Can you reduce the size of muscles?

TamsinEllis

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.

I read that It's a really good link, a lot of it I'd already heard or figured out but still some interesting tibits in there

missjoci

Be proud of your muscles! They won't get huge unless you train for them to (trust me I keep trying to build them). Most people think a woman with some muscle definition is hot!!!

You're probably just not used to seeing the muscles without the extra fat on them. I think the only way you can really make your muscles waste away is by doing strictly cardio, keeping a low cal diet, and not lifting heavy weights. If you want a more lean muscle look switch to some pilates, yoga, eliptical training and don't lift anything heavy.

HeidiMightyRawr

No actually I'm referring to the unhelpful comment he made. If you read my post first you'll see that I'm asking how to stop them getting any bigger as i don't want to stop training because as i said in my other post I don't want to be weak.. I just don't want them to look too big once the fat is gone and it is defined muscle.

Read the whole thing before you jump in and tell me I'm not listening to people. I know what is making my arms look big at the moment because I am not an idiot, what I am asking is for a way to stop them looking muscly once I've lost the fat.

I'm sorry it seems like a few people are a bit unhelpful here. I can only imagine it's because there are tons of threads similar to this everyday, and women all the time worrying needlessly that they will get bulky when they won't. Posters here no doubt get a bit frustrated seeing the same myths floating about everyday.

I understand what you're saying though, they're not bulky yet, but you want to prevent it.

I want to again, reassure you that you won't. Some women gain a small amount at the beginning when they're new to lifting, it's "newbie gains" It doesn't last long though and I can 99% guarantee you that lifting will only make your arms nice and toned, and a lot smaller once you get rid of the fat. The other <1% would be for the women who have exceptional testosterone levels, and/or are eating in a surplus.

carrie_eggo

what I am asking is for a way to stop them looking muscly once I've lost the fat.

Calorie deficit + lots of cardio - any strength training = body eats muscles nom, nom, nom

Hope this helps

hottottie11

Fat=bulky
Muscle=lean

I've been lifting heavy for almost a year and I've dropped sizes and inches all over.

Please listen to those telling you that your arms "appear big" because of fat, not muscle. You will not build muscle on a caloric deficit (with few exceptions) that look like she-hulk's .

Reduce body fat by eating at a deficit and lifting heavy to maintain the muscles you have. That's how you solve "bat wings"

**sigh**

O and if you are afraid of them look "muscly", maintain a level of body fat that will hide muscle definition. Simple as that.

swood0114

I'd like to clear up a few things on this thread.

If you're running a deficit in your calories its going to be nearly impossible for you to do any major bulking up. You will definitely build muscle but don't worry, you're not going to "accidentally" end up looking like those female body builders who do competitions! Believe me, super muscular women work HARD, harder than we can imagine, to look like that and it involves a whole new type of diet.

Also, this is a general problem I have noticed on threads like these but you can't "lose fat cells." Once your body has fat cells, they can enlarge and shrink, but nothing will actually make them go away except for medical procedures such as lipo. This is not to say you can't decrease your body fat percentage, you definitely can! Just the fat cells have shrunk down in volume. Unfortunately once you have these cells (many of them developed when you were a child,) it does make it easier to gain the fat back if you're not careful.

Ok off my soapbox.

dad106

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.

I don't know how much more clear people can make it.. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GET HUGE MUSCLY ARMS UNLESS YOU TRAIN FOR IT!!!!!!!

I've been lifting weights for over a year now, eating at a calorie deficit, and my body has done nothing but get smaller... I went from a size 10 to 4, and my arms are tighter and smaller because I have muscle in there and not fat.

Once you lose the fat you will see smaller arms... muscles are not a bad thing.. embrace them.

I get that.. I'm saying that to me my arms look big.. they always have been big and I want them to be skinny.

I really wish people would stop condescending others in these forums.. its becoming a pretty spiteful place.

It's been explained to me and I'm fine with that. People are now just repeating themselves to try and make it seem as though I'm ignoring everyone's advice.

AND FOR THE RECORD WRITING IN CAPS LOCK JUST MAKES YOU SEEM VERY RUDE AND DOESN'T HELP GET YOUR POINT ACROSS.

And they will be skinny once you lose the fat... for the millionth time in this thread.

Go look up Jamie Eason and see her arms.. She has muscles and they are no where near big and her arms are skinny.

I don't care if I seem rude or condescending... You are clearly not getting what people are telling you, no matter how much you claim to be. Open your eyes, do research and then tell people they are wrong when you have proof to back up your claims.

grapenutSF

Hey OP. :flowerforyou:

This happens to be a touchy subject here, because there's a lot of misinformation about women getting bulky and many find that frustrating bc lifting heavy-for women-is an effective way to burn fat. And many of us find non-steroid-induced muscular appealing.

I have nothing especially new to share, I will just 2nd what others have said. You don't have enough testosterone to get beefy. It's most likely fat making your arms big. Lifting heavy will help your arms look leaner in the end. There's nothing special you need to do to keep them from getting too big from muscle.

littlemili

Hi. I lift heavy. I have about 15% body fat. My arms are 8 inches at their widest point. Get over yourself and pick up some weights. It's fat, not muscle. If you've got your body fat to athlete level and you still have fat arms, then you might get a different response. But my arms are tiny and I lift weights and though I say so myself my arm muscles are very well defined and beautiful. They're just not coated in layers of fat.

littlemili

I just checked your profile. Your body fat is 29%. That is the upper end of 'average'. I doubt you have any muscle definition at that level, yet.

ItsMeRebekah

I just checked your profile. Your body fat is 29%. That is the upper end of 'average'. I doubt you have any muscle definition at that level, yet.

wow. just wow.

