One of the biggest misconceptions in fitness is that lifting weights will make a woman bulky.
If I had a nickel for every time I saw a woman working out with weights lighter than her purse…
I’m sure I’ll hear this again by the end of the day…but who doesn’t want a few more nickels?
Of course this couldn’t be farther from the truth. But this myth has been around much longer than me and it’s likely not going away.
If the heaviest thing you lift is your dinner plate, THEN you’ll probably get bulky.
But lifting heavy weights will only make you stronger and help you add lean muscle. This will help you improve overall body composition and lose weight.
Actual conversation I’ve had 1,000 times:
Woman: “That’s heavy! I don’t want to look like a man!”
Me: “Great. Keep shaving and don’t scratch yourself in public.”
Woman: “What?! I just want to tone up and lose weight.”
Me: “If your weights are lighter than your purse, you’re not working out.”
See how supportive I can be?
Lifting Weights Will Not Make A Woman Look Bulky
But it will help build lean muscle tissue.
Lean muscle tissue is more active than body fat. The more lean muscle you have on your frame, the more calories you will burn every day.
Having the ability to burn an extra 100 to 300 calories per day is so much better than having to do the burpee, spin or any other cardio equivalent to achieve the same result.
It is entirely possible for someone to improve their body composition without changing their weight.
They are able to increase their lean muscle mass while simultaneously losing body fat. This results in improved body composition (that toned look), but the weight on the scale didn’t change.
One pound of muscle takes up approximately 20% less space than a pound of body fat. This is why your clothes can fit better but your scale didn’t move.
If you feel like a million bucks with interest, don’t let a $5 scale ruin that.
What You Eat Matters
The only way to get bigger or bulkier is to increase your caloric intake. Specifically, you will need to eat more calories than you burn on a daily / weekly / monthly basis.
The only way a 10lb dumbbell will make you bigger is if you eat it.
It takes men significant time and effort to add lean muscle mass to their frame.
Adding enough protein into your diet is harder than you’d think. I’m almost positive the “meat sweats” were discovered by someone trying to get bulky.
It isn’t easy to add lean mass, and it happens at a different rate for everyone. (Which is why some people take steroids to speed up the process).
What Is Your Definition Of Bulky?
The biggest problem with the term “bulky” is that it’s subjective. What is “too skinny” or “too bulky”?
Muscular and bulky aren’t necessarily the same thing.
I recently ran into a former client with her husband. Her husband commented that she “looked like a man” when she was training with me. She was 40 pounds heavier than when she trained at No Limits Fitness. I asked if by “looking like a man” he meant more muscle definition and he responded “YES!”.
Most people are actually referring an undesirable appearance, often one with excessive body fat…not excessive lean muscle tissue.
Gaining muscle definition is achieved by training the muscles and reducing overall body fat.
Increasing your physical size by adding muscle is more challenging and will require a significant increase in protein consumption.
Progress can look a little bit different for each individual person as the rate at which we increase lean muscle and decrease body fat varies individually. Your scale weight isn’t very good at telling anyone how healthy you are. This is why body composition is a more effective way to track progress.
If I had to give you 5lbs of money, you immediately want to know if we’re talking about pennies or twenties.
You instantly “get it”. What makes up the pounds becomes more important. You should think about your scale weight in the same way.
The 2 main numbers we focus on at No Limits Fitness are body fat and lean muscle mass because these give us a much better picture of your general health.
Whatever You Do, Get Strong First
There are incredible benefits from strength training and lifting heavy weights.
Increased confidence, improved body composition, and increased bone density are just a few reasons why strength training is beneficial.
Perhaps the BEST reason to strength train and lift heavy is that it gives you a performance goal. We all are prone to head trash, and telling ourselves we’re not enough in some regard. Strength training allows you to work towards a positive goal, which helps improve your self-talk and self image.
Regardless of your individual goals, getting stronger along the way doesn’t suck.
Absolute Strength is the glass. Everything else is the liquid inside the glass. – Brett Jones
Put another way, getting stronger allows you to do more. Strength increases your capacity, not your limitations.
Limitations are believing that lifting weights will make a woman bulky.
References
https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/blog/articles/heavy-bulky
https://www.shape.com/fitness/tips/5-reasons-why-lifting-heavy-weights-wont-make-you-bulk
https://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-strength-training
