Okay I’m not a huge MPMD fan and I only watched the first 5 mins of the video, but the claims:
It’s like she has stock in Intermittent Fasting or something; this is lunacy.
It’s wild because if fasting were that effective, nobody would ever have a need for anabolics and every anorexic would be jacked.
I’m not an mpmd follower either, but that video happened to pop up while I was on YouTube this morning, and I’m kinda glad I saw it because it’s going to make me examine her claims more critically.
July has been BUSY! Here we are on top of Pike’s Peak over the weekend. (We did not hike this.)
I’m trying to be super careful with the left hip/ham area, so lifting like a hippie is even more important right now. Just getting out of the car and sitting in a hard chair exacerbates this thing.
Monday’s Upper Body Session
4 sets to failure (or near it) of the following:
Pulldowns, rows, dips, dumbbell rear delt flyes, lateral raises, chest press.
Today’s Session:
Ab work and walking
Next time I hit delts, I’m going to try John Meadow’s rear delt destroyer. If you watch his video, notice how straight his elbows are. I’ve gotta try that.
What the Heck is Bulky Anyway?
I saw an article earlier this week that made me a little sad and I’m not sure why. To keep beating the dead “bulky” horse, here it is:
This perspective is a little disappointing and yet I actually somewhat agree with it.
Observations: When I bump the weight, volume, frequency, or intensity up high enough, I often get inflamed and puffy instead of looking lean and strong. This can give the appearance of what I would consider bulky. When I back off a bit and take plenty of Flameout and Curcumin, I can get back to my happy place relatively quickly.
But the problem lies in the vagueness of the word “bulky” because it means different things to different people. And a lot of women want ZERO muscle definition. To them even a hint of definition means bulky. So that perspective exists no matter how many personal trainers argue against it.
There are women who mock CrossFit athletes and female figure pros for their bulkiness, and I find those physiques aspirational.
So maybe it comes down to what you’re used to seeing.
A lot of petite women who’ve never struggled with their weight often never get bitten by the lifting bug. They never felt the need to get under the iron. So women with muscle seem unfeminine to them.
I come from a family of huge people with large joints, height, the capacity to gain fat easily, and a good capacity to build muscle. So I can either be a big woman with extra muscle or a big woman with extra fat. But I will never be the lithe, delicate ballerina type. So out of necessity, I aim for what’s often considered bulky.
I believe the women who are adamantly against it are the ones Paul Carter was thinking of when he wrote this: Get Your Girl To Lift
Once again, we agree. I am the “smallest” in my family. Many are over 200lbs in an unhealthy way, and two have reached 300+ at points in their life.
I love the look of female CrossFit athletes, so for the sake of this comment, that is what I consider bulky.
My dad is mid-sixties and when he dislocated his shoulder, it took four decent sized doctors to get that boulder back in. He also has no neck, just head, traps, shoulders. My mom has calves the size of small trees and leaves flames everywhere she walks. My jogging pace is slower than her walk. These are my genetics.
I too, will never be a dainty flower. At one point in my life, I wanted to be, because I also considered a model or ballerina to be the ideal body. Over the last decade or so, I have been called a few things (all by people close to me): Brick House, Solid, Tank, She-ra, etc. I absolutely glow when called any of these things now.
It took me years to love lifting and the look that comes from it. It is mentally freeing to have embraced the bulk that I naturally cling to. I’ll pick warrior princess over Disney princess any day.
This is so cool. Wouldn’t it be amazing to take a peek into the lives of your ancestors? Do you know what your heritage is? Sounds absolutely bad ass.
Same same. It’s such a deceiving goal too. A lot of women who can’t get rid of this ideal end up in a mental prison that often doesn’t even result in the body they’ve tried so hard to achieve.
Dainty is genetic more than anything else.
Yay!!! It’s much more fun to have this attitude and I’m with you! Seems like once you’re good with your genetics, you can spend more of your attention on things that actually matter.
There’s a girl in my daughter’s gymnastics studio (pretty elite level school - they make Cal State championships every year… not a humble brag) whose maybe 15y/o or so. I’ve never seen so much muscle on a girl/woman that I am certain is natural. She’s not fat, actually looks quite healthy tbh - but has bicep peaks, visible traps, quad/ham bumps, and minor delt separation while carrying enough bodyfat to still have a developed chest (for reference, not being weird).
She actually kind of looks bulky to be totally honest, but she’s the only (assumed natty) female I’ve ever seen who looks fit, athletic and minorly bulky - but not in an unattractive way. The rest who appear ‘bulky’ are clearly on PEDs and a lot of them.
