Your Muscles: How to Build Strength, Not Size

I’ve spoken with many women who want to gain strength and agility through weight training, but don’t want to end up like the female version of the hulk! There are a number of theories on how to accomplish this. This post will help put the questions and rumors to rest. The following is a list of principles that you can follow to get strong and avoid unattractive bulk. These principles of fitness work for both men and women.

Reduce your calorie intake.

Building more muscle physically demands a surplus in calorie intake, which gives your body the nutrients it needs to build the extra tissue. No caloric surplus, no extra muscle gain, no matter what you do in your workouts. It’s really that simple.

As you’re watching your calories, however, you need to be sure to take in enough to maintain your healthy body weight. If you want to lower your weight, simply reduce your calories a bit and allow your body to assimilate some of your body fat as an energy source. There are more accurate (and complicated) ways to estimate how many calories you need, but this should give you a decent idea:

For sedentary people: Weight x 14 = estimated cal/day

For moderately active people: Weight x 17 = estimated cal/day

For active people: Weight x 20 = estimated cal/day

Decrease your Rep Range

To build strength, focus on the lower rep range (5-7 reps/set), while lifting as much weight as you can. This will allow you to gain the maximum amount of strength without experiencing hypertrophy, which stimulates muscle growth (8-12 rep range causes this).

If you’re training to be an olympic distance swimmer, you should swim long distances in practice. Similarly, if you want to gain strength, you should lift as much weight as you can.

Limit Cardio and Training Volume

To get maximum strength gains, be sure to limit your cardio sessions to one or two 20-30 minute sessions per week, as many power lifters have a hard time gaining strength while engaging in too much cardio.

Don’t push yourself too far with your weight training, either. Many people are tempted to put out a few more reps if they can, rather than upping the weight. This really sets you up for overtraining and potentially painful and serious injuries.

Lift Smarter, Not Harder

So keep these principles in mind as you focus on gaining strength. For an added bonus, incorporate compound lifts that will utilize multiple muscle groups at once, such as teh clean and jerk, overhead snatch, and hang clean.

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About the Author

Steve Underwood is a fitness expert, specializing in a healthy lifestyle based upon sound principles. Get a free Newsletter with more info, workouts, diet tips, and recipes.

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