Training Won’t Make You Bulky

Strength training won't make you bulky. Unless you want it to.

Building muscle is hard work. By hard I mean one of the hardest things you may ever do. There's also a genetic component. Some people gain muscle mass a little more easily than others, but you're in no way going to get bulky without intentional, sustained effort.

Here's what it actually takes.

Lift heavy, often, and with purpose

To build significant muscle mass, you'd need to lift heavy weights 4-5 days a week—and we're not talking about bicep curls. We're talking about heavy compound movements that challenge your entire system: squats, deadlifts, presses, and carries.

Our training program focuses on building overall fitness, not just muscles. It’s designed to make you stronger, more capable, and more resilient—without requiring the volume of work needed to add bulk.

If your training includes variety—strength work, conditioning, mobility, and skill development—you're building a well-rounded foundation. That's not the formula for getting bulky.

Eat way more than you think

Muscles need fuel to grow. A lot of it.

To gain significant size, you'd need to eat in a caloric surplus—consuming more calories than you burn—consistently, over months and years. And it's not just about eating more. You'd need to eat clean calories: plenty of protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates, all carefully tracked.

Most people eating to support their activity level and maintain a healthy body composition simply won't have the excess calories muscles need to grow larger.

Eating enough to get bulky is often just as challenging as the training itself.

My experience

When I first started strength training, I lost weight. Since then, I've added some muscle but not a lot. At 6'4" and 200 lbs, with genetics working against me, I’ve put on about 7 lbs of muscle, and on my tall frame, that’s barely noticeable.

Big muscles don’t just happen.

Your perspective might shift

Here's something I've noticed after years of coaching: even the people who are most adamant about not wanting to get bulky often change their tune after a few months of training.

Not because they suddenly want to be bulky—but because they start to appreciate what their strength represents.

Those hard-earned muscles become a source of pride. Not for how they look, but for what they mean: resilience, capability, progress. They become proof of the work they’ve done and the person they’re becoming.

They say, "I'm strong. And here's my proof."