# Woman Beginner BB ~ Do I have to look like a man!?!?!?!?!?!?



## Guest (Apr 20, 2005)

Hi!

What a great forum! I hope some of you might be able to help me with some of my thoughts on bodybuilding. I have lots of questions to ask, and I'm not really sure where to begin, but I guess I'll start from the beginning (...that's a very good place to begin!!!)

I am a 25 year old, slightly overweight (by about a stone, I reckon), female. Despite my extra stone, I like my general figure as I am quite curvy (my waist is 26 inches, my bust 44 inches, my hips... nothing to brag about - FAT!!!). My extra weight seems to be on my thighs (mostly), belly and arms.

A couple of months ago I bought 'Hard Bodies' and 'Hard Bodies Express Workout', both by Gladys Portugues, from a second-hand book shop. I found them really inspiring as having spent over ten years trying to lose my extra stone by depriving my body of food (even exercise has always been a case of wanting to 'burn off' my body, rather than add 'good' to it), this seemed like completely the opposite ~ doing something positive for my body instead.

I have never been very impressed by the figures I am supposed to envy in women's magazines ~ I don't want to be thin, and with my natural figure I never could be. I have therefore never really felt 'happy' when following the types of diets and fitness regimes aimed at women ~ I could almost feel my body sagging like a deflated balloon when on these regimes.

What I want to know is this... If done correctly, could bodybuilding help me accentuate my figure, tightening my waist, lifting my boobs, etc, helping to give me a figure more like Sophia Loren, rather than the muscular figures usually associated with female bodybuilders?

I guess I'm trying to find the 'inbetween' ~ I like my soft body and want to keep my woman's shape, but I do need to lose a little weight (or rearrange it!), and if I could increase my woman's shape at the same time, that would be great!

I hope I don't sound too confused (the truth is, I am!), but I have heard so many women say "Ooh! I don't want to look like Arnie!", whenever using weights is suggested ~ I've always laughed at them, but I suppose I can't help wondering now if I may spoil the figure I have/want by bodybuilding.

I'll leave it there for now (I have lots more questions but I don't want to bore you with all of them at once!!!). Many thanks in advance to anyone who can help!


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## Guest (Apr 21, 2005)

fear not, you dont have to look like a man. in fact as you work if you see something you dont likeyou can just back off of that part. arms getting too muscular, dont lift as much and so forth. about keeping a figure, you can do that, unfortunately you cant "spot train" fat, to say that you cant decide where its going to come off, it has to burn itself off from the places your body thinks it can spare it the most first. unfortunately one of the first places a womans body loses weight is her breasts, but dont throw in the towel, it wont happen over night. to lift your bust you can work your chest with exercises like flyes and various presses. ( im sure there will be plenty of advice on what exercise is what and how to do them to come ) by developing the muscle behind the breast, the pectoralis, you will lift the breast and make them stand out a little more. for thighs you can do things like lunges, hack squats, leg extensions and leg curls. the curls are especially good for rounding out the glutes ( butt ) and making the back of your leg firm so theres a nicer transition from butt to leg. basicall stick with lighter weights that will still offer some strain to you. and cardio will burn fat well. eat more protein and watch carbs. im sure youll get a lot more helpful from this forum, there are a lot of good people on here. welcome to the forum.


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## Deadpool (Jan 18, 2004)

No weight training won't make you look like Arnold (theres only a handful of men on the planet who have the genetics to look like that!)

As exaktley has said light weights and high reps will give you a toned rather than musuclar look.

With a decent ammount of cardio and a good workout routine you can achieve a very sculpted but not overly muscular frame and burn off that excess BF.

My brother has started training with me and although hes not a woman he to wants to achieve a toned and athletic look rather than a BB look.

He to was under the impression that if he started training he with weights he would end up looking like me when all he wanted to do was lose some BF and get toned.

As I told him without the diet, the supplements and the heavy lifting hes not going to get big and neither will you.

I know a few women at my gym who train regularly with weights doing high rep low weight workouts combined with cardio and they have curves in all the right places as well as a toned and tight physique.

You can to so don't panic lifting a weight doesn't mean your going to wake up the next morning with 20inch arms!

