Toning down without building muscle?

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Replies

  • FreyasRebirth
    FreyasRebirth Posts: 514 Member
    Build muscle, then slow down if you get to a point where it is 'too much'. I'm sure it is going to take a long time before you get to that point, you'll definitely see it coming.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    What is more likely is that you have a decent amount of muscle mass and as you cut fat, that muscle mass becomes more defined thus giving the impression of increased mass...

    My wife is a former collegiate athlete and has an athletic build and good genetics...she carries quite a bit of muscle mass and when she cuts her winter weight, a lot of people comment on her buffness and ask her what she's doing in the weight room...she only lifts once per week, so she's not putting on mass...she's just getting shredded when she cuts the fat. In the winter she looks softer.
  • stelly76
    stelly76 Posts: 120 Member
    I saw a muscle growing on my arm and it disappeared the second I stopped using the weight machine. I haven't seen it since.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    stelly76 wrote: »
    I saw a muscle growing on my arm and it disappeared the second I stopped using the weight machine. I haven't seen it since.

    That would be swelling (or water retention).
  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    i wish gaining muscle was as easy as some people seem to think it is....

    this x 100000 !!
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    i wish gaining muscle was as easy as some people seem to think it is....

    There would definitely be a lot more huge, ripped people walking around if it was that easy. Building muscle takes a lot of time, a lot of attention to nutrition and a lot of hard, consistent training. It certainly doesn't just happen by accident, or within the span of a few days/weeks/months.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    i wish gaining muscle was as easy as some people seem to think it is....

    There would definitely be a lot more huge, ripped people walking around if it was that easy. Building muscle takes a lot of time, a lot of attention to nutrition and a lot of hard, consistent training. It certainly doesn't just happen by accident, or within the span of a few days/weeks/months.

    so your saying I can't just pack on four pounds of muscle in four weeks?????????????
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    i wish gaining muscle was as easy as some people seem to think it is....

    There would definitely be a lot more huge, ripped people walking around if it was that easy. Building muscle takes a lot of time, a lot of attention to nutrition and a lot of hard, consistent training. It certainly doesn't just happen by accident, or within the span of a few days/weeks/months.

    also a lot of milk and meatballs
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    edited May 2017
    SideSteel wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    i wish gaining muscle was as easy as some people seem to think it is....

    There would definitely be a lot more huge, ripped people walking around if it was that easy. Building muscle takes a lot of time, a lot of attention to nutrition and a lot of hard, consistent training. It certainly doesn't just happen by accident, or within the span of a few days/weeks/months.

    also a lot of milk and meatballs

    But then you're not natty, 'cause milk and meatballs are anabolic!
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    i wish gaining muscle was as easy as some people seem to think it is....

    There would definitely be a lot more huge, ripped people walking around if it was that easy. Building muscle takes a lot of time, a lot of attention to nutrition and a lot of hard, consistent training. It certainly doesn't just happen by accident, or within the span of a few days/weeks/months.

    so your saying I can't just pack on four pounds of muscle in four weeks?????????????

    I'm going to Maui in 3 weeks, what can I do to get that body on the right of that picture so I'll look like a smokin' hot 63 year old beach bum? :D Joking aside, if I hadn't been listening to @AnvilHead, @ndj1979, @SideSteel, @cwolfman13 and others on here for the past 15 months I wouldn't even be wearing a swim suit on the beach. Thanks all for the excellent and thoughtful advice that helped with my success.
  • Bookworm1860
    Bookworm1860 Posts: 54 Member
    HeliumIsNoble wrote: »
    Okay, okay, could we cut this out?

    Too much muscle definition is subjective . She might never look like the Hulk, true, but that doesn't mean she can't become more muscular than she wants.

    Honestly, I can understand that- at one point when I was dress shopping after clothing size changes, I suddenly discovered that despite going down a size, I couldn't wear those florally-patterned skater dresses without looking ridiculous, due to the juxtaposition of the very feminine style and my upper arms. Fortunately, my goal outfit isn't a skater dress so it wasn't a problem, but if it had been...
    (Also, sadly, I no longer have time for the routine that gave me that, so those muscles disappeared again over winter. Sob.)

    OP: this article may be helpful for you: https://bretcontreras.com/how-to-attain-a-slender-look-like-jessica-alba-zoe-saldana/

    He writes about exactly the issue you're having and how he modifies routines for women who are looking more bulky than they want.

    Thank you for that link! That is the first thing I have read that acknowledges some women can and do get bulkier than wanted. That sums up my experience. And, no, it wasn't just fat loss uncovering muscle. My arms, thighs, and waist were getting bigger and bigger. Clothes I had worn when I weighed 50 pounds more (lost with cardio alone) were getting too tight to wear. I left the trainers and joined a big box gym where I dropped almost all of the weight, and traded some resistance for yoga and zumba. I am much happier, my clothes fit again. Added bonuses - I'm working small muscles that were being completely ignored and I have better balance. Best of all, I no longer feel like I was repeatedly run over by a mac truck for days afterwards.

    Fitness does not have one definition and there is more than one road to fitness. I don't know why so many are adamant about not accepting that and telling some of us were are wrong about what we experience.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,993 Member
    Lift weights that you can do for 15-20 reps. Don't eat a lot of protein. Keep your body fat percentage higher. Granted since where you hold fat is genetic, you still may lose fat off your arms revealing more muscle, but there's not much you can do about that if you still have fat to lose.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • Bookworm1860
    Bookworm1860 Posts: 54 Member
    amyrebeccah wrote: »

    Edit: Curious--how long did you work with that trainer? Did they adjust your diet as well or just give you exercises?

    I worked with trainers (not always the same person) for a little over two years. I don't take nutrition advice from trainers who likely have fewer college credits in nutrition than I do. I don't need junk science and woo in my life. I did work with a nutritionist (RD).
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