I don’t understand this one.
Well, actually I do understand it. Which is why it’s such a hard perception to tackle. People want the bodies of the models they see on TV. Some guys want to be big, but just about all women who train want that elusive “tone” where muscles are long and smooth but not bulky. And so they try to get that by deliberately undershooting the goals they should be striving for.
And the perception that underlies this is the same as the one underlying the “not lifting heavy” fitness weightlifting mistake. People think that they’re going to get big and bulky by mistake.
Folks, it just ain’t gonna happen if you’re not taking a pharmacy worth of anabolic drugs.
Thinking you’re going to accidentally get big is really kind of insulting to every person who’s ever spent hours and hours in the gym, week after week and month after month and year after year, reading everything he can find, taking all of the supplements, and busting his rear. After all of that effort, very few natural trainees are happy with the way they look. Very few who want to get big think they’re “big enough.”
But you? YOU think you’re going to lift a few heavy things and get “too big” by accident.
Um… no.
That’s not how it works. Muscle is built slowly. The stronger you get, the more weight you can move with greater efficiency. Your body becomes more metabolically active, even while you’re at rest. You burn more calories. If you train and diet right, you lose fat and gain muscle. Slowly. At any point, you can turn back and do less. But you won’t, especially if you’re a woman. You’re bound to like the even the “biggest results” look most people’s maximum levels of exercise will allow.
Train hard. Train really hard. You’ll get your tone a lot faster than if you lift fives and barely break a sweat.