Can I look stronger using just weights?

[loveheart59]

I am about 5 pounds underweight at the mo. I am planning to put on weight in the near future but in the meantime I am using weights and doing squats every couple of days.

 

I dont know if this will make my frame look stronger if Im not upping my intake. Will lifting weights still make me develop a stronger look even without feeding my muscles (protien etc...)?

 

I aim to look slim but "able" like Cameron Diaz.

[cal gal]

Am underweight by ten pounds at the moment, and keep trying to gain with no luck....

 

I think confidence and a wonderful positive outlook can make anyone look stronger (even without all the muscle mass). A great smile doesn't hurt either!

 

[clandestinidad]

I have issues gaining weight too. I think its a combination of my metabolism and heart issues. Currently I'm 'supposed' to weigh around 130lbs, but I weigh about 110lbs. I'm obviously lean, but have a lot of muscle so it looks alright.

 

I lift a 27-30lb child repeatedly throughout the day, which has built even more toned arm and leg muscle. I also do leg toning exercises, in the hopes that my legs stay muscular, but since I dont weigh much I have to use some weight for resistance.

 

I suggest using weight and resistance. Prob. about 10lbs, and gradually move up to more as your muscles grow stronger and get more toned. Doing squats on their own probably wont do much to make the muscles bigger. You'd need to add weight, such as holding something heavy at the same time.

 

So, to answer your question, yes doing those things will make you look stronger because you WILL be stronger. Also, you might gain those pounds through muscle, without needing to force-feed yourself a whole lot of food.

[tanbark813]

Will lifting weights still make me develop a stronger look even without feeding my muscles (protien etc...)?

 

No.

 

Lifting weights breaks down the muscles and stimulates them to grow, but without readily available protein, you won't get any bigger, especially if you're already a little underweight. If you're underweight then you probably have a high metabolism and it's especially important to fuel your muscles.

 

Eat 1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight you are. That is, if you wight 150 lbs right now, then try to get 150g of protein a day, especially within the first 24 hours after working out.

[loveheart59]

Nope, I think your kinda misunderstanding me:confused: .

I can manage to put on weight when Im ready to concentrate full on in it. Im not fully doing it at the moment but I am lifting weights, I want to kno if there is any point of me exercising if Im not increasing my intake to bulk up.

 

If someone wants to stay the same size say and lifts weights will their body stay the same or get stronger (not gaining weight). Basically, is my strenghth training doing nothing to my physical shape (what ive got now).

[loveheart59]

I have issues gaining weight too. I think its a combination of my metabolism and heart issues. Currently I'm 'supposed' to weigh around 130lbs, but I weigh about 110lbs. I'm obviously lean, but have a lot of muscle so it looks alright.

 

I lift a 27-30lb child repeatedly throughout the day, which has built even more toned arm and leg muscle. I also do leg toning exercises, in the hopes that my legs stay muscular, but since I dont weigh much I have to use some weight for resistance.

 

I suggest using weight and resistance. Prob. about 10lbs, and gradually move up to more as your muscles grow stronger and get more toned. Doing squats on their own probably wont do much to make the muscles bigger. You'd need to add weight, such as holding something heavy at the same time.

 

So, to answer your question, yes doing those things will make you look stronger because you WILL be stronger. Also, you might gain those pounds through muscle, without needing to force-feed yourself a whole lot of food.

Thanx for that advice!

[Bogun]

Will lifting weights still make me develop a stronger look even without feeding my muscles (protien etc...)?

Yes it will. If you simply do weights without increasing protein and calories in your diet, your muscles will just become harder and more defined. High reps using 60-70% if your maximum strength will usually do a good job. If on the other hand by "strong" you mean big muscles, then no it won't work.

[RottenGazebo]

Yeah. Even without taking supplements or having a high protein diet, weights will make you look stronger.

[MattB]

okay. i have to disagree with a lot of this.

 

When you work a muscle, it has to have fuel from somewhere.

 

If you consume the proper amount of protein and carbs, then the muscles can easily comsume the carbs and rebuild with the protein. In this situation, when you start working out, the body is used to processing fat for energy, so it naturally burns stored fat in the body, dropping body fat and making muscles more visible. Also Dietary calories are fast tracked to the muscles for processing instead of being stored as fat.

 

When you are getting poor nutrition, your muscles don't have anything to fuel them, so they kick into emergency mode and start metabolizing muscle fiber. Yes, working out with inadaquate nutrition will diminish muscle mass. It also means that your muscles are not adapted to processing fat, so dietary calories are processed and stored as fat instead of being sent to the muscles to be burned.

 

If you are trying to gain strength and tone while maintaining weight, you need to INCREASE your caloric intake to cope with the new demands. As long as you are meeting those demands with complex carbs and lean protein, then you will continue to gain muscle and not put on fat.

 

To gain definition instead of mass, you need to work the slow twitch muscles, not the fast twitch muscles. This means endurance training. Light weight, high reps, not high weigh low reps. Actually aerobic exercises such as swimming and running would do fantastic jobs at this.