So to the point: yes, women can get ‘bulky’, but I think it requires a pretty extreme level of comittment to get to that point. I also think that men who find muscular women unattractive probably have smaller arms than the women they call unattractive. I can say this confidently because if a woman walks up to me with >17.5" arms (just over the size of mine), I’m probably not attracted to her lol. Regardless, “bulky” is a very subjective term.
You are so darn refreshing. Thank you for your honesty about bulky! I get why many personal trainers deny that it’s possible, and their intentions are good, but I think they need to admit that it’s a real thing. More women would trust them.
Also, I love hearing about females like the one you mentioned at your daughter’s class. When I see someone like that in real life it’s always inspiring. And maybe if enough women see others owning that look they’ll embrace it too.
Well… or not. The gymnast who wrote that article above seems like she’ll be forever-averse to the idea and that’s ok too.
Maybe I am an odd guy (or just the fact I am a very large human) but I think “bulky” as described by the article author on women is incredibly attractive. I don’t think she is referring to the likes of Missy Truscott or something (who I actually think in the off season is pretty attractive). Female gymnasts at the collegiate level are, IMO, in peak physical condition and often have legs/shoulders/back muscles that I believe many (women and men) would consider significantly bulky (especially since in that sport it’s usually on a more petite frame).
I also agree if one wants a “softer” more traditionally feminine form, go for it. Each person can mold their own body to a great degree.
Sort of a tangent below:
I can’t speak for what most women tend to find attractive in guys, but I feel like the desire to be a giant beast of a man is mainly driven by implied competition with other dudes to be the top of the pack.
This is always awesome to hear and I suspect your opinion is more common on this site than it is elsewhere in the general population or in other forms of social media.
This is very true. And to be fair to the author, she’s 5’1" so maybe the muscle growth she got from lifting looked a lot more exaggerated on her shorter body than it does on a taller one.
In my opinion though, short, jacked women always look like super heroes. But she’s gotta feel comfortable in her own skin, so I get it. Do whatever works.
I tend to agree.
The thing is, men can look attractive all sorts of ways. And while I respect something like the pro-bodybuilder look, the extreme aesthetic with all the vascularity is not really attractive. It’s not supposed to be.
But there’s an enormous range of healthy, muscular-ish male bodies that are attractive. Not all of them look like traditional lifters either: fighters, divers and swimmers, sprinters, tennis players, rock climbers, and simply, men who look like they could defend their women.
I have a tangent too:
One amusing thing about the “bulky” article posted above was how she talked about cardio making women slim. LOL NOPE. That only works up to a point (or if you’re an ectomorph). And then your body adapts to it. And then the further you run, the chubbier you get. I’ve been there and I know so many other women who’ve gone through this too.
The realization that you can’t run your way to a smaller body is a huge smack in the head. She’ll get there eventually.
Have you ever had one of these moments?
It’s basically my life right now.
I meet people who are smarter than me, so I just assume that they’re my age or older… and it turns out I’M THE OLD ONE. It’s embarrassing. Please tell me this has happened to you.
Today’s Upper Body Workout
4-5 supersets at or near failure, pyramid in weight for certain lifts
• Straight-Arm Cable Pull-Downs + Tricep Pushdowns
• Seated Chest Press + Banded External Rotation Thingamajig
• Lateral Raise + EZ Bar Bicep Curls
I’m taking it easy on back to avoid re-irritating that pain near my right scap.
Weekend Activities
300 people from our church went out in the community and did helpful things in the name of Jesus.
Chris and I were part of a team that fixed up an elderly couple’s yard and painted their bathroom. The couple was so grateful and sweet. They showed me what a Christ-centered relationship looks like after about 50 years of marriage.
There was one funny thing that happened though.
I was painting the top edges of the room where the ceiling meets the wall, so I had to stand on their bathtub ledge and then move across the wall that runs above their toilet.
So I thought it would be fine to step on their closed toilet lid, and then step off it to get to my step stool. But as I did, I totally broke the lid.
And one of the worst things you can do when you’re volunteering at someone’s house is to break their stuff and leave. But the couple was SO sweet and kind that they didn’t want us to go to the trouble of getting them a new one.
But I told them if they didn’t let us replace it, I would stay up all night crying. So they agreed to let us get them a new toilet seat/lid and install it. And Chris, my knight in shining armor, did just that while I was painting.
I have to talk about something really dumb. But it comes to mind every time I hear someone complain about their resting b-tch face. So here goes…
Hot Take: RBF is a Choice
People who complain about RBF, like it’s unique to them, just don’t understand how muscles work. And anyone who wants a more approachable face can have one.
