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Building a Strong Body Without Big Muscles

Discussion in 'Body Builds' started by USMCwife, May 25, 2015.

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  1. May 25, 2015 at 7:31 AM
    #1
    USMCwife

    USMCwife [OP] Well-Known Member

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    I would like to ask for some help from a mature and kinesiology knowledgeable person. I’m a 30 year old female. I don't want to be a body builder but I want to keep my body pretty and strong. I am good about stretching, I run 3 to 4 miles at least 3 times every week, I swim once or twice a week, and walk 5 or 6 miles on days that I don’t either run or swim. My husband and daddy tease me about looking prissy because I don’t mind working hard and getting dirty. I like to work out AND I DRIVE A TACOMA EVERYDAY (I don't necessarily like that part but my husband loves his Tacoma)!

    I am almost 5’ 3” and I weight about 100 pounds. I am small boned and have shapely but little body that my husband likes (and so do I). :) I’m not very strong. My husband has a Taurus Fitness Equipment machine that has a bunch of places to lift weights. I use the places to do bench presses, butterfly’s, lat pulls, and rowing. The weights are 10 pounds each and I can barely do 1 bench press just pushing on the lifting handles and no weights. I do 3 sets of 10 butterfly reps with 10 pounds. I also do lat pulls with 50 pounds and upright rows and something for triceps (I stand up and push down on the lat pull bar) with 20 pounds.

    This is the part where it would be nice to get some MATURE help. I would like to make enough muscles in my chest to be able to do bench presses but the real reason is I want to strengthen my chest muscles so that my boobs never sag. They don’t now and I don’t want them to!

    I’ve read a lot of things that say muscles have nothing to do with it but when I go to the gym, none of the thinner older women that lift weights seem to have saggy boobs. My doctor is a man and he is clueless. His PA is a girl and she suggested I find someone who understands human strength and motion. I could talk to exercise trainers at the gym but I don't go there to lift weights and don't really don’t want the embarrassment of talking to some guy I don't know about my body. I looked on the internet but there is too much conflicting information!

    When he is home, my husband likes me to lift weights with him and I like to work out and do just about everything he does. The problem is he knows how to be strong and make big muscles and I want to be strong enough but not make big muscles. Is there someone here who can help with me finding exercises that I can do on our machine ?
     
    Last edited: May 25, 2015
  2. May 25, 2015 at 8:05 AM
    #2
    Justified

    Justified Well-Known Member

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    There are a lot of misconceptions about women and lifting weights. It takes hours and hours in the gym for the women body builders you see on TV to get that bulky. My wife lifts weights and at 38 it helps her lose fat, gain muscle tone and she's not bulky and she's your height. She has a lot to go to reach her ideal weight/size. I say size because we don't focus on the scale and she's in control of her goals. She's more toned, shapely and she sleeps better at night.

    Here's an article you can reference:
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/8-reasons-women-should-lift-weights.html

    Bodybuilding.com can help you develop a routine of exercises that fit within your goals. My wife does the same exercises as I do, just not the same weights and she does more reps. Find a good female trainer and pick her brain.
     
    Last edited: May 25, 2015
  3. May 25, 2015 at 8:32 AM
    #3
    USMCwife

    USMCwife [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Thank you Mr Justified for your response but sorry, I'm still learning how to communicate better with guys. This forum is teaching me that I need to provide less information and be more direct.

    :rolleyes: I want to strengthen my chest muscles so that my boobs don't sag when I older! :) and if possible, I'd like to be able to use the weight lifting machine we already have.

    I read your article. It was very sweet of you to attach it but I already do some weight training and the 8 things in that article are not the issues for me. Thank you anyway!
     
  4. May 25, 2015 at 9:40 AM
    #4
    Shelf Life

    Shelf Life Well-Known Member

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    Is there someone here who can help with me finding exercises that I can do on our machine ?[/QUOTE]

    Op, my wife is a lot older than you, but she stays fairly fit doing yoga three days a week.
     
  5. May 25, 2015 at 10:28 AM
    #5
    USMCwife

    USMCwife [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Op, my wife is a lot older than you, but she stays fairly fit doing yoga three days a week.[/QUOTE]


    Mr Shelf Life, thank you very much for trying to help but I am fit, very fit. I tried to describe what I already do as part of my workout. What I am trying to learn is how I can:

    :rolleyes: ...strengthen my chest muscles so that my boobs don't sag when I older! :) and if possible, I'd like to be able to use the weight lifting machine we already have.
     
