Debunking Bulking
July 10, 2008 by Kelly Turner
Filed under Fitness
The media makes my job hard.
Not only do I get confused clients asking me about “fat burning zones” compared to “cardio zones” and if its ok to subtract fiber calories from total calories (Let’s start with cutting out the 400 calorie Starbucks every morning, shall we?) but I get women that actually ask me if we could not focus so much on strength training because they don’t want to “bulk up.”
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
I realize there is cultural fear of not being able to fit into a shoe box, and a cultural longing to be hated for being the smallest woman in the room. Somehow, in the female world, being hated is a good thing, as long as its fueled from jealousy, rather than your actual personality. (I know it doesn’t make sense, fellas, but be patient with us.)
It amazes me that “big” has morphed into a Bad Thing, even when that “big” is due to healthy muscle instead of being over fat.
Alright, let me clear this up first: women cannot “bulk up.” Gaining significant muscle mass is due to a little hormone called testosterone. Women simply do not have enough testosterone in their system to gain significant amounts of muscle mass. In fact, women can gain up to 30% more muscle mass and still lose inches, resulting in a sleeker, firmer, smaller body. Muscle burns more calories than fat, even at rest, so the more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you burn naturally.
“Bulking up” takes WORK. Hard work. Even for men, who have enough testosterone to build those hypertrophied muscles (you like my impressive vocab?). Doing a few bicep curls and weighted lunges is not going to balloon you up into The Hulk or suddenly allow you to crack walnuts with your butt cheeks. That takes lots of TIME, DISCIPLINE, and in most cases, supplements.*
BUT- I hate that I have to even add that paragraph in to convince/appeal to most women. You should WANT to be muscular. You should WANT to be as strong as you can be, keep your bones as dense as they will stay, and improve your health and quality of life.
It blows my mind that women are willing to give that up to stay “smaller” even if it means staying squishy and unhealthy.
My favorite thing about my body? Its not that I can fit into size 0 jeans (I have a small frame, don’t yell at me) but that when I do tricep pulldowns at the gym, I can SEE my tricep. And you know what? It took a while to get to that point. After A LOT of hard work, BLAM! there it was. And every time I see it in the mirror, I’m reminded that I worked hard for that. Really hard. When I admire other women’s bodies, its not because their hip bones stick out or their thighs don’t touch (truth be told, that FREAKS ME OUT) but its that each time they step, their quad muscle gets more defined, or their hamstring causes that little bulge in the back of their leg.
THATS what we should be striving for. Anyone can starve themselves, or be born with non weight gaining genes (technical term) but no matter who you are- it takes WORK to gain muscle. No one is naturally ripped. Its takes a special kind of person, a strong person both physically and mentally, to take such good care of their bodies and health, and muscle is physical proof of that.
STRENGTH TRAIN. Endless cardio will only cause you to burn calories, which is great for weight loss, but not toning, firming, and bone density. But, remember, that’s not what fitness is about. Fitness is about being the best you that you can be. Its not about staying as small as you can at the cost of your wellbeing. I’d rather be known for being strong, than being able to fit into my “skinny jeans.”
* Please do not take supplements. You can get every nutrient you need through a healthy diet. I figure if the human race has made it this far with out supplementing their diet, we don’t need to start. Remember we are the fattest we have ever been, so these “breakthroughs” don’t seem to be doing us much good as it is. Eat like a Pilgrim.
I love when I look in the mirror and see the muscle definition in my arms. No, I’m not super ripped or anything near that, but I do have some muscle and I’m proud of it. I love it even more when I put it to use and really feel and effects of what I’ve been working out for.
Strength training is great. I need to do it more. Anyone who is afraid to strength train hasn’t experienced the joys of muscle. It’s a beautiful thing.
I’m so glad I came across your site! I got here through Sympatico’s Health site. I completely agree. I used to be cardio obsessed, but I have since found the joy for weights. Now I love seeing the definition I have build in my arms and calf muscles.
I’m glad to see that we are all gradually shifting towards including strength training. Thanks for this post.