As for workout programs etc well theres guys here with a lot more knowledge than me who are more than willing to help so any qestions post em and I'm sure someone here is able to give you the answers.


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## Guest (Apr 21, 2005)

Thanks for your replies!

'Exaktly' - I was pleased to read the bit you said about being able to lift the bust ~ that was going to be another of my questions. I worry about my boobs because they're so damn heavy. I have taken 'the pencil test' (put a pencil under your boobs ~ if it stays there when you take your hand away, your boobs are saggy!), and I reckon I could hold a baseball bat under there!!! The thing is, they're not 'empty' saggy... they're just kind of 'long' ~ I still have cleavage at the top, but the bottom of them is almost to my waist. The thing that encourages me though, is that if I squeeze those muscles I can lift them an inch or so, so I thought I might be able to 'bodybuild' just those muscles, but I have heard that you can't build just one muscle... you have to build all the others as well or you'll end up hunchbacked, or something?!?!?! Oh, and I hope nobody minds me going into such detail about my boobs!!! ~ These are the kind of problems us ladies face!!!

'Deadpool' - When you say "light weights", how light exactly do you mean? ~ For years I have played around with books and videos that use little hand weights ("... or a tin of baked beans would do!"), and I guess I just got tired of the idea. In the books that I bought she talks about 'Pyramid Training' ~ I've tried this a little bit and really enjoyed it as I love the feeling that I'm finally actually pushing my body to it's limits. Do you think I should not do this? Like I mentioned above about my boobs, I really feel some bits of my bod need all the help they can get!

Thanks again for your replies and welcomes!


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## Deadpool (Jan 18, 2004)

Light weights is pretty subjective a light weight for me for instance would be a very heavy one for a lot of women.

Basicly your looking at a weight you can get 15 to 20 reps out of once you past 15 reps your going into toning and cutting territory and to a point increasing cardio fitness rather than trying to add bulk.

I don't have much experience with Pyramid training I did it for a while a few years ago and all I can really remember about it is it was bloody hard lol, so I will let one of the other guys answer that as I don't want to mis advise a beginner.

BB is all about Symertry you don't want to over develop one body part and under train another as you will look lopsided its all about balance everything should stay in proportion and any weak body parts should be worked harder than the stronger ones to get them up to speed.

Arnold said it was like a sculptor looking at a statue he might say the shoulder needs to be bigger and he would add more clay where as a BB will work harder on the shoulders to get them up to speed.


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## Guest (Apr 21, 2005)

welcome to the board Janexxx 

biatch who is also new to this board has just got into bodybuilding,

maybe you could pm her, just a thought.

you might be able to share some boob info :wink:


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## Deadpool (Jan 18, 2004)

If they want someone to look at there boob info to give them a second opnion my PM is always open! lol


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## Guest (Apr 21, 2005)

okay guys (sorry for hijacking ur thread jane) here's my boob info:

before training 38F, now after 8mths training 38DD and if they shrink any more am gonnae scream! mind you they are a nicer firmer shape now.

maybe you guys could have a whip round if i need to go for implants eh?


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## themule (Feb 26, 2004)

Welcome to the board jane, enjoy the forums, in my time here i have learned a lot and the guys and now girls, have been exceptionally forthcoming. Biatch you seemed to have sparked something here the start of a rapidly growing ladies forum, in any case i wish you well.

Dave.


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## Guest (Apr 21, 2005)

> If they want someone to look at there boob info to give them a second opnion my PM is always open!


i,ll second that,my box is open too 



> maybe you guys could have a whip round if i need to go for implants eh?


i,m sure we could arrange something


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## Deadpool (Jan 18, 2004)

biatch said:


> okay guys (sorry for hijacking ur thread jane) here's my boob info:
> 
> before training 38F, now after 8mths training 38DD and if they shrink any more am gonnae scream! mind you they are a nicer firmer shape now.
> 
> maybe you guys could have a whip round if i need to go for implants eh?


38DD.......... Sorry I got distracted for a second there!

I don't think you need Implants at 38DD! :shock: but like Steve said I'm sure something can be arranged! :lol:


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## Guest (Apr 24, 2005)

hmm...boobs...bodybuilding...this is definately my favorite site...ever!


