieve. If not, you can definitely consider finding a different trainer.

    G'luck!

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