Please help her get smaller legs.

[asiansinc]

A friend of mine once told me that he'd been training one of his female friends. Apparently, she got too muscular, so he put her on some sort of routine where she consistently overtrained. She didn't know any better, so she just followed his advice, and now she's not so muscular. I related this to China White, who asked...

Originally posted by China White
What do you guys think about over-training your muscles to make them smaller?

I hate my legs because they are too muscular. I heard that if you over-train your muscles, you'd be breaking down your muscles, and then, they'd get smaller? Is this true? If so, how do I got about doing this?

A little bit of background...

I don't think you guys understand. I run every day. My legs have almost NO fat on them whatsoever. My leg muscles are huge. They won't atrophy.

I think I need to show you guys a picture. Then, maybe you'll understand my distress.

I don't work out my legs. Not at all. My legs are big, partly because of genetics, and partly because I run a lot. I don't even have much fat in my inner thighs. They're pretty solid.

I've gotten some excellent information on training/diet from Elite, so I figured maybe yall can help her, too. Is there any way she can make her legs less muscular (or appear that way)?

 

[bigguns15]

There have been a couple threads posted with similar themes the past few days. They slightly annoy me every time I read them. It's just not that easy to get really muscular legs, especially if you are a woman. Guys have trouble getting muscular legs and they have much better hormones to support muscle growth. IMO, unless a woman is a genetic freak or using supplemental hormones, she will not have this problem.

Most of the time, and this has been said before, a little fat on top of some muscle, just looks like more fat. Diet and proper training (not overtraining) are the key.

 

[spatts]

EXACTLY what BG15 said.

...and this is a muscle building board, not a muscle destruction board.

 

[Daisy_Girl]

What type of running does she do? Long distance? Sprints? While I personally think sprinters have awesome legs, I think they tend to be "bulkier" then the average female likes.

And if she feels like running is making her legs "bigger" then why is she still doing it? Why continue doing something you don't like the results it gives you?

 

[smoknjilly]

yup, I want to see a picture of these women who have legs that are "too muscular"....

and see if it's really muscle they are talking about....

 

[asiansinc]

BG15 - I don't know if she's a genetic freak, but her dad is a small man, with really huge calves. Her legs are indeed very muscular with little to no fat on them, perhaps from running track in high school (I'll try to get some pics to post up). I agree with you on the diet/training being better than overtraining - the question is, how should she train?

Spatts - Not to quibble over semantics, but I had thought this board was about sculpting your body to your liking. China White is a small woman, and her legs are disproportionately muscular. Not wanting to look like a bodybuilder, she's trying to look more proportional.

Daisy - I don't recall what type of running she did in high school but currently, she runs on the treadmill at high intensity. She's running to expedite fat loss. She works out at home, and the only cardio machines she has are an elliptical trainer and the treadmill.

 

[asiansinc]

yup, I want to see a picture of these women who have legs that are "too muscular"....

and see if it's really muscle they are talking about....

I don't know about the rest of the women on here, but having seen and felt China White's legs, I can tell you that hers at least are "muscular" and not fat.

I tried to get her to register and post, but despite my cajoling and convincing she said she'd probably feel too "intimidated" because she didn't consider herself "elite."

 

[wilson6]

noc00049.jpg

If they look like this, then they are big and lean. If not, then they are neither.

 

[asiansinc]

Ok, they are definitely not at that level of muscularity. She'd freak out if they were.

How's this...

Her legs are too muscular to her.

 

[spatts]

Spatts - Not to quibble over semantics, but I had thought this board was about sculpting your body to your liking. China White is a small woman, and her legs are disproportionately muscular. Not wanting to look like a bodybuilder, she's trying to look more proportional.

This board is also about doing productive and healthy things to/for your body. The things you'd have to do to yourself to promote atrophy are not healthy, IMO.

If she has a problem with her self image, then she needs to either change her expectations or work on her symmetry. My 26-28" thighs looked huge before I put on 45" shoulders too. Deal with it, or do something healthy to change it.

Wilson....yum.