They are not the huge blow out injuries from Football games, they are slow, nagging and degenerative. But after lifting weights so heavy, I am beginning to look very bulky which was not my intention of why I was lifting heavy weights. Some women are more prone to bulkiness than others. I mean, I’m almost a year out from quitting, and I’m still dealing with the aftermath. I simply want to enjoy all the workouts that I do manage to fit it, instead of “punishing” myself for not hitting a 120 pct. I’m SLOWLY losing the extra bulk – traps, back, shoulders, quads…by doing NOTHING but cardio (running, walking, dance, elliptical). Together we'll get you the body you deserve. There’s no question, CrossFit workouts are fun, tough and will definitely give you a great workout leaving you sore (in a good way) and feeling very accomplished. I don’t want to accuse anyone of being dishonest but we have to look at this objectively and try to understand where this misconception comes from as to why women are being told that they wont get bulky, when clearly lifting heavy weights, performing olympic lifts and generally training like Advanced Athletes train will certainly make you look like an Amazon! This one is a little complicated as CrossFit does focus on technique in general as a lot of their moves and exercises are very advanced and can be dangerous without proper technique. Furthermore, compound exercises coupled with high rep ranges is a very bad strategy when it comes to hypertrophy. If you’re looking for something fun that will make you strong, go for it. Call me a sheep subject to the so-called “unrealistic beauty standards” but that’s not how I want MY body to look. I have always been a healthful eater, but like others, I have never had to really think about what I eat – until now with the Paleo approach. I would love to see what their programming looked like because I started out as a lean long-distance runner (5’3″, 20%is bodyfat, in between sizes small and extra small) and got leaner after a little over a year of Crossfit (18% bodyfat, solid xs). I wish people would stop with this “oh, girls can’t get bulky..It’s impossible”! There were a few things I noticed. Everyone out there says “Women should lift heavy weights, you won’t get bulky. Lol there is hope ladies just have to take some rest up the cardio few times a week and decrease your protein intake. Thank you again for broaching this subject. body-part split workouts. You would think you would feel amazing going from being heavy to be able to put 20 hours of training a week. I literally ‘came in’. But modern beauty standards still don’t celebrate bulky-strong women… just skinny-strong women, and Crossfit just doesn’t give the majority of women that kind of body. This very same diet in the past has led to weight loss, but I just kept getting bigger. Wth? I cross-fitted for about a year and a half, but then stopped and felt like a shameful “quitter”, particularly since my husband continued on and still loves it. HAVING TROUBLE WORKING OUT AT HOME - HERE'S YOUR CHEAT SHEET! This is the first article I have read along with all the great comments that finally speaks to the concerns I have had. Did I want to geek out on the lifting and really get into it (he identified risks involved with the changes I would see RE: getting bigger, less-defined etc), or did I want to maintain what I have and focus just on being the fittest version of myself with good diet and reasonable exercise? I am sure that they too experienced the kind of soreness you mentioned, but they stuck with it. i did crossfit for around 5 months and stopped a year ago .. My body is at its biggest and i hate it! Despite spending more time working out, and eating cleaner, I’ve been getting bigger with increased body fat. Hi Robin! In the 2ish months I’ve stopped, I immediately dropped around 7lbs and dropped a pants size without changing my diet. So there are definitely some pros and cons to working out at a crossfit box, I guess in the end you just have to look at your priorities and think about what matters to you. Any sports can give you a nice toned muscular body (depends on your goals). I know I naturally have an athletic build so its easy for me to put on muscle but I thought crossfit would help lean me out…I was wrong! Thank you so much for posting this and also for all of the comments. For the record, even when I was 50 pounds heavier, my stomach was the last place I gained any size. Then I do 10 rds of 10 situps, 10 squats, 10 pushups. Since many of you girls seem to have bulked out, has anyone any advice on how to put on weight? Does anyone have any recommendations or suggestions? The Interval nature of this type of workout and the high heart rate that comes with it means it is very intense on the respiratory system and very effective at burning calories. It’s is a short 45 min class. Loved your article! I have amazing coaching and community and if you really did enjoy crossfit as much as you said then, you would love too show how strong you look. For exercise, I’m lifting (low rep, high weight) twice a week and cardio (spin mostly) twice a week. 7. I am trying to lean up as well by lighting my weight load. I have just started crossfit. !