Women and Weightlifting: What positive effects have you noticed?

[Anonymous]

I am always amazed at how many women there are all over the internet who bulk up without trying, but I have yet to meet one in real life despite having lifted for over a decade in a number of different gyms in

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am always amazed at how many women there are all over the internet who bulk up without trying, but I have yet to meet one in real life despite having lifted for over a decade in a number of different gyms in

Sorry posted too fast.

in several countries. For most it is super difficult even if they actually try. Those who I have seen in real life who thought they were getting too muscular either confused some initial inflammation and pump from lifting with actual muscle gain and others just gained extra fat because lifting makes you hungry but did not want to admit to the reality.
Lifting is awesome. I am size 2 and deadlifting close to 300 pounds. Lifting is my therapy and something I hope to be doing for the rest of my life. And I love my defined body.

[Anonymous]

I mean, I’m thinner than most women, but weight lifting makes my thighs super bulky. And when I was training hard to be able to do chin ups/pull ups, I definitely had some bicep bulk that I wasn’t fond of. I still lift because I enjoy it, but I can definitely see how someone might prefer more feminine skinny thighs than bulky, muscular ones.

[Anonymous]

Naive question: is there a lot of additional benefit to lifting heavy vs. regular light weights (I do 5-6 days per week of Bar Method with 3 and 4lb weights).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I mean, I’m thinner than most women, but weight lifting makes my thighs super bulky. And when I was training hard to be able to do chin ups/pull ups, I definitely had some bicep bulk that I wasn’t fond of. I still lift because I enjoy it, but I can definitely see how someone might prefer more feminine skinny thighs than bulky, muscular ones.

The bulk is almost always due to fat. Try to go to a natural bodybuilding competition and stand next to one of the competitors. They have super developed muscles but are actually tiny when they are stage lean.

[Anonymous]

NP here. Is there a good YouTuber who lifts that I could do at home? I already do Caroline Girven’s ab workouts. Do her weight videos count as lifting or do I need to do that at a gym?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am always amazed at how many women there are all over the internet who bulk up without trying, but I have yet to meet one in real life despite having lifted for over a decade in a number of different gyms in

This. Everyone thinks they’re an outlier or special case. Unless as a woman you happen to have higher than normal testosterone levels, you can’t accidentally get bulky. I agree bodies do differ. And some may have more natural muscle mass due to genetics and their muscles respond better to stimuli (hypertrophy) via lifting heavy weights. But that should make you look more defined, not bulky.

[Anonymous]

If you're bulking than you're in a calorie surplus, simple as that. Some people seem quite defensive about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Naive question: is there a lot of additional benefit to lifting heavy vs. regular light weights (I do 5-6 days per week of Bar Method with 3 and 4lb weights).

It order to increase strength, you need progressive overload. You work to failure for 8-15 reps and when you can do that without reaching failure, you either increase the weight or the number of reps. If you’re lifting the same weight for the same number of reps for months on end, you’re not getting stronger. I imagine it has other health benefits but it’s not building muscle or strength after it becomes easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Naive question: is there a lot of additional benefit to lifting heavy vs. regular light weights (I do 5-6 days per week of Bar Method with 3 and 4lb weights).

It order to increase strength, you need progressive overload. You work to failure for 8-15 reps and when you can do that without reaching failure, you either increase the weight or the number of reps. If you’re lifting the same weight for the same number of reps for months on end, you’re not getting stronger. I imagine it has other health benefits but it’s not building muscle or strength after it becomes easy.

An additional benefit of lifting heavy is the effect on bone density. Weights lighter than your purse won’t do anything for you in that regard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am always amazed at how many women there are all over the internet who bulk up without trying, but I have yet to meet one in real life despite having lifted for over a decade in a number of different gyms in

Sorry posted too fast.

in several countries. For most it is super difficult even if they actually try. Those who I have seen in real life who thought they were getting too muscular either confused some initial inflammation and pump from lifting with actual muscle gain and others just gained extra fat because lifting makes you hungry but did not want to admit to the reality.
Lifting is awesome. I am size 2 and deadlifting close to 300 pounds. Lifting is my therapy and something I hope to be doing for the rest of my life. And I love my defined body.

Please. You’re a size 2. You have no idea what it’s like to live in a larger body and look muscular. You’re also being incredibly patronizing to those of us who do and who have had to deal with what that’s like. Also, those of us who do have this experience mostly aren’t going to talk to women like you about it IRL, because we know how judgmental you can be.

[Anonymous]

I don't know why so many of you are pretending like you don't know what bulky means or that women can't bulk up. A muscular body will look thicker than skin and bones, period. I don't care if these women are a size 4 in real life. Visually they look bulky, and a lot of typical DCUM types don't consider that feminine or desirable.

I personally strength train, am strong, and look strong. For me, going up a couple of dress sizes to accommodate my growing muscles (lats, arms, core, butt, and legs) was NBD, but I can see how it would be traumatizing to someone who admires a heroin chic aesthetic and bases her value on being a size 0.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I don't know why so many of you are pretending like you don't know what bulky means or that women can't bulk up. A muscular body will look thicker than skin and bones, period. I don't care if these women are a size 4 in real life. Visually they look bulky, and a lot of typical DCUM types don't consider that feminine or desirable.

I personally strength train, am strong, and look strong. For me, going up a couple of dress sizes to accommodate my growing muscles (lats, arms, core, butt, and legs) was NBD, but I can see how it would be traumatizing to someone who admires a heroin chic aesthetic and bases her value on being a size 0.

Yes women can bulk up but it takes a LOT of effort. The women pictured likely went through many round so bulking (eating in a calorie surplus while lifting heavy and doing exercises specific for muscle hypertrophy followed by dieting while still lifting heavy in order to lose the fat while keeping as much muscle as possible). The average woman lifting in the gym is not working hard enough to put on serious muscle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I don't know why so many of you are pretending like you don't know what bulky means or that women can't bulk up. A muscular body will look thicker than skin and bones, period. I don't care if these women are a size 4 in real life. Visually they look bulky, and a lot of typical DCUM types don't consider that feminine or desirable.

I personally strength train, am strong, and look strong. For me, going up a couple of dress sizes to accommodate my growing muscles (lats, arms, core, butt, and legs) was NBD, but I can see how it would be traumatizing to someone who admires a heroin chic aesthetic and bases her value on being a size 0.

What size are you, PP? How tall are you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I don't know why so many of you are pretending like you don't know what bulky means or that women can't bulk up. A muscular body will look thicker than skin and bones, period. I don't care if these women are a size 4 in real life. Visually they look bulky, and a lot of typical DCUM types don't consider that feminine or desirable.

I personally strength train, am strong, and look strong. For me, going up a couple of dress sizes to accommodate my growing muscles (lats, arms, core, butt, and legs) was NBD, but I can see how it would be traumatizing to someone who admires a heroin chic aesthetic and bases her value on being a size 0.

Yes women can bulk up but it takes a LOT of effort. The women pictured likely went through many round so bulking (eating in a calorie surplus while lifting heavy and doing exercises specific for muscle hypertrophy followed by dieting while still lifting heavy in order to lose the fat while keeping as much muscle as possible). The average woman lifting in the gym is not working hard enough to put on serious muscle.

They also use steroids. They work extremely hard but those are not natural bodies.