HALP! Heavy Lifting Made Me SUPAH Bulky!!!
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Not too shabby for 5 months! Barely 4 pounds lost between the two photos 😳 I’m very happy with how my hips and legs have shaped up!
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scribblemoma wrote: »Not too shabby for 5 months! Barely 4 pounds lost between the two photos 😳 I’m very happy with how my hips and legs have shaped up!
Wow, that's a great example of reshaping your body with lifting!7 -
What workouts did you do to get such great results for your hip and legs in in such a short time?1
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mom23mangos wrote: »Wow, that's a great example of reshaping your body with lifting!
Thank you so much! You, and so many of the other rockin' weight lifting women on here, are such an inspiration to me!loveswalking wrote: »What workouts did you do to get such great results for your hip and legs in in such a short time?
This is going to be a little long so please bear with me!
I follow pretty closely with the Thinner, Leaner, Stronger program! But I don't agree with the author's stance on diet entirely so mostly I just use his workout structures
So don't feel like you have to go buy his book! It's just so-so in my opinion. Not a TOTAL waste of my money but not groundbreaking enough that I recommend it to everyone.
For diet I'm in a very slight deficit...only about 150-200 calories under my TDEE. This makes weight loss extremely slow (especially since I don't have too much more to lose) -but- it does let me keep making progress on my lifts. I'm not quite ready for a bulk/cut cycle approach but I do look forward to it! Regardless of my weight I have noticeably leaned out and I'm quite happy with how I'm beginning to look. My macros of carbs/proteins/fats are the traditional 40/30/30 simply because it's easy for me to fit into my diet and I preform well with it.
I do a 3 day split with weights and a 3 day split with cardio. And that's simply because I like cardio...it's not necessary if that's not your thing! My body's shape changes are strictly from the weights
But if you're interested in cardio I do the C25K program! I'm training for American Ninja Warrior 2021 so I need a good balance of both to be a well rounded athlete. My week looks like this:
Sunday: Total Rest Day
Monday: Cardio
Tuesday: Push | Butt | Calves
Wednesday: Cardio
Thursday: Pull | Abs
Friday: Cardio
Saturday: Legs | Butt
Push | Butt | Calves
- Incline Barbell Bench Press, Flat Barbell Bench Press, Seated Military Press, Side Lateral Raise, Weighted Hip Thrust
- Standing Calf Raise + Seated Calf Raise
Pull | Abs
- Barbell (Straight Leg) Deadlift, Barbell Row, One-Arm Dumbbell Row, Barbell Curl
- Standing Calf Raise + Seated Calf Raise
Legs | Butt
- Barbell Squat, Weighted Lunges, Romanian Deadlift, Weighted Hip Thrust
- Standing Calf Raise + Donkey Calf Raise
Each set I do 8x3 (so I lift 8 times, rest 1.5 minutes, and repeat 3 times). I lift what is heavy for me...which is enough that I don't compromise form but I have a brief moment where I really question if I can lift it haha! You should be slightly out of breath when you start the 1.5 minute rest but pretty much recovered by the next set's start! Don't try to go too heavy too fast. So long as it's heavy for you it doesn't matter if it's 25 pounds or 150 pounds...you'll see changes! If it feels like I finished the 3 sets and it was easy I'll add 5 pounds for the next week If it was a little too heavy and compromised my form I'll drop 5 for the next week.
Getting into weight lifting can be confusing and intimidating. I'm fortunate that I have a gym at home so I don't have to worry about working around my schedule to get out and go to a gym. On the other hand I think that being a part of a gym's community would be nice at times! But whichever path you choose make 100% sure that you understand the form of the lift - never be afraid to ask someone or google videos - and practice it a bit with an empty bar. Start low (I started my squats at 50 pounds and now I've broken the 100 pound mark) and add a little bit at a time each week.
Don't skip warm ups and don't skimp on cool down stretches And most of all find a way to make it fun...it's so worth it! 13 -
Thank you for getting back to me, this was very helpful.1
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scribblemoma wrote: »mom23mangos wrote: »Wow, that's a great example of reshaping your body with lifting!
Thank you so much! You, and so many of the other rockin' weight lifting women on here, are such an inspiration to me!loveswalking wrote: »What workouts did you do to get such great results for your hip and legs in in such a short time?
This is going to be a little long so please bear with me!
