How to Gain & Tone Muscle for Women After 60

In this Video...
Coach Sheree explains how women over 50 can gain muscle safely without bulking up. Understand the role of genetics, hormones, and smart training when strength training after 60.

 Muscle Gain |  After 60  |  Educational

Do Women Bulk Up from Lifting Weights?

Hello. I just want to talk to you today about bulking up and whether you bulk up if you start to lift weights as a woman. Generally, no, because us women do not contain the same amount of testosterone as guys do.

The Myth of Bulking and Bodybuilding Training

And unless you want to enter a bodybuilding contest, you're probably not spending two to three hours a day in the gym where you're lifting big, big weights. So generally no. Genetics also play a part in where you will gain your actual muscle and different parts of your body.

You can be training all you want with this butt, but you may not have as shaped a butt as what somebody that comes from Africa might. So there's genetics that play a part in that. And we're all not the same.

My Personal Experience With Muscle Growth

So for me, I've always been able to build up some muscle as soon as I started to lift bigger weights. And that's always been a thing for me. And 10 years ago, I probably wasn't carrying the same amount of weight over the top of my muscle as I am now.

So that can make it appear to be more bulky. So I just want to also be explaining that yes, you play around with your weights, play around with the size. I do like to lift what I can because my whole thing with life is I want to have the strongest, best body going into older age that I can.

And I don't worry too much about the look of how I look. I'm more about, as I build my muscle, it will define my body. Yes, it may build up my actual muscles a bit more than some people would choose to have.

Adjusting Weights to Fit Your Goals

But then you just go down some weights. You'll work out kind of what weights you need for you because some people will build up quite quickly because that's their genetic disposition and the hormones that they've got. And some won't.

So most women I train will not lift like what I lift. And I'm not heavy, heavy. Believe me, if I wanted to go into bodybuilding and really build these muscles up, I would be lifting far bigger.

But like when I'm doing an overhead press, this is a 10, a 10 kilo. I may come from here to here and then lift up. And that's no big deal to me.

And I love that because it feels good. But most people, most women will have a six or an eight. And so they're not going to do a big twirl.

Work Within Your Range, And Don't Worry About Bulking

And so they will find even from there like, so if you are struggling or that's as much as you can go, that's what you're going to do. But don't worry about bulking up. It's not one of those things we need to be concerned about.

We need to be more concerned about just trying to stay on track as much as we can with our diet and being able to lift to what you can. If you feel like you're getting too big, just go back down a size or two. And I'm sure that you'll find that you'll stay nice and toned without increasing too much in the size of your muscle.

But I hope that explains a little bit. And just a reminder, muscle does not turn to fat. Fat does not turn into muscle.

What Actually Happens When We Stop Using Muscle

So muscle, when we're not using it, tends to shrink. And if we don't have a good diet and we build some fat layers on top of it, then we can't see much of the actual muscle anymore. But it doesn't turn into fat and fat does not turn into muscle.

So hope that explains a bit about how we know how much to lift. And yeah, I don't get too fussed about that. I think as long as I feel good and I feel good doing it, that's where I want to go with it.

So I hope that helps some of you out there with that question of how big do I lift?