Women: Why you won't get bulky from weightlifting

[JNCG]

1) Testosterone
You just don't have enough of it. Even with weightlifting your testosterone levels just won't go high enough to get bulky.

2) Diet
I apologize for using a stereotype here but you are not going to get big if you are following some fad diet or believe in so many dieting myths like many people (especially women in my experience)

For example, Anemia (iron deficiency) is a big issue in teen girls because women are not getting enough red meat... this also means you are probably not getting enough protein.

Another one is thinking "no fat" or "low fat" is a good thing. You probably have the misconception that "any fat is bad fat". This misconception comes from studies done decades ago that found men that ate a lot of fat and cholesterol had more heart attacks. More recently studies have ruled dietary cholesterol out and most fats out. The only fats to avoid are: saturated fats and trans fats. The fact is you need good fats to build hormones like testosterone so you can build muscles. Fat does not make you fat, excess calories (even good calories) do.

I'm also going to go off on a tangent here:

If you want to loose weight from dieting the only thing that should be low is calories. Otherwise eat a healthy and balanced diet and forget about low carb/low fat/low anything else. Get educated about nutrition.

This is where girls who think a 500 calorie burger at McDonalds will make you fat but a 500 calorie salad won't. Both could make you fat or skinny depending on the *quantity* of what you eat. I'm not saying eat at McDonalds though, 500 calories of good food is going to make you a lot healthier then 500 calories of junk, but don't expect to loose weight.

If you weightlift and maintain the same diet you will loose weight purely because of calorie deficit. You will not bulk up unless you pig out.


3) Birth control
Many of you take birth control. You are essentially taking an estrogen pill once a day. This is the opposite of taking steroids! This is also why loss of sex drive is an ironic side effect of the birth control pill.


4) Self Control
If a muscle started to get too big or if you gained 5 pounds in an area you didn't want, chances are you would do something about it. Bulky does not happen overnight... you will notice unfavourable changes and stop them. You won't bulk unless you let yourself bulk.


Conclusion:

Tons of men try so very hard to get bulky but end up having to turn to steroids, do you really think a woman with low testosterone and high estrogen is going to get bulky overnight just from weightlifting? It doesn't happen.

Weightlifting will help you burn fat and tone up. It won't bulk you up because you simply physically can't bulk up without major lifestyle changes and probably steroids.

[somebody]

JNCG:

Not sure who your target audience is for this. Honestly, if there's a problem around here, it's anorexic boys. The women who visit here seem to have their heads on pretty straight.

[Rugger]

JNCG:

Not sure who your target audience is for this. Honestly, if there's a problem around here, it's anorexic boys. The women who visit here seem to have their heads on pretty straight.

Still, good information for anyone that might find themselves in a position to convince a female that she wont blow up overnight from strength training.

[DaveC]

http://www.ccli.org/

Information for women who want to stop using artificial birth control.

[mae]

Not to be a party pooper, but if you're trying to convince a reasonably intelligent female that heavy lifting is good for her this is probably not going to be enough to do the trick. Allow me to play devil's advocate...

1) Testosterone
You just don't have enough of it. Even with weightlifting your testosterone levels just won't go high enough to get bulky.

Any female who expresses concern about getting "bulky" has seen a woman she considers bulky and knows that she doesn't want to look that way. And everyone has their own idea of what "bulky" means: while most people on this forum would disagree, there are plenty of girls who would say the Crossfit women are too bulky. In other words, women are capable of getting bulky--it just depends on how one defines "bulky". While a female lifter won't get as big as a male lifter, her lack of testosterone will not necessarily keep her from getting bulkier than other women.

That said, lifting is great for body recomposition and when combined with a proper diet I think pretty much anyone can get the kind of figure she wants over time, whether it's leaner, or with more defined muscles, or just plain stronger.

2) Diet
I apologize for using a stereotype here but you are not going to get big if you are following some fad diet or believe in so many dieting myths like many people (especially women in my experience)

For example, Anemia (iron deficiency) is a big issue in teen girls because women are not getting enough red meat... this also means you are probably not getting enough protein.

Another one is thinking "no fat" or "low fat" is a good thing. You probably have the misconception that "any fat is bad fat". This misconception comes from studies done decades ago that found men that ate a lot of fat and cholesterol had more heart attacks. More recently studies have ruled dietary cholesterol out and most fats out. The only fats to avoid are: saturated fats and trans fats. The fact is you need good fats to build hormones like testosterone so you can build muscles. Fat does not make you fat, excess calories (even good calories) do.

