No, chica, you won't get 'bulky'

Men and women are, in fact different. Now it's not a good or bad thing that we're composed differently. But men are naturally stronger than women. Men and women have their own make up in terms of hormones. Testosterone and estrogen are two of the most well-known hormones in the human body. There are many others, but those are the two that we'll focus on.

Women do have testosterone in their bodies--just very low levels of it. Testosterone, while it has other purposes, is one of the elements that allows men to build such bulk, maintain higher percentages of muscle mass than women. Women have a little bit of testosterone, but not enough to 'bulk up'.

Too many times, I was asked by random people 'I really like working out in the gym, but I'm not seeing any results. What am I doing wrong?' I inquire about what it is they're doing--cardio. Everyone answers cardio in some form or another--running on the treadmill, using the stairclimber, or, most commonly, hitting the elliptical machine. 'Well, girlfriend, you gotta hit the iron a bit.' 'Well, I want to get thinner, not be bigger.' Every time, I hear that statement in my mind before it's said, and, every time, I stop whatever it is I'm doing, turn, look at them and ask them 'Am I bulky?' 'No! Not at all!' 'Well, I lift heavy EVERY time. EVERY single time, I lift heavy. I life heavy enough to fatigue my muscles in, preferably no more than 10 reps. If I can do more than that, I certainly do, but make note to up the weight next time.' No one EVER believes me with that statement so I continue with this point. Remember the goal isn't to see how many bicep curls you can do in 20 minutes before you fatigue. If you want to size up (men more drastically than women!!!!), use a weight that's going to finish the job in 8-10 reps (sometimes, even 6 reps). If you want to gain strength and not size, stick with a weight that will finish the job in no more than 15 reps (SOMEtimes 20 reps). If you're pumping out 50, 60, 90, 100 reps, go home, shower, call it a day. Come back the next day ready to work because the unfortunate reality is that you're pretty much wasting time. Experiment with new, heavier weights. See what you can do. If it's too heavy....Lighten it next time. But the goal isn't to compete for the highest number of reps with the least amount of effort. Don't be scared of heavier weights. See what 5 more pounds will do for you. I'll tell you what it won't do for you--it won't make you 'bulky'