  6. May 25, 2015 at 10:37 AM
    #6
    Justified

    Justified Well-Known Member

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    This part is why I said what I did and
    I'm not sure you understood me (sounds like what I'd say to my wife). Whether or not it'll help your boobs stay up I'm not sure. Hopefully you find what you need.

    If you want to be strong without creating big muscles, do the same exercises as your husband with lower weights and more reps. The only other advice is to keep at it. Muscles aren't built overnight.
     
    Last edited: May 25, 2015
  7. May 25, 2015 at 10:43 AM
    #7
    pudge151

    pudge151 Well-Known Member

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    in order to build muscle you need protein and lots of it, so diet is what matters most. you can try even resistance bands to tone up. but youll need to eat a lot of protein to build muscle. I will also say that building up your chest muscles will not prevent your boobs from sagging later in life, muscle tissue and fat and breast tissue are totally different things.
     
  8. May 25, 2015 at 11:57 AM
    #8
    TashcomerTexas

    TashcomerTexas My truck is a whiner

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    You're probably ectomorphic?

    Your output is only as good as your input, try more reps, if those aren't enough to get whatever target muscle sore then you need to add more weight!

    If that gets to be too much then you might be forgetting nutritional aspects for recovering and pre workout. Yogurts, nuts and the such are always good for recovery, just like carbs and protein are good for pre workouts and in between.
     
  9. May 25, 2015 at 12:01 PM
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    manethon

    manethon TTAS

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    I deal with clients in the respect all the time,
    Remember this, as a female, you REALLLY have to put in allot of effort into looking like a bodybuilder or any of those that you see.
    Hit the weights hard, don't be afraid of heavy lifts, do sled pulls, pull ups name it.

    Put it this way : Many Wbff bikini competitors and amateur competitors can squat at least 225 pounds as a reference point and look what they look like..... by no means what id call big or bulk or anything like that.

    If you want to be strong as hell, but not gain to much muscle size you should focus on Heavy lifts and volume at heavy lifts and avoid hypertrophy type training like GVT. I do however, recommend as a cliche starting with GVT type training in a set range of 10-12 to get started with very limited breaks to get your body and muscles conditions for the next phase.

    When you have done the GVT type training for about 3 weeks switch over,
    Learn to push past pain, i.e if your lifting 50 pounds and muscle pain sets in at rep 5, don't stop, you just started. Now push it for as many as you can.


    AS for diet, track your macro's. Read up on that, as your diet will depend how you look in the end not the weight lifting as much.

    I have to apologize, but due to time restraints i cannot go to much more into detail. All the terms i used is "googleable"
     
    Last edited: May 25, 2015
  10. Nov 9, 2017 at 5:23 PM
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    Buddy Boy

    Buddy Boy Member

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    This is a very common misconception about weight training that has kept many women from strength training/physical fitness.

    Average women have MUCH less testosterone than the average man. So you cannot really be THAT muscular anyway, even if you tried your absolute best.

    That is, unless you use steriods. The swoled up women that you see are either genetic freaks and/or users of artificial hormones.

    So unless you are natural built like Serena Williams (you ain’t), then I wouldn’t worry about getting too muscular at all.

    Doing mostly compound movements like:

    Squat
    Deadlift
    Bench
    Pull-ups
    Shoulder Press
    Some grip work

    ^ would be good for general strength development. Some isolation excercises to round out which ever body part you want to work on is fine.

    Get a strength oriented coach or trainer to show you the lifts (youtube + a mirror or video camera helps too).

    And don’t use weight scales, they are deceiving. Muscle (or lean body mass) weigh more than fat, so after a couple of months, you are likely to weigh a little more even though you are leaner/fitter.

    Use the mirror or go have your lean mass measured instead.

    Good luck!
     
  11. Nov 9, 2017 at 5:26 PM
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    TashcomerTexas

    TashcomerTexas My truck is a whiner

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    T4RFTMFW likes this.
  12. Nov 9, 2017 at 5:30 PM
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    MTgirl

    MTgirl too many frogs, not enough princes... Moderator

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    OP was just here to scam members...and was banned. hence the strike through print on the name. :hattip:
     
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