Dont want to build muscles and bulk up!

Hi, im 18 years old and pretty active. Just that ive been a bit more active lately because its the holidays. Ive been doing an hour of weights with a trainer than an hour of light cardio after. The problem is that i have the kind of body that builds muscle really really fast. Like incredibly fast! I know its genetic because on my mum's side everyone is so buff without exercise, especially my uncles (models without exercising- very unfair).

So i was wondering if i continue this routine or cut down, or should i be watching my food intake and cutting out protien and look towards being a vegetarian or something. Thank you!

Well if that doesn't work you may have a promising career in the World Wrestling Federation. ;)

I wouldn't worry about bulking up too much if you are doing a calorie deficit to lose weight.  Its important to do heavy lifting when attempting to lose weight, but the reality is while you may get a bit stronger, you'll likely not put on a lot of muscle unless you are eating a lot more calories.

Nutrition balance is important.. you do not need to cut out protein as that would hurt your body far more than it would improve things.   If you really are concerned about bulking up too much, talk to your trainer and ask to do lower weight / higher reps rather than high weight / few reps.   That way you'll gain some strength but it will be more toning than building muscle.

Btw, vegetarians still eat a lot of protein, they just get the protein from other sources such as nuts, seeds, soy, dairy, sometimes fish. :)

Good luck :)

Original Post by kvalhion:

If you really are concerned about bulking up too much, talk to your trainer and ask to do lower weight / higher reps rather than high weight / few reps.   That way you'll gain some strength but it will be more toning than building muscle.

Unless you're talking about leg muscles - in which case, it's been shown that high rep/low weight leads to more "bulkiness" than low rep/high weight.  The fitness forum moderator, melkor, has links to the studies showing this.  Either way,  I agree that you shouldn't deprive your body of protein as that will lead to health problems.

low weight/high reps does NOT make you stronger. It may help with endurance, but you will not make strength gains. You'll just get weaker, especially on a deficit. You need to lift heavy as possible to keep from losing muscle.

I'm assuming you are female since you are worried about getting "bulky". It is very rare for females to be able to build large muscles without steroids and/or intense training and very strict diets and working at it for years.

Also your muscles will typically not get bigger if you are on a calorie deficit.

Even if you are one of the rare ladies that build muscle easily, you'll only be "bulky" if you have a lot of extra fat covering the muscles.

Get on youtube and check out some lady powerlifters. Not at all "bulky".

I suggest you provide more info, like your current stats.....

Don't worry about getting bulky... sorry blue_eyed_dragon, but you're wrong.  Uhhh, you're post changed while I was typing -- that's not fair.

Staying weak because of how it might make you look is the same as staying illiterate for fear of appearing nerdy. Stop it. You’re better than that. Geoff Girvitz.

Read this article... 

No, light weight, more reps is NOT what you want to be doing either. 

Original Post by weejingshan:

Hi, im 18 years old and pretty active. Just that ive been a bit more active lately because its the holidays. Ive been doing an hour of weights with a trainer than an hour of light cardio after. The problem is that i have the kind of body that builds muscle really really fast. Like incredibly fast! I know its genetic because on my mum's side everyone is so buff without exercise, especially my uncles (models without exercising- very unfair).

So i was wondering if i continue this routine or cut down, or should i be watching my food intake and cutting out protien and look towards being a vegetarian or something. Thank you!

I would go make a 6 figure salary being a figure model since those idiots have to work for hours a day and micromanage every part of their lives in order to be considered for photo shoots. Sounds like you can do it barely any effort!

You're kidding right?  Go get a body fat measurement taken.  Then go work out for a couple months and put on all that "muscle" and get another body fat measurement taken.  Then tell us how much muscle and fat you added.

If you're really putting on so much muscle, do what Spirochete suggested.  (I'm assuming you're female as no male in his right mind would be worried about putting on too much muscle!)

Original Post by karozel:

 

Staying weak because of how it might make you look is the same as staying illiterate for fear of appearing nerdy. Stop it. You’re better than that. Geoff Girvitz.

Love that quote.

Original Post by ds1973:

 (I'm assuming you're female as no male in his right mind would be worried about putting on too much muscle!)

 Haha, actually, after my boyfriend lost like 60 pounds and was getting really thin he said he didn't want to build muscle, he just wanted to be skinny. I asked him "You don't like, wan't to TONE UP or anything??" (yeah I know THE T WORD) and he said nope, just wanna be skinny.

