Bulking? I want to get strong, not big...

vividii

I want to get strong, not big, before I shred. Is that still bulking?
Or What is the best way to do this?

McCloud33

Depends on what you mean by "big". If you "bulk" you will be eating at a calorie surplus and put on both some muscle and fat. But let me just say that as a woman, you will not gain muscle quickly or start looking like a muscular man without wanting to. Most of the women who have this look strive very hard for their muscles and many of them take other "supplements". Look through this http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/35898155#Comment_35898155

Eat at maintenance or slightly above and more than likely you'll like the results that you get if you get into a structured weightlifting program too.

LolBroScience

You're not going to accidentally get big. Your training will benefit more from being in a surplus.

msf74

I wouldn't really classify that as bulking which usually meant to denote hypertrophy - the growth and increase of muscle cell size - and specifically sacroplasmic hypertrophy. This entails (usually) eating at a calorie surplus and a hypertrophy resistance training programme with progressive overload.

You are looking to get stronger by principally targeting neuromuscular adaptation. This does not necessarily require a calorie surplus but does usually entails a resistance training programme with progressive overload but less volume, lower reps but higher weight - a classic example being the 5x5 routine so en vogue these days.

vividii

Great! Thanks everyone.

usmcmp

You could just set your goal to maintain weight while following a strength program. A bulk is usually done by people trying to add muscle size.

jessef593

Trust me not even the most genetically gifted men wake up going from scrawny to shredded. It takes years of work.