Want to be lean, tone, not bulky

I need to eat more to build muscle but don't want to be bulky.Any suggestions about cutting fat without reducing calories? What kind of workout routine? I'm already doing 1-3 mile runs 5 days week.

Well if your a women, your not going to get bulky.  Its actually pretty hard to get bulky.  just start out slow with 2 or 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.  Pick a few exercises.  You will have the right weight if during the first few reps its relatively easy, but towards the end it starts to get harder (but you should still be able to complete the set). 

As for what to eat, it depends.  I am currently starting to train for an olympic distance  triathlon so i am working out 6 days a week for between 30 to an hour of cardio plus weight  twice a week.  Because i still want to lose weight i have created a calorie deficit, but i am still consuming about 1950 a day to sustain myself.  I havent cut out one group more or less, such as fats, but rather just increased the total amount of calories in each given group. so i eat two more cervings carbs one more protein 1 more of each fruti and veggie and 1 more of fat.  You dont want to leave out adding more fat because your body will go into starvation mode. This will allow me to still gain more muscle while still losing fat ( I hope lol, I will probably have to tweek it a little)

I must say, when I started cross traininl last year for a sprint triathlon the results were almost immediate. Not only did I have less aches and pains by doing a differnt sport each day, but the muscle development was a lost faster.  It was most pronounced with the swimming because apparently I was working stuff that did not get the same attention on the bike or running.  its really the best way to get results because you body is constantly being forced to do something different each day and therefore its hard for it to get used to it and merely coast.  Maybe switch out two days of running for other sports and you will be surprised at the results

Simple answer, expend more calories than you take in. You can eat the same amount of calories, you just have to burn more. So you need more cardio which in your situation if close to over-training. So more cardio is out. You don't want to eat less so that is out.

Weightlifting is your only other option. This will build the muscle you desire and add another 150-300 calories to your deficit. I would suggest a full body workout 2-3 days a week. This means that you should work each one of your muscle groups doing about 3 sets for each. Like biceps curls (biceps), kickbacks (triceps), seated cable rows (back), bench press (chest), military press (shoulders), lat pulldowns (back), crunches (abs), lower back bends (lower back), squats (legs), lunges (legs), calf raises (legs). You can break it up into 2 separate workouts.

There's one catch! In order to gain muscle, you have to eat more calories than you burn, preferably more protein. To lose fat you have to eat less calories than you burn. So building muscle and losing fat don't work. However it will work at first. So in your situation, not getting bulking, this if perfect. You will get stronger and add some muscle but your calorie deficit will prevent you from gaining to much muscle. So you are basically doing a maintaining routine rather than a bulking routine however you should add just enough to look a little more tone.

One last thing. Losing fat is the ultimate way to look tone. For example, a person who never did any ab exercises with a 5% lower body fat percentage than a person that does 1000 a day will have better looking abs. Fat hides muscle.

If I were you, I would try to lose more fat and do a full body workout, split into 2 or 3 workouts, 3 days a week. Example: Workout 1 - Arms (shoulders, biceps, triceps) Workout 2 - Core (back, chest, sides, abs) Workout 3 - Legs.

Thank you both SOOO much! I appreciate the time it took for you to give this info. I am female, 5'7, 125 lbs. I always stayed in the 117-120 range with no effort. Now I'm 6 months post-pregnancy and suddenly having to learn how to be nice to my body!! I've always been "thin" and want to maintain a lean physique but it's time to get in shape. Thin doesn't necessarily mean in shape! anyway, thanks again!

Original Post by healthyhtide:

Well if your a women, your not going to get bulky. Its actually pretty hard to get bulky. just start out slow with 2 or 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps. Pick a few exercises. You will have the right weight if during the first few reps its relatively easy, but towards the end it starts to get harder (but you should still be able to complete the set).

As for what to eat, it depends. I am currently starting to train for an olympic distance triathlon so i am working out 6 days a week for between 30 to an hour of cardio plus weight twice a week. Because i still want to lose weight i have created a calorie deficit, but i am still consuming about 1950 a day to sustain myself. I havent cut out one group more or less, such as fats, but rather just increased the total amount of calories in each given group. so i eat two more cervings carbs one more protein 1 more of each fruti and veggie and 1 more of fat. You dont want to leave out adding more fat because your body will go into starvation mode. This will allow me to still gain more muscle while still losing fat ( I hope lol, I will probably have to tweek it a little)

I must say, when I started cross traininl last year for a sprint triathlon the results were almost immediate. Not only did I have less aches and pains by doing a differnt sport each day, but the muscle development was a lost faster. It was most pronounced with the swimming because apparently I was working stuff that did not get the same attention on the bike or running. its really the best way to get results because you body is constantly being forced to do something different each day and therefore its hard for it to get used to it and merely coast. Maybe switch out two days of running for other sports and you will be surprised at the results

 Don't I need to lose weight to get that lean look?  I do want muscle-which is starting to happen already-which is good. But I don't think I have the lean look I see with some other women.  How can I lose weight and get a muscled lean look at the same time?