How To Get Lean And Toned Not Bulky: The Female Guide

Have you been asking yourself how to get lean and toned, not bulky?

If so, you’ve come to the right place!

Before we get into the details, let me just say that there is nothing wrong with women who are muscular – if that is their preference! Everybody has different goals and different preferences on how they want to look and how they like to train. Some women want to gain as much muscle as possible, whereas some do not.

This blog post is for the women (like myself) who ended up getting bulky when their goal was to get lean and slim down. It is for the women whose legs got bigger but not more toned. For the women who were consistently told that they can not get too muscular and their fears were irrational, even when they couldn’t fit in their tops and jeans anymore.

This topic seems to be taboo in the fitness world, and nobody really speaks about it. But not me :) In this blog post I’ll cover how to get lean and toned not bulky, and my best weight lifting tips for women who want this lean aesthetic. 

”WHY AM I BULKING UP INSTEAD OF SLIMMING DOWN?”

OK, so I get this question a LOT. And it’s important to understand why so you can avoid it in the future and change your exercise strategy. 

I was actually in this same situation many years ago, so I can speak from my own experience.

When I started going to the gym in my early 20s, my goal was simple – reduce body fat and get toned.

So, in the beginning, I was mainly focusing on cardio, and I skipped resistance training. Cardio helped me slim down and reduce body fat but it didn’t help me get toned. I actually ended up looking skinny fat.

And when I asked for advice, I was told I should forget about cardio and try heavy weights. I saw a lot of girls doing it, and everybody kept telling me it was the right way to go, so I kind of went for it.

At first, I was really happy and excited about my progress! I was getting stronger and toned, and I even had abs. But, I kept getting bigger and bigger. And after a certain point, I wasn’t really happy with how big I’d grown. My back became too broad and I felt like my thighs were really muscular. I just started feeling like my body was too bulky.

I was constantly asking myself, why am I getting bigger instead of slimming down?

And why do some girls seem to be getting smaller from lifting heavy and I was just getting bigger?

The more I lifted the bigger I got.

I talked to different personal trainers at my gym, and they all told me the same thing – women cannot bulk up, they don’t have enough testosterone.

But that’s simply not true!

WOMEN CAN, IN FACT, GET TOO BULKY (FOR THEIR OWN LIKING)

To be honest, I’m so tired of hearing that women can’t get bulky. If a woman thinks that she has too much muscle and has a bulky body, then who is anyone to tell her that she is wrong? Bulky is a personal opinion and preference. 

The perception of a ”bulky body” is much different for men and women.

It may be nothing compared to the 6-pack bodybuilder next to you in the gym, but it can be too much for a woman’s liking.

The point is, this should be completely up to you and your fitness goals.

And as much I support girls wanting to gain significant muscle, I prefer a lean look with some muscle but still a slim frame. And I don’t like much muscle on my legs. This is my own personal preference. 

When I realized my body had changed in a way I didn’t like, I decided to make a change. After researching and experimenting with different training styles, I finally discovered what was causing me to get a bulky body:

I was doing the WRONG type of resistance training for my goals.

If you are also getting bigger but not toned, you’re probably making the same mistakes. So I’m going to share the best and worst exercises on how to get lean and toned not bulky.

HOW TO GET LEAN AND TONED NOT BULKY IN 4 EASY STEPS 

There are 4 simple steps you should follow if you want to get toned without getting too muscular.

1. DON’T SKIP RESISTANCE TRAINING – Here’s How To Do It

I know some of you may be tempted to just skip resistance training in fear of getting too muscular (been there, done that), but I promise you, there’s a way to do it without bulking up. Not all resistance training will make you bulky. 

To get lean and toned, not bulky, you NEED to do resistance training. Muscle is what gives a toned look ,and cardio alone won’t build it.

Even if you do tons of cardio and manage to slim down, you won’t get nice muscle definition (i.e. a toned look) if you skip resistance training completely. 

