Q: Will lifting heavy weights make my muscles too big?
We will get to this question about lifting heavy weights in just a moment. I think you will find the below helpful if you read it first.
Q: Is it true that muscles appears differently on different body types?
Yes. Definition is a combo of improved muscle tone and having less body fat. There are 3 main factors:
(1) Muscle shape: People have different shapes of muscles. Mostly this is where the “belly” of the muscle is. Arms are an easy example: if you flex to 90 and see how many fingers you can fit between the muscle lump and the elbow. This tells you how long the muscle belly is – 2 fingers average, 3 is short, and 1 is long. The 1’s will have more impressive looking arms no matter what, and the 3’s will have to work 2-3x harder. Muscle belly length and shape are inherited (we can’t change them), so they are things to work with vs things to change.
(2) Limb length. Limb length is also a big factor – long arms mean you need a lot more muscle to get the same look as a T-Rex.
(3) Loose skin. Anyone who has lost a significant amount of weight will have some loose skin in at least one place and that loose skin obscures a lot of muscle definition too.
None of us has any control over these 3 factors, so embrace and work with what you have been blessed to receive.
For instance, I know someone who exercises and does a ton of yoga but doesn’t really have any muscle definition and she says she doesn’t get any no matter how hard she tries. Is that possible or is the absence of weight training a cause?
If she only does yoga, then yes, I think you’re right that an absence of resistance training is holding her back. For yoga to count as “progressive resistance training” she’d need to wear a vest (needs to be tight fitting!) or she’d have to gain weight. Adding some weight training (with enough intensity) would be a good idea.
Q: Will lifting heavy weights make my muscles too big?
I wish… I wish that for me (Josef) not for you. The biggest drug-free male at your local bodybuilding competition will be 170 pounds, and the rest will be 150-160 pounds. These are young men (high levels of testosterone in their peak muscle building years) who’ve spent 10+ years and 10+ hours per week doing everything (but steroids) to get their muscles to get as big as possible.
All of that is to say that muscular growth is self-limiting. When muscles grow they release something called myostatin. Myostatin suppresses muscle growth. More muscle = more myostatin = more muscle growth suppression. The effects of Myostatin combined with aging means that eventually the best you can do is keeping the muscle (and bone) you have. That last goal might seem “not worth it,” but our physical strength is our physical independence.
Curious About Body Fat Percentage?
You might enjoy this video: “What Percent Body Fat Should I Be?”
In it, you’ll hear from Josef Brandenburg—bestselling author, co-owner, and coach at True 180 Personal Training—and Gregory Clifton, our head coach since 2016. Together, they bring decades of experience and multiple certifications to every conversation, offering real, practical advice to help you better understand your body and fitness.
Have other questions—like Will Lifting Heavy Weights Make My Muscles Too Big? or “Does muscle weigh more than fat?” Let us know! We’re here to help.
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