The Science on Why Muscle Doesn’t Make You Look Bulky (and the Lie We’ve All Been Told)

 

Hey hey, beautiful human! Today we’re calling out one of the biggest lies women have been told about fitness: that building muscle will make you look bulky.

If you’ve ever hesitated to lift heavier or commit to strength training because you were worried about looking “too big” or “too masculine,” this episode is going to shift your entire perspective.

Spoiler: muscle is not the enemy. It’s your secret weapon.

What I discuss:

  • Why muscle is actually what gives your body the shape, definition, and curves you’re after

  • The real science behind muscle growth and why women don’t “bulk up” like men

  • How muscle supports your metabolism, your confidence, and your long-term health

  • Why the fear of getting bulky is rooted in outdated myths—not facts

This episode is your permission slip to train smarter, lift heavier, and finally let go of the fear that strength isn’t feminine. It so is.

If you loved this episode, you’ll also love Episode 237: How to Overcome Your Fear of Building Muscle and How to Start Building Muscle ASAP. I’ll link it in the show notes for you to easily go listen to next.
👉 https://www.juliealedbetter.com/embrace-your-real/ep237/how-to-overcome-your-fear-of-building-muscle-and-how-to-start-building-muscle-asap

If you want more from me, be sure to check out...

Transcript

00:00

Hey there, beautiful human, you're listening to Embrace your Real with me, julie Ledbetter, a podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I dish you a dose of real talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned. If you're ready to embrace your real, let's get it, let's go. Hey, hey, beautiful human, you are tuning into another episode of Embrace your Real with me, julie Ledbetter, and today we're diving into a topic that is so near and dear to my heart, and it's because it's a mindset block that I see so many women struggle with, and that is this fear that if you build muscle, you'll look bulky or you'll look masculine. I cannot tell you how many women I've met who deeply want to feel strong and competent in their bodies, but they hesitate to really commit to strength training because they're afraid that it's gonna make them look too big or too manly. I get it. I believe that too. For years We've been told, sometimes directly, sometimes subtly, that muscle isn't feminine and that women should be small toned and delicate, but never muscular. But today we're gonna completely break down that lie. We're gonna be talking about the truth, the science and how building muscle is actually one of the best things that you can do to feel more feminine, more competent and more empowered in your body. We're gonna be covering why muscle is essential for a strong, healthy physique, how it actually enhances your natural curves, how it supports your metabolism and longevity, and, last but not least, why that fear of bulking up is based on outdated myths, not facts. We're also going to be talking about how strength training helps you carry yourself differently, build self-trust and supports a sustainable approach to fitness that will serve you for life. Before we dive in, though, I want to share this review. It comes from Lava Abe. She gave a five-star review and said just found you. Wow, I just found this podcast randomly except not because I don't think anything is random, but God, today it's exactly what I've been missing Encouragement and truth swirled with a dose of practical help. Thanks, julie. Excited to keep listening along, I'm so grateful. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to send in that review. Okay, let's dive right into today's episode Number one.

02:17

Muscle gives your body shape, strength and the feminine look that you're after. Let's name the lie that we've been told, because it's a big one. For decades, women have been told and have been sold. More importantly, the idea that fitness is about shrinking. This messaging has been clear Be smaller, take up less space, burn calories, lose weight. And when we do move our bodies, we're told that it should be doing. We should be moving them through a safe workout, which is cardio, lifting, small weights, yoga, toning classes, nothing too intense, nothing too powerful, nothing that builds too much muscle. Heaven forbid we look too strong. But this idea, it's not rooted in science. It's rooted in cultural conditioning.

02:59

For generations, femininity has been equated to being small, soft, delicate, and it's a message that's been reinforced everywhere, from magazine covers to Hollywood to Barbie dolls. And the fitness and diet industry absolutely has capitalized on this. They have sold us programs to slim down, to lean out, to tone With workouts that promised we'd get fit without getting too big. But the problem is that narrative has kept so many women stuck, stuck under eating, stuck doing endless cardio, stuck obsessing over the scale and stuck afraid of lifting weights, because we've been taught that muscle isn't feminine. But here's the truth Muscle is actually what gives your body shape, it's what's called and creates that definition in your arms, your legs, your glutes. It's what fills out your clothes in all of the right places. It's what creates that tone, that lean, that confident look that so many women are chasing, and without muscle, fat loss often leaves you feeling soft, or what's commonly called skinny fat. You might feel smaller, but there's no shape or structure underneath, and let's kind of break down even more. But muscle in your glutes that creates that lifted, rounded shape, not cardio Muscle in your shoulders or your upper back that gives you that hourglass silhouette by balancing out your frame and muscle in your legs that creates that sleek, sculpted definition. Not just weight loss, but the tone.

