Q: As a woman, my aim was to tone up - so why am I bulking up like this?
Q: I have been training twice a week with a Personal Trainer for a year now. As a woman my aim was to tone up. My body type is such that i develop muscle very easily. I partake in step classes and my legs are muscular and strong.
Since training with my trainer, my back, arms, shoulders and traps have bulked up. I know this is so bcos my work jackets and tops have become tighter esp around the back and arm area. I am 5′6 and i weight 52kilos. I couldnt possibly lose anymore weight so why am i bulking up like this?
B.C.
Kenny Hills, Malaysia
A: Hi B.C.,
I’m going to start by reassuring you that you are not bulking up. It is actually very difficult for women to build up muscle mass and you need to meet certain criteria in order to build muscle. That criteria is that you have to take in extra calories (muscle is not made out of nothing, you need extra calories, meaning more than your body needs to function each day), and you have to be lifting in a specific way. You also have to lift in a fairly low rep range. If you can do 15 reps with a weight you are providing your muscle with stimulus to increase endurance, not to grow.
As for your concerns on ‘bulking up’ - whenever you exercise with weights, what you are actually doing to your muscles is damaging them, creating tiny tears in the muscle. You know how when you hurt yourself sometimes you will see swelling where you got hurt? That’s what is most likely going on in your muscles. They got hurt (even though that’s a good thing), so they are swelling. The longer you work out the less you will notice swelling. You are certainly not the only woman to start working out and think your muscles are ballooning up. That’s a real common concern among women when they start working out.
Also, as for your goals on toning up, many women are unaware, that ‘toning up’ basically means two things:
1. To add on some muscle, AND
2. To burn bodyfat in order to reveal that muscle
Muscles don’t ‘harden’ or ‘tighten up’ like most people believe. They either grow in size, or see improvements in strength and endurance.
In my opinion, strength training for women is probably more important than it is for men, since they naturally have less muscle mass to begin with. If you are still uncomfortable with the changes your body is going through, I would suggest that you discuss this further with a certified personal trainer who can possibly help you modify your workout routine.
Yours truly,
Noel Chelliah
ACE-LWMC, ACE-CPT
About the Trainer
Noel Chelliah is an American Council on Exercise (ACE) Certified Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant (LWMC), and ACE-certified Personal Trainer with many years of experience in health and fitness since 2000. Actively involved in the fitness industry as a Personal Trainer and freelance writer, he has coached and inspired countless individuals to successfully reach their fitness goals. Noel specializes in Weight Management, Lifestyle Change and Strength Training.
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