Every Male Client:
“I Don’t Want to Get Too Big”
I’ve ransacked my entire brain, combed through every male client I’ve ever trained, and I can’t recall a single one who didn’t, at some point, blurt out this infamous line—usually with a slight accusatory tone, like it’s my life’s mission to turn regular men into green-skinned mutants tearing through their shirts in fitting rooms.
But let’s hold off on the blame game. This fear isn’t random. It’s learned.
Conditioned, even.
And let’s be real—look at the world they’re navigating: a constant stream of juiced-up half-humans populating social media. Even the tiny bikini girls making a living off their “rear ends” are, let’s just say… pharmaceutically assisted.
Meanwhile, I’m over here—lean, strong, never once “too big” despite years of lifting heavy and training hard. If I can’t outgrow my natural ceiling, believe me, you won’t do it by accident.
Now, I could flip the question and ask: Why wouldn’t a man want to be more muscular? But I’m not a man. And maybe it’s time I stop equating size with masculinity. Because truthfully, the most jacked guys I’ve seen in the gym were often the least grounded, the least confident, and frankly, the least masculine.
So instead of rolling my eyes, I’ve tried something else: empathy. These guys aren’t stupid. They’re just misinformed. And if I’m being fair—I’m probably clueless about their industry too. So why is their ignorance some flaw, but mine is charming?
Anyway—elephant acknowledged.
Now let’s get to the meat and potatoes.
Where This Fear Comes From
1. Bodybuilding Earned Its Bad Rep
Unless you’re one of the rare, well-informed few, the idea of lifting weights conjures cartoonish images:
Monstrous bodies. Juiced-up freaks. Biceps the size of babies.
And hiring someone like me—part powerlifter, part coach, part unapologetic sadist—doesn’t exactly ease the nerves.
That unease isn’t far from what I feel when I see the whole gym-babe circus:
Push-up bras, strip-club squats, and shorts held together by sheer willpower.
To the average person, both ends of the spectrum feel… off. Because they are.
Sure, we could psychoanalyze the obsession with superhero physiques. But for most people, it’s not aspirational—it’s repulsive. Even biology thinks it’s a bad idea. Your body resists unnatural muscle growth like it’s a survival threat. (More on that soon.)
So no—I don’t blame men for being cautious.
2. Ignorance (The Forgivable Kind)
Let Me Put This Gently:
It’s Never, Ever Going to Happen
I used to joke:
“In your dreams.”
As in—you wish you could get too big. You don’t have the genetics, mindset, lifestyle, or Olympic-level obsession required.
But now I just say:
“Relax. It’s not even remotely possible.”
Because unless you’re planning to inject a pharmaceutical cocktail and center your entire identity around muscle mass, you’re not growing beyond what your skeleton can handle.
No shade—just biology.
What Your Body Is Actually Capable Of
Natural Muscle-Building Limits
Most men can gain 40–50 lbs of muscle in their entire lifetime.
That’s it. That’s the ceiling.
Bone Structure = Your Max Potential
- Muscle insertions & leverage: Your muscle shape and growth capacity are dictated by where your muscles attach to bone.
- Joint size: Wrist and ankle circumference is one of the strongest predictors of muscle-building potential. Small frame = small ceiling. Big joints = more to work with.
Frame Types & Their Limits
- Small Frame (Ectomorph-ish)
Narrow shoulders, long limbs, small joints
→ Maxes out ~160–170 lbs lean at 5’10” - Medium Frame (Mesomorph-ish)
Balanced joints and proportions
→ Maxes out ~180–190 lbs lean at 5’10” - Large Frame (Endomorph-ish)
Broad shoulders, thick joints, short limbs
→ Can reach 200+ lbs lean, but usually not below 12% body fat
Shoulder-to-Waist Ratio: The Visual Trick
- You can’t change your clavicle length.
- You can build muscle around it to create the illusion of width.
- A narrower waist makes shoulders look broader. Two guys at the same weight can look completely different depending on proportions.
Limb & Torso Length
- Long limbs need more muscle to look muscular
- Short limbs look jacked with less
- Long torsos = more ab real estate
- Short torsos = easier V-taper
Harsh Genetic Realities
- Muscle fiber type: More fast-twitch = more growth
- Hormone levels: Testosterone, GH, and insulin sensitivity matter
- Myostatin: A muscle-limiting protein. Some rare individuals produce less. Most don’t.
How Fast Can You Actually Grow Muscle?
- Year 1: ~20–24 lbs
- Year 2: Half that
- Year 3: Half again
- Long-term: About 2 lbs/month, and only under perfect conditions
The FFMI Ceiling (Nerd Corner)
- FFMI 25 is the natural upper limit
- Translation: lean, athletic, very fit—not even close to comic book
What Natural Bodybuilding Actually Looks Like
Here’s the spoiler:
The leaner you get, the smaller you look.
Without drugs, you don’t get big and shredded. You get to choose.
Quick Formula:
Height in cm – 100 = shredded body weight in kg
So at 178 cm (5’10”) → 78 kg (172 lbs) at 5–6% body fat
That’s elite. And still… not scary.
Why You Will Never Accidentally Become the Hulk
- Most gains happen in the first 2–3 years
- You can’t out-train your skeleton
- Muscle growth slows dramatically
- Big and lean is chemically assisted
- Influencers are either genetically elite, enhanced, or just fat with a pump
Bottom Line
Worrying about getting too big from lifting is like worrying that jogging twice a week will accidentally turn you into a marathon champion.
It’s not going to happen.
If you want to be lean, strong, and biologically optimized—you’re in the right place.
If you’re terrified of becoming a mutant overnight—relax.
You’ll spend years begging your body to grow.
And even then, it’ll argue with you.
Don’t miss the next Blog: The Real Truth of Natural Male Muscle Growth: Capabilities and Limits
