Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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So I've noticed an interesting common thread that I see when I look at Crossfit Women and I certainly know that this isn't always the case, and this is not intended to be critical - just entirely curious.

Why is it that I see most photos of super strong Crossfit type women who lift heavy - with tons of muscle and a very high bodyfat % ?

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/552586_366955883375462_1166556506_n.jpg

Again, not being critical - just wondering what the hormonal relationship is with heavy lifting women and bodyfat. IF these women have so much muscle and are incredibly strong, why aren't their bodies leaner?

Again just curious. Mostly because I have recently started lifting and had my bodyfat % shoot up out of nowhere, whereas a more endurance based training for me keeps me super lean.

Any clarification would be great!

Thanks!

flag	asked Jul 17 at 17:11 Paleo4ever 1,430●3●19

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Can I ask how you are measuring your BF? – RaiseFitness Jul 17 at 17:15

BTW yes ^ How are you measuring it because those little hand readers are NOT accurate whatsoever and will fluctuate on time of day, water intake, how crappy it is, if you just worked out or not, etc. – Sleepyhouse22 Jul 17 at 17:35

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It should be noted that the picture you posted is of a young woman competing in a powerlifting competition. Typically, powerlifters do not focus on aesthetics and go for broke on strength. If you look at power athletes in general, they are not a 'lean' bunch...hovering at or above the 20% BF range. I do not recall any women with a high BF% competing in the CF games. – Mark Jul 17 at 17:44

The Crossfit women I have seen are actually very lean, and have some of the most amazingly symmetrical bodies. Are you sure you are not referring to powerlifters? – Pete Jul 17 at 17:44

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^Measuring tape and mirror aren't going to give you a body fat reading. Muscle under fat can "push it out" if you are gaining muscle and maintaining the same amount of body fat. – JeJ Jul 17 at 19:18

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CD · Answer 1 · 2012-07-17 17:22:19Z UTC

All depends on your goals. If your goals are to win lifting competitions, you have to eat A LOT to build that kind of muscle/frame --> http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/sport=weightlifting/index.html.

If your goals are to be stronger/ healthier/ etc then you can lift and not put on a ton of weight.

eric · Answer 2 · 2012-07-17 22:02:27Z UTC

First off, CrossFit is all about personal improvement and empowerment. Everyone starts somewhere - strong, weak, old, young, skinny, fat.

Secondly, umm: http://www.google.com/search?q=crossfit+women&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=u-AFULKGH-eY2wXZ7uXQBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CFYQsAQ&biw=959&bih=646

Happy Now · Answer 3 · 2012-07-17 22:16:11Z UTC

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Depends on the person. I have an underlying hormonal disturbance (PCOS) that makes it really easy to build muscle, but very difficult to lose body fat. I suspect many power lifting women, and perhaps some crossfitters who excel at heavy lifting have the same issue because the extra androgens offer a "natural" advantage to build muscle.

If a woman doesn't have a hormone imbalance, putting on a lot of muscle is going to take a lot of work, perhaps to the point of overtraining, where cortisol issues might account for an increase in body fat.

answered Jul 17 at 22:16

Happy Now
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	I also have a history of PCOS - althought recent tests reveal - Insulin and DHEA levels all in normal ranges - sooo...what (in your case) makes it difficult to lose body fat (it might be my case too) ??? – Paleo4ever Jul 18 at 16:55
	I'm not sure which hormone is responsible for it exactly, having read the blogs of PCOS researchers and MDs, I'm not sure they've pinpointed one hormone yet either, but holding on to body fat in spite of caloric restriction and increased activity is one of the classic symptoms of PCOS. There are often issues with high cortisol and low thyroid, and a tendency to store belly and upper body fat because of the slightly more "masculine" hormone profile. – Happy Now Jul 18 at 18:47

Sleepyhouse22 · Answer 4 · 2012-07-17 17:29:31Z UTC

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If the women that are lifting heavy aren't wanting to be lean, then they're not going to be. Honestly, you lift a lot less if you lose weight. Even though women can bulk up, I'm telling you that you're not going to see a very muscular, lean woman anywhere above 150 pounds.

A lot of women simply want to lift heavy and they will even put on weight to do so.

As far as your own situation goes, we would have to know about your diet, water intake, and how heavy/often you are lifting.

edited Jul 17 at 17:29

answered Jul 17 at 17:23

Sleepyhouse22
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I disagree! I had 20% bf @ 160. – Sigamagaw Jul 17 at 17:32

20% bf isn't lean... – Sleepyhouse22 Jul 17 at 17:35

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It is for women! 20% body for for women is ~10% on men. builtlean.com/2010/08/03/… – CD Jul 17 at 17:47

^You made the same mistake I did. The ACE BF% tables does not adjust for age. We lose lean mass as we age. The limits in the ACE chart are defined by the oldest age group. If you look at BF% broken down by age group, you will find 20% to be the upper limit for men and < 15% to be lean for women up to 40 or 50 years of age (I forget and am too lazy to Google it at the moment). – Mark Jul 17 at 17:52

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20% in my opinion is not lean for a women. 18% is lean. 20% is like most of my friends who do 20mins of elliptical 2 days a week. NOT LEAN. – Paleo4ever Jul 17 at 17:57

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Rebekah · Answer 5 · 2012-07-18 00:27:48Z UTC

i think a good question to ask is how heavy is heavy? your post that you did last week about gaining bodyfat on lifting sounded like a beginner's lifting program... these women have been lifting a long time and VERY heavy weights. they cater their diet to their TRAINING. are you doing that? if not, you probably can't blame the weights/hormones, you know? especially when there is a whole community of very lean weightlifting women out there.

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