How to get Lean instead of Bulky as a Female

Let’s talk about the somewhat controversial topic of how to get lean instead of bulky as a female:

The topic of women getting bulky from lifting weights can get pretty heated. Many claim that lifting heavy is the fastest and best way to achieve your dream body. Others tend to stay away from lifting heavy because their dream body doesn’t involve adding body mass. Personally, I do believe that everyone’s body reacts different to different training methods, which would mean lifting heavy weights is not a one size fits all like some believe. Disclaimer – I am not here to say that lifting heavy weights is bad, because there is plenty of science to suggest otherwise.

Some body types tend to build bulk more easily than others when lifting weight. I know that first hand because I am one of those people. I started lifting pretty heavy after not doing much heavy weight training for some time in 2022. After about a year, I put on 10+ pounds, and my pants that once were once a loose trouser style appeared way too small and uncomfortable. My eating habits during that time were normal, not super strict but not too bad either. I felt I was just putting on A LOT of muscle. I felt inflamed and had lost muscle definition in my arms even though I had a lot of muscle, I just felt bulky. Deep down I knew the heavy lifting program just wasn’t for me and my goals.

My goals are typically maintenance or performance/running based. I like to maintain a healthy size (so I am not having to buy new clothes lol) and feel lean, energetic, coordinated and flexible. Lifting heavy made me feel heavy and stiff compared to other workouts.

So how did I get lean instead of bulky?

The best workout program I have found to help me achieve my goal body is Ashley Eckhoff’s classes. I have written a review on Ashley Eckhoff Fitness that goes into depth about her workout. Essentially she keeps your heart rate up the entire class and adds lots of core, arm, and booty moves specifically targeted to “model-like” aesthetic goals. It really works, below is a picture of me while being super consistent with her classes. Use code ALLIEM to get $20 off your first month of AEF.

 

 

 

 

 

To me her program works to lean you out so well for a number of reasons:

1. You heart rate stays in Zone 2 the entire class which is optimal for fat burning.
2. The ab work is very effective at giving you visible definition.
3. There is no progressive overload work that will “build” muscles in your arms and legs that could make you feel “bulky”.
4. While the classes are hard you will not feel super sore and drained so you can easily do a class most days of the week without feeling like your body is hanging on by a tread.
5. The workout does not have heart rate spiking points that will make you super fatigued and starving afterward like some HIIT workouts. We don’t want to increase our appetite from working out if your goal is aesthetics. I also typically have enough gas in the tank left that I can add on some extra cardio before or after.

Not all weight lifting is going to lead to hypertrophy/muscle mass gains if done with a goal in mind.

1. Low weight and high reps will increase your muscular endurance, leading to an increase in slow twitch muscles (think long distance runner body).
2. Heavy weight and low reps (think 1-3) with lots of rest will increase your strength without the muscle size.
3. Know you body. Some women never bulk, that’s great. Some of you will. I assume if you are reading this then you fall into the “puts on muscle easy” boat.

This post is all about how to get lean instead of bulky when woking out as a female.