Ugh. I need this. I’ve recently had a lot of stress and lost some weight and just look too thin now. I would love some more muscle mass.

Anonymous wrote:This is depressing.

I lift heavy 3x a week and I am over 50, thin and don't build muscle easily. I will keep doing it for health reasons but I guess I have to accept that I may never "look" strong.

PP directly above you - I hear you. Body types have trade offs; I “look” very strong (and am, thanks to workouts) but I’ll never be thin without starving myself. Win some, lose some. Bei

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How long did it take you (30+ women) to notice a change in muscles after weight lifting? Did it continue to progress or does it stall?

I’m 58 and people started commenting after 6 months. I do Caroline Girvan programs off YouTube and now her app. 4 x per week. I was a gymnast throughout HS and show muscle quickly.

Never heard of Caroline Girvan, but going to look her up! I could always use fresh ideas and workout tips for my gym days.

This is depressing.

I lift heavy 3x a week and I am over 50, thin and don't build muscle easily. I will keep doing it for health reasons but I guess I have to accept that I may never "look" strong.

If by looking strong you mean having visible muscles, it depends enormously on genetics. Body fat, too, but that’s also a lot of genetics - not everyone can reduce body fat low enough to see muscles in a healthy way. There’s also some muscle memory involved, so people who started strength training at a young age and are getting back into it have some advantage.

I say this as a woman who puts on muscle fairly easily (again, genetics and I started lifting in high school). When I wear tank tops, people ask me if I CrossFit (no). I’ve had plenty of lifting partners/teammates over the years who are just as strong as me but who don’t look it - they weren’t fat, it was just harder for them, as it is with most women, to build muscle.

What do you mean by “look strong “? Fit? Or bodybuilder? Two very different timeframes. Either way, it requires fat loss.

Look there’s people on this board who claim you can see differences in a week or two. You cannot. To BUILD MUSCLE to the point you actually look strong and incredibly defined is at least a year. I have been diligently lifting weights and progressively increasing the difficulty of my workout routine since I turned 30, I just turned 38, and it is a process of growth each year. Each year there is more and more definition or an increase in strength. I am sure I noticed small differences a couple months in, and it was probably clear to others that I routinely worked out at the one year mark, but the kind of “what do you do to get your arms to look like that” comments I get from even men - that took years of work.

Depends on how much fat you have. It's easier to look ripped if you have less fat.

Anonymous wrote:Think about adding some swimming. It is great for toning (and cardio), especially if you just use your arms.

My kids are swimmers have toned conditioned shoulders and backs so I think it will be easier going forward to look toned quickly.

Took me about a year to notice a difference. You really have to start slow and work up to it to avoid injury. I started lifting 3 years ago and people just started commenting in the last 6 months or so.

Work out daily. Don’t overdo it. Drink water. Sleep. Eat enough. Repeat.

Think about adding some swimming. It is great for toning (and cardio), especially if you just use your arms.

work your triceps. You could do nothing else and look so much different

Just stopping by to say that I find this post inspiring. Want to get back into strength training, and this is a nice push in that direction.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How long did it take you (30+ women) to notice a change in muscles after weight lifting? Did it continue to progress or does it stall?

I’m 58 and people started commenting after 6 months. I do Caroline Girvan programs off YouTube and now her app. 4 x per week. I was a gymnast throughout HS and show muscle quickly.

Another 58 year old. 6 months. LIfted weights 1 hour 3x per week. I was obese most of my life.