Female muscle gains - is this unusual??

I just have to ask if this is normal...I'm new to building muscle but this is what I've been doing for the past 6 weeks to get a more toned, athletic, and healthier body:

20-30 minutes of circuit and calisthenic type exercises (low weights, 5-8 lb dumbells) 6 days per week...i.e. lunges with shoulder presses, squats with a waist twist holding a medicine ball, etc.

30-40 minutes of cardio (in 2 minute intervals of hard/lighter on the eliptical) 5 days per week

My stats are 29 years old, 5' 6" and 132 lbs. 

In the past 6 weeks I have gained what seems like a large amount of muscle in my arms, shoulders, and legs.  I know it is noticable from the comments of friends and coworkers, so it's not just in my own head/mirror!  I am a bit nervous that perhaps my body gains muscle more easily than most females and I might end up more masculine-looking than tight and toned!?  Last night my friend told me my shoulders were looking pretty big!  Help!  I know I won't really look like a guy, but does replacing fat with muscle mean I run the risk of looking...well...thicker?  My calves grew 1.5 inches and I am not working them with weights, just on the eliptical some.  I don't know what to do!  Can I gain muscle without adding lots of mass?  I'm already doing low weight and not increasing it.

Quit your job and become a competitive body builder. You'll win EVERY SINGLE TIME. All the other female body builders have to spend hours in the gym, take steroids and micromanage their diet beyond what you can even imagine. When they find out you're using 8lbs when they are busting out lifts with 100 and 200lbs, they might hate you though so be careful.

 

LOL!!  The grass is always greener, right?  It's NOT what *I* want...

Sheesh, women freak out about some of weidest things ;)

Blah you guys are sometimes really not helpful haha...

Alicat don't fret, what your experiancing is mostly just newbie gains probabally mixed in with abit water retention. (you musces store extra water when they are new to lifting. )

When i started weight training i had the same thing basically because its something totally new for your body you bulk out really quick to start with, but once your body get's used to it the muscle gains will pretty much stop (if your on a deficit)

Mine lasted for about 8 weeks, i got a fair amount of definiton really quickly and people realy did notice, but it hasn't got any "worse/better" (depending on how you look at it) since then, now the weight training is just making me stronger and improving the look of the muscles and burning a shed load of fat to boot.

Trust me the bulking stage is very very temporary when its all new, after the newbie gains are done with your gonna be stuck with the rest of us not getting any bigger unless of course you "Try" and bulk up by eating a calorie surplus.

THANK YOU Leiela!!  I imagined becoming some sort of scary frog-like me with veins popping out, and all I wanted was to gain strength/fitness!  I will keep working out without fear of bulking up now that I know it's my body trying to adjust to something completely new...that's really a load off my mind! 

Dont forget women have a thicker layer of fat over the muscle than men. Another reason women have to work extra hard and be extra anal about their diet when trying to achieve a really defined body. When you first start lifting, you tend to gain weight and look bulky. This freaks out most women and they stop lifting. If they only knew that beautiful muscle they are putting on their bodies help them in so many ways as they get older. Help burn fat and bone density to name a few.

Oo I hope my muscles don't shrink.  I'm a woman but I LOVE having big muscles.  Of course, I'm not in too much danger - I'm built like a linebacker and my entire family is full of large muscular women.  We're farming stock, what can I say?  :)

I have the same problem, as soon as I start lifting any weights,  my muscles start looking like those of men. I know people like different things but as to me, I don't like it. So I only do cardio now - running, elliptical, swimming. Tones me up very nicely and I don't have big bulky muscles. I would say that if you don't like muscles that are too big, just do easy cardio.

Original Post by fuelqueen:

Dont forget women have a thicker layer of fat over the muscle than men. Another reason women have to work extra hard and be extra anal about their diet when trying to achieve a really defined body. When you first start lifting, you tend to gain weight and look bulky. This freaks out most women and they stop lifting. If they only knew that beautiful muscle they are putting on their bodies help them in so many ways as they get older. Help burn fat and bone density to name a few.

 This is totally spot on !!!!

First time i started getting in shape (last august) i really started bulking out, i've now learned my problem was that i wasn't getting tons of bulky muscle, but my diet was total crap and although i was gaining muscle i was piling it on beneith the fat.

This time around ive improved my diet 500% and im getting lean and toned, because while i am gaining muscle im burning and stripping off the fat so i don't look bulky.

Muscle really can't making you look bulky on it's own certainly not after a few weeks it takes months/years to get the the kind of level's where the muscle can make you look bulky and it's a slow process, however piling on muscle benieth the fat can make you look bulky.

 

 

It's not just water but blood to.  That area is getting a lot of attention and whenever that happens, blood rushes to it.  So, you immediately get a temporary bulk.  It should be encouraging because it means you're working that area. 

I don't understand why people would ignore that fact and stop working those muscles. 

agree with some of the posts above (mainly from the helpful other women!) i always thought i bulked up but as my trainer puts it- the only thing that maeks you bulk up is what you put in your mouth. yes blood and water retention will make you swell but i bet if you watch your diet a bit more carefully you'll see the inches slide off.

it is uber important for done density, muscle mass and general health to lift so keep it up!

i have a really good article about this i can email to you. (too long to post here)

i tend to add muscle very quickly as well - but only in the beginning. It's new muscle sitting on the fat - soon the fat will burn off and just leave you with nice muscles that will be just the right size :o)

Thanks to all for the helpful info!!  I am still lifting, but the bulkiness hasn't gone down yet. It's not getting worse, though, so maybe some of the fat is burning off too? 

azdiddy please do email me the article - I'd like to read it!

Does anyone know, is there any way to LOSE inches (even muscle) in the calf area?  Mine have virtually no fat left on them and are ripped, but too big around. :(  I will probably just have to get over it and be smarter than I am vain, but if anyone knows how please help me fix my lumpy legs! 

I seem to get muscle very easily too.  When people see me they say they wouldn't have guessed I wasn't eating enough like I had been or that I only lift 5 lb weights when I work out =P

I kinda like it though...except when my mom calls me a brick and tells me no guys are gonna want me =\ haha

But yeah, I wanted to thank you for posting this because I was wondering the same thing =) I have been putting off trying new/heavier weights because I didn't know what to expect!

Check out this article from "female Fitness power"

http://www.teamflex.com/build_muscle/build_mu scle_advice.asp

Hope this helps.

Take care.