Stretch marks are known medically as "striae," and they appear on the skin as long reddish colored streaks. These markings form when the skin gets stretched past its normal capacity too rapidly. Building muscle mass quickly is a risk factor for developing stretch marks, and to avoid them, there are several preventative measures you can take while lifting.
Step 1
Apply a moisturizer as soon as you get out of the shower to keep your skin supple and elastic. Use cocoa butter or a cream that contains either vitamin E or collagen.
Apply it just after you take a shower, when your pores are most open.
Step 2
Exfoliate your skin on a daily basis to remove dead skin cells and promote circulation. Target all the areas that can be prone to stretch marks like your chest, shoulders, arms and legs. Use a soft bristled body brush while you are taking a shower and use circular and upward strokes. Start in the areas farthest from your heart and work toward it.
Step 3
Increase your reps to build lean muscle instead of muscle mass. Aim for 12 to 15 reps of each exercise instead of 3 to 6 reps that you would do with heavy lifting.
Step 4
Rest for 45 to 60 seconds in between your sets and work out three times a week on alternating days. Perform exercises for your chest, shoulders, back, triceps, biceps and legs in a circuit. Complete four to five circuits total.
Step 5
Keep your caloric intake under control to further prevent stretch marks. Eat only the amount of food you need to fuel your workouts and recoveries. Eating too much food can promote bulking up, which will increase your risk for developing stretch marks. Even if you eat healthy foods, this can still happen, so only eat what your body needs.
Step 6
Reduce the amount of weight you lift. Cutting the weight means fewer muscle fibers will be recruited.
Step 7
Perform cardiovascular exercise for 30 to 45 minutes three times a week to keep your weight down and further prevent stretch marks. Do something that you enjoy like running, biking, swimming, elliptical training or rowing.
Tips and Warnings
- When you lift heavy weights, you recruit a significant number of muscle fibers, which can cause you to bulk up quickly. Lifting light to moderate weights will build more muscle endurance. Circuit training helps promote lean muscle mass and it also offers an aerobic benefit that helps keep your size down. Exercises you can do include chest presses, lateral rows, back rows, triceps kickbacks, twist curls and lunges.
Things You'll Need
- Soft bristled body brush
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