women and weightlifting

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somesaymisty

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I have a question concerning weightlifting for women. I've heard this is myth, but it still scares me. Do girls bulk up like guys if they lift as much weight as they can? I have been lifting the amount that has me working really hard by the end of each set of reps. I used to hear that girls should use lighter weights and more reps. Then I heard that that wasn't true either. What does you girls do? The reason I am worried about it is because, though I don't lift extremely heavy weights, I lift more than some of the men do at my gym. It's really embarrassing and makes me feel self-conscious. I workout with my husband and he's said he's notice the same thing, though he says he doesn't get embarrassed by it like I do. I just want to make sure that when I lose my weight, I won't end up looking like a female bodybuilder. Any suggestions?
 
I've always been worried about the same thing. I'm very short so neither did I want to bulk up or get super hard and "ripped." Before I started lifting much heavier weight, I did some research and I can give you my OPINION on it. Genetics predominantly play a role in how much muscle you are going to build as far as size is concerned. Four friends of mine joined the gym a year ago when we got serious about working out. We did our routines together and pretty much did the same thing because, well, we were not sure what we were doing at first. Two friends slimmed up nicely, one had very little results and the last girl got jackked. She was athletic as a child and ate more protein than the rest of us. So diet and a few other factors probably play into it. Lifting weight has a lot of good benefits though so experiment and take some time to find what works best for your body.
 
I was afraid that there was no clear answer. My research had the same results. I have pretty flabby arms now, but you can still see muscle definition. That's what worries me. What will I look like when I lose my arm fat?? I guess only time will tell. Judging by the way my body has looked in the past, I shouldn't worry too much about my arms, but maybe I should lay off the leg presses a little. I wouldn't mind looking muscular, but I don't want to lose my femininity. Thanks for sharing your experiences and advice! It's so nice to talk to people who have shared these kinds of situations.
 
Are you afraid you're gonna look like those extreme female bodybuilders?
Women don't get THAT big naturally. Those girls take something to make them bulk up that much.

I think natural muscle on a woman would resemble those gals who do fitness competitions.


I don't think you have anything to worry about :)
 
If your looking for some muscular tone lift what feels comfortable to you for awhile. Trust me, you won't wake up huge one night and feel you've made a mistake. As your body progresses, keep going accordingly. If you think you could use more, increase. Less decrease. You will have plenty of warning to adjust. To get big and stay that way would take a long time and special effort. It wouldn't happen by mistake. You should lift to help your muscle tone and metabolism. Most likely, you will just get a sexy shape to your figure.
 
somesaymisty said:
I have a question concerning weightlifting for women. I've heard this is myth, but it still scares me. Do girls bulk up like guys if they lift as much weight as they can? I have been lifting the amount that has me working really hard by the end of each set of reps. I used to hear that girls should use lighter weights and more reps. Then I heard that that wasn't true either. What does you girls do? The reason I am worried about it is because, though I don't lift extremely heavy weights, I lift more than some of the men do at my gym. It's really embarrassing and makes me feel self-conscious. I workout with my husband and he's said he's notice the same thing, though he says he doesn't get embarrassed by it like I do. I just want to make sure that when I lose my weight, I won't end up looking like a female bodybuilder. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

To bodybuild and gain size, you would be doing many reps with very small weights. Don't worry, as this takes HOURS a day to do in the gym, over a long period of time. To gain strength and tone, you'll be doing fewer reps on the highest amount of weight that you can still complete the repetition. Say if you go to the gym, do a single set of 10-12 on each machine they offer at the highest weight you can complete the rep. And, when you goto the gym and are doing more weight than the guys, its most likely because they are doing the smaller weights to bulk up, not because they aren't capable of doing more.
 
That makes sense. I'm just being paranoid, I guess. I never realized that lifting smaller weights with more reps lead to those kinds of results. That makes me feel so much better. Thanks
 
Yep- I would agree with what several have said.
For one, it takes a loooooooot to bulk "bodybuilding" style. Plus a lot of what they consume (and how) makes a huge difference.
Someone else also mentioned genetics. Depending on the type of fibers you were born with in your muscles will determine how easy it will be for you to "bulk up". There are fast-twitch and slow...and everyone has them distributed differently and you can't really make the fast slow nor the slow fast, we're stuck with what we have pretty much, most body builders have fast twitch and for example long distance runners have slow ones...so meaning a gifted distance runner (if done naturally) will probably never bulk up like a bodybuilder and vice versa. Anyway, that's another topic.

I'd reduce the weight and do more reps if you're worried about a bulky look.
 
