I've seen quite a few beginners on here and other forums worried about getting huge muscles or bulky from training. They sometimes give it as a reason for why they prefer cardio over weights. So I thought I'd add my experience. Just over a year ago in June last year I started training again in ernest and addressed a poor diet. I train every other day on a mix of compound and isolation exercises. It certainly hasn't taken over my life and become an obsession so I don't consider myself a real gym rat. But I do try to avoid missing sessions and gradually increase weight.
What I have found is that my while my body has got a lot stronger, certainly firmer, with a much better shape, it has actually got smaller, or should I say more compact and efficient. Yes my chest has got a little larger and my shoulders are certainly a little broader. Finding well fitting clothes is a little trickier mainly because of my shoulder to waist ratio. But surprisingly many of the clothes I used to wear are noticably baggy on me as the excess fat has disappeared.
Over many years this may change slightly (any opinions from the more experienced here?) and anyone using steroid based supplements may of course bulk up. But for the beginners worried about packing on too much bulk overnight, this really doesn't happen (or at least hasn't happened to me). By all means choose the cardio route instead (or preferably as well). But it really isn't a reason to avoid resistance training.
What I have found is that my while my body has got a lot stronger, certainly firmer, with a much better shape, it has actually got smaller, or should I say more compact and efficient. Yes my chest has got a little larger and my shoulders are certainly a little broader. Finding well fitting clothes is a little trickier mainly because of my shoulder to waist ratio. But surprisingly many of the clothes I used to wear are noticably baggy on me as the excess fat has disappeared.
Over many years this may change slightly (any opinions from the more experienced here?) and anyone using steroid based supplements may of course bulk up. But for the beginners worried about packing on too much bulk overnight, this really doesn't happen (or at least hasn't happened to me). By all means choose the cardio route instead (or preferably as well). But it really isn't a reason to avoid resistance training.