Calves getting bigger!!!! Help
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livingleanlivingclean wrote: »steffie113 wrote: »Am I right in thinking that you loose muscle whilst running?
No. Running uses your legs, it does not burn muscle.
Long distance steady state will. Sprinting will likely build it. Marathon runner vs sprinter. I know which physique I'd prefer!
I wish this myth would go away.
Elite marathon runners look as thin as they are because they are trying to be as absolutely light as possible for race day. Yes that means wasting away some muscle, but that is NOT caused by all the marathon training. That is caused by purposeful calorie deprivation.
There is a correlation/causation issue at work here with this. Long distance steady state burns a TON of calories, and if you do it at a high level it can be nearly impossible to eat back enough. That doesn't mean long distance necessarily wastes muscle.
*ALL* I do is long-distance steady state type work. My quads and calves are enormous. I have a hard time finding jeans that fit over my legs that also fit my waist.
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cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »besee_2000 wrote: »Larger calves are signs of strong mitochondria filled muscles. Great for sprinting and fast twitch movements (release a lot of energy at once). Leaner muscles are more endurance (less but efficient mitochondria that slowly regenerate energy). This is mostly predetermined with genetics. We tend to gravitate to exercise we are good at, so theory here but those that naturally have "smaller calves" are more likely to enjoy marathon running.
Whaaaa? I would *love* to see the science on the genetic connection, seriously, if you have a link--I have always been a distance/endurance person, I mean going back to swimming distance when I was 8, but my calves, proportionally speaking, could generate their own gravitational field. (I am otherwise pretty small--they really do determine my jeans size, at least in skinny jeans.) I've always assumed I just built up the things through start/stop explosive sports stuff when I was little (soccer, basketball, etc) and never lost them.
I want Science to go yell retroactively at my swim coaches for always sticking me in the 1500/1650 when my friends were swimming the 100 back!
This is me as well. I don't quite understand why the myth is so pervasive about endurance training leading to thin sad-looking muscle.
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livingleanlivingclean wrote: »steffie113 wrote: »Am I right in thinking that you loose muscle whilst running?
No. Running uses your legs, it does not burn muscle.
Long distance steady state will. Sprinting will likely build it. Marathon runner vs sprinter. I know which physique I'd prefer!
I wish this myth would go away.
Elite marathon runners look as thin as they are because they are trying to be as absolutely light as possible for race day. Yes that means wasting away some muscle, but that is NOT caused by all the marathon training. That is caused by purposeful calorie deprivation.
There is a correlation/causation issue at work here with this. Long distance steady state burns a TON of calories, and if you do it at a high level it can be nearly impossible to eat back enough. That doesn't mean long distance necessarily wastes muscle.
*ALL* I do is long-distance steady state type work. My quads and calves are enormous. I have a hard time finding jeans that fit over my legs that also fit my waist.
Bodybuilders purposefully deprive themselves of calories to get comp lean. But don't look like marathon runners.0 -
livingleanlivingclean wrote: »livingleanlivingclean wrote: »steffie113 wrote: »Am I right in thinking that you loose muscle whilst running?
No. Running uses your legs, it does not burn muscle.
Long distance steady state will. Sprinting will likely build it. Marathon runner vs sprinter. I know which physique I'd prefer!
I wish this myth would go away.
Elite marathon runners look as thin as they are because they are trying to be as absolutely light as possible for race day. Yes that means wasting away some muscle, but that is NOT caused by all the marathon training. That is caused by purposeful calorie deprivation.
There is a correlation/causation issue at work here with this. Long distance steady state burns a TON of calories, and if you do it at a high level it can be nearly impossible to eat back enough. That doesn't mean long distance necessarily wastes muscle.
*ALL* I do is long-distance steady state type work. My quads and calves are enormous. I have a hard time finding jeans that fit over my legs that also fit my waist.
Bodybuilders purposefully deprive themselves of calories to get comp lean. But don't look like marathon runners.
Strawman argument. Bodybuilders already have "built" a larger "body" so that when they need to cut the last couple % of fat for a competition, they still look big. Elite marathon runners don't specifically bulk their muscles before a race.
If I were an elite marathon runner, I, too, would be looking to cut down another 20lbs from where I am. However I am not, I am just an amateur Ironman triathlete who spends 18+ hours a week doing "steady state cardio". I also eat to compensate for it. I don't look like an elite marathoner because I purposely don't deprive myself to get as light as humanly possible and still be able to run. Thus my calves and quads are huge in comparison to the rest of me.
You are confounding nutrition with exercise.
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Those are good calves. They're not big by any means.
That being said, girls can have any sized legs they want (within reason, I suppose). I will say that calves seem to be particularly uncooperative, so you might be stuck with yours (which are fine and by no means appear large, not that there's anything wrong with big calves).0 -
Embrace them. They look great! And like someone said, buy larger size jeans and get them taken in where needed.0
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livingleanlivingclean wrote: »livingleanlivingclean wrote: »steffie113 wrote: »Am I right in thinking that you loose muscle whilst running?
