Strength training for women is spoken about in code words.
Were supposed to fear getting bulky and instead want to build long, lean muscles.
This is patriarchal bullshit that obscures how our bodies actually work.
Its not new bullshit, either.
Just look atthis articleby powerlifter and historian Jan Todd on one of historys great strongwomen, Katie Sandwina Brumbach.
That was her job.
I mean, clearly, there are fit women out there with every conceivable body composition.
Working out can give youMichelle Obama arms, or it can make youreally fucking ripped.
Its impossible to walk the femininity/muscularity tightrope to everyones satisfaction.
you’ve got the option to make muscles bigger, and/or reduce fat
Thats it.
Thats the whole deal.
If you eat fewer calories than you burn, youll lose weight.
If you do this responsibly, most of the weight you lose will be fat.
you’ve got the option to micromanage your muscle gains a bit, though.
What are bulky muscles, anyway?
I asked fitness coachSohee Leeto clarify what people mean when they talk about their ideal bodies.
Youd have to lengthen your limbs somehow.
You cant change howlongyour muscles are, because they are attached to your bones.
Thats a thing that you might work on, mainly with your diet.
That said, getting to supermodel levels of leanness is not realistic for everyone, either.
But you’re free to lose some fat if thats a goal you have.
Youre not going to get bulky by accident.
To get this body key in you have to train a lot, while also eating a lot.
Once again: not a thing youll achieve by accident.
Toned:Muscle tone, in a technical sense, refers tohow much tension is in a muscleat rest.
Influencers on social media these days will say, well, this is a toning workout.
A toning workout is the same freaking thing as a muscle gaining workout!
So what happens if you just…work out?
Which seems to be the common factor in what most people want.
Thisisa thing that sometimes happens by accident, just because youre exercising more and eating well.
But to answer the paradox we started with: yes, youcangain muscle.
And you get to decide how much of it you want.
