Can you reduce the size of muscles?

mickipedia

Probably sounds like a strange request but recently I've been doing a lot of arm exercises in order to help tone up my "bingo wings" it's been working fine but I've started to get quite muscly arms.. now being female I don't want to end up looking too muscly and masculine so is there a way to stop the muscle getting bigger but still tone?

mickipedia

bump

feistymoon

Reduce the weight you lift but increase the repetitions.

That's what Ive always been told. It tones without building more apparently. I'll be honest though, my knowledge in this area is pretty limited so there will be people here far more qualified to answer than me.

Hope this helps x

almonds1

Reduce the weight you lift but increase the repetitions.

That's what Ive always been told. It tones without building more apparently. I'll be honest though, my knowledge in this area is pretty limited so there will be people here far more qualified to answer than me.

Hope this helps x

this...

Pilates or yoga. Both disciplines are known for their muscle-toning effects. Those who regularly practice yoga or Pilates develop long, lean muscles.

adamlb

Muscles can only grow or shrink, and you can increase or decrease the level of body fat (though not in a targeted way); "tone" is a bit of a falsehood.
Just looked for a reference; there might be some useful info here - http://yourtrainerdamon.blogspot.com/2010/05/theres-no-such-thing-as-tone.html

AntWrig

Reduce the weight you lift but increase the repetitions.

That's what Ive always been told. It tones without building more apparently. I'll be honest though, my knowledge in this area is pretty limited so there will be people here far more qualified to answer than me.

Hope this helps x

That does nothing.

In order to reduce muscle size, you to do activities that are muscle wasting (catabolic) for starters, stop lifting weights and start hours on end of cardio.

I highly doubt you are muscular. Most women freak out when they start to lean out and build lean muscle (which is good!) You don't produce enough testosterone to look like a man.

Matt_Wild

^^^^ As per usual, Fitnesssocial is correct.

Increasing weight to a light weight simply will waste your time and hit your fast twitch fibres and potentionally build them more anyway.

Also, you CANNOT tone muscle. Its impossible. You either build muscle or lose fat. You cannot tone anything.

xraychick77

headslap

jimmie25

whats wrong with muscly arms?

Sophiepoo

I'm afraid you can't tone. If you're losing fat then some muscle will show. This is a good thing

TamsinEllis

I don't know anything about this sort of stuff but I can say at the moment I have what my (girl) friends think are large muscles in my arms, I don't. What has happened is I have developed muscles there and because I still have a high body fat percentage they look bigger then they actually are. I obviously don't know you height/weight/measurements/bf% etc, but most likely you'll find those "large" muscles will turn into what we consider "toned" muscles as your body fat decreases. Of course I'm saying all this but I could be wrong,it's just the way I understand things

flimflamfloz

If you are putting that much muscle on, I would consider a career in female body building.

Seriously... Most female struggle to put on muscles and most of them will never have large muscles, so count yourself lucky.

mickipedia

Reduce the weight you lift but increase the repetitions.

That's what Ive always been told. It tones without building more apparently. I'll be honest though, my knowledge in this area is pretty limited so there will be people here far more qualified to answer than me.

Hope this helps x

That does nothing.

In order to reduce muscle size, you to do activities that are muscle wasting (catabolic) for starters, stop lifting weights and start hours on end of cardio.

I highly doubt you are muscular. Most women freak out when they start to lean out and build lean muscle (which is good!) You don't produce enough testosterone to look like a man.

I know I'm not eaxctly getting ripped, but i have chunky arms as it is and the muscle that is starting to show is making them look worse.. i wish it was possible to lose weight in certain places.

belly and arms gone and I'm happy

and i know i need overall body fat % to be lower before these things will be what i want them to be but i don't want to end up with she-hulk arms on a little body lol

laddyboy

Unless you have an unordinary amount of testosterone you can not build bulky arms like a man.
Lower weights and a rep range of 12-15 will build leaner sexy muscles.

I'd like to see those she hulk arms of yours.

Matt_Wild

and i know i need overall body fat % to be lower before these things will be what i want them to be but i don't want to end up with she-hulk arms on a little body lol

You won't. You don't have the hormonal capability. Testosterone is the hormone responsible for allowing muscle to be held in the body and as a woman you will not have enough to get she-hulk arms.

porffor

Reduce the weight you lift but increase the repetitions.

That's what Ive always been told. It tones without building more apparently. I'll be honest though, my knowledge in this area is pretty limited so there will be people here far more qualified to answer than me.

Hope this helps x

That does nothing.

In order to reduce muscle size, you to do activities that are muscle wasting (catabolic) for starters, stop lifting weights and start hours on end of cardio.

I highly doubt you are muscular. Most women freak out when they start to lean out and build lean muscle (which is good!) You don't produce enough testosterone to look like a man.

I'd be freaking alright... freaking dancing for joy!! lol

HeidiMightyRawr

I really doubt it's the actual muscle causing the size, it's probably fat tbh.

Fat can cause so much more "bulk" than muscle does, especially in women. When I was the weight I am now, prior to MFP, I had some muscle, and background of strength training but not loads. My clothes were so tight around my upper arms / shoulders / lats etc. I could see muscle there so it probably seemed like it was that (I was ~27% body fat) but...

