My arms look unbalanced. I need advice on muscle building.

[Nikia]

As part of my job, I have do a small amount of weight lifting, 50 and 55 lb bags. The total time that I am lifting these bags is less than 15 minutes, but they are heavy to me and I had a difficult time doing it when I first got the job. I had a post about it in the women's rights forum, but I am not going to link it considering that I got hate pms over it. Anyway, I am now strong enough to do all my own lifting without having to ask for help.
I am a relatively small woman. I had been sick with anorexia and do not know my current weight. I am healthier weight, been eating well, wear size 2 or 4, and have had very thin, stick like arms. In the past month, I have wore a couple of sleevless, thin strapped tops. Looking in the mirror, I noticed that my arms are getting huge. I may have a distorted view of "huge", but basically my arms above the elbow (biceps) and shoulders have noticeable muscle development. My arms from the elbow to wrist though are just as sticklike as before.
I am in my late twenties if that makes a difference.

[supernova]

1. I remember that thread

:P I can't believe you got blasted in PMs over it. :crazy:

I would get in touch w/ Flevegan, or hopefully he'll answer in this thread, I don't know what you would do for your lower arms that also doesn't affect your upper arms, if what you're really trying to do is balance out their appearance.

All in all, I think it's good that you have a job that requires some physicality. I'm beginning to think the cruelest thing we do to our bodies is sit behind a desk all day, even if in the main desk jobs pay better.

[Nikia]

2. Thanks for your reply

I was suprised about the PMs too, especially since I hadn't received ones like that before.
I'll give this thread a little bit of time before PMing Flevegan.
Maybe, I should be glad that I do some physical activity with this job. I don't think that I would have ever gotten this strong without the lifting that I do there. I also do a bit of running around the plant. If I eventually get a sedentary job, I'll have to find time to exercise more outside of work.

[flvegan]

3. What kind of advice are you looking for?

Do you want to build the rest up, or minimize your biceps?

Also, will the amount of time you're lifting these bags increase at any point in your job?

My biggest concern, of course, is your anorexia that you mentioned. Have you gotten some kind of help for that?

[Nikia]

4. Thanks for replying

I don't think that my biceps are going to decrease anytime soon without me returning to my old behaviors or not lifting the bags. I do have issues with being "big" and my biceps do look big to me, although "good" to everyone who I have mentioned this to. Is there a way to minimize them without covering them up? On the otherhand, I am considering embracing being strong so perhaps it would be better to build the muscles in the rest of my arm after all.
My time lifting the bags should not increase although there are going to be changes soon in our department so I cannot say for sure. If things did change in a certain way, I would be doing this two or three times per day instead of once.
I have gotten help for my anorexia. I have seen a doctor, nutritionist, and had group and individual therapy. Right now, I am generally eating healthy, meaning enough calories balanced in a healthy way and have been told that I am at a healthy weight (although I have not reached the point where I can deal with knowing what it is). I am currently seeing a counselor and have been working through issues that I still have. At this point, though, I believe that I will continue in recovery.
Another thing worth mentioning is that although I can now lift the bags alright, I believe that the activity is still strengthening and building my muscles. They are still heavy to me after all.

[flvegan]

5. I'm glad to hear that you've gotten a good amount of treatment.

Anorexia is nothing to mess with.

As for minimizing your biceps, that's not possible. Your biceps should stop growing as they get used to the motion of lifting bags of the same weight. So long as the weight doesn't increase and the amount of time lifting them doesn't increase, your muscles will "get used to it" and stop growing.

I'm assuming that the motion you're using to pick the bags up is a curling movement with both hands. Your forearms will catch up (proportionately) in time. The bicep is a very small muscle, and responds to repeated movement quickly. Your triceps (back of the arm, opposite the bicep) has three specific heads, so increasing their size will involve either gym time or specific home exercises. Also, without working the rest of your body, you'll look shockingly disproportionate.

