What size weights to tone with?

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  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
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    WOMEN DO NO BULK UP WHEN LIFTING. Most women do not have enough testosterone in their bodies to "bulk up."

    Lift heavy enough that you have to push to finish your set, but not so heavy it screws up your form.
  • mes1119
    mes1119 Posts: 1,082 Member
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    Muscle is muscle. There is no difference between "toned" muscles and "bulky" muscles.

    That being said, you don't have to lift heavy to have muscle. To be honest, most women probably have a good amount of muscle underneath their fat. Therefore, lowering body fat so that muscle are visible along with maintaining muscle mass should be sufficient.

    This can be achieved through full body resistance training and eating the proper amount of calories (and proteins and fats).
  • ChelseaM18
    ChelseaM18 Posts: 303
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    As heavy as you can lift with good form. It takes FOREVER to create muscle, and women have little testosterone to create it. So keep lifting :)
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    I always thought it was a very mean trick on Mother Nature's part that my boobs didn't grow when I gained weight. But now that I've lost weight without shrinkage or droopage, I'm not minding it too much. Oh, darn. My boobs look like a 16 year old's. Not going to cry myself to sleep over that!

    What I love most about heavy lifting is that it takes a lot less time and effort - and less pounds lost - to get results.

    I used 5# dumbbells and body weight exercises from January to July of last year, and during that time, lost about 25 pounds. I started lifting heavy in July and weigh about the same as I did then, but everything is so much tighter, I look like I lost more than I did.

    11pounds-1.jpg

    arms2.jpg
  • aagnew01
    aagnew01 Posts: 33 Member
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    I use 6-8lb weights and do 8-12 reps for 3 sets. Sometimes I do will it while I watch tv until commerical or vs. You do want to feel some fatigue, that's how you know its working. Fatigue promotes change!
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
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    Muscle is muscle. There is no difference between "toned" muscles and "bulky" muscles.

    That being said, you don't have to lift heavy to have muscle. To be honest, most women probably have a good amount of muscle underneath their fat. Therefore, lowering body fat so that muscle are visible along with maintaining muscle mass should be sufficient.

    This can be achieved through full body resistance training and eating the proper amount of calories (and proteins and fats).

    spot on
  • KristyJoy123
    KristyJoy123 Posts: 84 Member
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    As everyone said before me, women do not get 'bulky' by lifting heavy weights.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    Muscle is muscle. There is no difference between "toned" muscles and "bulky" muscles.

    That being said, you don't have to lift heavy to have muscle. To be honest, most women probably have a good amount of muscle underneath their fat. Therefore, lowering body fat so that muscle are visible along with maintaining muscle mass should be sufficient.

    This can be achieved through full body resistance training and eating the proper amount of calories (and proteins and fats).

    spot on

    It really depends on what someone determines to be 'sufficient'. Lifting light will not give me sufficient results for my goal.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    It really depends on what someone determines to be 'sufficient'. Lifting light will not give me sufficient results for my goal.

    Same here. I wanted to look better, different than I did before I exercised, and a light weight wouldn't provide me with any kind of challenge. I mean... a 32 ounce bottle of Gatorade weighs 2 pounds. I don't count drinking that as bicep curls. :wink:
  • HealthyBodySickMind
    HealthyBodySickMind Posts: 1,207 Member
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    have you heard of staci?? i dare you to call her bulky...

    http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

    on the left she is 13 1lbs. on the right, she is 142 lbs. and she can dead lift more then i weigh.

    Screen-Shot-2011-07-21-at-92311-AM.jpg

    I think Staci might be my new hero. Thank you so much for that article :)
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    I always thought it was a very mean trick on Mother Nature's part that my boobs didn't grow when I gained weight. But now that I've lost weight without shrinkage or droopage, I'm not minding it too much. Oh, darn. My boobs look like a 16 year old's. Not going to cry myself to sleep over that!

    What I love most about heavy lifting is that it takes a lot less time and effort - and less pounds lost - to get results.

    I used 5# dumbbells and body weight exercises from January to July of last year, and during that time, lost about 25 pounds. I started lifting heavy in July and weigh about the same as I did then, but everything is so much tighter, I look like I lost more than I did.

    11pounds-1.jpg

    arms2.jpg

    It would appear that lifting has given you amazing *kitten*-ets.
  • vmclach
    vmclach Posts: 670 Member
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    oh no.. you aren't going to get bulky even if you lift heavy. I've been lifting for over a year now and people would never refer to me as muscular, bulky, etc. I get called skinny and in shape. You get toned from lifting "heavy" weights. You should struggle when you are lifting. It shouldn't be like, "oh hey, I'm going to curl 5 pound weights! yay!"

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