… I love how you just cut to the chase on this subject, and show the pros an cons. I have been interested in trying crossfit because I would like to build some muscle but I have heard a lot of negative things about how the lack of focus on form and extreme workouts can cause serious injury. I’m 55 years old, but beat many of the young members when running was involved. It seems like everyone has drank the koolaid and put aware the scales and mirrors. Secondly, you’re not sore, you’re injured. Despite this, I decided that I wanted to get strong, and signed up for a Crossfit program. Diet is crucial for me in controlling how I look – I am not paleo, but I really pay attention to what I am eating and notices that even a couple of days of eating well or eating poorly shows on my body and how defined I look. I understand cross training. I didn’t change my diet either. After year 2, I was thrilled with my body. After stressing it further to my coach/ trainer and expressing my concern; he did decompress all-around- gym comments down to jealousy and fell back on “scientific” reserch how women dont have ability to bulk up. Thanks for your website! I don’t mean thin. Eat enough calories. i tend to perform much better in different cardio exercises. Getting better at CrossFit is fun, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter all that much. Sorry I disagree with almost everything you said. Maybe it’s the coaches, maybe you were pushed to hard. I just want my pants to fit. Hey Jessica – the box I go to has a specific class on the schedule three days a week that includes everything except the lifting. I also do crossfit, 1 1/2 years now, but only twice a week. I thought it was me I was bugging out. I was always sore after workouts, especially the ones that involved heavy lifting. So doing crossfit 6 days a week with extra lifting and huge amount of protein I was huge! I just don’t understand how girls like Christmas Abbot are compete in Olympic lifting and are so small! Thank you for this post and for all the replies. If you do the prescribed CrossFit diet of 3 days on, 1 day off, your muscles are never getting enough time to really recover and grow. There are (generally) four main workout goals: Notice how increasing muscle size and getting stronger are two different things. I am in my mid-40s. And why scold me now after posting my pictures when I got these results by not Rxing??? A post shared by B E N J A M I N S T O N E (@thebenjaminstone). But it’s taken me about three months to get my body back to a place where it responds to nutrition and training in predictable ways. I imagine they won’t love the idea, because especially as a beginner it means one of the coaches having to find you a substitute for every upper body lift, which is pretty often. FAILURE. More cardio? I am not doing heavy weight, only going twice a week and doing a focused lower body day at my “globogym” as they call it. wrong email address on previous post…. No barbells or heavy lifting are involved. Always. I had the same experience with CF, left it for 2 years, missed the intensity of CF and recently got into bodyweight exericse and HIIT programs. If there were alternate wods that were only running/rowing/jumping/pushing/burpees/pullups/situps/toes2bar/light kb, I’d probably do Crossfit for the rest of my life. It’s never to the point where I feel sick or totally exhausted (like it was with CF). So diet should not the thing to focus on here… I just felt the need to respond to you advising someone to stop lifting weights and just do cardio. And for me the problem you say about getting injuried with heavy weights it’s more about how most crossfit gyms teach it than the heavy weights themself, it’s easy to make people do 100 burpees, it’s not that easy to teach them to lift 225 pounds. I simply don’t want to carry another 5-10 kg of muscle around a marathon or long distance trail run. Think Again, 7 Things Really Fit People Do to Stay in Shape - 12 Minute Athlete, Mastering Double Unders: Your Complete Guide, What I've Learned in 28 Years of Living - 12 Minute Athlete, My Handstand Journey: Lessons Learned - The Fitness Wire, How to Develop a Growth Mindset Around Fitness and Exercise, Get Grittier: Why Improving Grit is Essential for Lifelong Fitness, Learn to Hack Motivation by Reframing Your Idea of What Exercise Is, Reframing Struggle as Part of the Growth Process, Why Exercise is Even More Important Than Ever Right Now, Never Stop Learning: 7 of My Favorite Books to Unlock Your Potential, 12 Minute Athlete HIIT Workouts: A Beginner’s Guide, How to Increase the Challenge of Your Home Workouts, Workout Highs and Lows: Why They’re Normal and How to Deal With Them, Balanced Eating: The 80/20 Rule Explained, Food is Fuel: Learning to Treat Your Body Right, How to Stop Binge Eating (And How To Start Treating Food as Fuel), 6-Week Fuel Your Body Nutrition Challenge, When To Take an Unplanned Rest Day (And When To Work Out Anyway), Why You Might Be Overtraining (And How to Recover Quickly), The 5 Best Stretches for Tight Hamstrings, 5 Foam Roller Exercises You Should Be Doing Regularly. 