I don't want to get big and bulky: It's the mantra of modern women who want to work out but look only at
the pounds on the scale. And unfortunately, this fear is holding them back from all the results they could be experiencing.
Lean muscle is about one-third the size of the same weight in fat and it burns more calories when you are awake. What does that mean? It means forget about how much you weigh!
Weight is a misplaced dependency that is both a poor measure of progress and a concern created by modern media. Take a look around the gym—the leanest, most rock-star-like girls you see probably weigh 135 to 145 pounds . . . but you'd think they weigh 115 to 120 pounds. That extra weight is pure lean muscle.
The obvious goal, therefore, would be to build more lean muscle. Enter the fear of getting "big and bulky." But does that girl who you would guess to weigh 115 pounds look big and bulky? Nope. It is nearly physiologically impossible for women to get "big and bulky" without the protein and testosterone supplements female body builders use.
As a woman begins to build more lean muscle she looks leaner and sexier. Still don't believe it? Turn on ESPN on Saturday morning and take a look at the lean, sexy, and strong female TV fitness trainers. They put most models to shame.
How To Build Lean Muscle
Ditch the curls, crunches, and calf raises—well, you don't actually have to ditch them, but stop focusing on them like your life depends on it. Instead, focus on big and explosive motions that involve multiple joints.
The king (or queen, as the case may be) of exercises is the squat. Done properly the squat is a total body workout, forcing you to squeeze through your legs and glutes while keeping your core tight and squeezing your back, arms and chest.
Big multi-joint motions like squats, deadlifts, and kettle bell swings are not the only piece to this puzzle; the other factor to a rock-star-body workout is to lift heavy. You don't want to lift heavier than you can handle, but start challenging those muscles (it's called working out because it's not supposed to be work). Test different weights to find the weight that will challenge your muscles, increasing the weights slowly until you find the weight that lets you get through a set of 12 to 15 reps, but only just.
When lifting weights, form is everything! Even lifting light weights improperly can result in injury. If you don't know proper form, you should head to the gym with a friend who actually knows what they're talking about, or shell out the cash for a good personal trainer to help you (at least to start).