Plus, gaining muscle actually helps you LOSE fat. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat, which means they burn more calories throughout the day.

So, if you have more muscle, you’ll burn more calories than someone who has less muscle.

The key is doing the right type of resistance training to help you gain muscle, increase your metabolism, and get lean and toned not bulky. I’ve got the answers for you so keep reading lovelies :) 

THE BEST WORKOUT FOR A LEAN BODY

There are some exercises that build muscle in a way that makes you look more muscular and others which don’t.

The type of exercises that will tone muscle without bulking up include:

• • Pilates style workouts – This includes things like regular pilates, reformer pilates and lighter, slower resistance workouts 

• • Boxing – Amazing for toning up your arms without increasing their size, and also a great cardio workout

• • Swimming – Also great for toning up your arms. I know professional swimmers have very broad shoulders, but they train ridiculously hard (i.e. 6 hours per day). Swimming a couple of times per week will not have this effect on you

• • Resistance training – You can do resistance training without getting bulky. You just need to do certain types of exercises and use lighter weights and high reps. These are the types of exercises in my Femme Nativa Programs.  

If you’re not sure about my programs, we have a free Lean Legs Challenge in the Femme Nativa app.

You can also test out the first workout of our Lean Legs 2 Program for free here!

Or you can try our free workouts like this inner and outer thigh workout that we post on our blog and on Instagram.

RELATED POST: WHY WOMEN SHOULD NOT TRAIN LIKE MEN

2. HOW TO AVOID CERTAIN TYPES OF EXERCISES IF YOU WANT TO GET LEAN MUSCLE

In my experience, these are the types of exercises that contribute to the bulky look. Don’t get me wrong – they are all great exercises for your body. But if you want a leaner look (especially in your legs), it might be best to avoid them.

• • Heavy weight lifting – For me, chin-ups made my back very broad, and squats, lunges and deadlifts made my legs too muscular. I would avoid these and any really heavy lifting or where you are lifting to failure

• • HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) – Overdoing it on lower body HIIT exercises can make your legs too muscular (depending on your body type), and lots of women have complained to me about this happening to them. I have some HIIT workouts on my blog that won’t make you bulky. Have a look at these for some ways to incorporate HIIT into your workouts:
    • • Full Body HIIT That Won’t Add Bulk
    • • HIIT Ab Workout
    • • No Jumping at Home HIIT Workout

• • CrossFit – While I actually loved CrossFit, I just ended up looking too muscular. If you are an ectomorph (the naturally thin body type), you can most likely do CrossFit, and any of these exercises without getting too bulky, but the other body types might not be able to do them

• • Step machine – This will build muscle in your quads at the front of your legs, which most women don’t like

• • Hill sprints – These types of sprints can contribute to bulky legs. This is how I like to do my sprinting to avoid bulking up.

If you really like lifting weights, but still want to be lean and not grow too much muscle, I have another blog post on how to do weights without getting bulky. Have a look at that if you want some extra info :)

My Personal Experience

As I mentioned, I can speak from personal experience. I used to lift really heavy and do CrossFit, and whilst I was strong, I was too muscular for my liking and didn’t feel confident. I didn’t take many pictures of myself at that time. But this is what I looked like when I was lifting heavy weights vs. when I’m doing lighter resistance training.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Women’s Health and Fitness (@rachael_attard)

 

 

 

To be frank, I actually enjoyed this style of training. I just didn’t like the changes in my body. My legs had increased in size significantly and I could no longer fit into my jeans and crop tops!

And that is why I prefer the lighter form of resistance training I do today. 

RELATED POST: HOW TO SLIM MUSCULAR THIGHS

3. LEARN YOUR BODY TYPE SO YOU CAN ADJUST YOUR WORKOUTS & DIET ACCORDINGLY

 

I have briefly talked mentioned body types already in this article, and I talk about body types a lot on my blog. Knowing your body type is VERY important when you’re deciding on your fitness goals. And it’s even more important when you’re planning how to achieve your goals.