04:25

Look, it's not magic, it's muscle, and no muscle doesn't magically appear overnight. Building muscle takes time and tension and consistency. It's a gradual process. You don't accidentally wake up looking like a bodybuilder. What you will notice, though, is that you start to feel stronger, your body feels firmer, you carry yourself differently, and the science fully backs this up. When you combine resistance training with smart nutrition, you don't just burn calories, you change your body composition, and this means more lean muscle, less body fat and better metabolic health. Overall, muscle is metabolically active. It burns more energy and even when you're at rest, it helps to regulate blood sugar. It supports that bone density, it protects your joints and, more than anything, it gives you the power to show up in your life with energy and strength. So no, muscle is not the enemy, it's your greatest ally. When you embrace lifting with intention, you stop trying to shrink yourself into someone else's version of beauty and you actually start building a body that's strong, that's capable, that's resilient and deeply yours. This is what confidence actually feels like, and it doesn't come from taking up less space. It comes from owning your space fully and completely.

05:42

Number two building muscle won't make you bulky. It actually will make you more metabolically powerful. Let's clear up one of the biggest myths out there, because it's still holding way too many women back, and that is women don't have the hormones to get too big. Naturally. Here's what you need to know. The key hormone responsible for significant muscle growth is testosterone. It plays a major role in the muscle building protein synthesis, and that's just essentially the process your body uses to repair and build new muscle tissues after training. Guess what? Men produce about 10 to 20 times more testosterone than women do. So this means that women simply don't have the biological capacity to build large, bulky muscles the way that men can, without extreme measures.

06:30

Even if you're lifting consistently, even if you're following progressive overload, which essentially just means gradually challenging your muscles over time, even if you're eating in a small caloric surplus to support that muscle growth, you are still building muscles slowly, strategically and intentionally, and you're doing it in a way that enhances, not overwhelms, your natural shape To build the kind of extreme muscle mass that looks bulky. That would require years of ultra intense, highly regimented training, massive calorie intake far above normal levels and oftentimes, performance enhancing drugs, which, let's be real, is not what we're doing here. Right, what we're doing here and what we're wanting is lean, functional muscle, muscle that gives your arms definition, muscle that gives your leg shape, muscle that lifts your glutes, muscle that balances your frame and supports a strong, sculpted look. And beyond aesthetics, muscle supports your metabolism. Muscle is what we call metabolically active tissue, which means it burns calories even at rest. The more muscles you have, the more calories your body burns just to keep you alive and functioning, and that is what is called your resting metabolic rate, and it's a complete game changer. And that's why women who strength train consistently oftentimes find that they can eat more without getting fat, maintain or improve their physique with less effort. And, lastly, ditch the cycle of crash dieting and food guilt, because muscle gives you more metabolic flexibility. It actually allows your body to adapt more efficiently to changes in your routine nutrition and life. It helps you sustain your results without constantly chasing the next diet, and it gives you space to live, to enjoy and to still feel amazing in your skin.

08:14

But it doesn't stop there. Muscle also supports longevity. Starting as early as our 30s, women naturally begin to lose muscle in a process called sarcopenia, and if you're not actively strength training to fight that decline, it can actually lead to weakness, slower metabolism, increased fat gain, poor balance or poor mobility, and fast forward a few decades of no movement or low, low movement. This impacts everything from independence to quality of life. But when you build and maintain muscle through consistent strength training, you're protecting your future self. Let me say that again when you build and maintain muscle through consistent strength training, you protect your future self. You stay mobile, you stay independent, you stay strong for your family, for your children, for your adventures, your goals, your everyday life, whether that's carrying groceries without help, whether that's picking up your child, whether that's climbing the stairs, whether that's running after your kids or your grandkids, whether that's traveling the world without limitations. Muscle keeps you in the game.

09:13

And here's something else, even deeper Muscle actually changes how you carry yourself. When you are strong, you don't just look different, you feel different. You walk taller, you radiate confidence, you hold yourself with this authority and this grace and you trust your body to move, to perform and to show up for you and that energy, it's one of the most powerful, magnetic, feminine things that you can cultivate. Strength is not the opposite of femininity, again, it's the expression of it. Strength is elegance in motion. Strength is confidence embodied, and strength is the freedom to move through life without fear. So no sister, muscle will not make you less feminine. It will help you to become the strongest, healthiest, most empowered version of you, and that is always beautiful.