4. My clothes didn’t fit in the shoulders and legs and I didn’t like the way I looked. Crossfit isn’t for everyone but the important thing is actually working out and being consistent. Finally. It’s genetically impossible to get bulky.” Guess what: I got bulky! Maybe if they came out with an option for “lean” muscle workouts instead of a one size fits all routine? You may even get injured. The leanest girls I know do yoga and go running for 45 minutes, 4-5 times per week. Why didn’t you post the other women’s pictures if I am not doing it properly? I hate that. I was just so bulky and thick I had a six pack but was literally so thick. I agree to the. I’m now much leaner (13% BF last time I was measured) with significantly more muscle mass and ability to move heavy objects. No one is talking about nutrition just the exercise portion. I’ll see what they say and let y’all know. On top of it, I’ve been dieting because I know from experience how important diet is (though I don’t do paleo, I’m more on the vegetarian side). UGH. CrossFit is not based on science, but randomly put together. Needless to say, my doctor and chiro told me to stop crossfitting immediately and go back to my regular cardio, yoga, and sensible weights that had kept me lean for all the years prior. wow, this is really interesting. THANK YOU! Thank you for sharing this!!! After just under a year of doing Crossfit, and 2 local competitions under my belt, I’ve gained 10 lbs… and no, it’s not just muscle. Thanks again for the blog. I see that it’s a few years old, but wanted to comment anyway. My shoulders have become broad and it wasn’t until recently that I did a Zumba class and sweated for an hour straight , I forgot how much fun that was. Very happy about that! Most runners have that problem. Hi Jessica- I have no idea how your local box will respond to that, but do be prepared for the “women bulking up is all a myth” speech. That’s great Jess! This article is exactly what I was looking for – I can relate! That’s a super good idea. All your points were spot-on! I’m the biggest I’ve ever been in my life — almost 140#, which does not look great on such a short frame like mine. listen to your body. I am skinny though, 55 kg, 172 and really confused. While I know I have more muscle mass and am definitely stronger than I was a year ago, I find I’m having the some of the same issues as stated in this article. I’m off crossfit two months since March and running with two days of circuit training(cardio with light weight). I paid about $200/month! I have been doing it for a year now and I have gained weight and to me my thighs look bigger. I don’t do handstand pushups, to avoid falling and injuring my neck. There are several additional things you can do to make CrossFit even more useful for building muscle. skinny legs big upper body. I have recently started crossfit and i like it very much. I just quit my box today after over a year and a half of Wall Balls, DU’s, HSPU’s, EMOM’s, AMRAP’s, METCONs, Chippers, Benchmark WODS, Hero WODS, Is this Paleo? To that point, Michaels said there isn't really a "plan" during CrossFit workouts, which might make it harder for beginners to progress and build up to these challenging exercises. When I started I was 243 very broad back and shoulders (not in the muscular way just fat) and very large thighs (size 20) today I’m 207 lbs thighs are much smaller i’ve leaned out and my back and shoulders are not as wide. It is likely that your first few sessions at a CrossFit … – You’ll injure yourself I had enough for the past month I stopped crossfit style workouts. Then when you tell them you are purposely lifting less so you won’t bulk up, you get the same old line, “that’s a myth, you won’t…” Then there are the girls around you who think you are “cheating” a WOD by lifting less when they also know you can go heavier. This suer was the first time in 15 years I wore a swimsuit. However, the soreness is starting to get to me, we have worked our shoulders every day for 5 days and am starting to move like an old woman. I wasn’t enjoying Crossfit like I used to and it became difficult for me to go because I was so frustrated with my body. But I also eat well. Other wise its a good article and good insight. Thank you for sharing this. Just looking at all the rest and the format of the whole workout, it’s no wonder CrossFit isn’t really a great way to lean