As long as I have been in the fitness biz women have been nervous about building bulk if they lift heavy weights or do specific exercises like squats and lunges. In short the answer to the question “Will I get bulky?” is “no” because women don’t have testosterone but it is possible to experience clothing feeling tighter in the initial stages of exercising. There are a few reasons this might happen. First of all, muscles contain fat, water, and blood which take up volume. The fat within the muscle is the intramuscular fat and the fat over the muscle and under the skin is the subcutaneous fat. It takes about 30 to 60 days of rigorous exercise and a reduction of calories to actually decrease the fat that the body stores in both of these areas. If you are putting the proper amount of demand on the muscles, they will respond initially by storing water and taking on a rounder appearance. This is temporary. Muscles are not flat. If this is happening to you, do not panic. This is the mistake that prevents many women from working out with fairly heavy weights or doing more complex exercises which involve the hips and thighs, therefore sabotaging their efforts in the first place. Bulkiness is caused by fat in the muscle. Over time, with consistent effort and adherence to good eating habits, it is these very exercises that will cause the muscle to burn both types of fat. In the long run, the lean muscle will be more compact. Don’t be fooled into thinking that high repetition, low weight exercises will result in leaner, well-toned muscles with more definition. Taking the easy way out won’t get you the results you need to boost your metabolism which is your fat-burning mechanism. Think long-term! Fitness is a way of life and diligence will pay off in so many ways.

While we’re on the subject, we are all limited by our genetics. Shorter muscle bodies on shorter-limbed people are going to appear thicker than the long muscle bodies that often grace longer limbs. But remember that lean muscles are denser and take up less space. Consider the alternative…..weak, flabby muscles which weigh less but look larger! Embrace what you have and get to your personal best!