weight training/slimming down without bulking too much

[twinphish]

sorry if this is a repeat question but it did a search and didn't seem to find anything.

Right now I'm trying to lose weight - doing low-carb/cardio 4-5 times a week coupled with some weight training. I know I've gained some muscle mass already, I can tell by the way my body looks and by the scale..

I have a large body frame naturally, therefore my calf muscles are entirely way bigger than I'd like them to be.. but do I have a choice? Is there anyway to shape muscle fiber into the longer, leaner type? Or is it just genetics and I gotta give up a lost cause...?

I am not exaggerating when I say they are big too.. mine are bigger than alot of men's that I see..

 

[Gladiola]

Is there anyway to shape muscle fiber into the longer, leaner type? Or is it just genetics and I gotta give up a lost cause...?

Nope... if you are a "mesomorph" with lots of fast-twitch muscle fibers, you can't change that & make yourself have longer muscles with more slow twitch fibers.

I believe you about the calves... mine are pretty big too & I don't train them... but I do lots of step aerobics & that's probably where they came from. You might try avoiding that. What do you do for cardio?

Probably just best to accept your body for the way it is & work with what you got. Mold what you've been given into something to really be proud of!
Try building up those quads & hams to look porportional!

 

[Sassy69]

Yes, calves are definitely one of those unique muscles -- you either got 'em or ya don't. I got mine from my dad -- i know lots of guys who are jealous! Most people want 'em - you got 'em! You can't lean them out much, but as Glad said - you can change how they look relative to the rest of your legs -- build up the quads/hams a little more, get the waist down so you can accentuate the whole long, lean leg thing instead of getting the "thick everywhere from the waist down " look. (I don't know if your waist is there already...)

Mostly they aren't a bad thing... I've never heard any one say "My god that girl has fat calves...."

Here's to beefy calves!

 

[twinphish]

yeah .. as i suspected

Yeah I don't weight train my calves but just about every aerobic exercise involves the legs as we know..

My friend told me that the most effective cardio exercise is the step mill -- although this totally works the calves.. but she told me that it wouldn't build more muscle because its a cardio exercise.. if that makes any sense??

Sometimes I'll hit the treadmill, sometimes the stationary bike, or one of those cross trainer machines..

what do you think is the best cardio exercise to do? Or does it not matter, just as long as u keep your heart rate up for the period of time..

and nope.. don't have the waist yet.. workin on it!

another quick question: I've heard that beginners who start weight training gain muscle mass faster than those who have been at it for awhile.. any substance to this? I am just wondering how much of my weight is due to muscle gains -- been training for about a month and a half now.. (i know the only sure way is to get fat tested)

thx again!

 

[Sassy69]

- Here's a thought -- since calves are so hard to grow anyway, if you already have big calves, does training them make them bigger?? In that case, you may not have to go out of your way to avoid training them as a subset of any other leg training or cardio.

Any thoughts on that??

- Best cardio? The one that you don't hate (or hate the least) while you are doing it! Personally I think the step mill is by far the best ass kicker because you really have to propell yourself vs. just going along w/ the machine. But if the point of cardio is to get your heart rate up, any that achieves that is good. I also think its good to rotate them around to avoid getting "conditioned" or comfortable w/ one in particular. And for practical purposes - my feet go numb on any of them that require constant pressure on a particular part of the foot - so I rotate every 20-25 min.

- Why beginners make the quickest, easiest gains -- because they are introducing a great new thing to their bodies! Once the body gets used to a particular sort of stress, it won't respond as quickly -- that's why its important to keep changing the routine every couple months to keep it responding to new challenges!

- Yes, to really know how much of your gains are muscle -- get your body fat measured and then come back and check it in 6 weeks. (Get a baseline & then monitor the changes)

 

[twinphish]

great !

thanks for all the help