Long Cardio Sessions for de-bulking muscle?

wat?

cannot spot reduce.

running is great for concentric calf work.


edited: because sarcasm on the internet doesn't work.

She's trying to lose muscle in her legs, not grow...though I don't really know why

I'm being totally rude over the internet.

anlenz wrote: »

Anyone been successful with losing muscle by doing long cardio sessions? If so how long were your sessions and what activity did it consist of?

I'm trying to lose inches in my calves and thighs so that they are more proportionate with the rest of my body. I've already lost 2.5" from both thighs and 0" from my calves. I've also lost ~3% body fat so far.

Here's a plan, sit and watch tv all day and eat about 10-20g or protein a day while running a caloric deficit. Your muscles will atrophy just like you want them to.

You don't really want to loose muscle you want to strengthen and tighten it. As muscle first grows it pumps up with water and blood but as you strengthen you may be able to shrink and tighten it. Calves are an area that can take lots of work to change. If your not adding calories it cant grow.
I'm super strong and I have seen myself shrink as I got stronger. Areas that I work on did shrink. It is possible to sculpt your body with weight training and diet. Try the stair climber and use your calves. Sometimes its hard to do but is possible.

This thread so far.. wowsas.

OP: If you're big, you're gonna have giant calves to move that weight around. Period. Depending on how your body stores fat, you might have thick legs and cankles. No spot treatments will help any of that.

anlenz wrote: »

ninerbuff wrote: »

You cannot change genetics. If you're predisposed to having bigger calves and thighs, then there really isn't much you can to do change that, with the exception of not using them at all so they can atrophy.
Also there are NO EXERCISE programs that "lengthen" the muscles. Muscles are attached at point from birth barring any surgical procedures.
First try lowering your body fat, then go from there.


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

This post was me trying to figure out how to proceed next as I have lowered my body fat and have see excellent results in the rest of my body. Since you are a personal trainer, what should my body caliper reading be at my calves in order "to go from there"?

I'm not a personal trainer but I have pretty much the same problem spots as you. The poster @typhonrex was right. It's how your body stores fat. I had a dexa scan done previously which showed where my body fat was.

Not surprisingly, most of my fat was concentrated around my arms, hips, thighs and calves and none around my torso area. As others have said, you can't spot reduce and it may not be possible to reduce body fat percentage so much that you can see lost inches in the calves.

anlenz wrote: »

Anyone been successful with de-bulking muscle by doing long cardio sessions? If so how long were your sessions and what activity did it consist of?

I'm trying to lose inches in my calves and thighs so that they are more proportionate with the rest of my body. I've already lost 2.5" from both thighs and 0" from my calves. I've also lost ~3% body fat so.

Endurance athletes (cyclists and runners) typically develop lean physiques because their performance centers around the power to weight ratio. At some point, the power has been developed to one's genetic limit, so the weight is shed to improve the power to weight ratio so there is "less" to haul up the hill. Running a deficit of your calories, and doing enough endurance cardio will eventually not only burn the fat, but start to burn muscle as well. Ballerinas do the same as they must maintain a very low body weight to be lifted.

How long are the sessions? 12 - 30 hours a week would probably fit the norm for most of these top athletes. Non professionals would probably target getting at least one 3 - 4 hour session in per week (usually on weekends). A lot of 90 - 120 minute sessions mixed in the week as well, with one day off per week.

Top pros in their field are very lean, and all muscle mass not needed for their performance has been "de-bulked"...

ana3067 wrote: »

^^ those are terrifying pictures.

They all have made 7 figures in their peak years. So to be at the top of their craft, I guess they decided the pay to play was worth it. ;-)

The endurance athlete at that level is a different breed of performance and mind.