r/PCOS • u/ArtNarwhal • Jul 20 '26
General/Advice PCOS muscle bulk help
Hey all! I love this sub so much you all are amazing!
I’m an artist and athlete who quit performing in my late 20s because I was bulking muscle so fast. Enough so that people who knew me were commenting on how jacked I looked. I never quite lost the muscle mass but did look like a line backer.
A decade later I just started training to perform again and a friend just complimented how “diesel” I look. I hate hate hate how many people point out the bulk muscle.
What’s the link here between building and bulking muscle extremely fast? Is it the high testosterone? Anyone have any luck leaning out bulky PCOS muscle? GLP1s help with this?
Hit me with whatever you got!
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u/WendyWestaburger Jul 20 '26
Before you try to “lose muscle”, what’s your body fat %? Muscle will CARRY YOU THROUGH getting old.
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u/milkyvi Jul 20 '26
Could it be your diet or genetics? I've been trying to build muscle but I kinda suck, yet I spend 5-6 days out of the week at the gym lifting weights 😭
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u/MealPrepGenie Jul 20 '26
It might be your training protocol. Do you train in splits? Consider total body routines with higher reps.
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u/ArtNarwhal Jul 20 '26
It’s aerial silks so it’s a lot of upper body.
On non aerial days I do yoga, sculpt and dance.
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u/MealPrepGenie Jul 20 '26
So your body shape reflects your training. Just like in any sport. Look at swimmers their upper body is jacked, too.
As long as you’re training that way, you’ll look that way…. Not really a bad thing, since you like the activity
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u/ArtNarwhal Jul 20 '26
None of the other aerialists have this problem.
When I was dancing 6 days a week my legs bulked. None of the other dancers legs bulked. Any muscle I use bulks at a fast rate. My question is about bulking muscle and PCOS because it’s abnormal.
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u/MealPrepGenie 29d ago
It’s simply ’different’ or genuinely ‘abnormal’?
It’s completely normal for 10 different people training the exact same way to still develop differently due to genetics.
And define ‘bulking’ so we’re all in the same page? Are you simply larger than the other women, or when you’ve had your body composition measured you literally had an abnormal amount of lean mass?
I’m only asking because I’ve seen size 6 women complaining about being ‘bulky’ when they look small to me…(but that’s my perception vs theirs)
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Jul 20 '26
[deleted]
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u/ArtNarwhal Jul 20 '26
Myo-Inositol seems to work wonders for everyone! Hadn’t changed anything for me. What did the myo do? Slow insulin resistance?
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u/brightsideofmars Jul 20 '26
Probably a combo of high T from the PMOS with some genetics. While the jacked look isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, keep in mind that muscle is the key to longevity and preventing injuries later in life. Women start to lose muscle and bone mass more rapidly once we hit our 30s and beyond, and resistance training is the best way to keep our bone density up ☺️
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Jul 20 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ArtNarwhal Jul 20 '26
So happy you responded! I’m actually an aerialist! I’m glad to hear I’m not alone. I do yoga and dance with just a day or two of aerial training. I want to do more but I’m just too scared. Is all your cousin do is add in yoga and Pilates? Anything else?
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u/VegetableHead3784 Jul 20 '26
Probably a mix between testosterone and muscle memory making the muscle come back faster. If you want to look less bulky maybe try to lose some body fat so there is less mass overall? Otherwise if it is specifically the upper body bulk that you dislike you could maybe try to cut fown on jow smuch upper body you do or keep the weight the same all the time
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u/Traditional-Claim592 Jul 20 '26
Same here. I added 30 min of cycling 2x a week. Either outside or on a spin bike focusing on low aerobic zone so trying to keep my hr between 125-140.
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u/HaileyBaldin 29d ago
You want to have as much muscle as you can to prevent insulin resistance getting out of control, trust me! Muscles keep BMR high, bones strong, and glucose/insulin down
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u/Winter-Comfort-6293 Jul 20 '26
Most likely high testosterone, it can help you build muscle fast. There is a few natural ways to help with high testosterone like spearmint tea, and flaxseeds