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.

I don't know how much more clear people can make it.. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GET HUGE MUSCLY ARMS UNLESS YOU TRAIN FOR IT!!!!!!!

I've been lifting weights for over a year now, eating at a calorie deficit, and my body has done nothing but get smaller... I went from a size 10 to 4, and my arms are tighter and smaller because I have muscle in there and not fat.

Once you lose the fat you will see smaller arms... muscles are not a bad thing.. embrace them.

I get that.. I'm saying that to me my arms look big.. they always have been big and I want them to be skinny.

I really wish people would stop condescending others in these forums.. its becoming a pretty spiteful place.

It's been explained to me and I'm fine with that. People are now just repeating themselves to try and make it seem as though I'm ignoring everyone's advice.

AND FOR THE RECORD WRITING IN CAPS LOCK JUST MAKES YOU SEEM VERY RUDE AND DOESN'T HELP GET YOUR POINT ACROSS.

And they will be skinny once you lose the fat... for the millionth time in this thread.

Go look up Jamie Eason and see her arms.. She has muscles and they are no where near big and her arms are skinny.

I don't care if I seem rude or condescending... You are clearly not getting what people are telling you, no matter how much you claim to be. Open your eyes, do research and then tell people they are wrong when you have proof to back up your claims.

I am getting what people are telling me which is why I'm no longer worrying. I am not telling you you're wrong.

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.

Here's something i posted earlier.. This is me agreeing with what people are suggesting.. I was just saying what my concern was, and from reading everyone's advice I'm no longer worried.

I always thought these forums were to help other people in their weightloss journey.. not pretty much slate everything I say.

So please just shush now, I've got the answer I wanted and you're just clogging up my post.

ninerbuff

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.

Myth. Your muscle insertions are set at birth. You CANNOT develop long lean muscles through any exercise. If a person has a short bicep tendon insertion, compared to one with a longer bicep tendon insertion, the one with the longer insertion will always look leaner if both did the same exercise regimen.
Looking longer and leaner has more to do with body fat percentage. While people can build muscle up through hypertrophy, it's practically impossible to do it on calorie deficit.


A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

mickipedia

I just checked your profile. Your body fat is 29%. That is the upper end of 'average'. I doubt you have any muscle definition at that level, yet.

I didn't say once that I have muscle definition.. All i said is that they are looking more muscly and I wanted to make sure they weren't going to end up big.. I was looking for prevention rather than a cure.

littlemili

I just checked your profile. Your body fat is 29%. That is the upper end of 'average'. I doubt you have any muscle definition at that level, yet.

wow. just wow.

If you're implying I'm being rude, I'm not. I'm being honest. Go look up some images of women at 30% body fat. Unless they have very unusual fat distribution, that level of body fat is simply too high to see muscle definition. I know this also from personal experience, because I had more than 30% body fat less than a year ago. I always had great arm muscles because of my day job but they were invisible until I reduced my body fat. I doubt the muscles have really gotten much bigger since I was eating at a deficit the whole time (much like the OP which is another reason she has no reason to be concerned about bulky muscles), they have just been uncovered.

dad106

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.

I don't know how much more clear people can make it.. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GET HUGE MUSCLY ARMS UNLESS YOU TRAIN FOR IT!!!!!!!

I've been lifting weights for over a year now, eating at a calorie deficit, and my body has done nothing but get smaller... I went from a size 10 to 4, and my arms are tighter and smaller because I have muscle in there and not fat.

Once you lose the fat you will see smaller arms... muscles are not a bad thing.. embrace them.

I get that.. I'm saying that to me my arms look big.. they always have been big and I want them to be skinny.

I really wish people would stop condescending others in these forums.. its becoming a pretty spiteful place.

It's been explained to me and I'm fine with that. People are now just repeating themselves to try and make it seem as though I'm ignoring everyone's advice.

AND FOR THE RECORD WRITING IN CAPS LOCK JUST MAKES YOU SEEM VERY RUDE AND DOESN'T HELP GET YOUR POINT ACROSS.

And they will be skinny once you lose the fat... for the millionth time in this thread.

Go look up Jamie Eason and see her arms.. She has muscles and they are no where near big and her arms are skinny.

I don't care if I seem rude or condescending... You are clearly not getting what people are telling you, no matter how much you claim to be. Open your eyes, do research and then tell people they are wrong when you have proof to back up your claims.

I am getting what people are telling me which is why I'm no longer worrying. I am not telling you you're wrong.

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.

Here's something i posted earlier.. This is me agreeing with what people are suggesting.. I was just saying what my concern was, and from reading everyone's advice I'm no longer worried.

I always thought these forums were to help other people in their weightloss journey.. not pretty much slate everything I say.

So please just shush now, I've got the answer I wanted and you're just clogging up my post.

Wow.. After all this time you finally get it.. I hope.

and I'm just clogging up your post? Hun, it's a free forum.. and if you don't like people posting on your topic, then don't post. That simple.

Have a lovely day

havingitall

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.

I can only assume you are referring to yourself here! People keep telling you the same thing, the FAT IS MAKING THEM LOOK FAT! Not muscle. If you want skinny little arms, get skinny all over nad they will follow.

If you think you somehow manage to create man arms, please share how you did it! I work my *kitten* off to have well defined arms and have for years, yet don't have man-hulk arms! I would love to see pictures and know YOUR secrets!

^^ this

I love my biceps.... and I kill my arms to make the tiniest of bumps

kealambert

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.

besides, a woman with a six pack and guns is hot

havingitall

glad all that garbage got removed from here

r1ghtpath

that little dude at the computer has a lot of anger inside him. i think he needs a good work out!! some serious stress relief!! no one should die by keyboard!!! ;-)