Thread: Without making my muscles look any bigger

Emma,
it sounds like you naturally tend toward a mesomorphic body type. This means you are probably extremely strong and have a sturdy stocky frame. I don't want to discourage you but you can only "bend" nature so much. You do not want to lose muscle mass to the point of getting sick and unbalanced. But it’s virtually impossible to make the muscle look long and lean if your fundamental muscle and skeletal system is genetically set up for short but full muscles.

I think you best bet is to try and get your body fat down to as low as a level as you can sustain that is healthy (probably no less that 15% for a female that wants to have normal biological functions). You can also lighten up on the weights and go high rep moderate weight to work more on flexibility and stamina and de-emphasize strength and mass.

Just some ideas,
OD

I suppose you should try endurance type stuff, but you are probably just naturally muscular. I would do a lot of swimming, running, biking, jogging, jumping jacks, jump roping, bag punching, etc. Cardio type stuff... You get the idea...

Thanks OD and CP

I figured I was a lost cause. just kidding. So do you think calisthenics and hard cardio would trigger the bulkiness? because if so, I think I should get into the groove of long moderate cardio. Like, rather than sprinting every 100 yards, or jump roping fast for 5 mins straight, I should just keep a steady pace of running, jogging or swimming for 1/2 hour?

Actually, does it matter? Will I see much difference either way you think?

IMO you should stop weight training.

You think? But Im sticking to low weights, high reps and only weight lifting twice a week. The thing is I dont want to lose muscle all together because Im still battling some fat

Yeah, low weight and high reps doesn´t do anything, it just warm up the muscles.
Swiming, running, tennis.. cardio
Stay with a good diet and you will probably won´t loose that much muscle. If you feel that you are loosing very fast then you go back with the heavy weights. It is all about balance.

hmm.. thats definetely something to think about...

Is that you in the avatar ?

You could try to mantain the same heavy weight with the same low rep. That way your muscles in theory will be "maintained".

Originally posted by Vieope
You could try to mantain the same heavy weight with the same low rep. That way your muscles in theory will be "maintained".

huh?

Emma, I think he is jus saying to continue doing low rep high weight to keep everything maintained just the way it now is without losing any mass. Probably not what you are asking.

I am curious too though. Is that YOU in the avatar surfer girl? If so I think you look very athletic and proportional and have nothing to worry about.

-OD

I don't think women can get really "big" with weight lifting. Lots of good info at www.stumptuous.com
And the low weight/ high rep is a waste of time.

"""""""Without making my muscles look any bigger""""""""

Why do so many woman still say variations of this? I thought we'd put this fallacy to bed long ago. Unless your gearing up you dont have the hormonal cocktail to get "big" and unfeminin. All you'll be left with is beautiful,hard female muscle. Look at Corey Everson. I dont think she was ever a real person, instead she was some sculpture a greek artist has been making for 4,000 years.

Go for the iron girl and never look back. It will make you beautiful and healthy...............take care...........Rich

Rich she is coming at it from a "different angle" so to speak. She wants to keep herself conditioned but wants to know if there is a way to reduce mass and lengthen the muscle. It's just a slight variation on the age old question of "muscle shaping" which most of us know you can not fundamentally change.

BTW - I bow three tiems in the direction of Corey every day at sunup. I think that women is a knock out goddess and super human being...

OD

as OD says it is hard to change your natural body makeup, dudes would kill to have a naturally muscular/athletic frame, that you describe yourself as having,(i am one of them). You can continue to lift and workout in the gym, but maybe switch the type of training you do to stuff like supersets and trisets. This way you will be able to still maintain muscle but also burn more calories by having an elevated heartrate. Also try stretching, might help in making the muscles seem longer and leaner

Originally posted by aztecwolf
Also try stretching, might help in making the muscles seem longer and leaner

hey aztec any idea where i can find information if this' real?

