Monday, June 1, 2015

This Is What Women Who Lift Weights Actually Look Like

Spoiler: You probably won’t get bulky (unless you really want to) but you definitely will look and feel like a boss.

So, you've heard that lifting weights makes women look "bulky."

instagram.com

And just, well, unattractive.

instagram.com

But did you know that how muscular you get has to do with how much you train, your diet, and your genetics?

BuzzFeed Life reached out to Dr. Florence Comite, a New York City-based endocrinologist who specializes in precision medicine to ask her if women who follow a workout plan that calls for lifting moderately heavy weights a few times per week for 45 minutes or an hour each time will get noticeably bulky. Her answer? "Unlikely."

She explains that getting super muscular happens more readily to people with high levels of testosterone, levels generally present in men. Most women (who don't have a condition like polycystic ovary syndrome, for example, that results in elevated testosterone) just don't have the hormones needed to pack on big, visible muscles.

The exception: high-level athletes who spend hours each day lifting heavy weights and eating a tightly-controlled, low-fat diet which, Comite says, would be a full-time job.

instagram.com

In other words, the vast majority of women who lift weights, even heavy ones, a few times a week as part of their exercise routine...

instagram.com


View Entire List ›