There are three main body types, and two of those can become bulky very easily! They all lose weight and build muscle differently, so it’s super important to know how to train for your body type. This is a key piece of the puzzle in how to get lean and toned not bulky.

ECTOMORPHS

If you are an ectomorph body type, like Karlie Kloss, you are most likely naturally very slim, and you don’t build muscle very easily. So, workouts – like squats and HIIT – are not very likely to bulk you up.

You should do cardio to stay lean and incorporate resistance training in order to get toned and avoid the skinny fat look.

MESOMORPHS

Mesomorphs, like Jessica Biel, are usually of average size, and they lose and gain weight quite quickly. They can also build muscle easily.

So, if you are a mesomorph, and you want to get toned without becoming too muscular, you should do cardio to reduce body fat and skip certain types of resistance training. I’m also a mesomorph body type, and as I mentioned, I tend to bulk up when I do CrossFit and heavy lifting. Focus on lighter styles of resistance training.

ENDOMORPHS

Endomorphs, like Jennifer Lopez, have a naturally curvier frame, and they can bulk up easily if they do the wrong type of resistance training.

For example, most endomorphs should do plenty of cardio and avoid HIIT and heavy weights if they want to achieve a leaner look.

It’s important that you exercise according to your body type so that you reach your goals. Find out your body type with my quiz so you don’t make any mistakes in your workout routine!

4. DON’T FORGET ABOUT CARDIO TO GET LEAN

To keep a smaller frame, you should be incorporating cardio into your workout program. Running and walking is my go-to and am always slimmer when I do cardio.

Plus, they’re both great for leaning out your legs and losing weight. Low intensity cardio is what I do, such as walking at least 5 times per week. I have written a super detailed blog post about cardio and why it is so great for getting lean legs, so be sure to check that out below.

RELATED POST: HOW TO GET SKINNY LEGS – WHY YOU NEED CARDIO FOR FAT LOSS

FAQ: HOW TO GET LEAN AND TONED NOT BULKY – LEGS FOCUS

A lot of women ask me how to get lean and toned not bulky, especially in their legs. And what workouts you should do or avoid if you want lean legs. So I will answer these here :)

WILL MY LEGS GET BIGGER FROM CYCLING?

With cycling, it depends on your body type and how often you do it. If you’re not sure about your body type, you can take my free body type survey and find out quickly (it takes less than 2 minutes).

Ectomorph body types find it difficult to gain muscle, so they probably won’t get bulky from cycling.

If you are a mesomorph, it depends on your own preferences. You might find that doing 1-2 cycle classes per week is great and doesn’t make you bulky, or you might not like it. As for me personally as a mesomorph, I used to do 2 spin class per week and it didn’t bulk me up.

For the endomorph body types, it might be best that you avoid cycling if possible.

When you do incorporate cycling into your workout routine, just make sure you don’t overdo it and monitor your progress. If you notice your legs starting to bulk up in a way that you won’t like, I would stop and focus on walking.

WILL PUMP CLASSES BULK UP MY THIGHS?

Pump classes are likely fine for most women and body types. These classes are VERY high rep and usually pretty light-weight. Although they do usually have 2 songs dedicated to legs (focusing on squats and lunges). 

Again, I wouldn’t overdo it. 1-2 classes per week is great. 

IS DANCING GOING TO HELP ME GET LEAN LEGS?

Dancing is quite variable, so it depends on the type of dancing you’re doing.

I think most dancing should be fine. But again, I would just monitor it and see how your body responds. I love dancing, and if you love it, I would definitely do it!

BEST PROGRAM TO GET LEAN AND TONED, NOT BULKY

If you’re not sure about what workout routine would work best for you, you can check out one of my Femme Nativa programs! They are all tailored to your body type with the goal of getting you lean and toned not bul