Will resistance training make me bulky?

It has to be said - this is one of those questions that drives trainers and coaches a bit bonkers as we hear it so often. The response from any self respecting coach is usually one or both of the below:

1. Nope

2. So what if it does?

I’m here to throw a potential spanner in the works by saying:

1. Maybe

2. So what if it does?

First things first: weight training is awesome and brings many benefits, especially for women. These include:

• Increased bone density, offering protection against osteoporosis as we age and once we hit perimenopause

• Joint protection. Women are more likely to have hypermobile joints. Strength training can help protect us from injury

• An increase in lean muscle mass can lead to a higher metabolism (if that’s your jam)

• Being strong makes everyday life easier. Trust me!

• Lowered risk of developing type 2 diabetes

• Improved motor performance and therefore decreased injury risk

Secondly, the term ‘bulky’ is descriptive and will mean different things to different people. One person’s ‘bulky’ might be another’s ‘strong’ or ‘lean’. For the sake of simplicity I will use the term bulky in this blog with the understanding that the average person who asks this question has something like Arnold in mind :-D

When it comes to getting bulky, the fact of the matter is that your average woman will struggle to put down any significant muscle bulk (I’m mostly talking about women who train as we usually hear this question from female clients, but it applies to a lot of men too). Physical traits such as muscle mass are just that - physical traits. And if you are naturally slim or you’re not prone to laying down a lot of muscle, adding a few resistance sessions a week is unlikely to change that. You would have to work incredibly hard and make consistent and significant changes to your lifestyle in order to have that kind of effect on your physique. 

Likewise, if you know that you gain muscle easily and recognise that as part of your body type then actually yes - you may well gain some muscle bulk from regular resistance training. 

Most of us know enough about our bodies to have an idea about our propensity to lay down muscle and what kind of movements suit us. For example, I have to work pretty hard to get into an endurance frame of mind and endurance training doesn’t come naturally to me or feel that good on my body (this doesn’t mean it’s bad for me necessarily, just that I don’t particularly enjoy it). I feel far better suited to strength and power training - give me heavy weights, low reps and powerful (but short!) sprints any day of the week thank you very much. 

When I say that weight training ‘may’ make you bulky, I’m drawing from personal experience. Whilst the vast majority of my clients have had to work hard and consistently to gain muscle, there are a few (including myself) that have gained muscle quite easily. There are also those that have gained huge amounts of strength without adding to their actual size, again because of their body type. Us humans are, after all, very different. We come in many shapes and sizes with a wide range of backgrounds and lifestyles. For this reason there is rarely a simple yes or no answer to any question when it comes to training and the human body.

So in short - your body shape is largely determined by your genetics, closely followed by your nutrition and complemented by your training. Although it is possible to make very dramatic changes to your body shape by changing your diet and exercise, your average woman will really struggle to put down a lot of muscle bulk and keep it. And if you are the kind of person that easily gains muscle and naturally has a fair amount of lean mass, then you probably know that about yourself already and so can predict how you might respond to some added weight training.

As for my second answer ‘So what if it does?’ I realise that this is over simplistic and I don’t wish to be insensitive to the realities of the world we live in. As much as there are benefits to training for health over aesthetics (and this is an approach that I strongly advocate), we don’t live in a bubble and it’s perfectly understandable to have aesthetic goals as well. For me, the healthiest approach to this has become one of balance. I used to train for aesthetics and measured my success on the scale and in the mirror. Needless to say I was never happy with the results, found no joy in my training and felt consistently miserable and ‘not enough’. From there I went the other way and trained only for my performance and health. Suddenly I loved moving again and found a new appreciation for all my body can do. I felt strong and capable! Several years, a baby and a postnatal body later I find I am readjusting once more - I still love moving and I love feeling strong. I accept where my body is at the moment and appreciate the life it nurtured and birthed. And you know what, I would also like to reduce my body fat at some point too as I gained a fair amount of that during pregnancy. Partly as I would like to be lighter on my feet as I can feel those extra kilos during my pull up and animal flow training, but partly for aesthetic reasons too. 

Like so many other things in life - I believe the reality is that ‘it depends’ and the key seems to be finding what works for you while understanding that our mindsets can be fluid, adaptive and intuitive depending on our ever changing circumstances. Immediately post birth my focus was on rehab and nourishing my body. My priority was rebuilding my core and my strength and supporting myself as best as possible on next to no sleep while juggling working and parenting as a new mum. Two years later things are very different and I have started to focus on other goals around my movement and nutrition. That’s just me of course - everyone is different.

So here it is - not the clear cut answer that you usually get to this question, but hopefully a different perspective and the opportunity to view things in a different way.

At the end of the day, weight training probably won’t make you bulky unless you want it to. And if it does, it’s then down to personal choice and circumstances as to whether that’s even a problem or not. 

Give me a shout in the comments section if this raised any questions for you or if you have a similar experience to share. Your passionate personal trainers in Walthamstow  would love to hear from you :-)