One of the biggest mistakes women make when trying to build muscle is they think it will make them “bulky”. This is 100% false. I know because I have been there.
Physiologically, it is not possible to get bulky due to a woman’s genetic makeup. Women do not have the same amount of muscle building hormones as men.
Testosterone and human growth hormone are two major hormones that are responsible for muscle growth. Studies have shown that women do not have as much testosterone as men. In fact, men can have up to 25-30x more testosterone than women (1,2).
Women who look like the hulk walking around the gym either take many different supplements, muscle enhancement hormones in order to increase muscle growth, or they have been lifting for a VERY LONG time to look this way.
What will make you bulky, is your nutrition and I’m going to explain to you why this happens.
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When you START lifting weights, your appetite increases. Your body needs surplus of calories to gain lean muscle tissue however, many women do not fuel their body with the right foods.
Consuming the right amount of carbohydrates, fats, and protein is essential and should come from whole foods sources.
Unfortunately, when individuals have an increase in appetite, they are more likely to reach for unhealthy food and/or they overestimate the number of calories they are eating.
Therefore, you may be gaining muscle tissue, but you are also gaining fat tissue as well. This is what leads to the “bulkiness” factor.
It took me a long time to figure out how exactly to gain lean muscle mass with the least amount of fat tissue possible. It definitely can be done, but it does require consistency.
Thus, I’m going to share 7 strategies that will guarantee an increase in lean muscle mass.
1) Resistance Training
Resistance training, AKA strength training or weight training.
This is number ONE for a reason! You have to incorporate resistance training into your workout regimen if you want to build muscle.
You must apply a “force” to your muscles that your body isn’t used to or else the muscle will not adapt to change and get stronger.
For example, if you are doing 5-pound bicep curls at the gym and you can do 20 reps easy, this will not be an effective strategy to build muscle.
Also, if you lift the 10-pound dumbbells for 4 months, your muscles will not continue to grow because you are not continually challenging them. I talk about this more in #2.
You have to lift enough weight so that it challenges your muscles. Your muscles will adapt to the increased demand by repairing and rebuilding your muscles stronger than they were before.
Simply, if it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.
Resistance training also has many other health benefits such as increased metabolic rate, increasing bone density, and decreasing the risk for injury (3,4).
Examples of resistance training include free weights, weight machines, CrossFit, and resistance bands.
2) Progressive Overload
Progressive overload simply means “increasing the difficulty of an exercise over time”. This concept is also essential if you are trying to build muscle (5,6).
If you do not increase the load on your muscles over time, your body will get used to the current weight you are using, and your muscles will not continue to grow.
For example, say you were struggling to perform a 15-pound dumbbell curl 3 weeks ago. But, today you notice it’s a piece of cake.
Well, first of all, that is awesome! This is physical proof that your muscles are having to work harder and are getting stronger as a result.
However, to continue building muscle, you need to either increase the weight, sets/reps, volume, and/or rest time.
With this being said, I’ll briefly explain how do achieve progressive overload. Start by choosing one of these listed below.
Increasing the weight: Probably the most simple and effective tactic.
Increasing sets and reps: This is great for beginners. This not only can increase strength, but also endurance.
Increase the volume: Simply, increasing the number of exercises you do in a session. For example, 3 exercises vs 4. This creates a longer volume or duration of your workout.
Decreasing your rest time: this is great for allowing your muscles to become more efficient and increase muscle endurance
3) You Should Be In A Calorie Surplus
In other words, in order to gain muscle, you must consume more calories than you burn.
Another mistake that women make when trying to gain lean muscle mass is remaining in a calorie deficit.
Muscle gain can still occur while in a calorie deficit however, it is a heck of a lot harder. And, if you are working hard in the gym to gain muscle, you want to get the most possible benefit out of your workout.
It is extremely hard to see results this way and will take about 5x longer to achieve the results you want.
Therefore, you must be in a calorie surplus. Don’t let this scare you. This statement always used to scare me, but I learned the hard way and it ended up taking me longer to get the results I wanted.
Scientifically, if you are gaining overall body tissue (muscle tissue in this case), your metabolism is going to increase, and you are going to need extra calories to support this.
To be in a calorie surplus, make sure to consume complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, and good fats. These are called “whole foods”. These foods are not processed before they are consumed, so the vitamins and minerals remain.
Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is how many calories you burn throughout the day and this can vary based on many factors. These may include age, weight, gender, and activity level.
If you’re curious as to what your calorie surplus should be, I have found that bodybuilding has a good calorie calculator. Find this HERE.
You can choose either weight loss, maintenance, or muscle gainz. In this case, you want to choose muscle gainz in order to be in a calorie surplus.
Ideally, you want to gain about 3-4lbs a month, which is a good starting point. This ensures that you are gaining more lean muscle tissue and the least amount of fat tissue possible.
4) Proper Recovery
What you do after your workout is crucial.
To maximize lean muscle tissue gain, you need to have a fast-digesting protein and carbohydrate source within 30 minutes after your workout.
When you work out, you are creating small micro-tears in the muscle. Thus, you need to have a protein source to start repairing your muscles instantly.
