Lifting heavy and "bulk"

[complik8td]

Being a positive, active role model to my daughter is the most important thing. Everything else is just an added bonus .

Indeed. Thumbs up!

I definitely "bulk" when I lift heavy. I actually like lifting heavy and did for many years. My arms and quads would no longer fit comfortably into my clothes. I had to lighten up. I started doing a lot of barre, fusion and walking and everything slimmed down. I completed STS 2X plus CLX. My eating was clean tho I was hungry a lot. Cutting back on the poundage helped cut back on my appetite also.

I am not of the genetic makeup required to bulk, but I notice that the more heavy I lift, the more I need to eat. I prefer to eat less also.

 

[fit44]

I am not of the genetic makeup required to bulk, but I notice that the more heavy I lift, the more I need to eat. I prefer to eat less also.

I had this mindset for a very long time until I joined a few bodybuilding facebook groups.
I've learned not to fear that heavy lifting hunger. It is not about calories in vs calories out. It's about nutrition. If it were only about calories, we could eat cheesecake all day, stay within 1200 calories a day, and look like Cathe- No way!
The hunger you feel from lifting heavy is your body telling you it needs nutrients to recover.

 

[complik8td]

Fit - yes, I totally get that, but as a vegan, I have enough concerns with proper nutrition already. Perhaps it is not as difficult as I might believe, but I just do not possess the desire to manage nutritional needs for serious weight lifting as a vegan. Making things even more challenging for me is that DH is sedentary and has no concern for nutrition whatsoever. Frustrating to me, but that is his choice. Choosing to be vegan requires commitment, and for me, can only be accomplished by preparing my own meals 95 percent of the time. There are NO vegetarian restaurants or convenience eateries near my home. It frustrates me to no end. Interestingly, I am the ONLY one in my family who does exercise and who does care about clean eating. I prepare so much of my own food as it is, (from wholesome, fresh ingredients) and honestly, I am SO tired of being in the kitchen. I've said it before on these forums, and I'll say it again.... I would LOVE to have a personal chef (and a stylist for that matter too ).

 

[atiman]

If I lift heavy for my upper body I bulk. I'm naturally broad so lifting heavy makes it worse. I do best with higher rep or Bodyweight only for my upper body. Lower body I can lift heavy without any issues. I think it comes down to genetics in the end. My body fat is low so it's not body fat giving me the increase size when lifting heavy.

This is the same for me, too.
When I stopped using heavier weights for my upper body, people that hadn't seen me in a bit would always gesture with their arms up and down around my shoulders and say " you look like you lost weight". If that's not a clue then I don't know what is. And this was when I put on a few pounds.
Heavy weights for lower body thin me down very nicely, almost effortlessly.

 

[nckfitheart2009]

Building lean muscles

fit44
Very interesting article. Thanks for sharing .

I love nicely sculpted muscles on both men & women. I find the more muscle I have, the better I look in clothes (and without ). Not only that, but I feel confident, strong, empowered. I lifted light weights for years before I found Cathe, and although I did lose weight, my body composition never really changed. I always wondered "how do I get toned arms? How can I slim down my thighs & butt? How can I lower my body fat %?". Now I know the answer . Heavy lifting has definitely agreed with me.

To mini-natty,

I suggest you read this article from Cathe. Remember us women are disadvantaged building muscles because we do carry far less testoterone than man. Now there is a way of making our body in anabolic ways.

why not do it---Hiit

Cathe Friedrich - 4 Ways to Keep Your Body in an Anabolic State to Build Lean Body Mass

Hope this helps,

This works for me