Will muscles stop growing?

[DarkAngel]

I know it's a strange question, but I can't figure out what's going on. I have been working out for over a year now(attempting to get in better shape and lose some fat), and though I am not where I had hoped to be, I am definitely showing improvement. My only concern, though, is that I feel like my legs are getting bulky-looking and I worry that is going to happen with all my main muscle groups. I've read the articles on myths and misconceptions about women lifting, i.e. that they bulk up like men/get too big etc etc, but nothing really helped me figure out what I'm doing wrong (if anything).

No, I haven't measured, but I can tell by looking in a mirror or even when putting on a pair of jeans that my legs have gotten bigger.

Honestly, all I want to do is tone up and slim down, not tone up and be uber-defined. Could this be a dietary issue? Am I lifting too heavy? Any ideas?

[jennyd]

Well, number one...you may be predisposed to having thicker legs...idunno.

Number two...I think that it's a bunch of baloney when people tell women to just keep lifting heavy cause they won't get big. Yeah, sure....they won't get as big as some men do, but they can definitely get bigger than they'd like to be. Especially if you tend to put muscle on fairly easily.

Number three...How much cardio do you do? And what type of cardio do you do?

Number four....what does the rest of your routine look like? Reps and sets? You may be lifting too heavy for what you're trying to accomplish.
You may be doing the wrong exercises for your goal as well.

And Finally, Number five...what does your diet look like?

You'd have to give us a little more info in order for people to give you some better advice.

[DarkAngel]

Ok, sorry--I wasn't sure how much to throw out there at first:

1. I can buy the predisposed to bigger legs theory--but mine were always thin-muscular, not muscular-muscular

2. Ok what you said is what I always believed

3. For cardio I tend to do 20-40 minutes on the interval setting, 3-5x per week. (Elliptical mainly) and a spinning class here or there.

4. Lifting: I do 3 sets, 10-12 reps per set. (and that's for whichever part I'm working)

5. Diet: Something to be desired of. It varies so much week to week--I try to eat fruits as a snack, cereal or oatmeal for breakfast, chicken breast or turkey sandwhich on lunch, chicken/rice/veggie for dinner...Wine (I know that's what I need to cut out, but I'm workin on it)

Is this better? (Sorry, not used to asking for help so Im not sure what to say--but thank you for helping!!!)

[jennyd]

Good response.

It looks like your cardio and your training and diet all look fairly decent.

I can suggest stretching. Stretch good. The stretching will actually help elongate your muscles, rather than make them bulky.

What kind of exercises are you doing for your legs? Squats? Lunges? How much weight?
If you're not looking to add more muscle to your legs, then I'd suggest that you don't add any more weight to your leg workout, and just use it as maintenance work.
Is your bodyfat low? If it's not, that could also be what's causing the bulkier look. Your muscles are just sitting underneath the fat on your legs (I really didn't mean that to sound harsh).

My pants have been getting tighter in my legs too...but that's what I've been trying to do, so I'm in a different situation than you.

And, don't worry...we all have some hesitations in asking for help. You did fine.

[DarkAngel]

WOW--Thank you so much for your feedback on this, I really REALLY appreciate it. I will stretch more before and after!!

So if muscles are sitting below fat, how does one make the fat go away? I never had my fat tested (I think that's the sign I see posted at the gym all the time) but is that something that I should look into? (Now the questions flood out, lol)

For legs, I do squats (90lb), leg press (180lb), calf raises (45lbs) and something else that works the back of the legs--sorry I dont know what they're called (30lb); So if I do more reps but with less weight, would that make a difference?

[jennyd]

Cardio, diet and muscle are the ways to get rid of body fat.

You need cardio to burn the fat, you need to have a clean diet to keep the fat from adding on, and you need to maintain muscle because the more muscle you have the more fat your body will burn.

If you have these three things, it will happen. It happens alot easier and quicker for some than it does for others....so have patience.

There are theories that if you do less weight, more reps, you will also be getting a cardio effect to your weight training workout, and that can help in the fat burning and muscle retention process, so you get more of a defined look, without the bulkiness.

I don't know how true those theories are because my body reacts differently than others, I think. And even if I work out with light weights, it still looks like I'm adding muscle. I think that mine has to do with my low bodyfat. It looks like my muscles are bigger than they actually are sometimes.
I'm still trying to find that happy medium.