I here the same thing from some of the women in my office. My answer to them is that I’m having a hard time adding muscle and I’m lifting 4 X a week. So a few pull ups, squats, presses and rows aren’t going to turn you into a beast.
Also once your done with a cardio session the calorie burn tails off pretty quickly, after a strength training it lasts much longer (depending on intensity of course)
Besides muscles are sexy.
Great post! – reminds me that I need to *love* my weight-lifting. I do my push-ups at least and I’ve gotten some pretty mean leg muscles from running. Just need to get the rest of my body in gear. Have a great weekend! :)
I too love the fact that when I’m lifting something (weights, boxes, suitcase, etc.) you can see the definition in my arms. It’s little results like that which make me excited to exercise.
Supplements are scary.
I’m with you and the others, I LOVE when I can see the muscle definition in my arms, shoulders, and my quads!! I’ve put in a lot of hard work to get those muscles poppin’ out, so damn straight I’m going to admire them! :) I love how strong and CONFIDENT strength training has made me, I wouldn’t trade it for the world!
*Stands up and cheers*
Thank you so much for this article!!!!
Thanks for this article Kelly – it’s spot on! Now…the next step in my opinion is not just to get women to start weight training, but to get them to realize that they can lift substantial (heavy!!) weight and not ‘bulk’ up and to truly understand what it is to go to failure, which is WAY beyond starting to feel your muscles working or slightly uncomfortable. We need more ladies in the free weights areas of gyms!!! Load up those barbells for dead lifts; grab a 25lb dumbell in each hand for walking lunges! Oh and one other thing I have found is that you have to experiment – who cares if you can only do three squats when you load up the Smith machine – now you know to take it down a notch for next time; spend time testing your limits, experimenting with what you can do – you might just surprise yourself!!
Thank you for writing this! Muscles are wonderful! I know so many ladies that refuse to lift weights due to the fear of bulking up. Instead, they do cardio 7 times a week and wonder why they don’t look defined…hmmm
Kristie- i love definition too. CAUSE I WORKED FOR IT. and its nice to be able to do things with greater ease than before. i recently went camping where we had to lug everything about a quarter mile, and you know what? no sweat. everyone else was huffing and puffing.
Christina- welcome! getting compliments on your muscles is was more gratifying than people commenting on how skinny you are. who needs that?
Steve- i like how women think that they will magically explode into a rippling mass, when guys, who have the hormones to do so, have to spent hours in the gym everyday to do so.
and they are sexy! thanks for the male perspective
colleen- i would kill for runner legs. i hate running so id rather just kill someone.
have a great weekend too!
Jenn-yeah i was at the gym and saw a trainer trying to push creatine on a middle aged woman. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? make your commission by pushing unneccessary products on someone that wants them (even though nationally certified trainers have a code of ethics saying they WONT push supplements…just sayin…)
chandra- the confidence is irreplacable. im not gunna lie, i like walking back into the free weight room and showing all the fellas i can lift just like them (but usually with better form :) )
Sweets and Sweats- sit down, you’re embarrassing me!
genvieve- exactly! i LOVE exhausting muscles- and that spaghetti leg and jello arm feeling afterwards!
Erica- yeah- cardio will drop pounds, but you will be just as squishy as when you started. plus- more muscle means more calories burned at rest (higher metabolism) so you dont have to do as much cardio. look better and spend less time in the gym? Yes, please.
You’re my hero. I’m all about eating like a pilgrim and avoiding the supplements. And it DOES take a hell of a lot of hard work to gain muscle! Being healthy and strong is the number one priority.
The supplement comment made me think of this one time I was in GNC (getting multivitamins) with my boyfriend (who was getting protein…). The girl working there noticed I wasn’t looking for protein supplements so she said “Do you take a protein supplement?” I said, “No, just what I get in my food!” I think she got the hint that I didn’t wanna hear it ;)
So, what do you think of protein supplements? I don’t like supplements, so I’ve never taken any. My boyfriend, however, claims that he must take protein because he’s a guy. He works out daily and (like most guys) wants muscles so claims he needs more protein. I’ve told him he probably doesn’t need to take a supplement…but he doesn’t listen. I think I’ve finally gotten him to stop taking the creatine, NO2, NO explode and the like. Thoughts on any/all of these silly products?
