Bulking Muscle in Women?!?!

Guest · Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 5:40 am Post subject: Bulking Muscle in Women?!?!

Hi there! About 2 months ago I was 138 lbs (5'4") and 28% body fat (doc measured) thanks to a mostly sedetary lifestyle. After being shocked by this percentage I decided I wanted to lose about 20 lbs., tone up, and get my bf % to around 20-21%. Before I started I made measurments of my upper arms at their largest point (9.5"), waist (29") and hips (39").

I started by jogging 4x's a week and got to 131 lbs, but I stalled, I decided to join a gym and do hydraulic circuit training at a cardio pace (I'm in a 70-75% heart rate capacity range).

About 2.5 weeks since starting the circuit training I re-measured, my waist is 27.5", hips 38", but my freakin arms are 11"!!!! And I KNOW I measured in the same place, plus I can clearly see the muscle difference.

This is good, but I'm a little freaked out....1.5" muscle gain in only 2.5 weeks, is it normal for a woman who isn't on any supplements to bulk like that?!?!

Light · Posts: 2026

I would not worry too much. Usually women put up muscles hard and if you do not train exactly for this the chances to get bigger arms are slim.

1.5" muscle gain in only 2.5 weeks is a normal reaction of your body. You will see that this gain will stagnate soon.

Good luck.

DianeG · Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 4:34 pm Post subject:

Yeah, Light' s right! Don't worry, it's too soon, anyway. Focus on keeping your skin toned and if you keep on practicing, muscles will shape their way underneath, too! Take care!

Rachellia · Posts: 3

Cyrill · Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 3:27 pm Post subject:

I know just what you're saying, Rachellia. I've been through that myself in my first 4 weeks of fitness. I was even more scared because everybody in my family has the genetic predisposal towards muscle building. I mean we all build muscles very easily. But it's not something to be alarmed of. First of all you should talk that to a trainer, preferably your own. Anyway, if you don't have it, the basic recommendation is to use very little weights and repeat every exercise to exhaustion. Thus, fat is burned and fiber is build. And I said fiber, not muscles. Including, you should take care of your diet, too, otherwise your extra pounds will probably turn to muscles. At least, this is what happens to me. Good luck!