My calves are growing!!!

Posts: 588
3/1/12 2:17 P

It's possible that if you just ramped up your exercise and are using them way more than before that they could be retaining fluids in an attempt to adjust to the new demand being placed on them. If that's the case it you may start to see those excess inches decrease in a week or two.

Posts: 97
3/1/12 2:08 P

Thanks! I don't want to come off as one of those women who don't want muscles - I do want muscles. I'd just like to curtail more muscles in my calves as they are already quite athletic!

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3/1/12 1:31 P

It's really, really unlikely that you're going to be one of those people walking around with mondo calves. Increase in size is totally normal. It's unlikely that you'll continue to grow in size, but consider this: Your calves are much stronger. Of course they'll get a bit bigger! I guarantee you they're not out of proportion as much as you think they are. We're always the most critical of ourselves.

You're not doing the wrong workouts... it's just your body's natural tendency to bulk up a bit there. That's not as huge a difference as you'd think, either. It's also possible you mismeasured at some point.

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3/1/12 1:27 P

Whom says exercising will make muscles smaller?

Don't work muscles they decrease in size and get weaker
Do the same exercise all the time they stay the same
Increase the weight they get stronger and for some people also slighty larger..

I have 42½ cms calf muscles I only workout my lower body once a week to add insult to injury.. I however race walk up in the very least 5 kms daily though my job and interests outside a gym..
www.flickr.com/photos/66885435@N08/6944342
211/in/photostream
I have to calf raise a crap load of weight to even feel my calfs working at the gym- try 50 kgs for starters lol..

Edited by: REDSHOES2011 at: 3/1/2012 (13:31)

Posts: 97
3/1/12 1:20 P

I am 5'1 and small framed. I am a little less than 20 pounds overweight. I've been on a workout streak for about 11 weeks now. Before I was somewhat active, but now I'm doing about 5-6 hours a week of cardio and toning. I use videos, mostly Jillian Micheals, but I switch it up daily.

My body is slowly shrinking everywhere - except my calves. My measurements are decreasing at a nice pace, although I've only lost about 4 pounds (I'm notoriously slow at losing weight). In the past 11 weeks I have gone from 15in calves to 16.25 in. calves. Now a little background - my whole life I have heard how "athletic" my legs are. My calves have always been bigger than the rest of me and look unporportioned. I have never been able to wear boots or skinny jeans, even when I was thin, because my calves will not fit. Every time I measure I'm a little more horrified.

I repeatedly hear that these workouts will not bulk us up, we're women, blah blah blah. But I really can't imagine my calves getting bigger. So here is the question, am I doing the wrong workouts? Will I lose some inches around my calves once I start losing more weight?



Edited by: IZZYS_MOM at: 3/1/2012 (13:56)