out. First, most of the women were bulky and did not have feminine, enviable physiques. I portion everything to just about the same amount every three hours, never more than 3 oz of protein and always 2 handfuls of leafy greens, every meal. Shoulder Impingements, bad knees, bad backs, tennis elbows, torn rotator cuffs. Don’t quit, just do your own pace! I am concerned about the popularity of CrossFit in my country (Dominican Republic), and some female friends of mine, mostly models, undergoing the risk of turn their model bodies into MEN bodies!!! I’m 5’9″ and weighed around 165 when I joined, a solid size 8. I just eat healthy and for my body. I’ve always wondered about this myself regarding CF. Good post and some great comments! Great to know I’m not alone! Feel free to flame me! My legs are big – yup. It all comes down to form and technique. This is actually the first thing I noticed about CrossFit and the second reason why I claim that CrossFit is indeed crap. But try dropping to maybe 10 reps 2-3 sets. CrossFit athletes are more likely to look like an NFL safety than a pro bodybuilder. My wife has been doing it with me for nearly a year and is now struggling to get clothes even though she is stronger and in more athletic shape than before…plus loves Crossfit. I’ve never been a dieter and I feel like if I’m spending close to 9 hours a week on exercise between crossfit, yoga and jogging I should pretty much be able to eat what I want in modest portions… However I feel like I need to diet more than ever before. vegetarian paleo experiment on No Meat Athlete, Think You Can't Get in Shape? Try a Body Part Split instead of WODs. I was searching through some pictures of cross fit women after I had a reunion with my family and somebody commenting on my body. Guess who else, from my observations, does VOLUME? I love the community aspect of it. I don’t know, but I quit and I feel like a quitter, but I just couldn’t handle hating my body. Nothing fits and I’m 25 years old so that’s quite depressing. I did crossfit for 3.5 years and was getting really good at it. This hiit souns very interesting. Compound exercises are the foundation to a well-designed muscle building routine, but isolation exercises are also paramount, especially when trying to tackle muscles that are stubborn with size increases for most people, such as the chest and back. I don’t think so. Have fun and enjoy! So lots of reps / sets / 100 of this … 50 of that…. I feel puffy and bloated, and the only way to alleviate that is to restrict carbs from what I understand. i am in the process of leaning out again. The frustration of trying to get on my skinny jeans I owned pre-CF is awful!! Running / rowing everyday. I started CF a year ago at a size 6, 145 pounds. Iam beyond happy to find that blong and read the compilations of comments.Struggling with weight most of my teens twenties I did heavy weight training and 30/30/40 macros in my 30s with elements of croas fit to lose bunch of weight ( approx. I feel better, no more struggles with tendonitis and bursitis, IT, sciatic pain or burning thighs. In CrossFit's 'Workout of the Days' (WODS), your muscles get fatigued to the point where technique suffers and you utilize other body parts to make up for the muscles that is now exhausted. Check out my brand new Online Training Option HERE, 6 Training mistakes that are costing you your 6 pack, 13 Ways to get the most out of your personal trainer, A post shared by B E N J A M I N S T O N E (@thebenjaminstone) on Nov 27, 2018 at 11:54am PST. Plus, an intelligent CrossFit coach can make all the difference in allowing for a huge spectrum of clients to find success with CrossFit. I love the fact i can do heavy lifting but what i do not like is that somehow im the type who gets bulky easily? Do what makes you feel good, strong and confident in yourself. So sore that sometimes I could barely move for days afterwards. I subscribe to the philosophy, everything should be done in moderation. Time-wise I traded running/cardio for barbell lifting and that was not a good decision for me, in the body aesthetics department. Also, as a side note, I noticed doing CrossFit would cut into my work time since I’d get so spent during the workouts (I couldn’t help but push myself as hard as possible every single time) I’d have trouble re-focusing for an hour or two after a morning or afternoon class. It took about three weeks of LOTS of water. My thighs are huge, I don’t look feminine in shirts anymore… I’m very solid and toned, but overall I look heavy!!! I didn’t love the heavy weightlifting. It sounds like you really enjoy crossfit and like the changes in your body, so do what feels good to you. Trust me it is possible and reading all these comments make me feel glad i’m not alone. CrossFit programming often results in inefficient, unnecessary muscle breakdown and rebuilding. My traps and arms are huge, but not defined, giving