No. Running uses your legs, it does not burn muscle.
Long distance steady state will. Sprinting will likely build it. Marathon runner vs sprinter. I know which physique I'd prefer!
I wish this myth would go away.
Elite marathon runners look as thin as they are because they are trying to be as absolutely light as possible for race day. Yes that means wasting away some muscle, but that is NOT caused by all the marathon training. That is caused by purposeful calorie deprivation.
There is a correlation/causation issue at work here with this. Long distance steady state burns a TON of calories, and if you do it at a high level it can be nearly impossible to eat back enough. That doesn't mean long distance necessarily wastes muscle.
*ALL* I do is long-distance steady state type work. My quads and calves are enormous. I have a hard time finding jeans that fit over my legs that also fit my waist.
Bodybuilders purposefully deprive themselves of calories to get comp lean. But don't look like marathon runners.
Strawman argument. Bodybuilders already have "built" a larger "body" so that when they need to cut the last couple % of fat for a competition, they still look big. Elite marathon runners don't specifically bulk their muscles before a race.
If I were an elite marathon runner, I, too, would be looking to cut down another 20lbs from where I am. However I am not, I am just an amateur Ironman triathlete who spends 18+ hours a week doing "steady state cardio". I also eat to compensate for it. I don't look like an elite marathoner because I purposely don't deprive myself to get as light as humanly possible and still be able to run. Thus my calves and quads are huge in comparison to the rest of me.
You are confounding nutrition with exercise.
So you ride a bike as well as running?0 -
livingleanlivingclean wrote: »livingleanlivingclean wrote: »livingleanlivingclean wrote: »steffie113 wrote: »Am I right in thinking that you loose muscle whilst running?
No. Running uses your legs, it does not burn muscle.
Long distance steady state will. Sprinting will likely build it. Marathon runner vs sprinter. I know which physique I'd prefer!
I wish this myth would go away.
Elite marathon runners look as thin as they are because they are trying to be as absolutely light as possible for race day. Yes that means wasting away some muscle, but that is NOT caused by all the marathon training. That is caused by purposeful calorie deprivation.
There is a correlation/causation issue at work here with this. Long distance steady state burns a TON of calories, and if you do it at a high level it can be nearly impossible to eat back enough. That doesn't mean long distance necessarily wastes muscle.
*ALL* I do is long-distance steady state type work. My quads and calves are enormous. I have a hard time finding jeans that fit over my legs that also fit my waist.
Bodybuilders purposefully deprive themselves of calories to get comp lean. But don't look like marathon runners.
Strawman argument. Bodybuilders already have "built" a larger "body" so that when they need to cut the last couple % of fat for a competition, they still look big. Elite marathon runners don't specifically bulk their muscles before a race.
If I were an elite marathon runner, I, too, would be looking to cut down another 20lbs from where I am. However I am not, I am just an amateur Ironman triathlete who spends 18+ hours a week doing "steady state cardio". I also eat to compensate for it. I don't look like an elite marathoner because I purposely don't deprive myself to get as light as humanly possible and still be able to run. Thus my calves and quads are huge in comparison to the rest of me.
You are confounding nutrition with exercise.
So you ride a bike as well as running?
Of course. But that doesn't negate your assertion of "long steady state cardio" which is what I do on a bike as well.
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Running does not burn muscles away. And the whole "long distance" vs. "sprinter" thing is a fallacy. Some people have different natural builds that affect how they put on muscle, and sometimes those builds make somebody better at one kind of running over another. I've seen marathoners and ultramarathoners and triathletes that come in all shapes and sizes (myself included and and I'm a fat guy with gigantic quads and calves). You want twig legs, stop exercising them, but I'm inclined to think that ones "ability" to have "Taylor Swift" legs is more based on genetics and body type than other factors.
IMO - your legs look great. They don't look too bulky, they are very lean. But, then again, your fitness goal probably shouldn't be to make strangers on the Internet happy. But, I don't think it's a bad idea to think realistically about your body, how you use it, and how you can make it look based on what you have to work with. Not everybody can have a body like Taylor Swift for lots of reasons. Maybe find a new body goal analog.0 -
livingleanlivingclean wrote: »livingleanlivingclean wrote: »livingleanlivingclean wrote: »steffie113 wrote: »Am I right in thinking that you loose muscle whilst running?
No. Running uses your legs, it does not burn muscle.
Long distance steady state will. Sprinting will likely build it. Marathon runner vs sprinter. I know which physique I'd prefer!
I wish this myth would go away.
Elite marathon runners look as thin as they are because they are trying to be as absolutely light as possible for race day. Yes that means wasting away some muscle, but that is NOT caused by all the marathon training. That is caused by purposeful calorie deprivation.