We all have muscles in our faces, right? Well, when those muscles completely relax, the corners of the mouth turn down or flatten, the brow lowers to a comfortable position, and the muscularity around the eyes and cheeks go slack. Nobody in a fully relaxed state is “smizing” (smiling with the eyes) because there’s no tension in the face.
That means we all have RBF. If you actually had a smile while at complete rest, you’d look weird!
So it’s not a special problem to any single person, it’s just how muscles work. And there are plastic surgeons trying to capitalize on this insecurity by offering a surgery that makes the corners of the mouth upturned at rest. Don’t fall for it. Your face is fine.
If you feel like you can’t get rid of RBF when you’re wanting to, stop resting it! Put some tension in the right places when you’re out in public. This doesn’t mean grinning from ear to ear like a clown, it just means leaving a tiny bit of tension in the cheeks and corners of the mouth.
Be somewhat excited about your life or at least curious. Why? Because it’s really hard to flex those muscles when you’re uninterested, irritable, etc. It’ll come naturally if you’re noticing good things around you and thinking about people warmly.
And here’s a theory: tensing your face in a way that makes it look happier, actually trains you to BE happier. You become an upbeat person when you act like one and look like one.
Want another unfounded theory?
Smiling, laughing, or lightly flexing the happy muscles actually builds more muscle in and around the cheeks thereby changing the structure of your face. You can hypertrophy the muscles surrounding your cheekbones and in the process, give your face a more sculpted look. This is fantastic if you don’t have the genetics for good cheekbones. Just build muscle on top of what you do have.
Lifters are so used to hearing advice on keeping the core tense throughout the day or pulling the shoulders back. Neither of these things feel natural at first. But if you practice them, they get easier. Just like having a pleasant expression when you’re in public.
Do what you want. You can keep your RBF, just realize your face doesn’t have to be at rest 24 hours a day, it’s not uniquely ugly, and your thoughts actually do play a role in how it looks.
I’m offended.
Not because you’re wrong, but because you’re outing me.
I have a serious case of RBF and i like it that way. Less people talk to me and i never get f*cked with. Ironically, the happiest, bubbliest people LOVE to talk to me, which makes my day better.
Also, it makes people appreciate my smile more on the occasion they get it out of me.
All of these are absolute wins in my book.
Sounds like it’s not so much a “case” of RBF but rather a practice of RBF. It serves a purpose for you. This actually makes sense.
RBF serves a vital purpose if you’re in a place where people can take advantage of you. If you have a constantly warm expression, those with bad intentions can walk right up, pretend that they’re in need of something, and then stab you repeatedly in the head while you’re trying to help them.
Maybe this is why Chris watches me like a hawk when we go certain places. One time he yelled at a poor man in the store who asked me for money. I had the active smiley face and Chris had the “GET THE F AWAY FROM MY WIFE” face/voice.
So yeah, I totally get the purpose of embracing the RBF. But I’m tired of hearing people complain about it as if they have no control over it or as if it’s a special condition.
I signed up to compete week after next. It’s not sanctioned or anything, just an in-house practical shooting comp at my range.
Just thinking about it puts butterflies in my stomach. Practical shooting is outside my comfort zone because most of the instructors I work with teach tactical/self defense type stuff.
Here’s a tiny bit of what my last freestyle class looked like…
Turn up the volume so that you can hear Marlon howling in the back after I went one-handed. He’s the one you see guiding me through this setup.
I need to work on tons of things, but here’s a starting list: getting faster with reloads, resetting the trigger finger when not engaged with a target, and keeping the muzzle directly downrange at the very end.
That last target caused me a lot of frustration on the round I did right before this one, so that’s why I got up close and kept shooting. It deserved several holes. And doing it one-handed just felt disrespectful, so that’s what I used.
When’s the last time you did something outside your comfort zone? Anything new you’d like to try?
Yesterday I worked out AFTER work. My life motto is: “If it hasn’t been done by noon, it’s probably not going to get done.” So, an afternoon workout is nothing short of a miracle. Not a big thing but definitely outside of my comfort zone. lol
That’s so great to hear! Sometimes a little shakeup in your routine can end up better than expected. Afternoon workouts are much harder to do when you’re a morning person.
To make it worse, I went biking and the weather changed FAST. I got POURED on. It was horrible. lol
No idea if I have this, but I am old and cranky and I like it that way. LOL
Oh nooooo!!
I think it’s a total misnomer. It’s just a resting face, so we all have it. But those who don’t want it don’t have to rest their faces. Haha