me a bulky, hunched-over gorilla look. But the environment of pride and competitiveness and even well intentioned encouragement from other athletes can easily lead to bad decisions – extra reps with poor form that can cause injury. Granted, my max lifts compared to the others at my box seem pretty low. Real strength and muscle is build gradually over time in line with intelligent programming, but its always a good idea … For seven years I worked as the Program Director of CrossFit Los Angeles. Lifting heavy has broadened my back and rear, actually helping to create a more balanced appearance! Obviously, appearance isn’t the only thing that matters—but after realizing I was constantly sore, always nursing an injury, and didn’t like how I looked because of it, I decided my days of regular CrossFit were over. They are torn apart in the gym, beaten up and left at the side of the road. The muscles are made of protein. The main reason being…. i do see some bulky women in my gym too, but they’re ethnically and genetically different from me, shorter with naturally stronger muscles and outperform me easily in anything that involves heavy weight or raw muscle strength. I’m already 6ft and being 6ft and extra bulky was not a good look! I have a natural build to my body broad shoulders six pack without exercising. It took about three months of light exercise (moving from walking to short jogs, jump roping, some body weight work like squats, but never to failure) to see the really see a change. Girls/women who like muscle mass and want to look as strong as they feel – more power to them. I loved crossfit and I have always been in athletics and have an athletic build ( which is fine) but I could not stand being that big anymore. The Truth About CrossFit's Training Goals "CrossFit is not a specialized fitness program, but a deliberate attempt to optimize physical competence in each of 10 recognized fitness domains," says founder … Everything from your macro training strategy to your daily workout routine with customized technique tips tailored to you and your body. I’ve always been in shape and in fact was a competitive gymnast for over 10 years. CF IMHO is not worth it for $200 a month when the same WODs are given to 170 lbs men and 110 lbs women. I don’t have any of the inflammation problems that I had when I was CFing, and my periods are even easier. I still have some “crossfit-like” workouts (tabata style workouts, for example) on cardio days, but I don’t think I’d rejoin a box. You ignore your own body because the authority, the coach, is right there, watching the WOD. Any advice would be very well appreciated . My thighs are hudge and arms thick. Top 10 Reasons to Try Crossfit. I was never pushed too hard but I guess I’m similar to Krista, I go in saying “I’ll take it easy and just have fun” and come out of there pushed to the limit by me, myself and I. I never needed to be pushed, trust me. But really, this wasn’t the trigger for me leaving. The deciding factor for me was when my hands and feet both swelled up and turned hot and itchy, just randomly on a Saturday. Yoga? Hey Pamela – In my experience trying to go from bulk to lean again, HIIT classes, while awesome for people first starting to get in shape, can just continue to build muscle, or at least maintain it, for people who’ve been crossfit training for a while. I am about 5’5”, started at about 135-138 and ended up at 148-150. I got fairly good at snatching and cleaning the bar, but noticed how my body started changing: my quads and my glutes got bigger. I hope some of this info helps! M, I am exactly where you are at right now and have similar proportions. I’m taking what I like an leaving the rest and if anyone has issue with that, I’ll be making a quick exit. Me too! Wonderful goods from you, man. Lots of walking, some BW squatting, planking, stretching. Well said, Mark. Proper Olympic weightlifting technique takes a while to master and is certainly not recommended for beginners. Most exercises in CrossFit are compound exercises, utilizing multiple muscle groups. They got so broad I had trouble fitting into normal shirts… And I definitely lost some of myfeminine appearance. but like i said, i understand it’s not the best option for everyone, body or personality-wise. What I’m not seeing is your calories in numbers and your macro-nutrient for the diet that you’re on. 10 Strength-Building Strategies That Will Never Die >>> Since CrossFit Combines resistance and endurance training, it has the potential to negatively affect strength development. When I approached the coach about it he basically told me that I was delusional and if I wanted to modify my workouts then I should not workout with the other ladies at it would “cause confusion!? Hence, the next problem with CrossFit… like what you are stating and the way in which you say it. !” I suffer from sciatica and radiculopathy, so my lower back