I have been doing a weight lifting class for approximately two months. I started twice a week, then increased to three times a week. I started at really low weights and have increased weights over time, though I'm sure my weights are much, much lighter than what most of you work with.
I have noticed in the last week that my shoulder area and neck area are looking bulkier. I have read that it is hard for women to build muscle and to bulk up, so I know this shouldn't be happening. But I also remember hearing that if your form is off where shoulders are concerned, that it may be possible to develop a bulkier look to the shoulders and neck area. Though this look maybe desired/ok for some, it is not the look that I was hoping for.
I did this class several years ago, which is where I remember hearing the form advice, but the instructor that mentioned it is not there any more. I did not have the issue back then, so it seems something must be different this time around.
I can't remember what it was that I heard you need to be careful about in your form to avoid this look. (Not lowering the bar below the chin when doing overheads? Making sure you can see your elbows in your peripheral view? Both of which I am already paying attention to. Was it something else?)
I was just wondering if any of you know what I am talking about and/or know about the specific form recommendations to help prevent this.
I am really enjoying the lifting, and enjoying getting stronger and going up on my weights gradually over time. I just want to be able to continue that but still achieve a look I am comfortable with and make sure I am using proper form.
Thanks for any help with this if anyone has any ideas.
I'm glad your enjoying your lifting class. Gaining strength is a lot of fun. I understand you are worried about appearing bulkier in the neck/shoulder (delts I assume) area.
I haven't really heard "don't lift this way or else you will look bulky" however if you are using incorrect form it will more than likely lead to injury. I would have the instructor of the class evaluate you lifting in order to be sure that your form is spot on. Don't really want to over compensate in one area and develop an unnecessary injury in the rotator cuff.
Now, with regard to looking bulkier...I would seriously not let this be a worry yet. (I began my journey in about the same place as you) Don't focus upon the mirror just yet. Build/retain the muscle as you lower your bodyfat percentage. You are going to need that muscle to keep a flaming metabolism once you are at a lower bodyfat percentage. And trust me, it makes maintenance: So. Much. Easier!
In my opinion, it's just too early yet to really judge in the mirror. Give yourself time to lower the existing bodyfat as you continue to retain and strengthen the muscle you have. Also, take tape measurements, record them and then go back to it for a remeasure every month. These also may give you a more objective idea of where you are as well.
Lydia hit the nail on the head. I'll just add that there is nothing that makes your waist look trimmer than a bit more muscle in the delts and traps.
I also find that some muscles grow first and then stop growing, and others lag behind for a while and catch up later. (And others just never grow -- calf muscles, in particular, just don't seem to want to grow on many people, even professional bodybuilders. Google "Schwartzenegger" and "calf implants.") It's kind of like spot reducing, that way, only in reverse.
I looked online to see if I could find the names of the areas of the shoulder and neck that I have noticed looking bulkier. From what I can tell, it looks like it is the trapezius muscle in the shoulder area, and the sternomastoid muscle in the neck area. So, it's that whole area where the shoulders and neck meet, and up along the neck, that has started looking bulkier in the last week.
I went up on my weights this week, and that's when I noticed it. I thought maybe it was just swelling from the increase, so I waited for it to go down but it hasn't yet.
I want my neck to look longer/leaner and my shoulders to look sleeker.
Maybe you are both right that maybe I just haven't lost weight/fat enough to really start to judge what is going on.
I'm going to keep lifting. I hope this area starts getting sleeker instead of bulkier, though.
It will. It will. It takes time. We carry weight there as well. Even just a little (when compared to the rest of our body) makes a difference.
I do understand the feeling though. It kind of crossed my mind in the beginning. And occasionally...only occasionally now. In the beginning I was just so frustrated with how I looked (and I tried so often to lose weight through diet and walking) I didn't care anymore and just gave myself over to the one thing I enjoyed and that was the lifting.
Fast forward a few years later to this past summer. DH and I were moving six ft high storage racks from one side of the basement to another. I had to squat, lift from the bottom and walk backwards. It was heavy and awkward. I could feel the muscles strain in my neck, I know there were a few veins popping from the side, pecs were engaged and shoulders squared and rolled down the back. Anyway, we put the thing down DH smiles and says, "You have a beautiful neck... So. There ya go.
He thought it was awesome not because he spends time in the gym or has a subscription to fitness mags but because it was me and he knew how much effort I put into developing that kind of strength. (He's only been to the gym with me three times in the past six years and that was just to spot me on a bench press )
Like I said, occasionally...I feel a little insecure about how I look. I think this is pretty normal, we are always evaluating ourselves in one way or another) But the alternative on me is not so pretty either. So, I lift to keep that muscle. At the end of the day it keeps my metabolism higher my bones stonger, and I think...my brain sharper. (everyone else be quiet )
Oh my gosh, Lydia, you look lean and strong and fit and amazing (seeing you in your avatar pic), and you don't have any of the bulky look that I feel like I'm seeing in my shoulder or neck area at the moment. Your DH is right, you look great!
I think for me at this point it probably is the developing muscle in combination with the weight that is still there on me, making things look bigger (at least I hope that's what it is). Just wanted to be sure my form was right since that old instructor had mentioned it before. Wish I could remember what she'd said.
Anyway, I think I know what you mean about liking the lifting. I've stuck with it for two months now, which has been a longer stretch than I've been successful lately at staying on plan with nutrition or cardio (though I am working to improve those daily), and I am hoping that the lifting will end up being a different inroad for me that leads to consistency in those other areas as well.
I am hoping that the lifting will end up being a different inroad for me that leads to consistency in those other areas as well.
This was my experience. I was not in any way athletic, ever. At my heaviest, it took everything I had to just get off the couch. The lifting was novel for me and something I could "study" as well as "do."
I also found that after spending a year doing this, my balance and coordination improved as well as strength. These improvements made other activities in and out of the gym much more enjoyable.
I became much more open to adventures because I actually was able to move correctly. I think that's the secret to strength training. If done properly, we teach our bodies to move correctly. Then as we explore a new activity or sport it comes so much more easily and you get to experience sheer bliss from the movement itself.
I'd be willing to bet that your calves are amazing! But I totally know what you mean, that we're all different and we all have areas that we notice on ourselves and that we might like to tweak.
Question On Form
It takes time. We carry weight there as well. Even just a little (when compared to the rest of our body) makes a difference. 
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