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Strength is one thing, but how long will

it take before my body looks better?

Most people start to see changes after six weeks of weight lifting, but we can’t

give you an exact answer. Results depend on your body type, your starting

point, and the amount of time and effort you devote to lifting weight. In general,

those who have the furthest to go make the most dramatic changes.

Everyone notices the biggest improvements in the muscles that they use the

least. The triceps(the muscles at the rear of your upper arm; see Chapter 12)

are a classic example: You don’t use them much in everyday life, so when you

start targeting them with weight they become firmer fairly fast. The same goes

for shoulders. Most people don’t tend to carry much fat on their shoulders, so

shoulders shape and tone relatively quickly.

What if I want to get muscle definition

like Demi Moore or Jackie Chan?

Lifting weight diligently will help shape your body, but you’ll never see muscle

definition if you have a thick layer of fat covering your muscles. Muscle defini-

tionmeans that you have so little body fat that you can see the outline of your

muscles. You begin to see a hint of definition when your body fat dips into the

20 percent to 22 percent range. At around 18 percent, muscle definition is really

apparent. Below 15 percent, you develop an appearance that body builders

reverentially refer to as ripped.(We tell you all about body fat in Chapter 2.)

We’re not recommending that you try to get down this low, because it can be

dangerously unhealthy; we do, however, want you to be aware that the buff,

ripped look doesn’t happen for most people. Also, keep in mind that you can

still look firm, fit, and sexy even if you aren’t ripped to shreds.

Will weight lifting turn me into a WWE contender? ......................

No. About 99 percent of women — and a significant percentage of men —

can’t develop huge muscles without spending hours a day in the gym lifting

some serious poundage. Even then, most women don’t have testosterone to

add major bulk to their frames unless they take steroids — in which case,

they may also end up with acne, a beard, liver cancer, uterus shrinkage, and

a voice like Darth Vader’s. Just the look you’re going for, right?

Lifting may actually make you smaller. Because muscle is a very compact,

dense tissue, it takes up less room than fat. At first, you may not lose any

168 Part IV: Lift and Curl: Building a Stronger Bod with Weights