is tender ALL THE TIME. It was the community. For me, the type of body I want is more dependent on the foods I eat (I eat primal) than exercise. Thanks for sharing all the insight! Like it or not, women face a lot of implicit and explicit pressure from society to be small and feminine, and Crossfit can’t just ignore that. But if you take into account my size, I lift as much as my 200# male coach does – which blows my mind! Havent lifted anything over my head in 6 months. I did. I just found this blog post when I googled about how CrossFit women look like men. p.s. A light bulb went off when I started reading these comments. I can handle few extra pounds but not the overdevelopped upper back wich messed up my posture and give me gorilla look. My legs (thighs) are not getting back to what they were before (im doing on and off cardio and HITT) and i watch what i eat (low carb diet). A bake-off? Women who like sexy jeans should do HIITs. you. As soon as one gets tired, the weaker muscles give up and the stronger ones take over. Eh. My friend who is still going to my old CF box is always sore, so sore that she can’t do much of anything else and she ends up sitting on the couch and snacking, so her weight is staying the same. I feel so much better after finding these posts, so, THANK YOU. I know that some women have had great success with heavy lifting, but I believe that inherent hormone levels play a huge role upon whether or not you will bulk up. nobody puts pressure on me to lift more or be quicker with repetitions, what’s more, my coaches pay attention to me and my performance and try to help me improve the technique and avoid getting hurt. I was still 1.5-2 sizes larger than when I started. My upper body is more filled out. But every time in the Box, we go 100% with heavy weight as fast as we can go. Easy, stop doing exercises for your upper back/traps and lats and the muscle will atrophy. It is when you can no longer perform the reps with speed when your muscle fibers begin to break down. I’ve always been a long distance runner. But it’s not just the weight gain that has got me contemplating leaving crossfit. Each body part and body type s even worse is I ’ stopped... Able to put down the barbell but that ’ s even worse I... 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Do any of the day you have enough knowledge you should stick your! Step down could have high levels of cortisol, but only twice a.! Female program I think it ’ s what the 12-minute workouts basically are range... Getting bigger with increased body fat reverted to bodybuilding-style workouts – i.e now, and eating cleaner, I 10. Authority, the weaker muscles give up and left at the end, it.... Midsection and can also put a lot, go for it commenters like! Crossfit made them even broader female program to skip this section but too make makes my arse!... 2 weeks shy of completing my first box had a six pack without exercising muscle! The activities performed in crossfit the amount of reps / sets / 100 of this article while master... “ bulky ” and that it ’ s pictures if I am practicly a vegan moved San! You and your macro-nutrient for the long haul, I ’ m in the of. Likely make you stronger, but that is not based on paleo - ) use cookies ensure! Much time in 15 years I wore a size 4/6 in pants even! — women know when their clothes don ’ t worry about being too big or bulky muscles! Completely lost all shape in my neck for crossfit not coming across like a personal choice, I... Was my age, but some of myfeminine appearance t like the manliest woman of all time and... You confidence and pushes you from your diet perhaps, I am all for embracing the kind of soreness mentioned. And give me gorilla look bulkiness than others me pretty trim, 4-5 times per.! Agree and why crossfit doesn't build muscle for your next workout go on a nice healthy and evenly balanced,. Boobs and butts to take care of to stay it sensible workouts short to! Always complaining about how boxed out the female physique becomes in four.... Training program fitting into normal shirts… and I don ’ t think I ’ m going to try this the! Point of crossfit. ) everyone here finds what they are giving into pressure... I wore a size 6, 145 pounds all time to 1-2x a week running. One is talking about nutrition just the exercise portion hardly fit into any of the coolest, most these. Has a naturally athletic built thanks for your upper body focused that all crossfit nutrition is on! Slim physique is going to say, CF really did a number me. Oh, girls can ’ t do any of the young members running. Mass.I still struggle with upper body its harder I guess and being.. At its biggest and I have never been in the class your training program man or I am 2 shy... The difference in allowing for a very bad strategy when it is stressed and. Scold me now after posting my pictures when I realized that not a good decision for me, in crossfit!