Wow, this is GREAT information. And as for the avi, that was 2 years ago (at my prime) - You understand me right OD. I have pressed the heavy weights with low reps, and I guess I am naturally blessed with the muscular frame. Im not "beefy", but Im not "slender" either. Im just stockier, with the broad shoulders. Lets put it this way - remember American Gladiators back in the day? Five of my family members were asked to train with them because they had the "build". Those were some big women. I think I have the capability to become "bigger", regardless of what you all say about women not getting bigger by weight lifting.

I have already accepted this and tis great, but as OD says, to "lengthen" the muscles I suppose is either something your blessed with or not. Ill stretch and stretch and stretch - maybe somewhere along the lines I'll turn into Gumby.

Yoga? hmm... If one of you will pull my arms above my head, and someone else pull my legs every day for 30 minutes, maybe I'll get taller too.

Originally posted by Vieope
Yeah, low weight and high reps doesn´t do anything, it just warm up the muscles.
Swiming, running, tennis.. cardio
Stay with a good diet and you will probably won´t loose that much muscle. If you feel that you are loosing very fast then you go back with the heavy weights. It is all about balance.

Im going to disagree with you. Low weight high reps burns calories, keeps the muscles toned and endurance up. Continue to weight lift like you are. Add cardio (running, biking, swimming) to your regimen.

It does burn calories but not a significant amount.
I don´t understand what you mean with "toned".

Originally posted by NickB
Low weight high reps burns calories, keeps the muscles toned

wrong...

just how exactly does low weight and high reps burn anymore calories than lifting a heavier weight for more reps ?

you cant lift a heavier weight more reps

thats the point of the high rep part....

I don´t understand what you mean Cats

Originally posted by LAM
wrong...

just how exactly does low weight and high reps burn anymore calories than lifting a heavier weight for more reps ?

Heavier weight, more reps? What?
Before you go scream "WRONG YOURE WRONG IM THE KING OF THE MSSAGE BOARD YOU'RE WRONG" read things in context and make sure your own retorts are sensical.

She doesn't want to get bigger. Why would she lift heavy weights? And if she lifts heavy weights, for a lot of reps well then they're not really that heavy, are they?
Low weights in accordance to your max and high reps burn calories and don't get you big. Simple.

Originally posted by NickB
She doesn't want to get bigger. Duh?
Why would she lift heavier.
Read things in context.

regardless of the fact that she does't want to get bigger...doing light weights at high reptitons DOES NOT tone muscles...that is exercise physiology 101

increasing defintion comes from a reduction in body fat...using light weights and high reps does not increase lipolysis anymore than using heavy weights at low to moderate reps...

You're thick.

Originally posted by NickB
You're thick.

you need to read a book or 200..I've been doing this longer than you have been alive ! lol

LAM is absolutely correct.

I wish people would stop assuming that all women are the same and that "women getting big" is all a big lie.

News flash: It DOES happen. Some women just put on muscle much easier than the norm. I happen to be one of these.

Emma, you should not stop lifting weights. I tried that, and I got fatter, yet my muscles refused to get smaller. For some reason my strength always goes, but my mass doesn't. ARGH

Also, for someone who does put on muscle easily and does not want to add any, high reps low weights IS a good idea. It helps you get the benefits of weight training w/o adding bulk. For me, if I am not careful, I get big easy especially in my legs. If I train with moderate reps (10-12) for a bit, I start to feel and look masculine, YUCK.

To prevent muscle fullness and promote length, ALWAYS stretch. Try yoga and pilates, and also try the supersets and trisets somebody mentioned. I just started this, so I'm not sure how it will work out. It is supposed to promote less muscle growth, and also since you barely have any rest, increase your heartrate so that is why you burn more fat.. it's like doing cardio w/ weights.

It kinda sucks I have no desire to look like a bodybuilder, bc thats what my frame and bodytype are better suited towards.

Oh, almost forgot, if you are dieting, that should also help you avoid muscle gain.

Just pray a lot of it is just intramuscular fat which will shrink easier than the muscle itself