(Sorry that got a little long!)
I drink protein shakes because I feel the need to being a vegitarian.
Also, it makes my abs and chest Awesome, so I can’t complain.
Preach! When I was training at a gym full of skinny blonde girls who didn’t need to lose a pound, I heard a lot of stuff like “You’re not going to make me lift more than 5 pounds right because I don’t want to bulk up!” type statements. As often as you hear this stuff you would think there were a lot of bodybuilder type women walking around. Of all the women that I’ve seen doing weights, I have never seen one of the scary types that are sometimes on ESPN (and they must be taking something illegal). I rarely even see anyone who looks as good as your standard Oxygen model – so where does this fear come from?
Jean help! I am 5 foot 2 and have great strong legs. Jean either are too small in the thighs or if they fit my thighs are huge in the hips. Anyone suggestions? Thanks!
Sagan- you;ve got your priorities straight, then :) being stroong makes life so much easier- your everyday activites are easier to do and you dont have to worry about injuries sidelining you
justy2003- for my thoughts on protein check out my post of http://www.everygymsnightmare.com: http://everygymsnightmare.com/?p=65
chris- i didnt know you were a veggie… and yes, Awesome with a capital A
keyalus- good point. how many giant juiced women do you see walking around? an old coworker of mine was a figure model, i mean she was freakin’ ripped, and when she was in her normal clothesy ou couldnt even tell- she just looked like a petite, inshape woman.
TrishT- my next post is for you! look for it tomorrow :)
i’ve been having some issues with myself for the last year or so.. yo yo dieting.. binging.. not exercing enough or at all at times.. until now i’ve always been a pretty big health nut. iv’e never had weight or eating issues before and i don’t know what has brought them on but it’s been really tough mentally and physically. i know what’s right and i want to take care of my body but for some reason i can’t put the food down. (i’m not overweight, just not where i want to be) your article just turned me right around. i don’t know what it was that you said because it was all things i already knew but something just hit me like a brick wall. Thanks for being so straight up with everything you say and for sharing so much of yourself. this is the begining of the the new me.. or the now me getting back to the old me :)
Beach Bum- thank YOU for sharing that. Its hard sometimes when you’re all wrapped up in your own head to do what you know is right. Its easy to make excuse, or put yourself down or just not do anything because you just dont feel like it. itshard to have constant motivation, and as blunt as i am about things, i know its hard. there are days wherei dont want to work out, or i want to eat a gallon of ice cream instead of my healthy balanced meal, but i do it 1: because i know i will feel like complete crap afterwards,2: I want to be as healthy as I can possible be, to live a full life and 3: because i know i deserve to be healthy and happy, and if i feel like doing something self distructive, or just plain not-so-good-for-me, there has to be something else going on inside at that moment (about 99% of the time, its stress.)
Good for you for taking control back. If you ever need anything feel free to email- im always here
great post. it took me a while to change my idols from those that were stick thin (kate bosworth) to girls that have a little junk in their trunk. well not really junk more like muscle. compare mary-kate olsen and kelly ripa. one is rippad (haha) the other one has no muscle tone.
when i go to the gym i could really care less about calories i burn. i run on the dreadmill to get that definition in my legs. i hang out with the meat-heads who are actually impressed that i can now do bicep curls with 20 pounds (up from 8 yeaaaahhh)
This is the best post I’ve ever read on this subject. I can totally sympathize with both you and your clients! I’d like to say that I’ve evolved completely to your point of view and body confidence but I’m still struggling there. Hopefully some day:) Thanks for this!
EXACTLY! This was precisely my point not long ago when I talked about the Advantages of Working Out with Weights!
YES, YES, YES!
And yet I still have family members and friends look at me and tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about when I tell them this exact thing. Do they think I lied about getting my degree in this stuff??? Absolutely drives me crazy. Another point AGAINST the media.