Increasing strength but not size

curvykatie

Hi Guys,

I have no strength in my arms what-so-ever!! This is an area i would like to work on but i don't want my arms to bulk up anymore as i have quite broad shoulders from when i used to swim so i want to minimise the size if possible.

Any ideas/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks
Katie
xx

liftingbro

Well, the problem you have is that you are not likely to increase strength without lifting heavy enough weights to also cause hypertrophy.

You are female, so it''s highly unlikely you'll gain too much muscle lifting weights.

oaker

It depends on what you mean by bulk. If you lift heavy (that being relative to your strength) and eat a calorie deficit, you should add strength and reduce body fat. This should reduce the fat on your arms and your whole body. Since its sounds like you have never strength trained with weights, you should have some gains even on a calorie deficit.

curvykatie

Thanks guys, my other issue is that i dont have access to a gym so i will only be able to do training with my own body weight, I do however have a 5kg kettlebell and dumbells in 1kg, 1.5kg, 2.5kg and 5kg weights.

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

Don't worry about bulking up. Us girls lack the necessary amounts of testosterone to build big muscles. I've been lifting heavy weights for quite sometime now & my body leans more on the muscular side but I never bulked up like a man, I only gained strength. And even men are having hard time to bulk-up. It takes years of training plus a strict diet.

jhardenbergh

I am not an expert by any means but I have seen several post on this very topic. Their reply is usually something like, you will not build bulk by lifting heavy weights unless you are eating at a calorie surplus, my biceps have gone down in size by about 4 inches, yet I am a whole lot stronger and my arms are way more defined and I am still losing weight. I hope this helps. Don't be afraid to experiment with it. Find what works for you.

addisondisease

Strong is the new skinny, stop being weak!

For your routine check out:
Book - Convict Conditioning
Youtube - Body Rock TV

That will get you started