Ladies, you will NOT bulk up by lifting heavy!
RobynMWilson
Posts: 1,540 Member
I just wanted to share my results from Body Beast to show women that you will NOT bulk up from heavy lifting and it will do your metabolism GOOD!
See, I was an obese kid with a high weight of 200lbs in 8th grade (I was 5'6 at the time and I'm very small-boned so don't carry that kind of weight well). I was a size 18 with a BP of 200/120 at 13 yrs old. In 1986. When the whole world was 'skinny'.
So, I do not have a naturally fast metabolism.
I discovered that muscle burns fat a couple of years ago with a program called ChaLEAN Extreme, which was my introduction to heavy lifting. My body fat was going UP as I approached my late 30s and my cardio addiction with some light weights thrown in was failing me. My body fat was at 28%.
Today my body fat is around 18%.
With this round of Body Beast I had hoped to gain some muscle weight, but my dad had started chemo just a few days after I started Beast, went downhill very quickly and I became his primary caregiver for a month before he passed away on August 28th. Since then I've struggled to get back on my "regular" eating. Eating out too much, eating Mom's not so healthy food too much, being somewhat undisciplined about meal prep and slowly getting back on track with that.
But, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that I'm 42 yrs old and eat 2200-2400 cals per day to maintain. That should not happen with somebody my age with my history and my family history.
Muscle burns fat! And a structured program will maximize this effect! Go get some weights, ladies!!
See, I was an obese kid with a high weight of 200lbs in 8th grade (I was 5'6 at the time and I'm very small-boned so don't carry that kind of weight well). I was a size 18 with a BP of 200/120 at 13 yrs old. In 1986. When the whole world was 'skinny'.
So, I do not have a naturally fast metabolism.
I discovered that muscle burns fat a couple of years ago with a program called ChaLEAN Extreme, which was my introduction to heavy lifting. My body fat was going UP as I approached my late 30s and my cardio addiction with some light weights thrown in was failing me. My body fat was at 28%.
Today my body fat is around 18%.
With this round of Body Beast I had hoped to gain some muscle weight, but my dad had started chemo just a few days after I started Beast, went downhill very quickly and I became his primary caregiver for a month before he passed away on August 28th. Since then I've struggled to get back on my "regular" eating. Eating out too much, eating Mom's not so healthy food too much, being somewhat undisciplined about meal prep and slowly getting back on track with that.
But, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that I'm 42 yrs old and eat 2200-2400 cals per day to maintain. That should not happen with somebody my age with my history and my family history.
Muscle burns fat! And a structured program will maximize this effect! Go get some weights, ladies!!
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Replies
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I'm thrilled for you that you're happy with your body. However, your title is simply untrue. I did bulk up far more than I'd like by lifting weights, biking, running, and stairclimbing in a misguided effort to lose weight. I didn't lose weight. I gained muscle, just like a bodybuilder, since I was acting like one (3 - 4 hrs in the gym 4x/week, and eating to my hunger levels, which means a caloric excess).
Our bodies all respond differently. You say you're small boned. I'm not. I'm big boned, big framed with big legs, hips, and arms. The lifting made it worse because I build muscle fast. I didn't want to be big. I wanted to be smaller.
It would be far more helpful to explain to women that if they do not want to bulk they MUST eat a calorie deficit while lifting, or else they may become accidental body builders like me.-5 -
By the way, you look great!0
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Some women might bulk up, if they have unnaturally high levels of testosterone thanks to bad genetics or steroid injection, but generally speaking the idea that women bulk up from lifting weights is a tall tale of the highest order.0
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Lol @ "accidental bodybuilder".... :noway:-1
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I'm thrilled for you that you're happy with your body. However, your title is simply untrue. I did bulk up far more than I'd like by lifting weights, biking, running, and stairclimbing in a misguided effort to lose weight. I didn't lose weight. I gained muscle, just like a bodybuilder, since I was acting like one (3 - 4 hrs in the gym 4x/week, and eating to my hunger levels, which means a caloric excess).
Our bodies all respond differently. You say you're small boned. I'm not. I'm big boned, big framed with big legs, hips, and arms. The lifting made it worse because I build muscle fast. I didn't want to be big. I wanted to be smaller.
It would be far more helpful to explain to women that if they do not want to bulk they MUST eat a calorie deficit while lifting, or else they may become accidental body builders like me.
Thank you! I did have some friends who are much bigger boned than me doing this program who are also focusing on weight loss, and they have not bulked up and both saw better results with this program than others they have tried, including primarily cardio workouts.
That being said, the majority of women, barring hormonal imbalances, do not bulk up just by lifting. But, that would be too long of a title! lol
Also, if you are hungry and not feeding that hunger while lifting, you are not fueling your muscles enough to get that fat burning effect you are looking for. I see it all too often among women and personal trainers who are still using outdated information to train people. I'm not saying that's what happened with you, but you shouldn't be hungry while lifting heavy. Especially if you're training for that many hours. I never train more than an hour per day and take 1-2 rest days per week.
