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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I have noticed very little difference to my body from lifting other than some minor improvements in posture and muscle tone.  Certainly none of this "bulkiness," although it could also be a combo of body type and the fact that I also run a lot.  One thing I have noticed is I tend to get running injuries far less since I started doing some lifting.  I also don't lift super heavy.[/quote]

Translation: sometimes I do a few curls with those pink plastic 2lb dumbbells.[/quote]

Nope, I do squats, deadlifts, bench press, leg press.  Just around or under my body weight.[/quote]

It is impossible that you're squatting body weight (so 120-155 most likely) and not noticing changes in muscle or physique. Come off it. [/quote]

I weigh ~115ish when I am in shape (I am 5'4).  I tend to have better posture, get some minor improvements in muscle tone, and sometimes lean out a bit when lifting.  But I don't bulk up.  It's impossible for me to tell how much of the muscle tone in my legs is from running hilly trails and how much is from squatting 1x a week.  When I put on weight, it's fat; when I'm working out a lot, I tend to get leaner.  I have not tried intense heavy lifting and while eating a super high protein caloric surplus, though.  Perhaps if I did so I would bulk up.  I haven't tried to do so, because I started lifting to prevent running injuries, and if I push too hard lifting it means I can't put in the miles I want to.  IDK, all I'm saying a) there is a middle ground between light dumb weights and lifting super heavy and b) my experience is my body type plus running regularly doesn't lead to bulking.  My experience is also that swimming in high school didn't bulk me up the way it did with other girls as well, and that people's bodies are different.  I don't know why this is so unbelievable to you.  I do definitely get stronger, just not "bulkier."[/quote]

I didn't SAY it would make you bulky. I am arguing against the bulky myth. But it is farcical to claim you are in enough shape to routinely squat and deadlift 115+!lbs yet you don't notice any real muscle definition. To lift that much you have to HAVE muscle. I don't think you look bulky, but tniust ludicrous that you can squat 115 yet also say you don't notice a difference in your body when lifting. So either you do notice changes in your figure or you can't actually squat 115 regularly. Both can't be true. [/quote]

There are obviously differences in my strength and muscle tone when lifting, but they aren't massively dramatic, especially when clothed and some of the muscle definition in my legs, for example comes from other activities as well, like trail running up steep hills.  And I don't need to buy new clothes because my shoulders are popping out of old shirts and jackets like other PPs reported.

Look, I think it's great if women want to be super strong.  I don't mean to perpetuate this idea that women can't be beautiful and strong.  I just don't really like lifting massive amounts of weight as much as I like distance running, I don't have a body type that leads to packing on muscle all that easily, and I prefer challenging my body physically in other ways.  But I do lift 1-2x a week doing mostly compound lifts like squats and deadlifts.  I don't find it changes my body as much as other PPs report.  I also often lift less weight and do more reps, because my goal is to not have such severe DOMS that I can't continue my running training, especially if I'm training for a race.

Maybe being leaner adheres to more sell out ideas of feminine beauty, but it's also necessary to get better at distance running.  But it doesn't mean that you can't lift to the degree that you get the benefits of improved bone density, improved joint strength, and a general increase of athleticism.[/quote]

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