Hi guys,
I've got a question-- is it possible to "over-build" a muscle through cardio? I've been feeling that my calves are getting pretty strong (i walk a lot, sometimes do bicycle and elliptical, dancing) so i went to mybodycomp-- sure enough, my calves were slightly bigger while my thighs and arms were way below (ie. no muscle at all). Should i maybe add hand weights to my walking routine or just switch to lifting weights? maybe try tai boe or something less leg-intensive? I thought cardio was more for fat burning though, and not building muscle. Do muscles tend to build in certain parts of the body first? Any suggestions/comments welcomed (including that i'm paranoid and should relax....lol)

Ah, in my view, that's a pretty salient observation you've got there. LOL

I've never read nor heard of anyone gaining "bulk" through running.

you're paranoid, you should relax ( couldn't help it )
don't add hand weights to walking. add resistance training yes - but as real resistance training.
are you very precise about where you measure your calves to always be the same place? Do you have someone else measure? do you sit or stand? are you sure your calf is relaxed and not flexed?
What magnitude of change are we talking about - 10" to 10.25" or 15.5" to 17.5" ?

This is not as ridiculous or as paranoid as it sounds!

Recently, someone here on the forum suggested a very good exercise book called 'Escape Your Shape' (there is also another one called Hold It! You're Exercising Wrong).




I am currently reading the book and it's a total revelation - if you do the wrong exercise then you can end up 'bulking' up the wrong body parts.

For example, I am a Spoon, and therefore would also be susceptible to bulking my calves. Among the exercise forms the book suggests for my shape are fast walking or slow jogging, but no inclines or hills, stationary biking with light resistance only, jumping jacks, jumping rope etc - among the exercises to avoid are long distance running, all ellipitical machines, stair climbers, step classes, squats and lunges.

I have a very good friend who is also a spoon, and took step classes. She ended up with huge calves; she's now trying to reverse this disaster.

And with what you've said, you sound as though you are also a typical spoon.

If you think about it, we are all different, so why shouldn't we exercise differently too.

Trusty, I also believe that you can bulk up through running/cardio--especially when a person is as tiny as you.

It's probably more noticeable because you're so small. Maybe take a break from cardio and work on UB weight training a little more, so you can balance out.

For what it's worth, I'm having a little bit of the same problem--and am now concentrating on my shoulders and arms.

Yay, Demi! I saw this thread and came in here to talk about Escape Your Shape but saw you'd already done it! We spoons have to stick together.

frecklefluf-- u crack me up! So is this escape your shape just a book, does it have routines u can do? if i'm a spoon, yikes--i've been walking on inclines mainly! Any advice for what cardio I should do? good/cheap workout videos??? please help!

hmm, i saw a description of the body types-- i think i might be more of a ruler (my thighs are non-existant) but then again, i have spoon like qualitites as well (lol) Can u be a combination of both? How can I tell? The kits are sooo expensive, can't afford them-- can u guys who have the book give me some tips on what a ruler/spoon should do?

The easiest way to tell is by your waist, hip, and chest measurements. If you're a ruler, they will be all about the same, something like 33-29-33 for a woman. If you are a spoon, the waist and chest will be close, but your hips will be quite a bit bigger. I, for instance, started out at 42-38-50. (That's chest-waist-hips.) I am currently at 40-33.5-44, which is still a spoon, but getting better. (NOTE: A lot of that is just from doing Atkins; I haven't been doing this workout long enough to see results yet.)

Can you take your measurements and post them in this thread? Then I will be happy to recommend appropriate exercises for you based on the book. (Exercises for the ruler and spoon are considerably different.)

Hmm ... I just looked at your stats. Dang, girl, you are THIN. I'm guessing that you are probably a ruler, so I'm going to give you a bit of advice on that front. If it turns out that you're a spoon, just let me know. I'm guessing that your uneven results are based on uneven exercises; the stuff you've been doing bulks mainly the bottom half, although, if you're a ruler, I doubt you've really been bulking TOO much.

In a way, rulers are pretty lucky. They don't have to avoid any exercises unless they are overweight. You just want to make sure that you ALWAYS warm up and stretch; rulers are especially prone to low back pain because of poor hamstring flexibility and weak abs. Here's a list of exercises that are great for rulers. You've got to do a balanced routine, though. You need upper body/ab exercises as well as lower body stuff.

EXERCISES FOR A RULER SHAPE
Stretching, especially hamstring and quadricep muscle groups
Full situps without locking feet, upper and lower abdominal crunches, and leg-outs
Step classes
Spinning
Squats, lunges, and leg presses with moderate to high weights
Hand and ankle weights
Stationary biking with moderate to high resistance
Walking, jogging or running on an incline or on hills
Elliptical machines with moderate to high resistance
Stepper/stair climbers with moderate to high resistance
Push-ups
Chin-ups, pull-ups
Dips
Chair push-ups and introverted push-ups
Sprinting
Water aerobics
Swimming
Ski machines with resistance for both upper and lower bodies
Roller blading on hills
Kick boxing
Jumping rope with a peg or weighted rope
Inner-outer leg machines with moderate to high weights
Rowing with moderate to high resistance for both upper and lower bodies
All upper or lower body exercises using moderate to high resistance or weights

As you can see, the key for rulers is pretty heavy resistance, although he says that they only need to work out three times a week. He also recommends that you do your ab work in the beginning of your workout, when your motivation is higher.

The kits are pricey, but you can find them on eBay a lot of times for way cheaper than what his site sells them for. (I got the deluxe kit for about $30.) But if I were you, I'd buy the book and check out the detailed ruler workout. It can be done pretty inexpensively with some creative thinking. Also, sometimes on eBay people just sell the tapes; they end up going for just a few bucks.

If you can't buy anything right now, just remember this when you work out: warmup first (10 minutes of mild to moderate exercise), then stretching, then your workload, and then a cooldown period. Do your abs first because they will be hardest, and work equally on both your upper and lower body with medium to high resistance.

frecklfluff- thanks for writing me such a long post, i'm touched! What does high resistance mean?--like heavy weights or is this just a general term?

my waist is 22"-23"
my hips are 31"
and my chest (just above the breasts, right?) is also 31"

hmm...what is that? I do have weak abs and lower back pain....but that might be due to the fact that i have a bit of scoliosis and most ab exercises kill my neck.....

Oh, HECK! You're not a spoon or a ruler. You're an hourglass. (Lucky you.) So forget what I said about high resistance (which, by the way, basically means heavy weights or anything where you have to push harder, like changing the gears on a bicycle from low to high). And ignore that list of exercises.

I have a Microsoft Word document that I can send you that I created for my sister that would be really helpful. I will contact you via private message about getting it to you.

Oh, and you're welcome.

an hourglass? me? hmmm......
why is that lucky?....anyways, i sent u a PM as well. Thanks so much--this is so cool!

Trustycat and FrecklFluf ~ glad to see you've sorted it out. I was going to write my piece, but now I obviously don't need to!

Although I will say to Trustycat that you can get the book really cheaply through Amazon - have a look here - you can buy a copy for just $1.20 if you look at the used section

BTW, I'm going to start a Escape Your Shape Challenge thread in the Countdown, Buddies and Challenges form - I thought it might be a great way of sharing our experiences and to see if we can change our shapes - so make sure you look out for it.

Well, for one thing, it's the most attractive shape (IMO). Also, if you're an hourglass, any extra weight you have tends not to be as noticeable as if you were a spoon.

I am SO there!