I want to strength train but I don't want bigger muscles! He

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moserary
moserary Posts: 38
in Health and Weight Loss
I've heard a lot of talk about how exercise when losing weight needs to involve a) cardio to burn calories and b) weight training to replace fat with muscle.

Here's the problem: I don't want to build muscle. Naturally, I have big muscles. They're not strong (my grandmother probably could kick my butt in an arm wrestling contest), but they are...definitely there. When I flex my arm (at least now that I've lost some weight) I see definition, and my calves especially are huge and very defined when I flex. Man-calves, I call them. I want to keep losing weight and I feel like I should do some strength training so that my muscles will burn more fat, but I am so scared of looking like The Hulk. Plus I'm short (5'4) so bigger muscles would make me look stocky. Not a good look when one is trying to look feminine.

Can anyone help?
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Replies

  • poseidon9447
    poseidon9447 Posts: 104
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    Everyone will tell you different but I weight train to tone not to build muscle mass myself. I am a muscular person naturally, its in my genetics, also getting out of shape and fat is too. How I weight train is low weight and high reps, I choose a weight that I can do 12 to 15 times, with the burn starting about 12. For body building I choose weight that starts to burn around 6 reps. That is what I have read to do several places to tone or to build.
  • mcrowe1016
    mcrowe1016 Posts: 647 Member
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    Do a quick google search and you will see that it is REALLY REALLY REALLY hard to bulk up.
  • kkmalay
    kkmalay Posts: 88 Member
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    Work on your butt and legs, those muscles are the largest and burn lots of calories when you are resting after workouts and won't make your calves bigger, I have massive calves myself! It takes ages for women to get big muscles and definition looks good on a women (my opinion) I did lots of strength training a couple years ago, mainly squats, and got up to lifting my body weight, thats the best i've ever looked and you could feel all those calories burning up for hours after a workout. Go for it!!
  • Runnerup5
    Runnerup5 Posts: 1
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    Muscle mass is increased when the muscles undergo microscopic tears during a workout. These tears then require an increase in blood supply to the affected muscle, which thereby leads to an increase in the size of that muscle group. Since you don't want to increase muscle mass, you will want to workout the muscles, but with little weight. You're focus is on repetitions, and not strength. This will allow your existing muscles to tone, but you won't have any of the micro-tears that will cause the muscles to increase in size.

    low weight + a lot of reps = toned muscles
    heavy weight + fewer reps = increase in muscle mass and girth.

    Hope this helps.
  • Vipecap
    Vipecap Posts: 166 Member
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    You will never look like the Hulk, not naturally anyway. So stop worrying about how big your muscles will get. Unless you start shooting in anabolics, HGH, and some testerone to boot, you will be fine. Just eat well and lift, and you will see your strength climb. If you are not really wanting to gain mass, don't eat over your maintenance calories and you will be just fine.
  • nose6
    nose6 Posts: 39 Member
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    You could try adding in yoga. The muscle tone you get from that is more lean and stretched, in my experience. I am not sure if it could replace weight training but it might help counteract the "bulky" effect.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,565 Member
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    Most women are capable of appx 12lbs a year eating 20% over maintenance.
    >http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9XJJlEU7GSs/TwdLQAC-b4I/AAAAAAAABy8/ezBR8Q2BaOM/s1600/Carrie+Before+%26+After+Leangains+back.jpg <

    This chick deadlifts 205lbs 4 times btw.
  • calderst
    calderst Posts: 222 Member
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    I'm the same way-- I don't care what people say, I get bulkier when I lift heavy. I've always had wide shoulders and wide calves-- and additional muscle looks obvious on me. It's genetics. I'd imagine that's why there are several different categories in women's fitness competitions.

    Luckily, I like muscle. Every 6 months or so, I tend to do 4-6 weeks of heavy lifting (4x8 or 5x5 as heavy as I can go) to boost my strength but then I drop the weight back a little and do 4x12 reps to lean back out. When I do the lower weights with more reps, I see much more definition. I've had folks tell me that it should be a struggle by the 12th rep, otherwise the weight is too light and is more cardio than muscle building. Makes sense to me, so that's the guideline I use.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    You won't replace muscle with fat. You will not gain muscle on a calorie deficit with two exceptions, " The first of those is in overfat beginners. I want to really stress the term overfat in the above sentence...A second situation where this phenomenon occurs readily is folks returning from a layoff."
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/adding-muscle-while-losing-fat-qa.html

    Like someone else said, it is really really hard for a woman to gain muscle and near impossible to do so while not trying, even if you lift heavy weights.
    I am lifting heavy, I am also eating a calorie deficit (with an emphasis on trying to preserve as much muscle mass as I can). I have not gotten bigger muscles. I have gotten more definition and lost inches.

