How Do I Achieve Slimmer Calves?

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NutMeg623
NutMeg623 Posts: 2 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone!
I'm looking for suggestions on how to slim my calves. I have pretty strong calf muscles and I don't want to bulk them up, so I feel like calf raises are out of the question for me. I'm not sure how to slim and tone that area. Please help!

Replies

  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    You calves are the size they are. I accepted that about 40 years ago! If you are overweight, losing weight overall may have some reduction in calf size. I don't think doing calf raises is going to bulk them up per se, they might even make them look better, more streamlined rather than flabby (if you feel that's part of the issue).
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,521 Member
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    I say: work them. If a part of you is large, it might as well be strong. Also, if you work them aerobically, they may slim up.
  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,912 Member
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    My calves are big too. I used to be petrified of working them out. That changed though when I actually started incorporating calf raises and stuff in my workouts and actually my calf measurements dropped (sure - dropped coz of overall fat loss, but still - dropped)

    Plus - even now, most of my calf is still fat. UNder the fat it's muscle and very well defined - can see it when i'm working it out, but it's still a flabby fat calf normally.

    Work it - swap the fat for muscle, i've been enjoying the calf transformation personally.

    (by big I mean I could rarely even buy normal knee high boots unless they have elastic because won't close, and skinny jeans get stuck at my calves even if they fit everywhere else. Big)
  • noblsheep
    noblsheep Posts: 584 Member
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    I've got big calves and most of it was muscle to begin with. I've found running has actually helped make them look a bit more streamlined rather than plump.
  • Vladimirnapkin
    Vladimirnapkin Posts: 299 Member
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    Here I am wishing I could get mine to be bigger.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    Unless your calves are fat (which can be lost through a consistent calorie deficit) pretty much the only way to slim them down is to get different parents. It's mostly genetic which is why you'll see massive, ripped bodybuilders with skinny little calves despite the amount of work they do trying to bulk them up.
  • MyFreakingNameIsScott
    MyFreakingNameIsScott Posts: 199 Member
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    @BrianSharpe I’m going with that one! I can do 60-80 calf raises with a weighted vest (45#) religiously and they don’t get bigger. Drives me bananas.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
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    I had that problem too!! Once you lose more body fat you realize that's all it was. It's always the same process... slight calorie deficit that gets harder the slimmer you are. You have to have more patience the closer you get, you can't have such deep deficits as before, and you can't have deficits every day, sometimes just every day or every third day. Keep going and be patient!
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,676 Member
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    I have huge calves. When I lost weight, they didn't get much smaller, they just showed the underlying muscle a lot more. I decided to just accept them and be happy they are so strong.

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