Way too stocky - too much exercise? Too much muscle???

Rosebudlia

Hi all,

Long time MFP'er, first time poster

Over the last year and a half I have upped my gym sessions from 3 times a week to 4 times a week and have increased the intensity of my workouts (a few more weights, adding the stepper to my routine, and recently a couple of HIIT bursts). Annoyingly though, in this time all that has happened is that I have gained a fair bit of weight on my butt and hips, and my legs have become so huge and muscular that they don't fit in my old jeans anymore!

I'm really frustrated because every time I change up my workouts to try to make them more effective it has zero effect and has got me to this point where I just look stocky and thick all over rather than what I was aiming for. Is this because my exercise routine is too intense? Are there certain things I can do to slim my legs down? Should I go to the gym less? What to do?

It's depressing because I used to be a lot slimmer than this and I had no idea that working on my athletic fitness would cause me to bulk up quite this much. Any tips greatly appreciated!

TiberiusClaudis

You didn't mention diet in your post. WL and cardio are great at adding muscle and health wise...but if you want a slimmer look, chances are it's your diet that needs to be monitored.

rayfu75

What exactly are you working ? Sounds like your going heavy on lower body work.

LKArgh

If you are gaining weight, you are eating more than you burn. Even if it is muscle volume, it is impossible to bulk and put on weight without eating more calories than you burn.

Rosebudlia

Well this is true, I definitely need to work on my diet I do find it really hard to cut back on what I'm eating (which is all super-healthy stuff, just probably too much)...The thing is, it's easier to eat less if you're not exercising so crazy much, so I wonder whether I ought to cut down? I also cycle every day to work and back, which is probably about an hour in total, so by the end of the day I am just ravenous :P

EvgeniZyntx

Until you get your diet figured out ... Well, nothing else matters.

cheshirecatastrophe

Yup. When I increase exercise intensity, my appetite goes *bonkers*. Tracking calorie intake with MFP has really helped me get a handle on what I eat on speedwork (HIIT/intervals, kind of) days, when I basically eat my way through the grocery store. You could do that, or you could reduce your gym time/intensity. Especially since you've already got the bike commuting in there!

jacksonpt

I agree with the diet comments.

Also, can you post a few pics? Most people will assume that it isn't muscle your gaining...

kitsilana

I used to bike everywhere and had enormous 'biker thighs' and butt.
I think (and this is my totally unscientific opinion) that I naturally build quite bulky muscles quite quickly.

I used to be self conscious about it.

If you're unhappy with the body shape your exercise routine is creating, change it up. Look for activities that build fitness but create a leaner look.

You'll have to watch what you eat either way of course.

52cardpickup

Exercise (specifically with weights and such) + calorie surplus = a bulk. Drop your calories so you're in a deficit and it's entirely likely you'll see the results you're looking for.

dbmata

OP, what is your body fat percentage?

Sam_I_Am77

Rosebudlia wrote: »

Well this is true, I definitely need to work on my diet I do find it really hard to cut back on what I'm eating (which is all super-healthy stuff, just probably too much)

If you're exercising and not losing weight, then you just answered your question.

Rosebudlia

I'm not super comfortable with posting photos, but I have had a good hard poke at myself in the shower this morning and I am pretty sure that the majority of the bulk I have put on is definitely muscle. My thighs are very large but all that flesh is very taut and you can't pinch it when I tighten the muscles, and the same is true for my big *kitten*. @kitsilana, I think you and I might have the same genes! Or maybe it's because I naturally have quite high testosterone levels so I do bulk up more naturally? At any rate, I know I have to watch what I eat and I am dieting but I wondered what exercise routine is best to follow to keep up my fitness but slim down my brick-house-figure

Anthonyrodier

Use MFP to restrict your calorie intake. Make sure you cut out sweet things and get enough lean protein to manage appetite. Swap weight training for longer mid intensity cardio sessions.

Lofteren

If you don't want to build muscle then just jog. If you start with any level of hypertrophy, doing low, slow cardio will waste away muscle mass just as quickly as fat since the demands of the activity are so low and a specific metabolic pathway does not need to be utilized for its performance.

JoRocka

TiberiusClaudis wrote: »

You didn't mention diet in your post. WL and cardio are great at adding muscle and health wise...but if you want a slimmer look, chances are it's your diet that needs to be monitored.

I second the diet in this comment.

secondly - the intensity of your workouts doesn't make you bulky. years and years of hard work and food make it happen. and sometimes gear.

AliceDark

What are your stats (age/weight/height)? And what is your average daily caloric intake?

Springfield1970

The same thing happened to me the first year I started triathlon training. Boy was I pissed off! I was eating more than I needed and gained fat, perhaps not so much muscle as I was doing far too much high intensity cardio for my fitness level and probably catabolising muscle. What a disaster!

Skip forward a couple of years, I cut the body fat down to 15% after triathlon season, did a fantastic bulk, which I really enjoyed (lots of lifting , much less cardio), and then a slow cut. My body shape was completely different. I loved it! Can't wait to bulk again next October. Plan on very slowly dropping about 2/3 pounds of fat again before then over the next 10 months, and training hard.

This was all done using meticulous calorie counting.