Will Lifting Weights Make A Woman Bulky

One of the biggest misconceptions in fitness is that lifting weights will make a woman bulky.

I’m sure I’ll hear this again by the end of the day.

This couldn’t be farther from the truth and I would love to know why so many women believe this.

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? 

Adding Lean Muscle Does Not Mean Adding Body Weight

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.

Check out Tasha’s pic below. I’ll submit this as evidence that lifting weights will not make a woman bulky.

Lifting weights make a woman bulky
I think lifting heavy worked!!

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, 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.

Many people are actually referring an undesirable appearance, often one with excessive body fat. Not excessive muscle tone.

Your scale weight isn’t very good at telling anyone how healthy you are.

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

About No Limits

No Limits Fitness provides step-by-step programs to help busy adults get the body they’ve always wanted, without restrictive diets or time-consuming workouts, so they can lead more fulfilling lives. Life is a much better experience in a strong, healthy body!

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