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## Gail (Jun 24, 2004)

Jane

Body building will not make you look like a man! Women do not understand just how difficult it is for gals to gain muscle mass. We do not have large amounts of growth hormone, therefore we will not get huge muscles easily, however hard you train.

My pet hate is hearing women say 'I don't want to get big, just tone up'. there is no such thing as just toning, to get your muscles harder and firmer they need to grow, therefore you are building muscle.

I spent years prior to bodybuilding, in gyms, doing light reps of 20 plus, on the promise that this would tone me up. BOLLOX!!!!

My suggestion to you is to hit the weights as hard and heavy as you can for 10 reps, minimum 3 sets each exercise. I would do at least 4 exercises to begin with for each body part.

With regard to your boobs, a good chest workout over a period of time will help to lift them, you will probably lose some fat from that area so they will get smaller. You may find they get a sort of empty appearance, but us girls can't have everything! You can always get implants to fill them back up (thats my plan soon!)

Biatch.....when i started bodybuilding I was 36DD, no 34D, which i HATE! I think they look so empty. Surgery is a must!!!!

Good luck jane, any questions, let me know

gx


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## crazycal1 (Sep 21, 2005)

hi there -it seems we all love puppies :lol:


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## crazycal1 (Sep 21, 2005)

hi there -it seems we all love puppies :lol:


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## Guest (Mar 23, 2006)

Hello! It all sounds so familiar what you are saying! In brief, I have been very over weight since the age of about 9. Was my biggest at age 21, 19 and 1/2 stone. Size 26 waist and 40 e-f big boobs!!

Everyone siad I was big boned! Doctor told me I would probably not be able to get to less than 14 stone. RUBBISH!

I joined a gym whilst living in australia ( have joined many before but, through lack of knowledge and over dong it fast, gave up after a few sessions!) Well this time round I found myself inspired by a female trainer called Kelly, she was a sturdyish looking girl, about a size 14, but incredibally fit looking and always giving some on the cardio or weights every time I was in the gym.

After chatting to her I found out she had lost 10 stone!! After seeing her before picture, my mind was made up.

I shed out some cash and booked in for 10 sessions to use in 1 month. we really focused on weight training and nutrition.

Well in that 1 month I lost a stone, and saw hope of changing body shape.

I was a dress size smaller than I had been at that same weight last time I

had lost a stone!!

A crazy iidea entered my head 'what if I could lose, like 8 stone and become a trainer?' Nah too crazy I thought!

Well one year later I had lost another 3 stone and qualified as a personal trainer, the best money ever spent, it gave me such a good insight into what can be achieved through training. But qualifying was just the tip of the icberg, there is so so much to learn I feel over whelmed sometimes by how much I need to learn.

I have only this last 6 months really got into body building. the pt course gives only a brief look into it as a sport.

Ah off track!! Ok my point is that my boobs!!! Well as I lose more weight there getting too small now! But they certainly perked right up through being less heavy and building up the muscles around and underneath.

I've now lost 6 and 1/2 stone, aiming to do another 2 and 1/2.

Giving myself a rough plan of 6-8 months to lose the remaining fat, and then another year and a half to train hard. And then enter a competition.

I was always worried about having sagging horrible skin, but with time, care, good nutrition and heavy weight training it is really starting to pull in and shrink and firm up, so I truely think any thing is possible if you fully focus on your goals and want it enough! :wink:

I think my main tool over theese past 2 years has been patience. I was always looking every other day for an improvement, thinking it would happen in weeks. giving up and binging if I felt nothing had changed,

now I just have a discipline, I do my stuff day in day out regardless of how I feel things are going, otherwise pmt hormones would have me giving up and thinking it was a hopeless cause and I may as well pig out!!!

It is hard to get going and keep it going, but once you do, it feels great!!!

Good luck with starting up, are you a member of a gym yet, if you are you should maybe look into finding a good personal trainer to help get you started?? xx


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## FierceFrets (Sep 29, 2005)

Sorry Mel, but it looks like the threads ancient! 

:twisted: Fierce


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## splinter1466867924 (Aug 5, 2005)

Can always send the user a pm in the inbox which will be forwarded to email so they can see update.


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