Additionally, when you work out, you are depleting the muscle’s glycogen, which is what the muscles use for energy. You need to have a fast-digesting carbohydrate in order to refill the muscle’s glycogen.
Think of it as refilling your gas tank in your car. Just like your car won’t drive without gas, your muscles won’t work without glycogen.
If you do not consume within 30 minutes of your workout, your body will start to pull from other sources to repair your muscles and refill your muscle glycogen.
In some cases, it will start to breakdown the remaining muscle tissue. Sounds counterintuitive if it starts pulling from muscle in order to repair the muscles you’re trying to build it, right?!
Therefore, you must have a solid protein and carbohydrate source for proper recovery after resistance training and I cannot stress this enough.
You may be asking yourself…
Can’t I just eat gummy bears after my workout?
Or
Why can’t I just eat breakfast after my workout in order to get protein?
Well, these food sources are different. These foods are not broken down when you ingest them. So, your body has to break them down before it can use them and starting repairing, which can take a few hours.
This causes you to miss the 30-minute window for muscle repair. You need a fast-digesting protein and a simplified carbohydrate so your body can instantly start repairing your muscles and making them stronger.
Phormula 1 and Ignition, also known as the Post Workout Stack, a supplement that I take after every workout. I’ll explain why it is 100% worth it.
Phormula 1 is a rapid assimilation hydrolyzed protein isolate.
Hydrolyzed means it is already been broken down into smaller molecules so it can repair your muscles quicker than cheap proteins.
Isolate means it does not have carbs and fats that will slow down your digestion (a lot of proteins have 65% protein and the rest will be carbs and fat).
Ignition is a dexanhydrous glucose.
This means the carbohydrate is already broken down so your body doesn’t have to, so you are able to almost instantly shuttle glycogen back into the muscle.
Have you ever been sore 3 days after a leg workout?
Ignition helps speed up recovery and reduce soreness.
Therefore, together the post-workout stack helps your muscles recover and repair quicker so that you are able to get the most out of your workouts and will promote better lean muscle gains.
You can find the Post Workout Stack Here.
5) Proper Technique
Quality over quantity. Make sure that you have the correct form when performing weighted exercises.
Not only will this help prevent injury, but you will actually get improve strength gains.
You will have better outcomes with good form lifting the lighter weight, than having bad form lifting heavier weight.
Why?
Good technique will help isolate the muscle group you are trying to work.
If you have bad technique, this causes a lot more compensation, meaning your body will use other muscles in order to perform the movement, but not in a good way. It also puts more stress on your ligaments and tendons.
For example, if you see the guy in the gym doing 100-pound dumbbell curls, but he is swinging the weights and using his body to get the dumbbells up. This is not proper technique and is actually doing more harm than good.
Please, either correct him before he tears his biceps tendon or just choose to do the right thing and use the lighter weight.
6) Consistency
Just like anything in life, consistency is key if you want to be successful.
As for gaining lean muscle, you have to be consistent and patient. Muscles aren’t made in one day or in one week.
You have to be consistent with your workouts and continually be challenging your muscles in order to have the best outcomes.
I always recommend my clients to strength train at least 3x a week. Optimally, I would like them to strength train 3-5x a week.
Keep in mind you don’t have to do the same form of resistance training 5 times a week.
As if seeing strength gains isn’t’ motivation enough, make sure to switch up how you incorporate resistance training. This will keep your workouts fun and avoid burnout.
For example, lifting free weights one day and going to a body pump class 2x a week. Keep your body guessing and keep it interesting for you.
7) Sleep
Sleep is where the magic happens. Your body needs sleep in order to recover from the previous day. Furthermore, this is why sleep is so crucial for muscle recovery and to build maximal muscle strength.
Along with correct nutrition, your body produces its own muscle-building hormone while you sleep. This hormone is called human growth hormone (HGH). Another hormone that is responsible for muscle growth (8).
During REM sleep, blood flow to your muscle increases and tissue growth and repair occurs.
In fact, strength training itself can help you get a better night’s rest, fall asleep faster, have better quality sleep, and wake up less frequently throughout the night (9).
Therefore, try to shoot for about 7-9 hours of sleep while performing resistance training.
IMAGINE IF YOU…
Were still able to eat the foods you love and still see results…
Could spend less time in the gym, yet still, achieve your DREAM body…
Could lose weight and keep it off for a lifetime…
Felt less guilt and stress when eating delicious food…
Could lose the last 25, 15, or 5lbs…
WHAT I OFFER
Holistic Athletics is a 12-week transformation program that offers you guidance on both training and nutrition, as well as 12+ freebies to help you along the way.
Each client will have a customized nutrition and diet plan, and weekly coaching calls to help you reach your fitness goals fast and with 24/7 accountability.
My clients have a 100% success rate if they are willing to put 100% into this program.
You will receive goal-setting and mindset coaching to help you overcome your fear and gain massive body confidence!
You will get your own PERSONAL APP in order to track your workouts, with guided video instruction on how to perform each exercise.
In this program, you will receive in-depth coaching from me to ensure that you are actually learning sustainable methods and can transfer what you learn to everyday life.
As your coach, I am with you every step of the way. I’ll be there when it gets hard (because it will), but also be there to celebrate your success!
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