2971: No, You Won't Get Bulky from Strength Training by Rachel Trotta on Tracking Food Intake

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[00:00:56] This is Optimal Health Daily. No, you won't get bulky from strength training. By Rachel Trotta of racheltrotta.com. And I'm Dr. Neil, your very own personal narrator. Welcome to a Thursday edition of Optimal Health Daily. This is one of five podcasts where we read to you from blogs for free so that you don't have to read them yourself. Except on Fridays. That's where I answer your questions. Alright, let's get right to today's post as we optimize your life.

[00:01:26] No, you won't get bulky from strength training. By Rachel Trotta of racheltrotta.com. I feel that I shouldn't need to write another blog post about not getting bulky from strength training. Aren't we past this by now? But on the other hand, the dread of bulking up from lifting heavier weights continues to be a perennial fear for some of my newer female clients.

[00:01:49] So I think it warrants an occasional redo. My first disclaimer is that I am not making fun of my clients who want to stay long and lean. I get it actually. I am myself a petite person, both in height and in build. I am the quintessential toned person. So even though those phrases, long and lean and toned, are misused and misunderstood, I get the image that my clients are trying to describe. But I lift heavy, or at least heavier than average.

[00:02:17] So if you're worried that lifting heavy weights will make you pop out of your jeans or rip the shoulders off your favorite dress or shirt, please listen on and let your fears be settled. Here's the bottom line. Under regular circumstances, you can only bulk up within the spectrum of your genetic potential. I am small and toned because it is my genetic blueprint to either be small and overweight or small and toned. When I lift heavy weights, I just tone up. I don't get big.

[00:02:47] Getting huge is just not in my jeans. The amount of work and food and supplementation that I would have to put into my fitness in order to achieve large muscle gains would be far outside the scope I'm willing to invest. In other words, it's unlikely you will bulk up if you're already built small, unless you really, really tried. If you have a slim build, like you have smaller ankles, smaller wrists, a smaller neck, you will stay slim when you add weights to your routine.

[00:03:17] So, it's not about doing more cardio or doing higher reps with less weight. It's about who you already are. For example, celebrities like Chelsea Handler, Scarlett Johansson, and Kate Upton have been noted for their heavy weightlifting routine. Yet, they have tight, toned physiques. To think that a certain exercise will cause you to look like someone else is part of the problem with many magazines. When you get really fit, you will look like the best version of you, not someone else.

[00:03:46] For example, Gigi Hadid is popularizing boxing right now, but doesn't look like Ronda Rousey. Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams both play a powerful tennis game, and neither have a lifting routine, by the way. But they have extremely different body types. My point is that your genetics will play a huge role in your appearance, in terms of build and the appearance of your muscle size, a much bigger role than your workout.

[00:04:11] Your workout routine will, hopefully, increase your fitness and improve your aesthetics over time, but it won't transform you into someone else. However, here's what no one ever wants to hear. The tough truth. Want to know what makes you bulky? Overeating. Most mistake fat for out-of-control muscle gain. When you start an intense new exercise routine, it's easy to unconsciously overeat to keep up with the new energy demands you're putting on your body.

[00:04:41] The reality is that even high-intensity weightlifting only warrants an extra healthy snack per day. However, mentally, it can feel like you've earned an entire nacho plate because it's legs day, when really, an extra Siggy's yogurt would have done just fine to help replenish your energy. Also, it's true that when you start vigorously exercising, your muscles will grow in size. Especially at the beginning of a new weightlifting plan,

[00:05:07] your fat loss may not be at the same pace as your muscle gains. If you don't lose the fat that's on top of the muscle, you will get bigger. But it's not the muscle that you need to worry about. Contrary to what many magazines proclaim, exercise and muscle do not melt fat. Yes, muscle is more metabolically active than fat, but it's not magic. What does melt fat is a mindful, consistently healthy way of eating paired with regular exercise?

[00:05:36] Because this creates a caloric deficit that will cause your body to use its fat storage for energy. It takes patience, consistency, and diligence to create this energy balance. However, a fat diet, crazy intense exercise challenges, or a detox will not create the lasting results that you want. So, if your genes aren't buttoning, do this before you quit your new weightlifting routine. One, calculate your basal metabolic rate,

[00:06:05] which is often abbreviated BMR. You can use the Harris-Benedict equation. Stick with me, this is a long formula, but it's simple math. Your basal metabolic rate is equal to 655.1 plus the product of 4.35 times your body weight in pounds. Then you add that to the product of 4.7 times your height in inches. And then you subtract that

[00:06:34] from the product of 4.7 times your age in years. Then, you multiply the number you got from that formula by 1.55 if you work out 3-5 times per week. Or, if you don't work out at all, multiply the number you got in the previous step by 1.2. If you work out a little, you can multiply that number by 1.375 instead. Or, by 1.725

[00:07:03] if you work out at the level of a professional athlete. All of that math will give you one number and it should be in the thousands. That equals your basal metabolic rate or an estimate of how many calories you burn in a day. Next, download MyFitnessPal and track your food diligently for a week. Use the number that you got from the calculations that just mentioned as your calorie goal. After a week of diligent tracking, see where you stand.

[00:07:32] If you discovered that you normally overeat quite a bit, all you need to do is keep yourself at your personal calorie goal and you'll probably lose weight. Tracking your food can teach you a great deal about the way you eat and what your personal pitfalls are. If you want to lose weight, subtract between 250 and 500 calories from the original calorie goal and that's your deficit. Your body will use its own fat storage to make up the difference until you level out at your new weight

[00:08:01] and your metabolism will reach a new equilibrium at a new weight. However, the most important thing to remember is to only measure your progress against yourself and against your own goals and to put your health first, not to compare yourself to others. We're all different. Our genetics, our routines, our priorities, these make us who we are with unique individual blueprints. These differences allow some of us to have visible abs but cellulite on our thighs and others

[00:08:30] to have the legs of a god or goddess but a muffin top. I would have my head in the sand if I proclaimed that exercise should only be for cardiovascular health, strength, and endurance. Of course, we want to look better too. Aesthetics is a huge motivator but looking better starts with feeling better and thinking better and it's important that you have your mindset right before you start working on physique goals.

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[00:10:55] I like that Rachel mentioned calculating your basal metabolic rate or BMR and then tracking your calories in and out using something like MyFitnessPal. Now, another free app that's helpful for tracking your activity specifically is something called MapMyFitness. My students like it and it's user-friendly. Now, when it comes to tracking your food intake, again, you could use MyFitnessPal. There's another free app though called Chronometer spelled C-R-O-N-O-M-E-T-E-R Chronometer.

[00:11:25] It's also user-friendly and it's specifically recommended by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and again, it's free. I have my students use this one too to help track their food intake for assignments. Now, I have to admit in the beginning my students aren't thrilled about having to do all of this tracking. I promise this isn't meant to be a humble brag but by the end and after they've reflected on all of their behaviors they tell me that this is one of the most helpful assignments they've ever had. It's truly an eye-opening experience to track

[00:11:54] your physical activity levels each day and your food intake and see how do they compare. I remember having to do this as a student and it completely changed how I thought about my food intake and my activity levels. Just try it once. Track your food intake and at the same time how often and for how long you participate in physical activity and do this for just three days. You don't even have to do it for a full seven and I promise it will change your outlook. All right, that wraps up today's episode. Thank you for listening.

[00:12:24] Thank you for being a subscriber to the show. I hope you have a great rest of your day and I'll see you back here tomorrow for another Q&A episode and where your optimal life awaits.