What will lifting heavy do to my physique? It’s a great question, and one that this blog post will set out to answer (spoiler: make it leaner, appear more toned, and make you more capable). But often this question is prompted by a pernicious rumor that keeps making its way back onto the gym floor—the idea lifting heavy weights will make feminine frames look “bulky” or “too” muscular.
You may have even heard the advice from a well-known celebrity’s personal trainer that “no woman should lift more than 3 pounds.” Too bad the average physics textbook weighs 4.5 pounds. Or simply pick up a gallon of milk and—at a whopping 8.6 pounds—you’re nearly 3x over that “limit.” How is it that women everywhere aren’t walking around looking like She-Hulk?
The truth is, it’s hard work to develop a defined and muscular physique. Many men lift weights for most of their adult lives in an attempt to get overly-developed musculature, and can’t accomplish it naturally (and this is with the help of more testosterone than the female body produces). Getting bulky and muscle-bound doesn’t just happen by accident. Strength training is an important part of meeting a wide range of health, fitness, and aesthetic goals. And misconceptions about strength training can cause people to miss out on its many important health benefits. So, let’s lay that rumor to rest once and for all.
Why lifting heavy won’t make you bulky
If lifting heavy were enough to make everyone bulk up, you’d be seeing a lot fewer resources dedicated to complicated weight lifting plans. It’s a long process to get that sort of result, and most people never achieve a “too muscular” look, even if they want to. In that respect, weight lifting gives you a lot of control over how you look. As results start to show, you can adjust your lifts and rebalance your workout and nutrition plan to maintain the desired level of muscular development.
Adding muscle is a combination of diet and exercise. Bodies require a lot of protein and extra calories to build extra muscle. For those looking to add a lot of muscle, a nutrition plan is going to emphasize eating at least 0.5 to 0.8 grams per pound of body weight every day (and I generally recommend 1 gram/pound of body weight). Compared to the typical 0.36 grams per pound, that can mean almost twice the usual amount of protein. If you’re eating at a caloric deficit to lose weight, or eating about what you expend every day, muscle gain will be minimal. To get big, you truly do have to “eat big” as well.
So, how does lifting heavy affect physique?
Lifting sculpts your body shape
Lifting heavy, that is, lifting high weights for low reps, does induce hypertrophy (the process to stimulate muscle building). It builds muscles and, yes, makes them more developed over time. However, that doesn’t mean you have to get “bulky.” Building muscle has the effect of tightening everything up and making you look leaner, even without a dramatic change to your bodyweight.
Weight lifting also lets you target and sculpt your physique in ways you desire. A large part of a body’s shape comes from its underlying musculature. Deadlifts and squats, big compound lifts that work the glutes, can boost your backside. Tricep extensions, curls, and lateral raises can help tone your upper arms and shoulders. A lifting routine can be as targeted as your fitness or body goals, especially when you work with a trainer to tailor your workout to what you’d like to accomplish. A good trainer will always work with you to figure out specific goals for your body, and the best plan for accomplishing those goals safely over time.
Lifting aids weight loss
Lifting weights is also an excellent way to aid weight loss and slim down. It can be a calorie-intensive workout if done in a circuit-style manner, meaning you burn a lot of calories while you do it. Plus, lifting weights has the benefit of burning calories after the workout as well (unlike low-intensity cardiovascular training). It takes a lot of energy for the body to repair damaged muscle fibers after resistance training, and this process can burn a lot of calories even after you leave the gym. This added caloric burn means the muscles you do have already will be more visible as your body gets leaner (if eating in a caloric deficit).
Want the flexibility to eat more calories per day? Muscle requires more calories to maintain than body fat. That means your body expends more calories all day long, not just when you’re working out, making it easier to maintain a caloric deficit.
Lifting improves posture
Strong back and abdominal muscles play a huge role in maintaining good posture. Standing up straight contributes to a longer, leaner look. It has also been shown to improve self-confidence and increase body image satisfaction to help you feel good rocking the body you’ve got.
There are also enormous benefits to resistance training that have nothing to do with appearance, from improved physical and emotional health to combating osteoporosis. For anyone looking to benefit from weight training with specific aesthetic goals in mind, a personal trainer can help ensure you approach your lifting routine in a way that gets the results you want. Nutrition coaching can add another layer to help hit weight loss goals and achieve more precise control over changes to your physique.
If you’re still unsure what the right approach is for you, reach out to the Body By Ford personal trainers in New Orleans for a free consultation, and learn more about how to achieve the results that you want.
