How to get lean muscles and not bulky?

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leksandra
leksandra Posts: 11 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've been running for 3 years now on a treadmill. I've gained a lot of muscle mass which is great, but I hate how my legs became bulky. My calves are HUGE and not because of fat but muscle.

I'm wondering how to avoid bulky muscles and how to make my calves normal sized and lean. If anyone has any suggestions,
please do help :) Also, I am still losing weight if that changes the exercise regime in any way :/

Thank you all and good luck with your weight loss!
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Replies

  • trelm249
    trelm249 Posts: 777 Member
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    Seriously?

    Some of what you are experiencing is genetics and gender.
    As a female, the lower body naturally has more strength than the upper body. So your legs responding to running is not unusual. The other aspect of it is your genetic predisposition. Make peace with that. Many people would give their eye teeth for defined firm legs.

    Now, a balanced approach would be to try to even things out. Cut your cardio back some and add some resistance training for the upper body to balance the physique. Moves like Lat pulldowns, bent over barbell rows, dumbbell bench press, upright rows.

    If you currently run 5 days a week, cut back to 3 and lift the other 2 days. Go for low reps (4 to 6) with high weights. You will get stronger and firm up without too much hypertrophy. Doing 8 to 12 reps is the body building approach that promotes hypertrophy. 12< promotes muscle endurance and doesn't do jack for significant strength gains and starts getting into the realm of more cardio.

    Power, grace, and beauty is a good thing.
  • andrejjorje
    andrejjorje Posts: 497 Member
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    Without steroids a woman cannot get bulky.Best result is coming from light weights with high reps.
    The leaner you get the less bulky your calves are going to be.
  • DixiedoesMFP
    DixiedoesMFP Posts: 935 Member
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    How about a different perspective? I was walking behind a lady at the mall who was obviously a runner, and all I could think was "Damn, I'm jealous of those calves." Mine are frumpy in comparison.
  • Maura5
    Maura5 Posts: 30
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    Hi, I've seen the same problem in my body. My legs & butt have gotten bulkier than I wish. I do a weight training class twice a week so I have someone I can ask about this. We do squats, lunges, step-ups (sometimes w/a 25lb weight) between upper body sets so I wonder if that's affecting the bulk. Other women in the class aren't affected this way so I think genetics has a role. But need to find out if not doing so much lower body stuff will help de-bulk!
  • KyleB65
    KyleB65 Posts: 1,196 Member
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    What are you eating? And What else do you do for exercise?
    Also, what settings do yo have the treadmill on? (speed & inclination)
    If you are eating a high protein diet this might be adding the muscle mass?
    & If you have the treadmill set on a high inclination you may be getting as much a muscle workout as cardio? Again, adding muscle mass.
    As an alternative, try skipping. Part of my cardio routine includes 3 - 4 rounds (3 min/round with 1 minute rest between) of skipping. Personally, I find skipping a more challenging cardio workout that 30 - 45 min on the tread mill. Even with a moderate inclination and varied speeds.
    I am still a work in progress but I find that my legs (especially my calves) are getting defined. May be different for me as I am still losing weight and at my heaviest my butt and thighs were huge!
    Lots of luck!
  • Maura5
    Maura5 Posts: 30
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    Hi, I've seen the same problem in my body. My legs & butt have gotten bulkier than I wish. I do a weight training class twice a week so I have someone I can ask about this. We do squats, lunges, step-ups (sometimes w/a 25lb weight) between upper body sets so I wonder if that's affecting the bulk. Other women in the class aren't affected this way so I think genetics has a role. But need to find out if not doing so much lower body stuff will help de-bulk! I'm not on steroids or any other 'enhancer'.
  • Melis25Fit
    Melis25Fit Posts: 811 Member
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    interested in the responses....
  • luvmycandies
    luvmycandies Posts: 489 Member
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    Yoga and pilates would b good
  • Denimgirl
    Denimgirl Posts: 87 Member
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    An aerobics teacher told me that stretching after exercising is important if I didn't want bulky calves but long slender looking muscles in my calves. I do stretch my legs out quiet a bit so far no bulk.
  • furekurss
    furekurss Posts: 74
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    Without steroids a woman cannot get bulky.Best result is coming from light weights with high reps.
    The leaner you get the less bulky your calves are going to be.

    yeah they can
  • AZackery
    AZackery Posts: 2,035 Member
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    Try incorporating cardio sculpt workouts into your routine.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    bump!
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
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    this tread is full of very bad advices.
  • RonSwanson66
    RonSwanson66 Posts: 1,150 Member
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    bump!

    Strong avatar to post ratio.
  • MissFit0101
    MissFit0101 Posts: 2,382
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    When I ran track and cross country in school I hated every bit of my huge muscular legs. Now, I appreciate every bit of them! I would rather run and have big legs than to stop running to have smaller legs... that's just me. :heart:
  • laughingdani
    laughingdani Posts: 2,275 Member
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    So now BIG = BAD no matter what? Even if it's lean muscle?
  • FearAnLoathing
    FearAnLoathing Posts: 4,852 Member
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    So now BIG = BAD no matter what? Even if it's lean muscle?

    Just because she doesnt like it does not mean its bad
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    this tread is full of very bad advices.

    Aren't they all?

    To Op:
    Lift more weights to balance out what you got. I promise you that it is near impossible for a women to get bulky without eating a calorie surplus and lifting heavy. Yea you may make the muscles stronger, and burn off the fat so they show more(I suspect thats what happened in your calves.. I doubt you gained actual muscle) but thats about all that will happen.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    I've been running for 3 years now on a treadmill. I've gained a lot of muscle mass which is great, but I hate how my legs became bulky. My calves are HUGE and not because of fat but muscle.

    I'm wondering how to avoid bulky muscles and how to make my calves normal sized and lean. If anyone has any suggestions,
    please do help :) Also, I am still losing weight if that changes the exercise regime in any way :/

    Thank you all and good luck with your weight loss!

    Bulky? I would have to see a picture of them to render a judgement.
  • withervein
    withervein Posts: 224 Member
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    Some of what you are experiencing is genetics and gender.

    This. So. Much.

    Sorry, but the shape of your muscles is genetic. Muscles are attached to bones and joints in a way that is specific to each person’s body. As an example of this, look at the bump of people’s outer thigh muscles above the knee. You will notice that some people’s quads make a bump almost right at the knee, while other people have their quad bump higher up, sometimes quite high above the knee. This is merely an individual variation in muscle attachments. So, no matter what exercises you do, you’re not going to change where your muscles attach, and you’re not going to change their individual shape.

    A thing to keep in mind about it all, especially if you have just started, is this and its a quote from Geoff Girvitz, owner of Bang Fitness in Toronto:
    "The gains you’ll experience (when you first start building muscle) will not be linear. They will not continue forever. Do not freak out about them or delude yourself into thinking that you will turn into She-Hulk overnight. Unless your mom and dad were both Olympic shot-putters or you gained superpowers in a freak atomic accident, the odds are far, far lower than you think. Far lower."

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