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I'm thrilled for you that you're happy with your body. However, your title is simply untrue. I did bulk up far more than I'd like by lifting weights, biking, running, and stairclimbing in a misguided effort to lose weight. I didn't lose weight. I gained muscle, just like a bodybuilder, since I was acting like one (3 - 4 hrs in the gym 4x/week, and eating to my hunger levels, which means a caloric excess).
Our bodies all respond differently. You say you're small boned. I'm not. I'm big boned, big framed with big legs, hips, and arms. The lifting made it worse because I build muscle fast. I didn't want to be big. I wanted to be smaller.
It would be far more helpful to explain to women that if they do not want to bulk they MUST eat a calorie deficit while lifting, or else they may become accidental body builders like me.
The part in bold shows there was nothing accidental about it.
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or else they may become accidental body builders like me.
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I'm thrilled for you that you're happy with your body. However, your title is simply untrue. I did bulk up far more than I'd like by lifting weights, biking, running, and stairclimbing in a misguided effort to lose weight. I didn't lose weight. I gained muscle, just like a bodybuilder, since I was acting like one (3 - 4 hrs in the gym 4x/week, and eating to my hunger levels, which means a caloric excess).
Our bodies all respond differently. You say you're small boned. I'm not. I'm big boned, big framed with big legs, hips, and arms. The lifting made it worse because I build muscle fast. I didn't want to be big. I wanted to be smaller.
It would be far more helpful to explain to women that if they do not want to bulk they MUST eat a calorie deficit while lifting, or else they may become accidental body builders like me.
Lifting and eating in an unmeasured manner like you did, most likely resulted in strength gains, some muscle gains and fat gains. Unless you have pics showing you have a bodybuilding type of body, your results aren't anything that anyone here couldn't achieve.
The OP mentions eating at maintenance during her journey0 -
yawn-1
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You look great but this topic has been beat to death....-3
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You look amazing!! Congrats!0
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Wow, you look amazing! Much better than me, and I'm 10 years younger than you! Go girl!!!0
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Great job!0
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I too read the title and thought "not this again", but your story and your photos are inspiring. Congratulations.0
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Torontonius wrote: »Some women might bulk up, if they have unnaturally high levels of testosterone thanks to bad genetics or steroid injection, but generally speaking the idea that women bulk up from lifting weights is a tall tale of the highest order.
I'd kill for those "bad genetics" right now.0 -
I'm thrilled for you that you're happy with your body. However, your title is simply untrue. I did bulk up far more than I'd like by lifting weights, biking, running, and stairclimbing in a misguided effort to lose weight. I didn't lose weight. I gained muscle, just like a bodybuilder, since I was acting like one (3 - 4 hrs in the gym 4x/week, and eating to my hunger levels, which means a caloric excess).
Our bodies all respond differently. You say you're small boned. I'm not. I'm big boned, big framed with big legs, hips, and arms. The lifting made it worse because I build muscle fast. I didn't want to be big. I wanted to be smaller.
It would be far more helpful to explain to women that if they do not want to bulk they MUST eat a calorie deficit while lifting, or else they may become accidental body builders like me.
Sweet Jesus, yeah that would buff one up. I spend an hour and a half in the gym 4x a week, I seriously don't think I could walk or move for that matter after 3-4 hours lol...
OP Great job!!!0 -
Thanks everybody and please be nice!
For the record, I was really trying to eat more. I had food issues as a kid and really worked to control my portions and "shrink" my stomach the non-surgical way back in the 80s, and so I added extra meals and snacks rather than bigger portions so as not to "stretch" the stomach back out (and never needing a gastric sleeve lol). But I tiptoed too lightly around my food issues and did the best I could but only got up to 2200 cals, so the next time, I'm gonna try the "Beast O Matic" shake recipes in the nutrition guide to beef up my protein shakes. I cannot have whey or casein as I'm allergic so I use egg white protein but I can sub that out for these recipes. I think that extra few hundred cals per day will help.
I'm kinda lazy about food prep. Especially as I was Dad's primary caregiver when I started this program and he passed on August 28th so I've been struggling to get back into my usual routine as far as food prep is concerned.
Happy to see my legs changed shape, though! I didn't think it was possible!!
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RobynMWilson wrote: »Especially as I was Dad's primary caregiver when I started this program and he passed on August 28th so I've been struggling to get back into my usual routine as far as food prep is concerned.
I am sorry to hear this. :flowerforyou: :sad:
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Great progress OP.
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Torontonius wrote: »Some women might bulk up, if they have unnaturally high levels of testosterone thanks to bad genetics or steroid injection, but generally speaking the idea that women bulk up from lifting weights is a tall tale of the highest order.
