Barre vs. Weight Training - the question of bulking - your experience?

[blessed_mom_to_3]

I'll cut right to the chase - do you REALLY see longer, leaner muscles from mat/pilates/barre type workouts, as opposed to strength training?

My legs are very bulky looking and am wondering if barre workouts would help. I just got TA's Mat workout and am going to work it into my rotation this week. I also have several pilates dvds and just ordered the Exhale Core Fusion series this morning. Do you think these in themselves would allow me to gain strength and lengthen my muscles, if I rotate these workouts and drop the "usual" weight workouts for a while? I do band and light weight training in my workouts now (i.e., The Firm pinks) and wonder if these have bulked me a bit. (Or maybe it's fat. LOL.)

What is your experience with pilates/barre?

[Sara1000]

I've always been suspicious of the 'long, lean muscle' claims. I think it has more to do with genes and body type.

[lreidgreen]

Originally Posted by Sara1000

I've always been suspicious of the 'long, lean muscle' claims. I think it has more to do with genes and body type.

I agree.

[Fitmama]

I think alot of it is based on genetics and body type: some people will naturally build muscle size easily due to slow/fast twitch muscle fibers and hormones. However it is known that certain training methods are used to create hypertrophy of the muscle: lifting heavy weights for low reps. So perhaps the "long lean muscles" claims are really a result of training and strengthening (firming/toning) the mucle fibers with out triggering the hyertrophy effect.

[Diavolobella]

Personally, I did tend to get bulkier from traditional weight training over the years. I don't think that weight training in and of itself was the problem, but perhaps that the workouts I was using worked specific muscles more than was necessary and worked them heavier than I needed for the results I wanted to achieve. I also think I was in a mindset for a long time that "advanced" meant always going heavier and heavier, even if that ended up not getting me the look I wanted.

Specifically, when I did The Firm leg press regularly with heavier weights and lots of workouts with weighted squats, heavier and heavier weights, etc., my quads and calves got huge and not in a good way. My quads stuck off my legs like two slabs, like a guy. I wasn't looking for that. I have really long legs and I succeeded in making them look exactly the opposite of how I wanted. Instead of long and toned, they looked bulky and thick, which gave the illusion of their being shorter. Now I do workouts like Squeeze and my legs are in good shape, but they aren't huge. I just have lean, well shaped legs that look as long as they are. So, for me it makes a difference. I avoid heavy weight workouts.

[Sue B]

Originally Posted by Sara1000

I've always been suspicious of the 'long, lean muscle' claims. I think it has more to do with genes and body type.

Same here, and I agree with Liz N.'s statement on another thread that what people often think is "bulky muscle" is actually fat, or maybe water swelling.

[counterclockwise]

I think fitmama made a good point about types of training methods. Bodybuilders work out the way they do (isolation moves, heavy enough weights to failure in about 8-12 reps, etc.) because they know it works to grow the muscles. So even though most women don't build muscle easily, if you started out with a decent amount of muscle and you work out that way, you may build enough to where you feel too big (especially if you don't have a lower body fat %).

But then again, heavier weights also help some of us stay smaller (like me). I'm a pear shape, and although just looking at me you might say my legs are bulkier, it's mostly fat and not muscle. I don't build muscle easily, but I am actually a bit worried about the kettlebells I'm getting into. I've read several people post that they were more flat in the backside area and actually grew a butt with KB's. I have a J-Lo sized butt already, and although it's definitely not all muscle, lol, I think I would be upset if it actually grew.

[zumzum]

Well, I put on muscle pretty easily, and my body reacts very differently to the two types of training. With weighted workouts like the FIRM, my pants got tighter through the thigh and my shoulders started looking like a linebacker. With barre, pilates, and similar body weight type workouts, I've still put on visible muscle but I look much sleeker and leaner. So I'm skeptical that it's just in the genes, since they obviously haven't changed even though my physique has.

[gianni]

I did traditional workouts for 15 years. I never liked the shape of my legs during that time. They looked bulky to me. For the past 8 years, I've been doing pilates & barre work...I am way happier with my appearance. I have a longer, leaner "look" as opposed to a squattier, bulky version of myself.

[blessed_mom_to_3]

Originally Posted by Diavolobella

Personally, I did tend to get bulkier from traditional weight training over the years. I don't think that weight training in and of itself was the problem, but perhaps that the workouts I was using worked specific muscles more than was necessary and worked them heavier than I needed for the results I wanted to achieve. I also think I was in a mindset for a long time that "advanced" meant always going heavier and heavier, even if that ended up not getting me the look I wanted.

Specifically, when I did The Firm leg press regularly with heavier weights and lots of workouts with weighted squats, heavier and heavier weights, etc., my quads and calves got huge and not in a good way. My quads stuck off my legs like two slabs, like a guy. I wasn't looking for that. I have really long legs and I succeeded in making them look exactly the opposite of how I wanted. Instead of long and toned, they looked bulky and thick, which gave the illusion of their being shorter. Now I do workouts like Squeeze and my legs are in good shape, but they aren't huge. I just have lean, well shaped legs that look as long as they are. So, for me it makes a difference. I avoid heavy weight workouts.

The way you describe your legs when you weight trained is how mine look now - my quads stand up off my legs and I just look so un-feminine.

I do have probably a high body fat percentage. I still have lots of fat from carrying three babies in three years. I am trying to modify my d**t to be a little more sensible, and hoping to combine that with the right workouts to lean down some. I have a feeling that I need to back off the 5-8 lb dumbbells for a while and just see what happens with the mat, pilates, and lotte-berk style workouts (barre).

This is turning into a very interesting discussion! Perhaps next I should start a thread entitled "Can you spot reduce?" (I must like the controversial fitness topics.)