As a personal trainer Iget asked this question ALL trhe time. Have you seen the female bodybuilders on TV? They use sterdoids, growth hormones, etc to get that look. Testosterone is a necessity of building up large amount of muscle and we women just don't have that.

The comparison is incredible when you look at the female bodybuilders who use steroids and the ones who are all natural. The natural bodybuilders are much smaller. But, even the natural bodybuilders take natural supplements, like creatine, glutamine, etc to assist in muscle building. And they have trained seriously for YEARS.

Lifting weights will be nothing but beneficial for you. It's a fantastic calorie burner, makes you stronger, increases bone density, increases your metabolism, and will give you a firmer look all over. :)

Sarah
 
To bodybuild and gain size, you would be doing many reps with very small weights. Don't worry, as this takes HOURS a day to do in the gym, over a long period of time. To gain strength and tone, you'll be doing fewer reps on the highest amount of weight that you can still complete the repetition. Say if you go to the gym, do a single set of 10-12 on each machine they offer at the highest weight you can complete the rep. And, when you goto the gym and are doing more weight than the guys, its most likely because they are doing the smaller weights to bulk up, not because they aren't capable of doing more.
Click to expand...

It's the exact opposite...lighter weight and more reps produce leaner muscles.
 
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I personally have been weight lifting since 2001 and I'm not "bulky" as some you see in bodybuilding contests, etc. I just gained 10 pounds of muscle this past year and raised my lean body mass from 105 to 115 pounds. I had done low calorie diets in the past and they caused me to lose muscle and get flabby. But now I'm eating more and losing slowly to retain muscle so when I reach my goal I will be "tight" and not flabby! Also adding on the extra muscle increased my metabolism higher, which means I can eat more and still lose weight!

Don't be afraid to weight lift! It is not only good for your figure but also for bone health and metabolism.
 
how can i reduce my enlarge hips, its are increasing day by day. have also problem in manses,whar should i take food or medicine and exercise.
 
lean muscles

Not trying to disprove fatass's comment but I do know what's true and what's not....Leaner & slimmer muscles, not larger ones...I know what works from experience. However, genetics and body type are the major factors involving muscle mass. I am a 5'0" tall woman and I tend to build bulk rather quickly due to my short and stalky frame.. I used to lift heavy weights and low reps and I did get toned but at I also got thick deltoids and biceps..way to large for my liking..So, I started strength training with light weights and more reps (and some pilates) and my muscles slimmed down (meaning smaller) and I felt more toned than ever. That's my experience.
;)
 
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In order not to bulk up, you can do three things:

1. Limit your calories.
Muscles grow with food.

2. Limit your training volume. This means decreasing the number of sets you do - for example 20 sets a week for the whole body will NOT make your bulk up.

3. Lighter weights and more reps actually will make your muscles hold more water and get bigger due to sarcoplasmic hypertrophy (increase of the amount of fluid in your muscle cells).

Remeber, you'll not become a steroid freak woman... unless you use steroids.

And for the lady that was lifting heavier than the men - way to go girl. It is them that have to be embarassed, not you.
 
That may be true for some...however, I have used both techniques and saw real life results with my own body....heavy weights gave me more bulk..more reps-lighter weights slimmed my muscles down. I think I'll go by what I actually experienced.
 
Yes, but how long did you stick with it? Jaho is right. That's physiology. A lot of women will lift heavy weights for a couple weeks, think they are getting "bulky" and then quit. Then they miss out on something that will help them reach their goals. If you're building up noticable muscle, chances are that you're eating too many calories. Muscles aren't made out of nothing. They are made out of the calories we consume. If someone begins lifting their appetite may grow as their metabolism increases, and they may be eating more than they think.

Also, when anyone begins lifting heavy weights when they either never have before or haven't for a long time, a small amount of muscle growth is likely. But unless nutrition is in place for muscle gain this won't last. But this muscle growth, which likely won't be much more than a pound, levels off as the body adapts. Unless measures are being taken for muscle growth to continue the growth will stop. This is where a lot of women miss out because they stop lifting for fear of getting huge. Heavy weight training is incedibly beneficial in the long run for fat loss and burns more calories than light training.

Of course, there are exceptions. Nothing is ever 100%.

Sarah
 
Yeah,
I stuck with it for a long time...I'm only 5'0 so my muscles are short & stalky. The heavy lifting gave me a bulkier appearance..my boyfriend at the time even mentioned the noticable muscular build I was getting. When I switched to Pilates I was much happier with the results.
 
Hey, if it gives results for you, stick with it :)

After all, waht good is an exercise regimen, if you don't feel good with it and quit.
 
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