Will lifting heavy make me bulky?

TRIGGER WARNING!!!!

Here's a big myth, and I just had to get this off my chest. You'll hear 945 different trainers, male & female alike, swear upside down and sideways, that lifting heavy WILL NOT build bulk in women.

And honestly drives me nuts! 



 

A few things to consider when lifting heavy and whether or not YOU will build bulk:

* HORMONES: This is a big one and one that trainers don’t bring up with women. EVERY female has a different hormone structure - some carry more testosterone than others, which may lend you to building more bulk with heavy lifting.

* NUTRITION: Does your diet match that of a heavy lifting program? Those that lift super heavy, tend to overdo the protein consumption, thus the excess protein that’s consume, turns into body fat. Which layers on top of the muscle, so no matter how strong you are or heavy you lift - the lean muscle will be hard to reveal. Or dropped food groups (carbs), relying solely on supplements vs macro & micro nutritional variables.

* AGE: your body changes as we age. As do results! Period. Embrace it. It’s not a bad thing, you can still accomplish beautiful things.

* RESULTS: what results do you want? How rigid are you willing to be? Those that build significant muscle, tend to spend 60+ min on a rigid workout program. Which is all well and good, but don't expect to build mass (if that's your goal) in 30+ mins a day.

In my 30’s CrossFit was the end all be all to me. The Community I found was dope. The friendships that came from it), the skills I learned (got my Level 1 Cert) and the competitive nature of it - it was awesome. I loved it all. It brought me back to my competitive days as a gymnast, especially having the opportunity to compete in the NW Regional Games in 2013.

 

As I entered my late 30’s and had my 4th kid...my body changed. Like everything came to a standstill with my metabolism. So annoying. And being a trainer and helping clients with their nutrition - I was stumped, floored and pissed! What gave?

As I started to dissect my changes with what food I was eating and how my body responded, I also came to terms that my priorities changed on what physical results I wanted. I no longer gave 2 shits if I could deadlift 200+ lbs, clean or snatch my body weight or do a muscle up (didn’t get a one, in fact ). I also was ready to do away with the routine injuries in my neck, back and shoulders…so there’s that!

So to wrap this up with a pretty bow, every female BODY is different.

Settle with a workout regime that motives you, delivers the results YOU want, matched with a nutritional strategy that will harmonize with your hormones, not send them into a tizzy.

For me personally, being in my early 40's, muscle endurance has been a great modality for majority of my workouts. But as I study more about hormones, I've been practicing syncing my workouts with my various phases of my cycle. It's quite fascinating! You can read more about what that means here.

This is what I take my Eating for Energy clients through as well - so if this sparks an ah-ha, hit me up! I'm an open book, so here to answer any questions or offer you a spot in my next session!  You can click on the READY TO START image below for more information or to get started. I would love to have you.