All these women I see, using weights and bulking up, must be mythical faeries or something...
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Sorry, I'm confused. At first you're saying weights do not create bulk, but later that muscle burns fat and the ladies should pick some up?
Great pictures though, you're clearly an inspiration (particularly going through such a hard time!)0 -
greenfirearm wrote: »Sorry, I'm confused. At first you're saying weights do not create bulk, but later that muscle burns fat and the ladies should pick some up?
Great pictures though, you're clearly an inspiration (particularly going through such a hard time!)
Maintaining lean body mass and becoming bulky are very different things.0 -
I'm thrilled for you that you're happy with your body. However, your title is simply untrue. I did bulk up far more than I'd like by lifting weights, biking, running, and stairclimbing in a misguided effort to lose weight. I didn't lose weight. I gained muscle, just like a bodybuilder, since I was acting like one (3 - 4 hrs in the gym 4x/week, and eating to my hunger levels, which means a caloric excess).
Our bodies all respond differently. You say you're small boned. I'm not. I'm big boned, big framed with big legs, hips, and arms. The lifting made it worse because I build muscle fast. I didn't want to be big. I wanted to be smaller.
It would be far more helpful to explain to women that if they do not want to bulk they MUST eat a calorie deficit while lifting, or else they may become accidental body builders like me.
^^This!!!0 -
breezyAandii wrote: »I'm thrilled for you that you're happy with your body. However, your title is simply untrue. I did bulk up far more than I'd like by lifting weights, biking, running, and stairclimbing in a misguided effort to lose weight. I didn't lose weight. I gained muscle, just like a bodybuilder, since I was acting like one (3 - 4 hrs in the gym 4x/week, and eating to my hunger levels, which means a caloric excess).
Our bodies all respond differently. You say you're small boned. I'm not. I'm big boned, big framed with big legs, hips, and arms. The lifting made it worse because I build muscle fast. I didn't want to be big. I wanted to be smaller.
It would be far more helpful to explain to women that if they do not want to bulk they MUST eat a calorie deficit while lifting, or else they may become accidental body builders like me.
^^This!!!
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Torontonius wrote: »
I'd kill for those "bad genetics" right now.
Funny you put that in quotes, when I wrote it I thought "hmm, this isn't quite what I mean".
I think I was thinking about 50's Bulgarian female shotputters when I wrote that. Of course, that had nothing to do with genetics, it was all about the chemical enhancement.
Speaking of which, you look great the way you are - cool if your goals are to add more muscle, but you really do look fantastic.0 -
Thank you for this post, I loved it and agree completely!
Maybe this will clear it up for those of you having trouble understanding: (and NO I'm not being mean or sarcastic...come on, people, let's be SUPPORTIVE of each other, OK?)
Sorry the pic is so small, click on it to see it better0 -
I'm thrilled for you that you're happy with your body. However, your title is simply untrue. I did bulk up far more than I'd like by lifting weights, biking, running, and stairclimbing in a misguided effort to lose weight. I didn't lose weight. I gained muscle, just like a bodybuilder, since I was acting like one (3 - 4 hrs in the gym 4x/week, and eating to my hunger levels, which means a caloric excess).
Our bodies all respond differently. You say you're small boned. I'm not. I'm big boned, big framed with big legs, hips, and arms. The lifting made it worse because I build muscle fast. I didn't want to be big. I wanted to be smaller.
It would be far more helpful to explain to women that if they do not want to bulk they MUST eat a calorie deficit while lifting, or else they may become accidental body builders like me.
Well you can build muscle under fat, so of course you would look more bulky. You gotta strip off the fat. That's why most recommend cutting to a lean body fat before trying to bulk. However you can do that while lifting, and it's actually recommended to help preserve the muscle you do have.
OP, you look great! I'm a heavy lifter too, and I would say with a propensity toward building muscle. You can see pictures in my profile. I've been lifting heavy for over a year and pretty much maintaining the same weight. I look way different than I did a year ago. However, I'm pretty much the same weight. In fact I weigh more but am smaller.0 -
I'm thrilled for you that you're happy with your body. However, your title is simply untrue. I did bulk up far more than I'd like by lifting weights, biking, running, and stairclimbing in a misguided effort to lose weight. I didn't lose weight. I gained muscle, just like a bodybuilder, since I was acting like one (3 - 4 hrs in the gym 4x/week, and eating to my hunger levels, which means a caloric excess).
Our bodies all respond differently. You say you're small boned. I'm not. I'm big boned, big framed with big legs, hips, and arms. The lifting made it worse because I build muscle fast. I didn't want to be big. I wanted to be smaller.
It would be far more helpful to explain to women that if they do not want to bulk they MUST eat a calorie deficit while lifting, or else they may become accidental body builders like me.
Lol @ accidental bodybuilders!!
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