There is a correlation/causation issue at work here with this. Long distance steady state burns a TON of calories, and if you do it at a high level it can be nearly impossible to eat back enough. That doesn't mean long distance necessarily wastes muscle.
*ALL* I do is long-distance steady state type work. My quads and calves are enormous. I have a hard time finding jeans that fit over my legs that also fit my waist.
Bodybuilders purposefully deprive themselves of calories to get comp lean. But don't look like marathon runners.
Strawman argument. Bodybuilders already have "built" a larger "body" so that when they need to cut the last couple % of fat for a competition, they still look big. Elite marathon runners don't specifically bulk their muscles before a race.
If I were an elite marathon runner, I, too, would be looking to cut down another 20lbs from where I am. However I am not, I am just an amateur Ironman triathlete who spends 18+ hours a week doing "steady state cardio". I also eat to compensate for it. I don't look like an elite marathoner because I purposely don't deprive myself to get as light as humanly possible and still be able to run. Thus my calves and quads are huge in comparison to the rest of me.
You are confounding nutrition with exercise.
So you ride a bike as well as running?
Did you not look at his profile pic??
OP, I can lend you the walking boot I had to wear for a month after I broke my fibula.
There was a noticeable size difference in my calves after just one month.
I'm very happy that my calves are now about equal after one month out of that boot.0 -
Just chiming in to tell you that those legs are NOT to big. I would embrace them...but... If you want them to be smaller, there are a few options. The ones I can think of is of course the obvious...lose some fat on them (they are pretty lean so not sure this will knock off too much size) or stop using them...0
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Count your blessings. Your legs look great. Buy a different style jean. Those skinny jeans are a travesty.0
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Your calves are not bulky OP.0
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[quote="cheshirecatastrophe;32762279"]Basically the only way to reduce calf muscle is not to use it AT ALL--that means to sit on your butt until it wastes away over a period of YEARS.
[/quote]
No, it does not take years. Been there, done that, after a serious accident not allowing me to move or even stand on one leg for about 6 months. I can reassure you by the time I could move this leg again, it looked basically like a bone covered with a thin layer of jello. Not sure that this is exactly the look OP is going for, but only 6 months of not putting weight at all on her legs will get her there
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Your legs look fab!0
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lishie_rebooted wrote: »livingleanlivingclean wrote: »livingleanlivingclean wrote: »livingleanlivingclean wrote: »steffie113 wrote: »Am I right in thinking that you loose muscle whilst running?
No. Running uses your legs, it does not burn muscle.
Long distance steady state will. Sprinting will likely build it. Marathon runner vs sprinter. I know which physique I'd prefer!
I wish this myth would go away.
Elite marathon runners look as thin as they are because they are trying to be as absolutely light as possible for race day. Yes that means wasting away some muscle, but that is NOT caused by all the marathon training. That is caused by purposeful calorie deprivation.
There is a correlation/causation issue at work here with this. Long distance steady state burns a TON of calories, and if you do it at a high level it can be nearly impossible to eat back enough. That doesn't mean long distance necessarily wastes muscle.
*ALL* I do is long-distance steady state type work. My quads and calves are enormous. I have a hard time finding jeans that fit over my legs that also fit my waist.
Bodybuilders purposefully deprive themselves of calories to get comp lean. But don't look like marathon runners.
Strawman argument. Bodybuilders already have "built" a larger "body" so that when they need to cut the last couple % of fat for a competition, they still look big. Elite marathon runners don't specifically bulk their muscles before a race.
If I were an elite marathon runner, I, too, would be looking to cut down another 20lbs from where I am. However I am not, I am just an amateur Ironman triathlete who spends 18+ hours a week doing "steady state cardio". I also eat to compensate for it. I don't look like an elite marathoner because I purposely don't deprive myself to get as light as humanly possible and still be able to run. Thus my calves and quads are huge in comparison to the rest of me.
You are confounding nutrition with exercise.
So you ride a bike as well as running?
Did you not look at his profile pic??
OP, I can lend you the walking boot I had to wear for a month after I broke my fibula.
There was a noticeable size difference in my calves after just one month.
I'm very happy that my calves are now about equal after one month out of that boot.
Profile pics don't show on my phone. No idea what it is.0 -
Not seeing an issue here - those legs look great. Very athletic and amazing. Be proud of them as there are tons of people who would kill for legs like that! Would boot cut jeans give you enough room?0
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steffie113 wrote: »So I need to exercise less then to get legs like say for example Taylor Swift? And drop my calories right down?
I want them to be smaller as I don't think they look attractive on me, when I actually change out of my gym gear and try to wear a pretty dress.
This attitude makes me so very sad.0 -
Nice legs! Seriously, IMO your legs look great. Nothing else to add that others haven't said.0
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