I got an email from a reader asking if they’d “bulk up” on one of my programs that I have in my ebook “The Ideal Body Fat Loss Guide.” I know, the name says it all, but this reader is a female who does not want to bulk up.
Here’s the problem that I explain to many of my clients. When starting *any* program with resistance training, it’s very likely you initially get sore. When your muscles are sore, they need to repair and recuperate. Your body does a fine job of doing this, but during this time, extra fluid enters the muscle during this recuperation process. Extra fluid means – you guessed it, extra weight! (And this is temporary, of course.)
99% of the time, women see this as “bulking up” whenever they start resistance training. They explain that their pants fit tighter and that whenever they lift weights, they “easily” put on more muscle. Consequently, they stop resistance training and continue doing more “cardio.” -Ugh. Cardio for fatloss and fitness… haha. I’ll save that for another post. 
Okay, enough of this erroneous thinking. Here’s an explanation:
1. Your muscles retain more fluid when they are sore.
2. The rate that you do build muscle could be initially faster than your rate of fat loss.
3. You’re working out, yet you remain eating the same as you did before (i.e. eating excess).
4. You really don’t know how much you’re eating because you’re only “guestimating” how many calories you’re actually consuming.
5. Bulking up is largely dependent on calorie intake.
In my 17 years of training, I’ve heard from many women that they bulk up easy and don’t wish to lift weights. However, none have come up to me with a nutrition log or tape measure to “prove” it.
So please, let go of the “if I lift weights I’ll get too big mentality.”
Here are some additional links:
http://exercise.about.com/od/exerciseworkouts/ss/strengthmyths_5.htm
http://colormefit.paradygma.com/archives/fitter-or-bulky
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