I'm also going to go off on a tangent here:

If you want to loose weight from dieting the only thing that should be low is calories. Otherwise eat a healthy and balanced diet and forget about low carb/low fat/low anything else. Get educated about nutrition.

This is where girls who think a 500 calorie burger at McDonalds will make you fat but a 500 calorie salad won't. Both could make you fat or skinny depending on the *quantity* of what you eat. I'm not saying eat at McDonalds though, 500 calories of good food is going to make you a lot healthier then 500 calories of junk, but don't expect to loose weight.

If you weightlift and maintain the same diet you will loose weight purely because of calorie deficit. You will not bulk up unless you pig out.

You're right about this stuff. The main thing to emphasize here is if calories used > calories consumed then you WILL lose weight. Second, be sure to eat a balanced diet to make sure you get all necessary nutrients. That's the starting point; the rest is details and it's best to start out as simply as possible.

Fad dieting and belief in nutrition myths are not limited to women. I know guys who drink diet soda and buy only low-fat products. Just wanted to point that out because I don't think it's fair to suggest that women are somehow less informed about nutrition than their male peers. I think there are just more women than men interested in losing or maintaining their weight. Guys who decide to lose weight make a lot of the same mistakes in terms of diet.

3) Birth control
Many of you take birth control. You are essentially taking an estrogen pill once a day. This is the opposite of taking steroids! This is also why loss of sex drive is an ironic side effect of the birth control pill.

The pill is not going to make or break a woman's strength training regimen. Women who are taking the pill are perfectly capable of building muscle. Again, they will never get as big as their male counterparts, but they WILL make gains if they eat properly and follow a good routine. People seem to have a lot of complaints about the pill and I won't debate those arguments here, but when it comes to whether or not a female will "bulk up" it's pretty irrelevant. Women on the pill can and do build muscles, and how big they get is determined by how hard they work, how much they eat, etc. I can understand competitive athletes and body-builders being concerned about the estrogen in the pill, but this is not a good argument to make to the average woman.

4) Self Control
If a muscle started to get too big or if you gained 5 pounds in an area you didn't want, chances are you would do something about it. Bulky does not happen overnight... you will notice unfavourable changes and stop them. You won't bulk unless you let yourself bulk.

This is what it comes down to: any woman can add muscle and it's up to her to decide how to get where she wants to be and how to avoid getting "bulky". Weightlifting doesn't make you bulky, eating extra calories makes you bulky. But eating extra calories in conjunction with lifting also makes you stronger. So there's a delicate balance for women who want to incorporate weightlifting into a weight loss or maintenance program. I suspect that most women just don't know how weightlifting can fit in with their personal fitness goals. So I would say the best advice you can give a woman is to educate herself about nutrition and training before starting any diet or training regimen.

[MysCat]

You make some really good points, mae.

I think the women who come to this site have already shunned the current ideas of lifting heavy and dieting the average woman has. It kind of seems like you're lecturing the women here when maybe this sort of information would be better suited to the pages of Women's Fitness, Cosmo, or Oxygen. Just my personal opinion.

[paul]

The only fats to avoid are: saturated fats and trans fats. The fact is you need good fats to build hormones like testosterone so you can build muscles.

saturated fat isn't bad for you

[Jim Slade]

It's a shame there aren't more "bulky" women I love a girl with muscles but there does seem to be a deal of prejudice against them for some reason. I remember being very "interested" in Cory Everson back in the day.

[leenwebb]

3) Birth control
Many of you take birth control. You are essentially taking an estrogen pill once a day. This is the opposite of taking steroids!

Uh, well, not really. A) Only some birth control pills have estrogen, and B) estrogen is not the polar opposite of testosterone. They work in concert, and all men (even buff 'roided-out ones) have estrogen in their systems as well.

Not to mention that there are crazy mad benefits (beyond the obvious "not getting pregnant") for many women who take the pill. I will take slower weightlifting progress over week-long migraines without hesitation.

Also: everything Mae said!

[JNCG]

Still, good information for anyone that might find themselves in a position to convince a female that she wont blow up overnight from strength training.

That would be more or less the goal. I wrote this after hearing a few girls I know saying they only wanted to lift light weights cause they were so afraid to get bulky and look like she-hulk but they do want to look like those "crossfit" girls.

It's true that anyone visiting this site (man or woman) has already shed most myths about health and nutrition and is already making an active effort to become educated.

Also the point's not to voice against taking birth control or to say a woman can't achieve her goal: it's just an argument to why you "Won't get bulky unless you want to"
As well that I honestly believe it is just more difficult for a woman to bulk up then a man, so how can you think you'll blow up like a balloon when so many boys struggle to?