Since then I lost weight (fat) and then went on a bulk cycle to build muscle <<<< like in my pic. I have a lot more muscle showing than before, and no doubt more muscle mass, yet my fat % is like 22% now, and the same clothes that used to be tight, now have a gap where it used to dig into my skin.
Note: To still build that muscle it wasn't just lifting that did it - I ate like 3000 calories a day, with a 5 day a week training routine. When I was lifting but on a calorie deficit & maintenance, as I'm assuming you are, I was quite a bit smaller, muscle nowhere near that size.

Muscle + fat = bigger / chunkier arms.
More muscle + less fat = smaller arms

Muscle is more dense than fat too, so it takes up less room making you smaller.

If you still want to lose muscle though, forget the high rep thing, that doesn't do much. Just stop strength training, and as you lose weight some will naturally be muscle as well as fat.

Matt_Wild

^^^
Exactly

mickipedia

I really doubt it's the actual muscle causing the size, it's probably fat tbh.

Fat can cause so much more "bulk" than muscle does, especially in women. When I was the weight I am now, prior to MFP, I had some muscle, and background of strength training but not loads. My clothes were so tight around my upper arms / shoulders / lats etc. I could see muscle there so it probably seemed like it was that (I was ~27% body fat) but...

Since then I lost weight (fat) and then went on a bulk cycle to build muscle <<<< like in my pic. I have a lot more muscle showing than before, and no doubt more muscle mass, yet my fat % is like 22% now, and the same clothes that used to be tight, now have a gap where it used to dig into my skin.
Note: To still build that muscle it wasn't just lifting that did it - I ate like 3000 calories a day, with a 5 day a week training routine. When I was lifting but on a calorie deficit & maintenance, as I'm assuming you are, I was quite a bit smaller, muscle nowhere near that size.

Muscle + fat = bigger / chunkier arms.
More muscle + less fat = smaller arms

Muscle is more dense than fat too, so it takes up less room making you smaller.

If you still want to lose muscle though, forget the high rep thing, that doesn't do much. Just stop strength training, and as you lose weight some will naturally be muscle as well as fat.

I know these things, my arms aren't that muscly at the moment and I agree that it is fat thats making them look big (hense why I want to work on them) all I'm worried about is if i work them a lot then the muscle will obviously get bigger and when the fat goes it will look more bulky.. I don't really want any muscle on my arms so thats why I want to know a way of making sure this doesn't happen.

Thanks for the advice tho

Tara4boys

You may also be experiencing muscle swelling - it can last several days. If I've done a really heavy workout, my muscles - especially my triceps experience temporary swelling.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/530064-muscles-feeling-sore-swollen-after-workout/

Stick with the strength training, you will ultimately look better because of it.

RonnieBigGunz

I gotta see a picture of this. It takes seriously heavy lifting, lot of dedication (years of training), and great genetics for a woman do develop big arms naturally.

Losing muscle is easy. Eat at a calorie deficit and don't lift heavy = muscle atrophy, but who would want that? You will either end up looking emaciated or skinny-fat.

HeidiMightyRawr

I know these things, my arms aren't that muscly at the moment and I agree that it is fat thats making them look big (hense why I want to work on them) all I'm worried about is if i work them a lot then the muscle will obviously get bigger and when the fat goes it will look more bulky.. I don't really want any muscle on my arms so thats why I want to know a way of making sure this doesn't happen.

Thanks for the advice tho

You won't The amount of muscle you would have gained by strength training in a deficit or maintenance, is going to be so small. You'll just look more toned / defined but it definitely won't be bulky, unless you're eating in a surplus + training specifically to gain size.

There are tons of women on this site who lift so much, and they have been for ages, and they look great, not bulky in the slightest! Have a look around the bodybuilding group, or in a lot of threads about strength training and you should see them, they're a real inspiration!

Another pic I have (public profile) - green/white dress, was after I'd lost all the weight I wanted and got to my goal, before I started bulking. I was lifting heavy for almost a year solidly when that was taken and was more toned than before and smaller than before MFP but hardly had any extra muscle at all, definitely wasn't bulky.

mhankosk

whats wrong with muscly arms?

^^ This!

Dragonwolf

I really doubt it's the actual muscle causing the size, it's probably fat tbh.

Fat can cause so much more "bulk" than muscle does, especially in women. When I was the weight I am now, prior to MFP, I had some muscle, and background of strength training but not loads. My clothes were so tight around my upper arms / shoulders / lats etc. I could see muscle there so it probably seemed like it was that (I was ~27% body fat) but...

Since then I lost weight (fat) and then went on a bulk cycle to build muscle <<<< like in my pic. I have a lot more muscle showing than before, and no doubt more muscle mass, yet my fat % is like 22% now, and the same clothes that used to be tight, now have a gap where it used to dig into my skin.
Note: To still build that muscle it wasn't just lifting that did it - I ate like 3000 calories a day, with a 5 day a week training routine. When I was lifting but on a calorie deficit & maintenance, as I'm assuming you are, I was quite a bit smaller, muscle nowhere near that size.