For now, you just kind of have to "deal with" having bigger biceps. Be thankful, as a woman, you probably don't have the genetic ability to grow HUGE arm muscles. Your biceps will adjust accordingly. It may not appeal to you visually, but you should be proud. Anorexia to big guns...that's pretty good.

[LynzM]

9. Nikia, I'm so glad to hear that you're doing well

I'm very glad that you're caring for your physical self so that you can do the harder work of caring for your mental self. :hug: And damn, is that hard work.

Personally, I think toned/defined arm and shoulder muscles are sexy on both genders. I hope you can balance yourself, or come to accept and enjoy your current self. :hug:

[pitohui]

6. similar issues, although older

not sure what to suggest as i never did find the right exercise but i think well-developed shoulders and upper arms, even if the lower arms look skinny TO YOU, actually looks just fine to other people -- even strong and healthy to many people -- you DO look good sleeveless, you're just not ready to admit it to yourself

so don't sweat it too much

no one has ever come back to me and said, fuck this noise, i'm dumping you because you didn't develop your lower arms and your wrists are skinny (and any teasing about skinny wrists has been affectionate flirting)

and congrats on getting healthy enough to lift 50-plus # after an eating disorder, i will never be able to lift that amount, but i do have the upper body muscle development because (i think) it's lifting at the limit of your powers that causes the development not a set weight

after reading flvegan's advice, maybe i am being unclear -- so i'll be explicit -- i don't think you should try to lose muscle (the biceps), that's just your body shape dysphoric (spelling?) self speaking out, if you want to change the arms, try to develop the lower arms as well -- but even if you can't -- trust me, men don't care, they love big hoots and big biceps, it plays to all their fantasies :-)

[Nikia]

8. I suppose that maybe they aren't lying

It is so hard to tell, especially when you have had an eating disorder. You think that knowing that, your friends would say of course that you or in this case my arms look "good" or "fine". Regardless, I suppose that you are right in that it isn't really a big deal to most people.
I am actually pretty amazed that I am lifting as much as I am. When I was sick, so much of my muscle deteriated. I thought that perhaps I had lost it forever. Not being so weak has been a positive aspect of recovery.
Thanks for the encouragement and I wish you the same.

[The Straight Story]

7. I don't have an answer, but I can give ya a kick !

Will check back in later and kick it again my friend!

[The Straight Story]

14. Kick! (nt)

[Shakespeare]

10. Learn to love those biceps!

I recently started doing upper body work specifically to target my arms, because I wanted more muscle definition. I am deeply enamored of my newly noticeable biceps--I think they're hot, and I bet yours are, too! :hi:

[LeftyMom]

11. I prescribe repeated viewings of anything with Tina Turner in it

'cause she's over 60 (!) and she's got really muscular arms and an awesome but very female body. If you can see that she looks good and healthy with a little meat on her bones, maybe you'll see that you do too or at least entertain the idea.

Since this is a body image thing you need to work on your brain, not your body.

[legally blonde]

12. I agree with the other posters that it will take time

to adjust to your new kick ass arms! You should be proud of yourself for accomplishing so much!

Meanwhile, you could try lifting light weights (5-8 lbs), targeting your upper arms and shoulders (this will help balance things out). I work out at home, using aerobic/weightlifting CDs, which have really helped shape and tone my arms muscles.

[DarkTirade]

13. The best way to build up the muscles from the elbow to wrist

is to do exercises that involve moving the hands rather than the arms. The forearm muscles control the movement at the wrist joint, so that's what you have to move to work them.

It's funny, at my last job I worked at a pizza place... at my current job I work in a warehouse. And that's the only muscle group that's gotten smaller during the time spent working in the warehouse. Because when I was working at a pizza place, I'd spend an hour a day (at least) rolling and kneading dough, which was all using my hands and forearm muscles. Now I'm just lifting heavy things, so the upper arms and shoulders are doing most of the work.

Another way I built up my forearm muscles was because I'm a geek, and I do sword sparring. Using a sword one-handed works that area a lot. :) But that's not for everyone.