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Toning vs. bulking

ak1cor13 Posts: 6 Joined: 2004/11/04	2004/12/08, 11:00 AM Ok, question about toning and bulking. I've gotten to a point that I like the way my muscles look, they are toned enough for definition but not bulky. I know women don't bulk like guys, but I don't want to get any bigger. Here's my question, I know if I don't want to get any bigger I shouldn't up my weight, right? But if I don't up my weight, will my muscles do anything? Or will they get smaller? I guess what I want to know is will my muscles continue to burn calories when I am resting even if they don't get bigger? I hope that makes sense. Thanks a bunch!
deadheadted Posts: 123 Joined: 2004/05/31	2004/12/08, 04:32 PM Not incrementing your weight as you build new muscle and strength will help you keep existing muscle, but you will not build any new muscle. It sounds like that's what you want, so it would seem like a good idea except... Women have a much, much harder time adding muscle mass than men thanks to testosterone, or the lack thereof. Even if you at like a horse and lifted as intensely as possible, your gains would be less than a man who put forth considerably less effort. My recommendation is to continue to increase the weight you lift as you get stronger and continue to eat a moderate caloric surplus from smart food choices. Five pounds of muscle won't make you look manly, trust me. Also, more muscle mass = more calories burned doing nothing. So even if you're not building more muscle, just having that existing muscle will burn more calories doing everything from sleeping to kickboxing.
ak1cor13 Posts: 6 Joined: 2004/11/04	2004/12/09, 08:32 AM Great! That's what I wanted to know. Thanks so much!
dean_cliffy Posts: 16 Joined: 2004/03/26	2004/12/22, 10:55 AM keep the reps in between 15/20 per set