This is an interesting topic. Society sees a muscular man and all is good. However, obviously when it comes to a woman, it’s seen as not “Lady-Like.” I want to start off by saying, whatever body type you have, whatever your goal is, it is beautiful, it is welcomed, and you should be proud of the things your body can do and will do in your health and fitness journey!
Will weightlifting make you bulky? Well, that depends on your goals but first let’s quickly discuss perception vs. reality.
Perception
If I start lifting weights over a period of time I’ll become muscular. This oversimplifies what it takes to obtain a muscular physique and is incorrect. There are a number of things that must be true to for anyone to become muscular/bulky.
Reality
As with all things, choices are made that dictate the outcome. In this case, a person has to decide what their goal is and how they will accomplish this. Doing weightlifting with the goal of becoming muscular is a completely different path from weightlifting in order to tone your body.
How So?
Let’s look at the chart above. You’ll see from point 1 to point 2, it’s all about starting your fitness journey. That can be at 12 years old for some and at 62 years old for others. Whichever it is for you, just get started! Then once you arrive to point 2, there’s a decision to be made. In this instance, are you looking to gain muscle or simply improve your overall level of fitness? Some might want abs while others may want to improve their cardio; some may even want thunder buns! Each person will have their own goal, which is achievable with the right plan. (One thing to note is that genetics can play into this equation as well but we can’t use that as an excuse to not start). Each goal will have its own path, however, in this example we are deciding between 2 in particular.
Path (A)
This is all about improving your overall health and fitness which leads to you toning your body. What are you doing to achieve this? Good question and here are a few answers:
Nutrition: This person is doing some sort of caloric deficit diet, which means that they are eating less food/calories than they are burning on a daily basis. This is going to allow them to lose weight/body fat, while properly fueling their body to meet the demands of each day
Workout Routine: They will have a consistent workout schedule that covers multiple modalities which is going to improve their overall fitness. Modalities are cardio, gymnastics, and weightlifting
Accomplishments: In the process of their journey, they might run a half marathon, learn how to Handstand walk, be reasonably good at olympic lifts, and improving flexibility
Path (B)
This is all about improving strength to gain muscle or bulk. What are they doing differently than the folks in Path (A)?
Nutrition: This person is going to prioritize muscle building foods, such as protein in their diets. They are also going to be in some sort of caloric surplus, which means they are eating more food/calories than they burn each day so their body can support healthy muscle growth.
Workout Routine: They will also have a consistent workout schedule but they will be targeting strength to gain muscle mass. You can expect to see their workouts look like doing multiple sets of heavy weights with low repetition, or even maximizing their reps until they reach muscle fatigue
Accomplishments: In the process of their journey, they will continuously improve their personal records on various weightlifting movements and may participate in weightlifting competitions
Both of these paths are perfectly reasonable, if it’s your goal. And regardless of which path is right for you, there are tangible benefits to weightlifting! Things like:
- Maintaining Bone Density – One of the unfortunate side effects of aging is that we begin to lose bone density, making our bones more susceptible to breaking, cracking, fractures, etc. By lifting weights, we can maintain our bone density – maybe even increase it! – to reduce our chances of injury.
- Increase Fat Burning – Several studies have been done to test the hypothesis that lean muscle mass burns “X” amount more calories per day than fat. The results vary largely based on the method of testing and the test subject. However, the one thing they all agree on is that lean muscle mass is more metabolically active than fat, which would prove their theory correct.
- Boost Mood & Self-Confidence – I mean, imagine hitting a Personal Record on a lift around others, or someone complementing you on something that you hold near to your heart. How can that not boost your mood and self-confidence?
- Increases Physical Independence – As we age, it also becomes harder to maintain our physical independence. However, with proper weight training and movement, we can decrease our reliance on outside help for everyday tasks.
Summary
Whew! Seem like a lot to take in? Don’t worry – I’ll summarize. In short, weightlifting can make you muscular, if that’s your goal. It can also help tone your body and improve your physical health, if that’s your goal instead. If you’re ready to start your health and fitness journey, click the link below!