I follow pretty closely with the Thinner, Leaner, Stronger program! But I don't agree with the author's stance on diet entirely so mostly I just use his workout structures So don't feel like you have to go buy his book! It's just so-so in my opinion. Not a TOTAL waste of my money but not groundbreaking enough that I recommend it to everyone.
For diet I'm in a very slight deficit...only about 150-200 calories under my TDEE. This makes weight loss extremely slow (especially since I don't have too much more to lose) -but- it does let me keep making progress on my lifts. I'm not quite ready for a bulk/cut cycle approach but I do look forward to it! Regardless of my weight I have noticeably leaned out and I'm quite happy with how I'm beginning to look. My macros of carbs/proteins/fats are the traditional 40/30/30 simply because it's easy for me to fit into my diet and I preform well with it.
I do a 3 day split with weights and a 3 day split with cardio. And that's simply because I like cardio...it's not necessary if that's not your thing! My body's shape changes are strictly from the weights But if you're interested in cardio I do the C25K program! I'm training for American Ninja Warrior 2021 so I need a good balance of both to be a well rounded athlete. My week looks like this:
Sunday: Total Rest Day
Monday: Cardio
Tuesday: Push | Butt | Calves
Wednesday: Cardio
Thursday: Pull | Abs
Friday: Cardio
Saturday: Legs | Butt
Push | Butt | Calves
- Incline Barbell Bench Press, Flat Barbell Bench Press, Seated Military Press, Side Lateral Raise, Weighted Hip Thrust
- Standing Calf Raise + Seated Calf Raise
Pull | Abs
- Barbell (Straight Leg) Deadlift, Barbell Row, One-Arm Dumbbell Row, Barbell Curl
- Standing Calf Raise + Seated Calf Raise
Legs | Butt
- Barbell Squat, Weighted Lunges, Romanian Deadlift, Weighted Hip Thrust
- Standing Calf Raise + Donkey Calf Raise
Each set I do 8x3 (so I lift 8 times, rest 1.5 minutes, and repeat 3 times). I lift what is heavy for me...which is enough that I don't compromise form but I have a brief moment where I really question if I can lift it haha! You should be slightly out of breath when you start the 1.5 minute rest but pretty much recovered by the next set's start! Don't try to go too heavy too fast. So long as it's heavy for you it doesn't matter if it's 25 pounds or 150 pounds...you'll see changes! If it feels like I finished the 3 sets and it was easy I'll add 5 pounds for the next week If it was a little too heavy and compromised my form I'll drop 5 for the next week.
Getting into weight lifting can be confusing and intimidating. I'm fortunate that I have a gym at home so I don't have to worry about working around my schedule to get out and go to a gym. On the other hand I think that being a part of a gym's community would be nice at times! But whichever path you choose make 100% sure that you understand the form of the lift - never be afraid to ask someone or google videos - and practice it a bit with an empty bar. Start low (I started my squats at 50 pounds and now I've broken the 100 pound mark) and add a little bit at a time each week.
Don't skip warm ups and don't skimp on cool down stretches And most of all find a way to make it fun...it's so worth it!
Wow, so helpful. Thank you for taking the time to share with us!1 -
This "before" pic just popped up in my FB memories. Yep, heavy lifting has made me SUPAH BULKY!!!
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I so can't wait to be "supah bulky" 15 more pounds to go until I can start recomp! Already started lifting though!3
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middlehaitch wrote: »
Agreed! I like the updated pics.1 -
@middlehaitch and @quiksylver296 oh thank you! I knew I had lost weight but those pics really made me realize how much of a difference it's made! When it's been 1 year and 4 months the change can be so gradual you don't always realize.6
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Can some one help me out please? So from December 2018 to Feb 2019 I did a reverse diet and just forgot about dieting. I still carried on lifting weights and I gained abit of fat too. The problem is I’ve gained muscle on my already muscly thighs 😫 it’s come to the point where UK size 12 trousers are super tight on me and I never found size 12 tight! I used to fit into size 10 trousers and I don’t want to buy new ones because I just don’t want buy more clothes and I can’t afford to either. I just want to be smaller. I know I’ve gained fat around my thighs but I’ve also gained muscle. How do I go about losing this muscle? I’m thinking of stopping leg days and doing lots of cardio/walking and Pilates to get rid of the muscle. Thoughts? I really don’t like the way my thighs look and I know that they can be smaller like they were in the past.0
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Can some one help me out please? So from December 2018 to Feb 2019 I did a reverse diet and just forgot about dieting. I still carried on lifting weights and I gained abit of fat too. The problem is I’ve gained muscle on my already muscly thighs 😫 it’s come to the point where UK size 12 trousers are super tight on me and I never found size 12 tight! I used to fit into size 10 trousers and I don’t want to buy new ones because I just don’t want buy more clothes and I can’t afford to either. I just want to be smaller. I know I’ve gained fat around my thighs but I’ve also gained muscle. How do I go about losing this muscle? I’m thinking of stopping leg days and doing lots of cardio/walking and Pilates to get rid of the muscle. Thoughts? I really don’t like the way my thighs look and I know that they can be smaller like they were in the past.