    Here is a thread with some links on it explaining why women should not be afraid to strength train or lift heavy
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/339135-article-for-why-women-should-lift-heavy?hl=why+women+should+lift+heavy#posts-4563743
  • MzBug
    MzBug Posts: 2,173 Member
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    It all kind of depends on if you want muscle tone or lifting strength. If you don't want to use weights...don't. There are other options....yoga, pilates, resistance bands, body weight exercises, swimming... all of those will give you good all over muscle tone.
  • Galletakek
    Galletakek Posts: 285
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    5'3 i have wide shoulders... and i lift heavy.... im pretty curvy ... and as much as i would love to have huge legs like the hulk... its just impossible unless you are taking something..... We don't have the genetics to get big like that. You can look at some of my pics.. I don't think i look like a man lol.. i hope not ..
  • jimmynorton24
    jimmynorton24 Posts: 60
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    5'3 i have wide shoulders... and i lift heavy.... im pretty curvy ... and as much as i would love to have huge legs like the hulk... its just impossible unless you are taking something..... We don't have the genetics to get big like that. You can look at some of my pics.. I don't think i look like a man lol.. i hope not ..
    said perfectly!!!! the only ones that get big muscles are the ones that try to and it aint easy!! so lifting weights will not cause you this problem,, there is no better weight to lose weight and get fit then weight lifting, burns more calories ans not just in gym but lean muscle is constantly burning calories to maintain!
  • psychochillie
    psychochillie Posts: 20 Member
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    In general, women lack the level of testosterone needed to bulk up muscle. It's more likely to be excess fat sitting on top of the muscle that is the bulk. If you find out your body fat percentage that might confirm this.

    If you genuinely think you have a lot of muscle bulk, then perhaps a blood test for your testosterone levels might show you they are high. But if you have high testosterone you would probably have other side effects too - like a like a lot of body hair, facial hair, extra high libido, etc. High testosterone could probably be corrected through dietary changes.
  • knittnponder
    knittnponder Posts: 1,954 Member
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    I want to be like her when I grow up. She lifts heavy (only a 315 pound deadlift!) Read the whole article and you'll see her "now" picture roughly 1/3 of the way down the page. Prepare to be amazed!

    http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
  • beckylawrence70
    beckylawrence70 Posts: 752 Member
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    ya, ur not gonna get big, u need alot of testosterone for that, nuttn I'd even worry about......
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
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    I've heard a lot of talk about how exercise when losing weight needs to involve a) cardio to burn calories and b) weight training to replace fat with muscle.

    Here's the problem: I don't want to build muscle. Naturally, I have big muscles. They're not strong (my grandmother probably could kick my butt in an arm wrestling contest), but they are...definitely there. When I flex my arm (at least now that I've lost some weight) I see definition, and my calves especially are huge and very defined when I flex. Man-calves, I call them. I want to keep losing weight and I feel like I should do some strength training so that my muscles will burn more fat, but I am so scared of looking like The Hulk. Plus I'm short (5'4) so bigger muscles would make me look stocky. Not a good look when one is trying to look feminine.

    Can anyone help?

    You are NOT going to gain muscles by lifting weights 1.) At a calorie deficit, and 2.) As a woman who's relatively thin. Not going to happen unless you are taking steroids and bustin butt at the gym.
  • Scorpioangel
    Scorpioangel Posts: 951 Member
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    I work out with weights and have lots of definition. Check out my picture in my banner. I don't think that working with weights will make you manly :)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,579 Member
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    I've heard a lot of talk about how exercise when losing weight needs to involve a) cardio to burn calories and b) weight training to replace fat with muscle.

    Here's the problem: I don't want to build muscle. Naturally, I have big muscles. They're not strong (my grandmother probably could kick my butt in an arm wrestling contest), but they are...definitely there. When I flex my arm (at least now that I've lost some weight) I see definition, and my calves especially are huge and very defined when I flex. Man-calves, I call them. I want to keep losing weight and I feel like I should do some strength training so that my muscles will burn more fat, but I am so scared of looking like The Hulk. Plus I'm short (5'4) so bigger muscles would make me look stocky. Not a good look when one is trying to look feminine.

    Can anyone help?
    Definition of muscle is solely dependent on your percentage of body fat. The more body fat you lose the more muscular you'll look. So you need to decide if you don't want to look muscular, that the weight you want to lose is within reason. You don't want to lose muscle.
    You can't build muscle on a calorie deficit, so getting bigger isn't an issue.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,579 Member
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    Everyone will tell you different but I weight train to tone not to build muscle mass myself. I am a muscular person naturally, its in my genetics, also getting out of shape and fat is too. How I weight train is low weight and high reps, I choose a weight that I can do 12 to 15 times, with the burn starting about 12. For body building I choose weight that starts to burn around 6 reps. That is what I have read to do several places to tone or to build.
    High reps build muscle endurance if that is what you're looking for. You can still "tone up" muscle with heavy weight and low to moderate reps (6-8) and not build muscle as long as you're in calorie deficit.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,579 Member
    Options
    Muscle mass is increased when the muscles undergo microscopic tears during a workout. These tears then require an increase in blood supply to the affected muscle, which thereby leads to an increase in the size of that muscle group. Since you don't want to increase muscle mass, you will want to workout the muscles, but with little weight. You're focus is on repetitions, and not strength. This will allow your existing muscles to tone, but you won't have any of the micro-tears that will cause the muscles to increase in size.

    low weight + a lot of reps = toned muscles
    heavy weight + fewer reps = increase in muscle mass and girth.

    Hope this helps.
    This is a myth. While you do need higher resistance to encourage hypertrophy, it's calorie surplus that encourages muscle growth. You can't grow muscle without surplus protein and calories. So you can lift heavy and low to moderate reps and not worry about gaining muscle if you're on a calorie deficit.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

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