I Don’t Want to Get Too Big – Lean Fitness vs. Bulky

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One of the more common questions that experts get from would be body-builders runs like this: I want to get a lean, toned and sculpted body but am afraid to get into bodybuilding for fear that I will get too big and bulky like the guys you typically see at the gym or the WWE on TV. What do I do?

While the more common queries of this nature understandably come from women, there is no shortage of men who also ask this question. They just want to be toned and fit, and who could blame them. Bodybuilding has seen some bad publicity due to drugs, steroids and brawling becoming part of the equation that does the entire profession no good- in fact, portrays it in a negative light. Some of us have our own celebrity ideals that we try to emulate. Programs like the Belly Fit Diet, the Adonis Golden Ratio and Rusty Moore’s Visual Impact Bodybuilding for Men and Women have popularized the Get Fit concept and do not emphasize the bulky gains that are typically seen after spending hours at the gym.

Let me state categorically that most of the so called ‘natural’ bodybuilders that you see on TV or the super strong behemoths at the gyms are following a program that most definitely includes drugs, steroids, power protein shakes, using creatine supplements and a hundred other pills that guarantee that they continue making impressive and massive gains at their bodybuilding efforts.

But honestly, in my opinion, that is not the right way to go. These guys and gals are then adopting bodybuilding as a profession and a way of life. It is their bread and butter, not just a hobby or something they do to keep fit. Obviously the larger and better they look in competition or otherwise, the better their name is reflected in the body building journals, magazines and the social media. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, Joe Weider, Kevin Sorbo, Steve Reeves and Gold’s Gym all became household names due to advertising and publicity. ‘Pumping Iron’ and ‘Masters of the Universe’ may just be among the most watched films by aspiring or amateur bodybuilders because they define some well-regarded rules of the trade.

But in recent years, the tide has turned and since the majority of aspiring bodybuilders just want to get fit, get lean and toned, rather than turn into the Incredible Hulk or Superman on Steroids, the newer bodybuilding programs focus on fitness and developing a lean, toned body that is the envy of all at the beach.

It has been scientifically proved that an average human being, despite his or her best efforts, cannot put on more than 0.25 pounds of muscle per week, period. So all the fears of becoming too big or bulky are really unfounded, as they require fueling that is only accomplished by using drugs or steroids.

As for the body builders that appear too bulky to you, it’s really the fat to muscle ratio that is bulking them up. Those who train for a lean and fit appearance follow a diet and fitness regimen that does just that. You have to eat lean and work hard to burn fat, in order to get lean muscle and cut down your fat to muscle ratio, that’s all.

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