I Don't Want To Get Bulky or The Truth About Muscle Growth (Weight, Resistance, & St)

[Kara]

The refrain that I hear most - especially from women - who are pushing back against the idea of lifting weights is "But I don't want to get all bulky and muscle-y!"

My response: Lifting weights will not make anyone bulky unless they're prepared to put hours a day into it and possibly take drugs or supplements to boost muscle growth. Proper weight lifting will strengthen and develop muscles to give the fit look that so many people describe as "toned".

On the reverse side, of course, are the people (mostly men) who are all about packing on the muscle and want to know how much muscle they can put on by lifting.

For both groups, here is some data from two well respected experts in the field: Lyle McDonald and Alan Aragon. Note that for both of these sets of estimates, they are maximum figures based on the following:

• your genetic potential for muscle growth (everyone has a genetic body type)
• the amount of effort and time you put in
• the amount of proper nutrition (esp protein) and rest you get
• no drug, steroid, or other supplement use that affects muscle development.
• your gender (women will put on about 1/2 the amount that men will)
• your age (the younger you are, the easier it is to build muscle; the older you are, the harder it is)

With that in mind, here are the figures:

Lyle McDonald's Figures
1st year of training 20-25 pounds (2 pounds per month)
2nd year of training 10-12 pounds (1 pound per month)
3rd year of training 5-6 pounds (0.5 pound per month)
4th+ year of training 2-3 pounds (not worth calculating)

Alan Aragon's Figures
Beginner 1%-1.5% of total b/w per month
Intermediate .5%-1% of total b/w per month
Advanced .25%-.5% of total b/w per month

Either way, as you can see, the most gains are made during the first year, and after that it tapers off considerably. Also keep in mind again, that these figures are based on people who are training for MAXIMUM muscle growth. The average man or woman who is looking to get in shape, and who is putting in 30 mins or so 2x-3x a week is not going to reach these maximums.

So, that's the long way of saying that you're not going to "bulk up" or get "muscle-y" just by lifting weights properly.

[Article Source: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/mus...potential.html]