Why You Will Never Be “Bulky”

80% of adults do not meet the federal government’s recommendation for strength training.

According to the U.S. Health Department of Human Health and Services, adults should do muscle-strengthening activities for all major muscle groups at least two days per week to include the:

• Legs
• Hips
• Back
• Abdomen (core)
• Chest
• Shoulders
• Arms

For an example of a balanced workout program, check out what we do: Our Workouts.

Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that about 73.6% of U.S. adults (age 20+) are overweight or have obesity, and 40.3% meet the criteria for obesity (Source: CDC.gov)

The real concern isn’t getting bulky… it’s that most adults are overweight, under-muscled, and nowhere near strong enough to be healthy.

In this post, we’ll debunk the myth of “getting too bulky,” explain why muscle growth is far more difficult than most people think, and outline what you can actually do to build enough strength and muscle to stay healthy for life.

Building Muscle is Really Hard

Building muscle requires years of consistent, structured training with progressive overload.

For women, it’s even more challenging. Lower levels of testosterone and other anabolic hormones make the muscle-building process slower compared to men.

The truth is, most people don’t train hard enough to stimulate growth. They lift weights that feel comfortable, stop too far from failure, or skip workouts when life gets busy.

To build muscle, your body must experience progressive overload, gradually increasing the resistance, volume, or intensity over time so it’s forced to adapt.
In simpler terms: lift heavier, do more reps, and train close to failure.

Without this continual challenge, muscles have no reason to grow stronger or larger.

And outside the gym, adequate sleep and proper nutrition are essential for recovery and repair.

Getting bulky isn’t easy… it takes years of intentional effort, discipline, and consistency.

What Most Adults Should Focus On Instead

The truth is, you just need to do the basics consistently. If more adults focused on these fundamentals, we’d see stronger, leaner, and healthier people across the country:

• Strength train at least 3 times per week
• Longer duration cardio 2-3x/week
• Get adequate sleep (6-8 hours)
• Eat mostly whole, natural, unprocessed foods while minimizing refined carbs, added sugars, and alcohol

This is the same formula we employ in our program and what we teach our members to lower body fat, gain lean muscle, and feel confident and strong in their bodies.