Calf slimming exercises???

MEG2030444
MEG2030444 Posts: 4
in Fitness and Exercise
I have very muscular calves I'd like to slim down. Ideas?

Replies

  • fanuch
    fanuch Posts: 18 Member
    Calves feel like a great indicator of overall strength (as opposed to those guys that only work upper body etc) but to each their own!
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    calorie deficit. you can't spot reduce, and calves are what they are. for many people it's a genetic thing.
  • establishingaplace
    establishingaplace Posts: 301 Member
    Stop walking. The muscles will atrophy, and your calves will be slimmer.

    Or get calf reduction surgery.

    Or just suck it up; if you were born with muscular legs, there's not a whole lot you can do about it.
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
    You can't spot-reduce. The only way to get rid of muscle is to stop using said muscle and let it atrophy. You should be happy with your strong calves though. Strong muscular calves are a great thing to have!
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,566 Member
    Just wondering what is wrong with muscular calves? A nice well defined and shapely leg looks nice when you wear clothes that show your legs :drinker:
  • jlclabo
    jlclabo Posts: 588 Member
    i love my calves... in all their 18" glory! wish the rest of my body would catch up to them.
  • establishingaplace
    establishingaplace Posts: 301 Member
    Just wondering what is wrong with muscular calves? A nice well defined and shapely leg looks nice when you wear clothes that show your legs :drinker:

    Easy to say that, but harder to believe it. I hated...HATED...my legs for most of of my life. It took me a long time to decide they were pretty awesome, and even then sometimes I still envy women with slim legs.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,966 Member
    I have big calves and ankles. When I was modelling in my teens and twenties, people in the industry used to joke about how butch my lower legs looked. This post is more about ankles than calves, though.

    When I was in hospital and had a thrombosis, I wore compression socks. A by product of the compression socks was the reduction of fluid retention in my lower legs. I was amazed by how dainty my ankles looked. Nowadays the major sports gear manufacturers sell compression socks to help prevent sporting injuries. If you have thick ankles, maybe give them a try.
  • MEG2030444
    MEG2030444 Posts: 4
    Lol... Greeeaaaat
  • luca15306
    luca15306 Posts: 111 Member
    Ive lost 40pounds...only around a quarter of an inch off each calf.....i would love to know how to slim them down!
  • daw0518
    daw0518 Posts: 459 Member
    Just wondering what is wrong with muscular calves? A nice well defined and shapely leg looks nice when you wear clothes that show your legs :drinker:

    I personally hate having muscular calves because buying boots is a total nightmare & I LOVE boots. I have 17 inch calves, & even 'wide calf' boots are only like 15-16 inches around. It's very, very frustrating. I can't buy high quality boots half the time because they just don't fit me [Frye, for example]. I was finally able to get some Hunter rain boots, but I had to get the adjustable back ones and even THOSE are too small for my calves & bunch up a little.
  • Jennilyn79
    Jennilyn79 Posts: 30 Member
    For starters, having big calves severely reduces the boots and skinny jeans you can wear. I also have a hard time with ski and snowboard boots because the dig into my calves and cause pain and bruising. I've never liked the size of my calves, women in general don't like looking "manly" in certain areas. A lot of people have things about their bodies they don't like. Unfortunately there isn't anything you can do to slim down your calf muscles unless something extreme like surgery
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    Just wondering what is wrong with muscular calves? A nice well defined and shapely leg looks nice when you wear clothes that show your legs :drinker:

    I personally hate having muscular calves because buying boots is a total nightmare & I LOVE boots. I have 17 inch calves, & even 'wide calf' boots are only like 15-16 inches around. It's very, very frustrating. I can't buy high quality boots half the time because they just don't fit me [Frye, for example]. I was finally able to get some Hunter rain boots, but I had to get the adjustable back ones and even THOSE are too small for my calves & bunch up a little.

    Buy half a size bigger for boots and wear thick socks. I have huge calves. You can't reduce the muscle. You can lose the fat over them and strength training can make them a bit tighter.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    Big calves aren't "manly" as they are a non-gender specific muscle which is required to be strong by design due to it's purpose. Maybe boot designers should size their products to reflect the actual measurements of women.
  • TonyStark30
    TonyStark30 Posts: 497 Member
    People have as much Calf as they need. If you were eating less, walked less and weighed less, you would have less calf, but maybe not as little as you hope for sorry.
  • mangomummy14
    mangomummy14 Posts: 2 Member
    You have my sympathies, I am only 5'4 with 29 inch legs and have huge calves. I am strong and a muscular build in general but I feel very uncomfortable wearing dresses and skirts, I feel like I've got male rugby player legs, my calves are wider that the lower part of my thighs! Buying skinny jeans and boots are an issue due to my calves but I ahve accepted that if I want to be fit, healthy and toned all over my calves will always be bulky. I did try some pliates moves to elongate them a few years ago but really only weightloss works

    My husband also has shortish legs and large calves so god help my daughters!.
  • gottabekd
    gottabekd Posts: 46 Member
    People have as much Calf as they need. If you were eating less, walked less and weighed less, you would have less calf, but maybe not as little as you hope for sorry.

    What? No, genetics vary, my calves are larger than average and have always been, even when I was under weight.
  • RhineDHP
    RhineDHP Posts: 1,025 Member
    Would you be cool with posting a picture of your calves?

    I've found pretty much every instance where a thread comes up with a woman thinking a body part of hers "looks too muscular," and subsequently posts a picture of said "bulky body part," that it is entirely the opposite; that their supposed bulkiness is actually visually appealing and it's just all in their minds.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,993 Member
    I have very muscular calves I'd like to slim down. Ideas?
    You can lose body fat to help them slim down a little more, but no exercise will do that. The truth of the matter is that calves are mostly genetic and with the exception of increasing their size, the shape and size are usually with you for life unless something dramatically happens (say like loss of walking) happens.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
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    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • FoxyLifter
    FoxyLifter Posts: 965 Member
    Eating at a deficit until your calves are the size you want them to be.
  • TonyStark30
    TonyStark30 Posts: 497 Member
    People have as much Calf as they need. If you were eating less, walked less and weighed less, you would have less calf, but maybe not as little as you hope for sorry.

    What? No, genetics vary, my calves are larger than average and have always been, even when I was under weight.

    What's average? If your body can hold on to muscle it doesn't need even when you are not eating enough and weigh less than is healthy you are a Comic book character or have serious body image problems. You would do better to just love your calves.

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