Muscle + fat = bigger / chunkier arms.
More muscle + less fat = smaller arms

Muscle is more dense than fat too, so it takes up less room making you smaller.

If you still want to lose muscle though, forget the high rep thing, that doesn't do much. Just stop strength training, and as you lose weight some will naturally be muscle as well as fat.

I know these things, my arms aren't that muscly at the moment and I agree that it is fat thats making them look big (hense why I want to work on them) all I'm worried about is if i work them a lot then the muscle will obviously get bigger and when the fat goes it will look more bulky.. I don't really want any muscle on my arms so thats why I want to know a way of making sure this doesn't happen.

Thanks for the advice tho

Why do you want to be weak? That's basically what you're asking.

If you're afraid that your arms will be disproportionately larger than other areas of your body, then work on building those other areas while keeping your arm strength up.

As a woman, you're not going to get Arnold arms. Stop worrying about that (and stop listening to all the crap that says you will). And if any of your profile pics are even remotely recent, your arms are just fine (actually, you look good in general).

therealangd

You will not get she-hulk arms by weight lifting. You don't have enough testosterone.

You can reduce the size of muscle by not working them. Stop lifting weights and do only cardio.

Unless I'm mis-understanding what you are saying, you want to be skinny-fat? Thin with no muscle? You should probably re-think that. That's no more healthy than being plain old over weight. And it's only maintainable with a VLCD.

By reducing your muscle, you are reducing your metabolism.

As an aside. The pictures you see of fitness models with muscle definition have very very low body fat percentages. 10-13%. And they only look like that during competitions. The rest of the time, they look like very fit and healthy women. 10-13% body fat is only possible with an immense amount of dedication and hard work. Beyond what 99% of the rest of us women would do.

mickipedia

I gotta see a picture of this. It takes seriously heavy lifting, lot of dedication (years of training), and great genetics for a woman do develop big arms naturally.

Losing muscle is easy. Eat at a calorie deficit and don't lift heavy = muscle atrophy, but who would want that? You will either end up looking emaciated or skinny-fat.

My arms aren't like that yet, I notice the difference and it looks huge to me.. I want to prevent it thats all.

And i don't really want to be weak.. its just i don't want hufely defined muscles on my arms.. i want dainty lady arms because i've never had them.

Phrak

if you want to be dainty, stop working out and stop eating. Thats how the super models do it. /sarcasm off.

mickipedia

if you want to be dainty, stop working out and stop eating. Thats how the super models do it. /sarcasm off.

Well you're obviously a moron.

thecrossfitter

http://www.crossfitsouthbay.com/2011/05/skinny-fat/

You need to read the whole thing. I considered copying and pasting it, but it loses some effect without the images.

thecrossfitter

I really doubt it's the actual muscle causing the size, it's probably fat tbh.

Fat can cause so much more "bulk" than muscle does, especially in women. When I was the weight I am now, prior to MFP, I had some muscle, and background of strength training but not loads. My clothes were so tight around my upper arms / shoulders / lats etc. I could see muscle there so it probably seemed like it was that (I was ~27% body fat) but...

Since then I lost weight (fat) and then went on a bulk cycle to build muscle <<<< like in my pic. I have a lot more muscle showing than before, and no doubt more muscle mass, yet my fat % is like 22% now, and the same clothes that used to be tight, now have a gap where it used to dig into my skin.
Note: To still build that muscle it wasn't just lifting that did it - I ate like 3000 calories a day, with a 5 day a week training routine. When I was lifting but on a calorie deficit & maintenance, as I'm assuming you are, I was quite a bit smaller, muscle nowhere near that size.

Muscle + fat = bigger / chunkier arms.
More muscle + less fat = smaller arms

Muscle is more dense than fat too, so it takes up less room making you smaller.

If you still want to lose muscle though, forget the high rep thing, that doesn't do much. Just stop strength training, and as you lose weight some will naturally be muscle as well as fat.

This.

thecrossfitter

You won't The amount of muscle you would have gained by strength training in a deficit or maintenance, is going to be so small. You'll just look more toned / defined but it definitely won't be bulky, unless you're eating in a surplus + training specifically to gain size.

There are tons of women on this site who lift so much, and they have been for ages, and they look great, not bulky in the slightest! Have a look around the bodybuilding group, or in a lot of threads about strength training and you should see them, they're a real inspiration!

Another pic I have (public profile) - green/white dress, was after I'd lost all the weight I wanted and got to my goal, before I started bulking. I was lifting heavy for almost a year solidly when that was taken and was more toned than before and smaller than before MFP but hardly had any extra muscle at all, definitely wasn't bulky.

Also correct. As for me ive been lifting heavy for 7 months (5 days a week) and not eating at a deficit. My arms actually measure smaller than before. I can actually wear an XS top where before my arms kept me in a medium. I think (hope) I at least built some muscle! But truthfully the exercise I got from lifting is what helped me burn fat and lose it all over- thus my smaller arms. Fat was the only thing making my arms big.