adj. bulk·i·er, bulk·i·est
1. Having considerable bulk; massive.
2. Of large size for its weight: a bulky knit.
3. Clumsy to manage; unwieldy.
I can't even begin to tell you know much this word drives me crazy. How much I hear women express concern and fear with this word in relation to lifting weights.
Today I'm going to set some misconceptions straight solely based on personal experience.
I'll admit I'm pretty unconventional for a woman. I don't like shoe shopping, getting my nails done and dumbbells do not scare me. This doesn't mean I'm a total butch either. I love feeling feminine and sexy, and having someone tell me how beautiful I am. I mean what women doesn't. To me curves as that defining point of womanliness.
This is why I never understood the draw to runway models, ever. They are sticks. Tall straight lines, which really doesn't define a sexy woman at all, at least not to me. When most women think about losing weight, they look at some of the most sickly definitions of women out there.
So what is the bizarre conception that picking up a dumbbell is going to make you look like Arnold Schwarzenegger?
First off men are larger then women hence they have to eat a much larger quantity of food. Men who are serious bodybuilders have to eat an insane amounts of food to keep those muscles not to mention are in the gym most of their waking life. When they aren't working out they are eating or sleeping, are you that way?
I know many women who don't think about working out in this way. I'm not sure what they signify as "tone". A tone lean body is one that has an ideal body fat percentage for that person's height. The reason you see muscle definition is because of lack of body fat. The way you lose fat is to build muscle. Eating right and exercising are all a part of that. It's why eating protein is important, it makes you feel fuller longer and fuels your muscles.
I've done nothing but shrink my body size by lifting weights. I've gotten smaller not larger, in every single part of my body and I'm stronger then I've ever been! We all want to be smaller, leaner and more compact. That' muscle. Fat makes you big, it takes up more space, hence making you, in essence, more bulky.
So when women ask me about lifting weights I always ask them if I look bulky. I weight train at my max least 3 days a week by myself, not counting what I do in Terri's A.R.T Bootcamp sessions which are an amazing combination of intense cardio and weight training.
Sure your muscles get what's called "a pump" after you finish lifting with them, but all it is is blood rushing to your muscles. You just worked them hard after all! Once you rest it goes away and you're left with your normal muscles again.
The combination of great cardio along with challenging weightlifting sessions keeps my body working hard in all areas. Cardio for training my endurance, heart and burning excess calories and weightlifting for developing muscles so I look tone and become stronger. It also keeps me from getting insanely bored. If all I did was run on a treadmill I'd give up my workout regimen too.
So to all the ladies out there, the next time you go to the gym don't be afraid of the weight racks. Look at that as another key to reaching your body's potential. It feels immensely empowering to know your inner strength.
If you're new to weights and afraid that you could hurt yourself, start small. You don't have to kill yourself. Don't be afraid to ask the staff at your gym about form and technique, they should be educated enough to help you. Also a great website that I use to understand certain types of lifting is Exercise & Muscle Directory it not only breaks the body down by parts, exercises and machine usage, it's a great website all around to educated yourself about the body and different types of training and exercise.
I hopes this puts some of your minds at ease about weights. I'm not a pro, I don't do competition and I don't look like a man! If anything I've gained a much more pleasing feminine shape from lifting. I'm sure my boyfriend would be willing to testify :)
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