Why Lifting Weights Won't Make You "Bulky"
Habit of the Week #6 | Your Daily Habit Challenge: Lift weights 2-3 Times This Week
Let’s be honest — when you hear “lifting weights,” what’s the first thing you picture?
For most women, it’s not something flattering.
Bulky arms. Big shoulders. Crowded gyms. Loud grunting. Gym Bros everywhere
And most women want nothing to do with any of those, so you just stick with cardio (the treadmill, the bike, the classes that leaves you drenched) because that feels “safer.”
But the truth is, the fear of getting bulky is one of the biggest things keeping women from actually losing weight and achieving that tone, fit look they all want.
Because lifting weights isn’t what makes women big… it’s what makes them strong, lean, and confident.
Muscle takes up less space than fat.
(For reference, 1lb of muscle is about the size of a soft ball. where 1lb of fat is about the size of a basketball. both are still a pound but one just takes up way more space then the other.)
When you lift, your body doesn’t get bigger (it gets tighter, smaller, and more defined.)
The women you see who look toned and confident didn’t get that way from hours of cardio.
They built it through strength training.
And here’s the ironic part…
If lifting really made women bulky, every mom carrying kids, groceries, and laundry baskets would look like a powerlifter.
But that’s not what happens.
Women just don’t have the hormone profile to bulk up (but you do have the potential to build shape, energy, and self-trust.)
And when you stop saying “I don’t want to get bulky” and start saying “I want to look strong and capable,” you stop training out of fear and start training with purpose.
WHY YOU CAN’T “TONE” WITHOUT MUSCLE
“Toning” is one of the most misunderstood words in fitness.
What most women really mean when they say they want to “tone up” is this:
“I want to lose fat and have visible shape.”
Here’s what that takes:
Losing fat through nutrition that fits your lifestyle
Building muscle through strength training
You can’t have one without the other.
Without muscle, there’s nothing to define once the fat comes off.
That’s why lifting is the foundation of a lean, toned look — not the enemy of it.
THE “CARDIO QUEEN” TRAP
If you’ve ever felt like you’re working out constantly but not seeing results, this might sound familiar:
You do cardio most days of the week.
You leave the gym drenched.
You “earn” your meals — yet your body doesn’t change.
Here’s why:
Cardio burns calories, but it doesn’t tell your body what to burn.
Without resistance training, your body burns both fat and muscle.
That means every time you diet or overdo cardio, your metabolism gets a little slower and fat loss becomes harder the next time.
It’s not because you’re older.
It’s because your body doesn’t have enough muscle to sustain the changes you’re asking for.
That being said, you don’t have to choose between lifting and cardio.
The best results come from blending both — strength for shaping your body, cardio for supporting your heart and recovery.
Think of it like this:
Lifting builds your body.
Cardio supports your body.
You don’t have to give up your favorite classes or walks.
You just have to make lifting your foundation and the thing everything else supports.
And ounce you start prioritizing lifting weights, you’ll notice that you:
You stop worrying about the scale and start noticing what your body can do.
You walk taller, move easier, and feel stronger in daily life.
You stop punishing your body with workouts and start training it with purpose.
Strength training isn’t just about changing how you look — it’s about changing how you see yourself.
You go from, “I hope this works,” to, “I know I can handle this.”
And that confidence shows up everywhere (at work, at home, in your relationships, and in how you carry yourself.)
Tomorrow, we’ll take this one step further.
Now that you know why lifting matters, you’ll learn exactly how to do it right (the five simple fundamentals that make fat loss faster, easier, and more sustainable.)
No confusion. No complicated routines.
Just a clear plan that fits your life.
Much love,
Coach Anthony
Wanna work with me 1-on-1? Dm me the word “READY” below👇🏻