I Want to Start Lifting, But...

My mom and I are very close. We often discuss our interests, concerns, problems, and worries with one another. Perhaps to her annoyance, I never shut up about lifting. I am obsessed, addicted, and in love with this transformative hobby; I can't get it out of my head. So until I curl my last curl, bench my last press, and push my last up; my mom won't stop hearing about my iron addiction.

During one of my gym rants, a thought ran through my head. I asked my mom, "Hey mom, why haven't you ever lifted?" She responded, "I don't want to look too bulky." Oh, Mom. It appears she has fallen victim to the topic of today's blog post: The "bulk" misconception. 

So, what is this misconception? From what I've heard in talking to people (mainly women), it seems that many people think that if someone lifts weights, they'll look like this: 

This misconception is understandable; as I've mentioned in an earlier post, the stereotypical bodybuilder looks like that ^. This makes it too easy to associate lifting with ridiculous, arguably unattractive physiques. The truth: lifting weights can actually make someone look better (regardless of gender). No, it will NOT make women look bulky, unless, of course, they want to look bulky. 

Honestly, I wish it were that easy. If I could get big just from lifting for a couple weeks, that would make this whole gym effort a piece of cake. But unfortunately, it's not. 

"Bulkiness" or size comes from a muscular process known as "hypertrophy" (pronounced hyper-trophy). It's important to understand that hypertrophy takes a long time: it will take you months of lifting to see noticeable muscle gains. Additionally, women have significantly lower levels of testosterone than men. Thus, the hypertrophic process takes even longer for women. Additionally, lifting doesn't have to include hypertrophy. If someone trains in the 1-6 rep range, they will experience very little hypertrophy but still be able to get stronger. If you were still worried about looking bulky, you can make the simple choice to be in a caloric maintenance (burning as many calories as you consume), which will further prevent hypertrophy. 

Overall, hypertrophy is harder to induce than it is to prevent. Yes, lifting will change the way someone looks; but in most cases, it will make a person look better (and yes, that includes women)! I'm not saying that looking good should be the goal of lifting; nor am I saying that people have to say "screw others opinion of me!" and bulk up just for the sake of lifting. My point is that lifting will not drastically change your appearance unless you will it. 

Let's admit it: we all worry about our appearance. It's perfectly fine to do that. (assuming that it is not making someone's life miserable, such as in a body-image disorder) Despite the adage "Don't worry about what others think of you," it is almost impossible to do that. In my opinion, we should embrace the part of us that wants to look good, but not prioritize it. That being said, I can understand the root of this misconception, and why on the surface it is valid. 

Photo credits to Gunter Schlierkamp