I'm also not trying to say that women are less educated about health and nutrition then men, I just find that in my own circle men tend to "not care" and eat anything but women tend to care but make mistakes of thinking any fat is bad fat and avoiding fat or carbs is more important then avoiding excess calories, etc. The men aren't any more educated, they just "Don't care"

Ultimately mae's right that it all comes down to 4) Self control. It's up to everyone to regulate what you eat and how you train, and get over thinking that eating one extra helping of food isn't going to make you fat overnight or lifting heavy weights won't make you bulk instantaneously. Your training program should always adapt according to your goals and your progress so far.

[TakeFive]

I've heard this fear (of bulkiness) expressed by a number of women over the years. I think some honestly believe it, but mostly I think it's an excuse to not engage in activity that is seen as masculine. Kind of the same reason not many guys go to the aerobics classes in spite of the benefits.

It's a shame though. The women who seriously weight train, absolutely have the best physiques in the gym.

[Wendy]

I've been on strong lifts for about 6 months, I've lost 9kgs/19lbs through better nutrition and following this program. I'm now at the losing oestrogen production stage (starting menopause - which is why I stacked on the weight to start with) and maintaining bone strength/density is a priority as is getting and staying strong. This program is the way to go.
I've lost inches across all the major measuring points and there is no sign of getting bulky even though I continue to increase weights - I'm 2kgs off squatting BW which I'm really happy about.
I reckon I would have lost more weight if I'd done the cardio thing & major calorie reduction but this program means I can monitor everything over time and the fat lost is lean muscle gained so it is a bit slower but far more focused, permanent and fun.
Plus, women do need more iron rich foods than men, I eat very little red meat & was vegetarain for a long time and have always had fantastic haemoglobin levels - it's the food combo to help iron get taken up into the body that counts.

[overdrive23]

I've been with a perfect case study for this topic for about 2 years.

My girlfriend got into weightlifting after watching me for so long and seeing how much fun I have and how dedicated I am.

She has been weight training for about a year now and hasn't gained any mass. She has been at/around 90lbs. To some they might think "wtf, she's doing terrible". Wrong. She has gained a good amount of muslce and more bum! She has lost fat and her lifts are not showing any signs of slowing.

Her lifts:
Benchpress: 45lbs (bar), to 105lbs (5 reps)
Overhead Press: 45lbs (bar), 80lbs (5 reps) <--her toughest lift
Deadlift: 95lbs, 160lbs (3 reps)
Squat: 45lbs, 150lbs (3 reps)

I'd toss pictures up but A.) i'm at work and dont have any B.) i don't have her permission and C.) She's all mine fuckers!!!!! lol

Girls can get in fantastic shape if they are driven enough and have good advice (or super f*cking boyfriends: me) to guide them along their way.

I'm not a girl; but I know BC doesn't have to hurt their workouts at all. Mine has been on like 1,000 different ones and it hasn't effected her workouts.

To you ladies that lift; yours a cut above the rest! keep it up!

[TakeFive]

Wendy -

Congratulations on your results. 19 lbs in 6 months is great progress. It’s also going to be sustainable weight loss because exercise is a component, not just diet.

You also raise a good point about bone density. Just look a the current trend: first everyone was pushing calcium supplementS. That is until the drug companies had time to come out with something much more expensive. Please allow me to share a story:

My 86 year old mom was told to take Fosemex for bone density (about $2/day). They didn’t mention a side effect is severe acid reflux. This puts her in the hospital (she thought she was having a heart attack) for 2 days at a cost to medicare (taxpayers) of over $20K.

So I ask the doctor, does this stuff (fosemex) really make a difference? Would lifting light weights provide the same benefit? He wouldn’t answer directly, but gave me the impression I was not too far off.

So I asked mom’s regular doctor. I said is this stuff effective or is it a case where 7% of the cases saw a 3% improvement in bone density? This doctor would have none of it, and my mom didn’t want to argue. So he put her on Boniva, which she takes once a month - for $60 per pill!

So Wendy, I’m glad you found this additional benefit. Maybe you can coax a few women out of the aerobics room and into the weight room.

[Gubernatrix]

Interesting thread! So pleased to see plenty of women debunking the myths about debunking the myths!

I am sure the original poster had the best intentions but they were preaching to the converted. Every strength training website has a 'debunking the myths about bulking up' (and yes I have one too), written in various degrees of patronising tone. The first page of Stumptuous is still the best though.