If you’re into fitness, that’s a question you can’t escape
Maybe because it’s tied to the elusive notion of “toned” If you’re new to weightlifting, you may be looking for answers
And even if you’re not exactly new to the world of bars and bumpers, you’re probably still looking
And that’s because people aren’t so honest about the answers
Will lifting weights make you big?
Will lifting weights make you big?
The real answer is not as black or white as many fitness professionals claim
Building muscle is a very good thing
Building muscle has many benefits (which we will cover in another article)
But two of the most sought after are the compactness of your body (read: a smaller pants size) and increased metabolism
Muscle burns more calories than fat
So in some cases, lifting weights allows you to look smaller and also potentially eat more to maintain that size
If you’ve ever taken a health class, you held a brace that shows what 5 pounds of fat looks like
This is bigger than 5 pounds of muscle
Most of us are familiar with the idea that muscle takes up less space than fat
That means if you can start lifting weights and replace 5 pounds of pure fat with 5 pounds of pure muscle, you’ll be a smaller human being
And that’s the dream of lifting weights
But, yes, lifting weights can make you big
Is the muscle itself big?
No Muscle takes up much less space in your body than the same amount of fat (by weight)
But unless you’ve been training for a few years, you probably have a lot of fat on your body
It doesn’t mean you are big
People who are “thin and fat” also have a good amount of fat
So, yes, if you could swing a magic wand and replace your fat with muscle, you’d be smaller
Building muscle, contrary to the opinions of many women’s magazines and men, is a long and arduous process
Aside from a glorious beginner gain period, it generally requires vigorous training and at least a slight calorie overload
That means you may need to lose fat or gain muscle
Even if you choose to gain muscle, it will be a long process
But if you started your fitness journey by adding muscle, well, you might look big
That’s because you are adding muscle mass without losing fat
But that’s actually a really nice way to go
Yes, it’s hard to stay calm when you feel your pants getting tighter
But by focusing on gaining muscle first, you may find it easier to lose fat later
As I mentioned, losing fat and gaining muscle requires different types of diets
You have to eat excess calories to build muscle
And a calorie deficit is necessary to lose fat
If you train hard, you build muscle
And, yes, you do gain some fat (or at least lose none)
It might make you look “big” But even if you’re not happy with what it does on the outside, you’ll probably like what it does on the inside
A quick note to say that the idea of ”large”, also comes down to your personal preference
Check out Molly’s post on Girl’s Gone Strong for a great illustration of how many shapes and sizes of women come in life
You have to decide what “big” means to your body and to your goals
Women with muscles come in all shapes and sizes
Everyone needs to decide for himself what is “big” and what is not
Either way, building muscle isn’t going to be a quick process
But building muscle increases your metabolism
Muscle burns more calories at rest than fat, so you’re essentially increasing your basic metabolic rate (BMR)
That means that when it’s time for you to focus on fat loss, you may be able to do so on more calories than before
This can make “cutting,” or losing fat, easier both mentally and physically
Some people do what’s called “recomping,” which is eating a rough maintenance and training hard to turn fat into muscle
For people new to fitness and weightlifting, the juice may not be worth the squeeze
Competitors try to strategically add muscle to fit a set of standards
And because they have to be so skinny when they hit the stage, many believe it’s better not to stray too far in terms of weight in the off-season
More pounds gained means longer, potentially tougher, diets to drop
(Mandatory side note: some competitors choose to embrace more weight in the off-season for hormonal reasons )
It also means they are familiar with all the details needed to reorder, such as weighing and tracking every mouthful of food consumed
If you are just starting your journey, it may be overkill
You’ll still want to track, but you may be able to get away with a bite here and there, unlike those who are gearing up to take the stage
So if you just want to get a little leaner, have some muscle mass, and enjoy a slightly lighter metabolism, consider taking it one step at a time
You are more than just your body, and there are places you can go to help deal with the fluctuations that occur
It’s hard to remember the final destination when you didn’t enjoy any part of the journey
One day you will love your increased strength and celebrate your weightlifting PR Other days you’ll feel uncomfortable in your jeans and even personal best isn’t enough to erase the feeling
The xxfitness subreddit is a great place to connect with women who also lift weights
Some are also in the process of adding muscle
And you can find a lot of discussion about feeling like you made it big
(Yes, many of these women also say that you can and might make it big temporarily when you start lifting weights )
In addition to being a serious lifting goal, these girls are very open about their bulking and cutting cycles
They openly accept the extra fat that they put in large amounts to gain muscle
They believe you need to get dieting right (yes, really!) by building a strong metabolic base before cutting
Tags: Weightlifting