{"id":16316,"date":"2019-04-01T01:00:07","date_gmt":"2019-03-31T21:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rachaelattard.com\/?p=16316"},"modified":"2023-07-11T14:36:46","modified_gmt":"2023-07-11T10:36:46","slug":"muscle-toning-vs-bulking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rachaelattard.com\/muscle-toning-vs-bulking\/","title":{"rendered":"Muscle Toning vs Bulking: How to Know the Difference"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Everybody always talks about getting toned, but what does it really mean? How can you tell the difference between muscle tone and bulk, and what are the different types of workouts that will get you toned without looking bulky? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this blog post, I\u2019ll explain the difference between getting toned and getting bulky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHAT IS TONING? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Being toned and \u201ctoning up\u201d up your body are very common fitness goals. But there\u2019s no proper definition for it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My idea of being toned can be quite different from yours. Your friend may think she looks too muscular and bulky but you may think she looks amazing and toned. That\u2019s totally ok, but it can cause confusion!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I\u2019ll try to give you a general explanation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Usually, when people say they want toned body they mean they want a lean, slim body. Victoria\u2019s Secret models, ballet dancers, and aerobics instructors often have this look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you say you want to tone up, you probably mean you want to look leaner with some nice muscle definition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what about bulking?<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"muscle<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

WHAT IS BULKING? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In my experience, men are much more likely to want to bulk up, while usually women want to tone up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just like with toning, there is no real definition for bulking, but it always means increasing one\u2019s muscle mass in some form. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For some people, bulking also requires lowering body fat, but it doesn\u2019t have to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you think about bulking up, you can picture rugby players and bodybuilders. They\u2019re big, they\u2019re strong, and they are usually male. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For most women that I have come across, bulky is defined as having too much muscle<\/em> for their liking, particularly in the shoulders and legs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, some women want to get bigger, and that\u2019s fine! It\u2019s just a matter of personal preference and no one should be judged for the way they want to look!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same goes for women that prefer a slimmer, more feminine look. If they want to be leaner, they shouldn\u2019t be pressured to build more muscle than they would like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important that we\u2019re all happy and that we feel confident in our bodies :)<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
BEFORE AND AFTER PIC OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBER<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGET THIS PROGRAM<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n

I WANT TO BE TONED, NOT BULKY. WHAT SHOULD I DO? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When I first got into fitness, I also wanted to get toned but I wasn\u2019t sure exactly how to do it. I was doing mostly cardio in the beginning and didn\u2019t really have a resistance training routine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You see, cardio is great for reducing overall body fat<\/a> and for keeping you slim but it doesn\u2019t build enough muscle for you to get toned. If you want to get toned, you need to build some muscle and you cannot build muscle if you avoid resistance training. Resistance training also helps to reduce body fat so it\u2019s a win win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I realized this, I started doing weights as my resistance training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first I was super happy about my results. I was still slim and I finally got toned (with proper abs too). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as I started lifting heavier and heavier, my legs became too muscular and my back became too broad for my own liking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At that time I didn\u2019t know my body type and I didn\u2019t realize that lifting heavy and doing a high number of reps would make me bulky instead of lean. But now I know exactly how to achieve my fitness goals and get lean and toned<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what I suggest you do if your fitness goals are similar.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"muscle<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

FIGURE OUT YOUR BODY TYPE <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Your body type is going to be the basis of how you should exercise and how you should eat. Understanding my body type was so important for getting the body I had been working so hard to get! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are three different body types. Each one is going to respond to training differently. For example, mesomorphs (my body type!) naturally have an easier time building muscle than ectomorphs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you train inappropriately for your body type, you can end up getting bulkier than you meant to (like I did!<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take my free quiz<\/a> to learn your body type and a little bit more about how to train and eat for your type!<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
WANT TO KNOW YOUR BODY TYPE?<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t