Wednesday 01.16.13

Reminder:

Our 30-day Paleo Challenge starts in 16 days!

Prep your home by cleaning out all those non-Paleo items. We're collecting your non-perishable boxed and canned foods and donating them to the local food pantry.

Here it is, the most frequently asked question by women at the gym: 

"Will CrossFit make me bulky?"

Many others have written on this topic, and maybe y'all just need to hear it from me. Of course, I'm living proof that CrossFit, and weightlifting in general, does not result in a woman that looks like a man. I am 5'5" tall. Before my pregnancy, I maintained a steady weight of 135 pounds. My PRs for back squat, deadlift, and squat cleans are 200#, 235#, and 130#, respectively. This is not bragging. These are facts to illustrate the following answers to the question above.

The short answer: Sigh. NO.

The visual proof answer:

Miss America does CrossFit and beautiful dancers do CrossFit. Neither beauty queens nor ballerinas evoke images like this:

The long answer:
Ladies, unless you are doing BOTH of the following, you are NOT going to get bulky.

• Taking steroids, like testosterone or Human Growth Hormone (HGH). [We do not have the hormone composition of men that results in muscle bulk, so we have to add it in artificially to "bulk up".]
• Purposefully aiming to build muscle through a combination of a protein-rich diet (e.g., chicken breasts and egg whites for every meal + creatine/protein shakes after every workout) and super heavy lifting sets multiple times a week (I'm talking face-straining heavy lifts). [You aren't going to "bulk up" unless that is your specific goal.]

In CrossFit we do lift weights that seem heavy; however, your workouts here are not going to result in you spontaneously developing "man arms" or "man back" or "man hands". This fact is particularly true if your starting fitness level was so low that you had very little muscle strength or a high body fat content (or both). You had a long way to go before "bulking up" became an issue.

The weights we use in CrossFit are generally heavier than what most women are used to using in the gym. Here 5-pound dumbbells don't exist. Soup cans are not considered "weights" here. And we do "max out" on lifts several times a week. None of this, however, is going to result in a "Helga-like" weightlifting/bodybuilder body (see above). We do a high number of reps with our weights, and we cycle quickly through a circuit of movements. This intensity combined with the weight and strength training components generally results in bodies that are leaner, firmer (good bye underarm wiggle!), more flexible, and most importantly more durable.

With this fact in mind -- weightlifting will NOT make you look like a man or result in unfeminine bulk -- do not opt for lighter weights during a WOD for fear of developing muscle. "I just want to tone" is not a reason for staying light. Your body will get so used to your "toning" weight that you will cease to see results. Your fitness level will not change and may even plateau or backslide. Your body will continue to stay lean and firm as long as you continue to challenge it to adapt to heavier weights.

As always, it boils down to this: PROGRESS. No one is saying you should be able to deadlift 300 lbs; however, we are saying you should be able to deadlift more today than you were able to lift 1, 2, 3, or 6 months ago (if you haven't been sidelined by injury, illness, or other life events). And if you're more concerned about having stick-thin legs than legs that can stay strong under a variety of conditions, then by all means, keep up the cardio, skip the weights, and enjoy early-onset osteoporosis.

WOD

"Super Helen"*

FIVE Rounds

Run/Row 400 m

21 KB Swings (53/35)

12 pullups

*Regular "Helen" typically is 3 rounds.