5 Ways to Build Lean Muscle Without Bulking Up

Women’s Fitness: How-To

If you just started strength training, you might be asking yourself, “How do I build lean muscle without bulking up?”

It’s common to feel concern about not bulking up when you start strength training, but muscle toning is essential for overall health and can help improve body composition. Fortunately, it is possible to build muscle without bulking up. Here are some ways to build muscle while maintaining a lean physique, backed by peer-reviewed studies.

1. Lift Heavy Weights

It turns out, lifting heavier weights can actually prevent you from bulking up.

The Journal of Applied Physiology found that lifting heavier weights resulted in greater muscle fiber activation and muscle growth compared to lifting lighter weights.

When more muscle fibers are activated, the more effective your workout both in the moment and overall when your body composition improves with continuous exercise. Think: burning more calories, deeper muscle activation for genuine strength, and better fat burning ability.

If you like to shake-up your fitness routine by incorporating outdoor exercise, you can opt for resistance bands for the same muscle fiber activating benefits—just go for a heavier resistance band!

Resistance bands are great for muscle toning and boosting blood flow in the deep inner layers of your muscle and studies have shown that they’re just as effective as weight training. Nonetheless, it just comes down to preference and emphasizing that heavier weights and heavier resistance bands are beneficial when it comes to building muscle.

Next time you hit the gym, don’t skimp out on the weights because you’re afraid you’ll bulk up! Over time, you’ll wish you would have dove in head first on this one to speed up your metabolic transformation.

2. Focus on High-Volume Training

What’s high-volume training, you ask? It’s when you do multiple sets and repetitions (think: 3 sets of 10 reps).

And the best benefit? High-volume training helps stimulate muscle growth without bulking up.

A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that performing 3 to 6 sets of exercises with 8-12 repetitions per set can effectively increase muscle size and strength.

Now, some of you may be thinking that increasing muscle size will mean that you puff up. Not true. You may initially puff up while your body adjusts to having more muscle, but ultimately more muscle means a healthier metabolism and you’ll be more efficient at burning off calories over time. If you feel like you have a lot of fat to burn, start slow and build your way up to avoid the bulk.

3. Incorporate Compound Exercises

Compound exercises activate multiple muscle groups all at once. Examples include squats, bench presses, deadlifts, and frog jumps to name a few.

By working multiple muscle groups at once, you stimulate muscle growth and help move out stagnant lymphatic fluid that may be causing you to look and feel a little bit puffy.

A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that compound exercises were more effective for building muscle compared to isolation exercises... so next time you hit the gym, try a few… even if it’s initially hard.

4. Consume Enough Protein

According to a study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, consuming at least 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day can help maximize muscle protein synthesis and promote muscle growth.

The myths of plant-based protein vs. animal-based proteins can be debated all day. Instead of following the latest ‘scientific’ trend, keep a food diary to help you pay attention to which protein source feels better for your body at this time.

Protein is essential for building and repairing muscle tissue, so consuming enough protein is crucial for muscle growth—so don’t sell yourself short because you want to follow the latest fad. After recovering from *the great sickness,* my body needed more red meat than ever before… and I felt a healthier noticeable difference.

Bottom line: our bodies change and require different types of proteins, amino acids, and nutrient dense building blocks based on our age, our underlying illnesses if we have any, and our activity levels. Plant-based was phenomenal for me in my 20s, and now that I’m in my 30s and recovering from a serious autoimmune issue I find that I need both plant-based proteins and meat to stay at my best.

5. Allow for Rest and Recovery

Ever felt exhausted after weight-lifting? That’s your body resetting itself and building stronger muscles!

When we workout, we can often feel sore because there’s a build-up of lactic acid in our muscles that also results in inflammation. Be sure to add in time to adequately stretch pre-and-post weight lifting, and while you’re at it, schedule time to rest.

The biggest fitness fiends talk about recovery day for a reason, and that’s because recovery is essential for improve muscle strength and preventing injuries along the way.

A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that adequate rest between training sessions can help optimize muscle growth and prevent overtraining. So what’s an adequate resting period? On average, 48-hours.

According to a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, it is recommended to allow at least 48 hours of rest for each muscle group after an intense weight lifting session.

This resting period gives your body time to repair and rebuild muscle tissue that has been broken down during exercise (bye-bye inflammation!).

Remember, recovery is just as important as the workout itself when it comes to building healthy, lean muscles. And recovery is not just limited to rest; it also extends to staying hydrated with electrolytes + essential minerals (hey, blk drops), consuming nourishing foods, and getting a blissfully deep sleep so your body can fully recover.

So, is it possible to build muscle without bulking up? Absolutely.

Lifting heavier weights, focusing on high-volume training, incorporating compound exercises, consuming enough protein, and allowing for rest and recovery are all effective strategies for building lean muscle mass. Unless you’ve had liposuction all over your body, you’re going to have a period of time where you are “changing” and may feel as if you’re bulking up. This is when your muscles are building and your metabolism is catching up to your improved normal. This should not last more than a few weeks (depending on age). Let yourself rest and improve during this build-up time and have fun with it—it shows that you’re healthy, human and alive!

 
 
Diya SenGuptaComment