If you gained weight, unless you were deliberately trying to bulk, while you may have gained some muscle, most likely most of that is fat. First I would focus on losing the fat since this will reduce the size the most, however if you don't want to build or retain muscle in your legs don't focus too much progressive quad dominant movements such as squats or leg press. However I would not recommend stopping leg days altogether as you will start to lose glute muscles (they are a very use it or lose it type of muscle) and that is one area where you don't want to lose muscle not only for aesthetics but strength, posture as well.
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Can some one help me out please? So from December 2018 to Feb 2019 I did a reverse diet and just forgot about dieting. I still carried on lifting weights and I gained abit of fat too. The problem is I’ve gained muscle on my already muscly thighs 😫 it’s come to the point where UK size 12 trousers are super tight on me and I never found size 12 tight! I used to fit into size 10 trousers and I don’t want to buy new ones because I just don’t want buy more clothes and I can’t afford to either. I just want to be smaller. I know I’ve gained fat around my thighs but I’ve also gained muscle. How do I go about losing this muscle? I’m thinking of stopping leg days and doing lots of cardio/walking and Pilates to get rid of the muscle. Thoughts? I really don’t like the way my thighs look and I know that they can be smaller like they were in the past.
If you gained weight, unless you were deliberately trying to bulk, while you may have gained some muscle, most likely most of that is fat. First I would focus on losing the fat since this will reduce the size the most, however if you don't want to build or retain muscle in your legs don't focus too much progressive quad dominant movements such as squats or leg press. However I would not recommend stopping leg days altogether as you will start to lose glute muscles (they are a very use it or lose it type of muscle) and that is one area where you don't want to lose muscle not only for aesthetics but strength, posture as well.
I was in a calorie surplus because I wasnt sure exactly what my maintenance calories were. I have high testosterone (PCOS) so build muscle faster than other women. I know it’s fat too which I intend on losing. Pilates does glute movements. I’m going to stop lifting heavy except for upper body because I’m weaker there. I’m just going to to do body weight/high rep work from now on. Lifting heavy did not suit my body.2 -
Can some one help me out please? So from December 2018 to Feb 2019 I did a reverse diet and just forgot about dieting. I still carried on lifting weights and I gained abit of fat too. The problem is I’ve gained muscle on my already muscly thighs 😫 it’s come to the point where UK size 12 trousers are super tight on me and I never found size 12 tight! I used to fit into size 10 trousers and I don’t want to buy new ones because I just don’t want buy more clothes and I can’t afford to either. I just want to be smaller. I know I’ve gained fat around my thighs but I’ve also gained muscle. How do I go about losing this muscle? I’m thinking of stopping leg days and doing lots of cardio/walking and Pilates to get rid of the muscle. Thoughts? I really don’t like the way my thighs look and I know that they can be smaller like they were in the past.
If you gained weight, unless you were deliberately trying to bulk, while you may have gained some muscle, most likely most of that is fat. First I would focus on losing the fat since this will reduce the size the most, however if you don't want to build or retain muscle in your legs don't focus too much progressive quad dominant movements such as squats or leg press. However I would not recommend stopping leg days altogether as you will start to lose glute muscles (they are a very use it or lose it type of muscle) and that is one area where you don't want to lose muscle not only for aesthetics but strength, posture as well.
I was in a calorie surplus because I wasnt sure exactly what my maintenance calories were. I have high testosterone (PCOS) so build muscle faster than other women. I know it’s fat too which I intend on losing. Pilates does glute movements. I’m going to stop lifting heavy except for upper body because I’m weaker there. I’m just going to to do body weight/high rep work from now on. Lifting heavy did not suit my body.
