i'm totally fine with my muscle getting as big as it wants. i just want to SEE the muscle. aside from being in a bathing suit (which hasn't happened in a really loong time) muscle on my arms is a passing thought. i do push ups or lifting with my arms rarely. i can feel the muscle, my arms have shrank considerably. i really just don't care that much about my arms. once i put on a t-shirt i look fine.
legs on the other hand. that's all i ever post about. all the workouts are focused on legs and cardio. i want to see muscle when i where shorts. i want to be proud to wear shorts this summer. and darnit it's going to happen. real shorts, not those darn burmudas because i hate my knees.

i'll never have that dancer's body. totally at piece with that. i just want to look fit :) and i'm on my way :D

I've read if you want to increase muscle size, you have to lift heavy with short reps and have a calorie surplus to rebuild the muscle. So I'm thinking if you want smaller arms you should lower the weight and increase the reps.

In my own experience, I recently bought free weights and I was lifting 10 lbs. I increased the the weight to 15 lbs for my normal routine and yes my muscles got way biggger, but in a way that I wasn't aiming for.

I wanted to decrease the size of my arms, and it seemed that increasing the weights really bulked them up. They looked swollen, so I've dropped back down to just bodyweight exercises (like pushups, dips, etc.)

They have gone down considerably but are still muscular. And when I get back to weights, I will lift only 10 lbs for my arms, because I'm going for a lean muscular look.

Keeponmoving, I had the opposite experience. Yes, they bulked up initially, which is why I started this thread. I was disappointed with what weights were doing to my arms. But I noticed around this forum that all the avatar pictures I most admired were from our heavy lifting women! So against my own judgement, I started lifting even heavier. The fat has now left and what remains is a nicely sculpted muscle on a lean arm that only "pops" when I want it to.

This is wut i was so concerned about. I really want nice leaned and toned arms. Apparently, ive been useing bricks LOL

yes bricks...

since i dont have any weights at home.

So would a 10lb weight be good to lean in those arms? o-o;

Originally Posted by D O L L:
This is wut i was so concerned about. I really want nice leaned and toned arms. Apparently, ive been useing bricks LOL

yes bricks...

since i dont have any weights at home.

So would a 10lb weight be good to lean in those arms? o-o;

Since starting this thread, I actually INCREASED the weight I was using and my arms slimmed down. I just needed to be patient and wait for the remaining fat to disappear. My arms are now 11 inches in diameter and I am very pleased with that. :D

Originally Posted by Eliana:
Since starting this thread, I actually INCREASED the weight I was using and my arms slimmed down. I just needed to be patient and wait for the remaining fat to disappear. My arms are now 11 inches in diameter and I am very pleased with that. :D

oh wow gratz!

cuz i know we have to put in cardio to burn the fat around the muscle. I though increasing the weights will make ur arms look bigger lol

Originally Posted by Eliana:
Since starting this thread, I actually INCREASED the weight I was using and my arms slimmed down. I just needed to be patient and wait for the remaining fat to disappear. My arms are now 11 inches in diameter and I am very pleased with that. :D

so glad to hear this :carrot: heavy lifting rocks. I love what it does to my body

Visual Impact for Women
 

Niecy, how did Visual Impact for Women go for you? I'm up in the air on it, trying to decide if I want to try it. I can't find Rusty Moore's credentials and I don't like just following any blog that I'm not confident is accurate information. There don't appear to be any real reviews out there, only plugs for the book.