Of course since then he's changed his mind and put on quite a bit of muscle :] YAY!

Great article Karozel. Thanks for the link.

Thanks for all the replies! :)

haha yeah sorry forgot to add that im female. and i actually am more concerned about how i look rather than my strength. its sad, but to me its looks first. haha. not that i want to be weak, i want to be muscular but in a skinny/toned way. But in the end i have too much muscle.

maybe it is disguise as fat though, the last time i checked i was 21%, but that was before i started the intense gyming. so i'll see if i dropped when i measure it again.

I just dont like that my arms look flabby and ginormous, and people assume its flab.Then i tense, and some giant bicep will spring out! haha, not exaggerating. im harder and have more muscles than my boyfriend and he gyms a lot too.

Do you think it has anything to do with me playing competitive tennis when i was younger? but ive stopped for roughly 3 years now.

thanks again for all the replies! i appreciate it very much

You're not doing a very good job describing your "muscle problem".  You claim you're muscular, yet you could be surrounded by people who don't train and are always telling you how strong and muscular you look because they really have no idea what a strong muscular woman looks like.  Or you could have more body fat than you think and that's making you look bulky.  You should probably post pictures.

What kind of weight can you do for your major lifts: Squat, Dead lift and bench press?  Are you paying attention to your nutrition and trying to drop fat from your frame?

Does she look too muscular? Check out other women at:

http://figureathlete.tmuscle.com/

Are you stronger / more muscular than they are or do you just have more body fat?  Some of these women are squatting and deadlifting over 200 lbs.  These women spend time planning out their meals, avoiding junk food, carb cycling, eating lots of protein and healthy fats in order to look the way they do.

Original Post by weejingshan:

I just dont like that my arms look flabby and ginormous, and people assume its flab.Then i tense, and some giant bicep will spring out! haha, not exaggerating. im harder and have more muscles than my boyfriend and he gyms a lot too.

Some people (including me) store more fat in their arms than other people. It sucks, and besides losing fat and hoping that some of it comes from your arms, there isn't a ton to do about it.  If you lost muscle from there, your arms would most likely continue looking "flabby".

I have always been self conscious of my arms, and in the process of losing fat and lifting weights, my arms have gotten smaller. They aren't skinny, by any means, and if I flex, I can see some bicep, but I'm under no impression that losing muscle would make them look better - losing fat might, but I am pretty sure my body would rather take it from my boobs than my arms, and I'm holding on to my B cup.

Original Post by amethystgirl:

Original Post by weejingshan:

I just dont like that my arms look flabby and ginormous, and people assume its flab.Then i tense, and some giant bicep will spring out! haha, not exaggerating. im harder and have more muscles than my boyfriend and he gyms a lot too.

Some people (including me) store more fat in their arms than other people. It sucks, and besides losing fat and hoping that some of it comes from your arms, there isn't a ton to do about it.  If you lost muscle from there, your arms would most likely continue looking "flabby".

I have always been self conscious of my arms, and in the process of losing fat and lifting weights, my arms have gotten smaller. They aren't skinny, by any means, and if I flex, I can see some bicep, but I'm under no impression that losing muscle would make them look better - losing fat might, but I am pretty sure my body would rather take it from my boobs than my arms, and I'm holding on to my B cup.

 Hahaha  - this is me exactly.  The arms are the parts that show the most in clothes and I would LOVE to lose fat from there and leave it everywhere else.... but my body gives it up everywhere else first.

yogagirl - having looked at your gallery, I think you (and your crazy sister) are the only ones who think you have big arms. We are always our harshest judges, eh?

The arms are rough! I store a ridiculous amount of fat in my upper arms (I seriously have the arms of someone about 50 lbs heavier than myself). I seem to have lost most of my weight off the torso so far, so now when I look at myself from behind it almost looks like I have more arm than ribcage. Seriously. Blech. Nothing to do about it. Personally though, I know that my fat arms look better when they have plenty of muscle underneath. At least it gives them some shape and helps with the "bingo wing" effect. So yeah, to the OP: muscles are far better than the alternative!

Original Post by amethystgirl:

yogagirl - having looked at your gallery, I think you (and your crazy sister) are the only ones who think you have big arms. We are always our harshest judges, eh?

 Thanks girl!  Your arms don't look so big in your picture either!  I would love to take the fat in my arms and move it to my booty instead!

well, generally, i dont find your problem an issue to me at all. in fact, its really endearing like how you put it (: