7 Exercises to Develop Strength without Packing on Muscle ...

By Tara

If you want develop strength without packing on muscle, you are not alone. Speed skaters, gymnasts and most of the female population want just this. They want to be stronger, leaner but not have the bulk that people are worried goes along with strength. They fear this bulk. Most women and even compact athletes want to get stronger without looking like a football quarterback or having too much bulk that it hinders their sports performance. So how do you do just this? Here are the exercises to that will help you to develop strength without packing on muscle:

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1

Medicine Ball Throws

Perform medicine ball throws to develop strength without packing on muscle. This is a great exercise that you can add in sprints to kick up a notch and get in some cardio. Perform 3 sets of 10 to make the most out of your workouts and get in your best shape.

2

Kettile Bell Swings

The kettle bell swings are a great exercise that you should perform to work your glutes, abs and back. Make sure to tighten your core and focus on form. Perform 3 sets of 18 for the best results!

3

Keep It Simple

Try keeping it simple and perform 3 sets of 18 squats like in this video. Focus on form with the weight in your heels. Then perform the lunge to focus on each individual leg. These are great bodyweight exercises to sculpt your body without bulking up.

4

Plyometrics

Plyos are short, explosive exercises that will help you to sculpt your body and slim down. Focus on proper form and make sure you put some passion into your jumps. You get out what you put in so give it all you got and have a blast! These exercises will challenge you while helping you achieve great results!

5

Sprint

Nothing will give you more physical and mental toughness than sprinting, so push your body to the next level in a sprint. Set up a track workout with 400 sprints for 8 times to develop strength without packing on muscle. Or get on the treadmill and sprint alternating sprint 1 minute, 30 seconds walking for a total of 20 minutes to give yourself a high intensity workout and see amazing results!

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6

Miixed Training

Try this plyometric routine to push your body a little harder
Combine your challenging plyometrics exercises with strength exercises to mix it up and push your body to the max! If you need a longer break in between, perform the plank and crunches, then move on to the next plyo exercise. Make it your goal to follow this entire routine and go for a light 2 mile jog when you finish.

7

Rest Longer

When trying to pack on muscle it is recommended to rest for a shorter duration, whereas to develop strength without getting bulky, rest longer than a minute in between sets. Allow a 3 to 4 minute rest in between sets to allow your central nervous system to recover. This will help you strengthen without getting bulky!

So now that you know a few great exercises that can help you can get stronger without looking like the hulk, are you ready to get started? Then follow these tips, eat clean and don’t forget to add in some cardio like running, biking or hiking!

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Where Thoughts and Opinions Converge

There is nothing wrong about muscles. I don't know why women dear bulking up so much. I do heavy weights, take supplements - combine strenght and cardio training abs still managed to stay lean but nice and defined muscles! Also sprinting and kettlebell swing wont make you much stronger - it develops power, not strenght. I don't know how long we'll keep telling women that weights and muscles are bad... They are not.

This is awesome! Thank you! Just what I needed (:

Tara you are probably one of the best writers on this app :) thanks for the great advise!

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