To be Big and Bulky or Lean and defined? That is the question.

Posted on | April 30, 2009 |

For almost all of the 15 years that I have been working out, I have constantly struggled with this question: Do I want to be Big and Bulky or Lean and defined? It may sound like a stupid question, but it really is something that I, along with so many other people, ponder.

What would you rather be?

It really comes down to what makes you comfortable in your own skin, and yet it seems like the grass is always greener when working towards one goal or the other. I personally have been on and experienced both sides to this coin, so I can give a good assessment of what I think.

There was a period of time when all I did was lift very heavy in the gym. Heavy Bench Press. Heavy Squats. Heavy Rows. My workouts consisted of taking lots and lots of rest time in between sets, and hardly ever doing cardio. I ate like a madman, not caring about what I ingested into my body, only thinking about fueling up for my next mass attack in the gym. Burning Fat? Getting Lean? Who cares about that?

Being big and bulky helped with felt good because I was able to build huge traps, a big barrel chest, and all around looked like I could handle myself in and out of the gym. In the gym people would always ask me for advice about working out. I didn’t care about not having a six pack of abs because to me it seemed like too much work to have to do to get one. I had definition because I wasn’t fat, but I wasn’t lean either. Yes, I was big and buff, and I was able to push high amounts of weight, but I am sure that if I kept at this pace through the years, high cholesterol and high blood pressure would also be part of my accomplishments too.

Fast forward a few years to where I am currently. I now focus all of my workouts around circuit training, leaving little to no rest in between sets, eating more fruits, veggies, lean meats, and cutting out junk foods completely. I also added martial arts training, cross fit training, and lots of core exercises to improve my overall body strength.

At this point, I have the lean, muscular physique that I have always wanted but never spent time working towards, and I am comfortable in my skin. I am not as big as I was before, size-wise, but I am leaner than I have ever been, and I am stronger all around. Endurance, strength, and flexibility has all improved by performing cross training workouts compared to just focusing on building mass. I don’t worry about the non-sense I worried about before. Taking my shirt off is something that I have no problem with because my abs are there, and with all the hard work I have put into my workouts, it feels good to see the fruits of my labor. People constantly watch my workouts in the gym, including some trainers who I have noticed steal some exercises and use them in training their own clients.

For me, being Lean and defined is my choice versus being big and bulky.

What do you think?
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Category: The World According to Me
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