10:00

Number three the bulky fear is a myth. Real muscle builds the body that you actually want. First I want to talk about the fear of looking bulky, because it's still holding a lot of women back. First, what's called bulky is rarely caused by muscle alone. It's often the result of building muscle and also still carrying higher body fat levels. Not a reason to fear lifting, but a reminder that body composition is the full picture. But when you pair strength training with the appropriate nutrition, like I teach inside my macro academy, it's a ball in an academy. You build lean, sculpted muscle, you create those curves, you create that definition, you have that structure. And here's kind of again. Some science made simple, but muscle is denser than fat. One pound of muscle takes up less space than one pound of fat. So as you build muscle and you reduce fat, you often look smaller and more defined, even if the scale stays the same or slightly goes up.

10:58

The idea that muscle makes women look masculine it's not supported by research or real life results. What actually builds the body that most women want strong, tone, feminine that's resistance training and muscle. Cardio alone will not get you there. Dieting alone likely will not get you there as well. You need structure underneath. That means workouts built around progressively overloading. That means that you are consistent in your dumbbell workouts. That are these workouts that are gradually challenging your muscles so that they adapt, that they grow and they support the shape that you want. You won't wake up one day looking bulky. You'll wake up feeling stronger, more defined and more confident in your skin, and remember your hormonal profile naturally limits how much muscle you will build. What you will build, though, is a body that's resilient, that's capable and that's beautifully feminine, and here's the mindset shift that I want you to take away today.

11:57

Building muscle isn't about becoming someone else. It's about becoming the strongest version of you. Muscle isn't masculine, it's human, it's healthy, it's powerful. The more that we embrace it, the more joy and freedom that we can find in our journey. So, if you've been afraid to lift, if you've been hesitant to follow a strength-based program, I wanna lovingly challenge you to let that fear go. The science is clear, the benefits are undeniable and I promise you the results are well worth it. So there you have it Three powerful truths about muscle femininity and why strength training is one of the best things that you can do for your body.

12:37

Now let's quickly recap. Number one muscle is what gives your body shape, structure and the feminine curves that you're after. It's not something to fear. It's something to embrace. Number two building muscle won't make you bulky. It will support your metabolism, your energy, your confidence and your long-term results. And, last but not least, the bulky fear is based on myths, not facts. Real muscle creates the lean, toned, sculpted look that so many women are looking for, and it also makes you feel strong from the inside out.

13:08

Okay, if this conversation really opened your eyes or helps shift your mindset and you're thinking okay, I am wanting to lift, but I need a plan that actually works for me. That's exactly why I created the Movement With Julie app. Inside the app, you're gonna get short, effective, dumbbell-only workouts that progress with you. So, whether you're just getting started or you're ready to level up, you can choose two, three, four, five days per week, and inside I will guide you through that workout to help you build strength, to gain confidence and to move with purpose. There's no guesswork, no rigid rules, just real workouts that fit your real life. And the best part is, you don't need fancy equipment or even a gym membership. It's designed to meet you where you're at. So if you're ready to build muscle, feel strong and follow a Dumbo only plan that actually helps you love your body more, not less, head to sale. That's S-A-L-Emovementjuliecom and you can get 50% off your first month if you're a brand new subscriber.

14:04

And, lastly, if this episode helped, would you do me a favor and share it with a friend who needs this reminder too? If you haven't also left a review yet, I would love for you to do that. It helps more women hear this message. And last but not least, if you love this episode, I know you will also love episode 237, how to overcome your fear of building muscle and how to start building muscle ASAP. This will be an in-depth, step-by-step so that you can learn how to build muscle yourself. I will go ahead and link that in the show notes below, as well as how to join my Moot with Julie app. I would love to guide you in your double only journey so that you can start to actually build that muscle and feel confident and feel great.

14:45

All right, that is all that I have for today's episode. I love you so dang much. I mean it. I'll talk to you in the next one. All right, sister, that's all I got for you today, but I have two things that I need you to do. First thing if you are not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie A Ledbetter yes, it's with an A in the middle for that daily post-workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real, because you're worth it.

 
Julie Ledbetterembrace your real, q and a, workouts, scheduleComment