How can girls lift weights without getting “bulky”? Come close because it’s a secret apparently very few know about. Ready?

Ok, the answer is: Just like everyone else. 

That’s right. I hear complaints all the time from girls I know or train that they fear getting “bulky” or “manly” so they don’t lift weights. And if they do it’s something along the lines of “I only use 5-10 pounds so I don’t gain too much muscle”.

Time to put this beast down once and for all. Ladies listen up. Lifting weights will not automatically turn you into Arnold Schwarzenegger’s bigger, long lost older sister. In fact lifting weights as part of a properly designed program will make you stronger, leaner, and put on enough muscle to give you that slender, athletic, sexy look that you (and the men you are trying to impress) desire.

Hopefully the following reasons will put your mind at ease:

Women generally do NOT have the anabolic hormone concentrations high enough to build muscle as easily as their male counterparts do. It’s that simple. Muscle gain is difficult enough for men even with our hormonal predisposition to do so. So thinking you ladies can just waltz into the weight room and start putting on slabs of muscle (especially when you’re not even trying) is laughable. Now I’m not saying that it’s not possible for you to gain muscle, but I am saying that you’re not going to turn into Ronnie Coleman just because you lift weights every week.

Big Ronnie

Gaining a large amount of muscle mass also requires a caloric surplus in your diet to supply the nutrients to build that muscle.Most women don’t have that goal so their diets would reflect something different.

In most cases, if it is fat loss, their diets should provide a caloric deficit.

But if the goal is strength and performance there’s no need to sweat because those are functions of the nervous system. This means that you can get really strong but not put on much muscle mass because that strength is derived from making your nervous system more efficient at displaying it, not necessarily putting on muscle to create it.

If you need proof just look at the bodies of female athletes who lift weights. Strong but still feminine.

Hope Solo, Goalie for U.S. Women’s Soccer Team

 

Jessica Ennis, Great Britain Track and Field

Don’t worry about gaining too much muscle. You will gain some, but an appreciable amount requires dedication to that goal in other aspects like nutrition which you shall not give. Strength, however, is yours for the taking. Strong is sexy. Now put down the pink dumbbells, chalk it up, and start moving something heavy.

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    1 Response to "How Girls Can Lift Weights Without Getting “Bulky”"

    • Susan

      Generally, it is necessary to reach a deesrid muscle mass first and then slim down for the cut. It’s not impossible to gain muscle mass and lose weight but you’re more likely to frustrate yourself trying for that. Lifting weights, in and of itself, can be a nice calorie burn and cardio routine if you’re really putting something into it. Keep runnin’, though, especially if you’re a bit overweight.

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