How to get lean muscles and not bulky?

leksandra
leksandra Posts: 11 Member
edited October 6 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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    interested in the responses....
  • luvmycandies
    luvmycandies Posts: 489 Member
    Yoga and pilates would b good
  • Denimgirl
    Denimgirl Posts: 87 Member
    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
    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
    Try incorporating cardio sculpt workouts into your routine.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    bump!
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    this tread is full of very bad advices.
  • RonSwanson66
    RonSwanson66 Posts: 1,150 Member
    bump!

    Strong avatar to post ratio.
  • MissFit0101
    MissFit0101 Posts: 2,382
    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
    So now BIG = BAD no matter what? Even if it's lean muscle?
  • FearAnLoathing
    FearAnLoathing Posts: 4,852 Member
    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
    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: 8,328 Member
    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
    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."
  • DannyMussels
    DannyMussels Posts: 1,842 Member
    Get sunshine in here, she'll give good advice.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    Tae bo for sure.
  • writtenINthestars
    writtenINthestars Posts: 1,933 Member
    this tread is full of very bad advices.

    This.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I agree that at some point, you have to love and appreciate what you have, and that function is more important than form. Having strong legs that can carry you over miles and miles, trumps having little twiggy birdy legs that can't do what you want them to do, any day of the week.

    Some folks are genetically predisposed to have larger calves, just like some have larger breasts, wider shoulders, a narrower waist, a longer neck, smaller feet, a bigger nose, more prominent cheekbones, whatever. I'm very short-waisted. There's nothing I can do to change that. I can only work with what Mother Nature provided.
  • iKristine
    iKristine Posts: 288 Member
    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

    No they cannot. Testosterone is what is needed. And the only way a woman gets big, is if she had higher testosterone naturally to begin. And trust me, this woman would know already this applies to her cause she would be big muscled in life in general.

    Most women, with normal testosterone (the rest of us) will not get large by weight training. The most you would expect is to tighten up. But you would not get more girth.

    I can bicep more than most 20 year olds in the gym at 35lbs. My arms are just as big as they were when I did 15s. I know, because I measured them. They have not budged. But they have got more tight skinned.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    What you are probably actually seeing is muscle mixed with fat. I always thought my calves were HUGELY muscled when I was walking around 15lbs heavier than they are now. I couldn't wear those cut knee high boots. Currently I have stronger but SMALLER calves and fit into the boots. Really it's the body fat that makes you "bulky" not the muscles. To get your calves smaller you'll have to cut over all body fat, however where the fat comes from is not under your control (if it was I'd have skinny thighs). Your calves might not shrink until you get pretty low on the body fat and then you might be lower than you want (again, my situation with my thighs).

    And lastly, muscular calves are sexy as hell.

    ETA: Unless you are already pretty lean, then it's probably genetics.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    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.

    The first part of this statement depends on the definition of "bulky". Some women confuse "defined", "muscular" and "bulky". I completely understand that some women do not want the "muscular" and/or "defined" look, and the key to that is to maintain higher body fat percentages, anything greater than 20% or so. And yeah, I guess women CAN get "bulky" without steroids but it takes eating at a calorie surplus and many months if not years of weight lifting. I've been trying for 2 months and have gained 3 lbs.

    Light weights and high reps is pretty much bull sh1t. All it does is make you better at lifting light weights with high reps. It doesn't challenge or develop your muscles at all. It definitely doesn't make them "lean".
  • AZackery
    AZackery Posts: 2,035 Member
    A woman can bulk up without steroids, just like a man can bulk up without steroids. It takes time to gain muscle, even for a man. A bodybuilder doesn't become a bodybuilder overnight. A person doesn't even become a bodybuilder in a month. It takes years.

    Every woman's body is different. A woman and man can only speak for their own body.
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
    A woman can bulk up without steroids, just like a man can bulk up without steroids. It takes time to gain muscle, even for a man. A bodybuilder doesn't become a bodybuilder overnight. A person doesn't even become a bodybuilder in a month. It takes years.

    Every woman's body is different. A woman and man can only speak for their own body.
    a typical woman with normal testosterone levels will not bulk up like a man without using steroids.
    yes it takes time to gain muscle, and you have to be eating the right things and that goes for men and women, but generally if women want to look like bodybuilders they have to take steroids and other supplements.
  • bry_all01
    bry_all01 Posts: 3,100 Member
    I would say cut back a tad on cardio and add strength training. I personally love the weighted standing calf raises, but that isn't going to help you trim them, only sculpt them.
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