Oh I have PCOS too but I haven't had that easy muscle building side effect unfortunately, three bulk cycles later and I barely look like I lift
Hey you do what works at the end of the day. As long as you are challenging yourself overtime.3 -
Bump2
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Finally contributing on this thread after creeping all of you for amazing inspiration!! Feeling kinda down right now cause I've crept up like 7 lbs since fall, not sure why cause my diet didn't really change but feel like my metabolism is slowing down with age
some may be water because I've been fluctuating like crazy with water retention lately, so hoping my hormones aren't out of whack or something. but anyways. trying not to give up and keep going to get back to where I was last summer which was pretty much my best shape since kids.
I can't post a true before pic where I looked at my worst skinny fat self, as those are all in my undies lol. But this is the closest: right is around 115 lbs, a year after having my youngest; left is now, hovering between 119 and 122 which feels like a lot for me because for years I used to be 110 - but with like zero muscle mass so while I looked good in clothes, without them I looked heavier than I actually was. Last summer I was just a bit leaner than I am now, around 116-117 and loved it, trying to get back there. I'm 5'4, almost 36 and have two kids.
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You all look great!!! And I will be honest...I'm a little bit jealous of females who can lift and get fit instead of bulk.
I don't know if it's my genetics or like a previous commenter, too much testosterone. I bulked after hiring a personal trainer who assured me lifting doesn't bulk females up.
So, I would assume most females do not bulk up, and can lift away!!
I cried when I saw the wedding pictures I was trying to tone up for... And I looked like the Incredible Hulk.... Broader and bigger than my husband... who was always like football player build. (was not my wedding... That would've made it worse, lol, but I knew there would be a lot of pictures being taken and wanted to be trim for them).
I would never want to discourage others from lifting, and think most females can lift without bulking... Just wish I was one of them!9 -
Emmapatterson1729 wrote: »You all look great!!! And I will be honest...I'm a little bit jealous of females who can lift and get fit instead of bulk.
I don't know if it's my genetics or like a previous commenter, too much testosterone. I bulked after hiring a personal trainer who assured me lifting doesn't bulk females up.
So, I would assume most females do not bulk up, and can lift away!!
I cried when I saw the wedding pictures I was trying to tone up for... And I looked like the Incredible Hulk.... Broader and bigger than my husband... who was always like football player build. (was not my wedding... That would've made it worse, lol, but I knew there would be a lot of pictures being taken and wanted to be trim for them).
I would never want to discourage others from lifting, and think most females can lift without bulking... Just wish I was one of them!
I think everyone has their own definition of bulky. If you look at the majority of the women on this thread, they were lifting while losing weight or maintaining so getting smaller in size regardless. If you are lifting and gain weight, you are going to appear bulkier most likely. Also, if you get big lat development, you’ll end up with a wider back. Some, like myself have no problem with that. Others see it as “unfemine”. I do know that I have dresses I can no longer zip up because my back has gotten bigger.
I encourage all women to lift for health reasons. If you find your muscle development getting more than you like, just cut back a little.7 -
mom23mangos wrote: »Emmapatterson1729 wrote: »You all look great!!! And I will be honest...I'm a little bit jealous of females who can lift and get fit instead of bulk.
I don't know if it's my genetics or like a previous commenter, too much testosterone. I bulked after hiring a personal trainer who assured me lifting doesn't bulk females up.
So, I would assume most females do not bulk up, and can lift away!!
I cried when I saw the wedding pictures I was trying to tone up for... And I looked like the Incredible Hulk.... Broader and bigger than my husband... who was always like football player build. (was not my wedding... That would've made it worse, lol, but I knew there would be a lot of pictures being taken and wanted to be trim for them).
I would never want to discourage others from lifting, and think most females can lift without bulking... Just wish I was one of them!
I think everyone has their own definition of bulky. If you look at the majority of the women on this thread, they were lifting while losing weight or maintaining so getting smaller in size regardless. If you are lifting and gain weight, you are going to appear bulkier most likely. Also, if you get big lat development, you’ll end up with a wider back. Some, like myself have no problem with that. Others see it as “unfemine”. I do know that I have dresses I can no longer zip up because my back has gotten bigger.
I encourage all women to lift for health reasons. If you find your muscle development getting more than you like, just cut back a little.
