The Myth of Getting Bulky

The following post was written by Coach Barnett of CrossFit FMS:

This will be my one and only post about CrossFit making you bulky. I get just a little tired of breaking it down again and again for people. From now on i will just direct them to this blog post. Training AND EATING like an athlete who wants to be a generally capable human being in all areas of fitness (AKA CrossFit) makes you LOOK like a healthy human being. Period. Please avoid CrossFit if you are scared to look like Christmas Abbott…

Or Camille Leblanc-Bazinet…

 

Or Julie Foucher…

Or Lindsey Smith…

I think you get the point.

==============================================================================

On the other hand, women like this…

or this…

…are the product of hormone therapy (steroids) along with a strength and conditioning program designed to make you look as muscular as possible with no real desire to actually improve physical performance. Essentially the opposite of CrossFit. Let me make it clear that I am not trying to bash the sport of body building. These people are among the most dedicated and hardest working athletes in the world. That being said, their entire sport is basically built upon the idea of LOOKING good. The judges in bodybuilding don’t award points for anything else.

==============================================================================

Client, “But David, I saw these girls doing CrossFit on TV and they looked HUGE and MANLY!”. Maybe you were talking about Elisabeth Akinwale…

Or Stacie Tovar…

They do look pretty huge! (AKA awesome in my opinion). Please note that they can back those muscles up with some mind blowing feats of strength and endurance. You can’t really argue that they have WAY above the average amount of muscle mass compared to a normal female. That being said, you have to keep in mind that these women have KILLED themselves for every ounce of that muscle. As well as eaten like vikings to support their goals.

Looking like Stacie and Elizabeth isn’t going to happen on accident. I promise. As a recreational CrossFitter your training-volume and your diet is probably never going to look anything like theirs.

But even more important than all off the above mentioned things is that you have to keep in mind that these awesome women are half-naked and mid-workout! When the heart rate spikes, your blood flow doubles and you’re sweating you look a whole lot bigger. In normal clothes, they look normal…

Wouldn’t you agree?

==============================================================================

If you are DEAD-SET on looking like this…

Or this…

Then CrossFit isn’t for you and to be totally honest I probably don’t want you as a client. Go hit up the elliptical or the recumbent bike for three hours a day and don’t eat anything. That being said, we get girls in here who start with this mentality and adopt a new one when they start to FEEL what REAL fitness (Not step class, Les Mills, or leisurely strolls on the treadmill.) can do for you physically, mentally, and spiritually.

I’ll be the one to get real with you even if it means i catch some flack for it… Looking like a 12 year old girl is for 12 year old girls. You are a WOMAN. And if you think you already have too much muscle I hate to break it to you but you don’t. YOU JUST DON’T. 

I’m ok with dishing out a little tough love so have a seat and get ready… If you’re glaring at your screen there saying, “I’m just genetically bulky.” or, “I’m an exception to what he is talking about.” You’re lying to yourself.  I’ve broken down the body composition of countless females and EVERY SINGLE GIRL who thought that they were already bulky simply had a very high body-fat percentage. 99.99% of girls will never have as much muscle as Camille Leblanc-Bazinet (see above). But if you think she is bulky then that is a different story. We just have different perspectives and that’s fine. You want to be a frail thing that must be handled with care. If you are ok with that, then so am I. No sarcasm intended at all. If you’re fat or super skinny and happy with it then so am I. Mother Teresa never lifted a barbell and i think pretty much everyone is ok with that. You don’t have to be fit to be a good person. Which leads to my next point…

…let’s get down to what really matters…

The further down the road you go in CrossFit you will realize that the physical appearance doesn’t really matter at all because…

The chase of some worldly physical ideal will slowly slide down the list of why you will show up to CrossFit everyday and basically torture yourself. You will get totally addicted to the feeling you get when you do things that were simply impossible for you a few months ago. The body you get is nothing more than a by-product. It takes discipline in the kitchen to perform (physically, mentally, and spiritually) your best so keep in mind that you should…

Chase PERFORMANCE in all areas of your life and you will be healthier and happier because of it.  Keep calm, WOD on, and God bless.

P.S. if you’re a guy reading this and asking, “But what if I am a guy and I don’t want to get bulky?” Then… just… just don’t talk to me.