Weekly Fitness Tips, Part 2

Will lifting weights make me bulky?
Short answer: No. It will develop your muscles & make you stronger, but you’re not going to grow a crazy amount of muscle by accident.

More nuanced answer: People think that just lifting weights will be enough to get them to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, when in reality, that’s just not realistic. Yes, Arnold did lift weights very frequently back in the day, with a lot of intensity. However, just because he used weight training to achieve his physique, doesn’t mean you will get that big. It takes years upon years of hard training, with strict adherence to a diet to develop that level of muscle. It’s like saying, “Yay! I’ve just passed my driving test, now I’m ready to be an F1 driver”. It’s too big of a leap, one that is not achievable in such of short time.

Whatever your goal is, keep in mind that it doesn't happen overnight. The athletes you may be thinking of that look “too big” or “too lean” are not representative of a realistic body or of what the average person could look like. Their job is to eat, sleep & train, that’s it! It takes years to build a lot of muscle. For the vast majority of people, gaining a bit of muscle and losing a bit of fat will reshape you and give you that “toned” appearance that many people want. Staying at an average/healthy body fat level (no visible Abs) will put a bit more size on your frame.
The only thing that would make you look more “bulky” is if you are already overweight and you gain A LOT of muscle. However, most people won’t do that, & it’s more the excess of body fat that makes people look bigger, rather than muscle. Even if you accidentally get muscular in certain unwanted areas, it’s as simple as not training that area as much; it won’t keep growing and may even shrink.