Lol...I went from being tiny (just literally wanted to tone up a little), to literally hulk looking, in less than two months lifting 20-40 lbs weights 2 days a week. My mom, who had warned me the women in her family bulk if they lift, even laughed at me saying it was the genes on her side... She had always been bulky from playing tennis... My younger sister loved being bulked up... She played right wing on a men's ice hockey team, only female in the league. The females in my family also have very high testosterone levels. So yeah, genetics!!! They can be a real b!+ch sometimes.
I switched to 1-2 lb hand weights at higher reps and light core strength training and went back down... Took awhile.
I have a good sense of humor about the whole thing now. At the time I was devastated. Looking back, the pictures were hilarious... Everybody who saw them, who knew me, laughed!!!
The women on this thread posting pictures look great!!!! Most women can lift and end with, obviously, great results... I'm just not one of them, sadly.
My original comment was just that... The women look absolutely stunning, I wish I could have gotten results like that from lifting.
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I’m curious about what everyone considers “bulky”...I’ve been trying to build some muscle and I can see I’ve gotten some results in my back/arms, though as my husband says, “You’ve got nothing on Barclay Stockett” (I totally wouldn’t mind having shoulders/back like her!). Yet my mom thinks I look too big, and in certain styles (handkerchief tops that emphasize the breadth of the shoulders, super dainty spaghetti straps) I do look a bit buff, but I wouldn’t consider myself bulky. But clearly others do. Maybe I would have a year or two ago as well.1
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It's totally subjective. Ask 100 people and you'll get 100 different answers. My husband thinks any visible musculature is bulky, when to me that's just lean. I think I'd maybe classify Stefi Cohen as bulky. I think most people think of the classic, roided out, top bodybuilding competitors where their heads look disproportionate to their bodies.
This would be an example to me.
It look a crap ton of work to get that (not knocking anyone) and probably a lot of pharmaceutical help. But this thread is to show that most natural lifting women will not end up like this by accident.
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mom23mangos wrote: »It's totally subjective. Ask 100 people and you'll get 100 different answers. My husband thinks any visible musculature is bulky, when to me that's just lean. I think I'd maybe classify Stefi Cohen as bulky. I think most people think of the classic, roided out, top bodybuilding competitors where their heads look disproportionate to their bodies.
This would be an example to me.
It look a crap ton of work to get that (not knocking anyone) and probably a lot of pharmaceutical help. But this thread is to show that most natural lifting women will not end up like this by accident.
Gotcha, that’s what I’m thinking, but I’m thinking some definitions might be considerably smaller. Which is my general response to “I’m going to get bulky”—you’re not going to look like a professional bodybuilder.
A friend I’m introducing to lifting asked how to not get bulky... I told her that was unlikely, since I am working my butt off lifting 5x a week (3 upper body sessions),plus climbing and kayaking another time or three a week, and after 4 years of lifting (4ish months of emphasizing upper body) I have, well, about my profile pic’s worth of muscle to show for progressively adding more weight or reps each week...I haven’t hulled out yet, so she’ll be fine running New Rules twice a week.1 -
Love it! Thanks for the smile and the inspiration! 1
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mom23mangos wrote: »It's totally subjective. Ask 100 people and you'll get 100 different answers. My husband thinks any visible musculature is bulky, when to me that's just lean. I think I'd maybe classify Stefi Cohen as bulky. I think most people think of the classic, roided out, top bodybuilding competitors where their heads look disproportionate to their bodies.
This would be an example to me.
It look a crap ton of work to get that (not knocking anyone) and probably a lot of pharmaceutical help. But this thread is to show that most natural lifting women will not end up like this by accident.
Hahahaha!! Oh you! Mom23mangos you kill me, so funny!!
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You do look awesome, but I would have loved to see an after pic from the same angle as the beginning pic. Keep up the great work!2
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My 91-year-old grandmother: "Wow! Even lifting those heavy weights, you still look nice and feminine."
Thanks, Grandma.
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Bump3
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Just spent days reading through this thread, so inspiring and know that i am definitely on the right track! Dont have a barbell but have been doing dumbell versions of stronglift 5x5 for now but know i can go much heavier! Its a start at least until i can get access to proper job equipment. Thanks powerful ladies!8
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Wow how did I miss this thread? Quiksylver how much was that deadlift?1
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