Will Building Muscle Turn You into a Muscle-Bound Bulky Version of Your Former Self?
So, there are many of you out there who are afraid to lift weights and build muscle because you’re scared of getting “big and bulky.” Let’s clear up that little misconception right now!
Take a look at my photo. Do you consider me large or bulky? Most likely, you don’t. And, by the way, women who lift weights also tend to look even smaller in clothing and in “real life.” Most females who lift weights just look trim and toned when you see them around.
When you lose the body fat, it allows you to reveal the svelte muscle that’s been previously obscured. Add to that, building muscle allows you the freedom to “design” your physique. We’ve all seen my scary “Before” shots (no need to re-post that!) and you can see that I made an effort to reshape my figure. Building up my upper body completely changed my look. Oh yeah, I also lift as much as I can, and I still can’t get bulky; even if I tried! Getting bulky is not something 99.9% of you will ever have to worry about. Unless you’re doing anabolic steroids, you simply cannot put on that type of muscle mass. Weightlifting will allow you to become a smaller, fitter, more toned version of yourself. Or, if you design your workouts around your ideal image and build up your “weak” areas, you can reinvent your physique altogether.
It may be an optical illusion, but hurrah for that! A solid upper body and a narrow waist will minimize the silhouette of your lower body. Not only that, all that weight training really will reduce your measurements and assist you in melting off the pesky body fat. You’ll boost your metabolism too, and become a fat-burning machine!
There are many other reasons to add muscle to your frame through weightlifting as well, such as increased metabolism and a stronger body. But, getting bulky can never be an excuse to not lift!