Quote:
I've heard that time will build more lean muscle while resistance will build bulk
No no no no no no no no no! Just in case you missed that ... NO!
WOMEN. CANNOT. BULK.
(Ok, women can bulk, but it takes an intense amount of work - like hours a day - and a serious overhaul of diet. It takes concentrated, hardcore effort for a woman to bulk because women simply do not have enough testosterone in their bodies to bulk the way men do.)
There is no such thing as building "lean" muscle vs. building "bulk" muscle. It's a myth that's perpetrated by the fitness industry.
Either you're building muscle and strength or you're not. Period.
If you're not working hard enough to work the muscle and build strength, then you're not making progress. A bazillion reps with "barbie weights" is not going to give you "long lean muscles". A bazillion reps of anything is just wasting your time and your effort.
The only way to get the lean, cut, fit, "toned" (don't even ask me what I think of that word) look that most women talk about - is to lift weights. Real weights. Heavy weights. And to do it regularly and to allow plenty of recovery time - because it's the recovery time that builds strength and muscle, not the actual lifting part.
Toning by doing 150 curls just ain't gonna happen.
.