Hello everyone! I have a question about what type of exercise would be best for me. I do not want to gain any more muscle, I have been cursed with an extremely muscular build and want to slender down. It is very easy for me to build more muscle too and I dont want to replace what fat I lose with muscle. I hope that makes sense. Basically I want to get smaller and with as easy as it is for me to bulk up what type of exercises should I try and which should I avoid?

I am no exercise expert but walking is great exercise and generally does not bulk up muscles. I go for long distance at a moderate pace.

Also, swimmers bodies are toned but not bulked up with large muscle groups so swimming may work for you. Good Luck.

I was always struck with how whippy and wiry Yoga devotees are. They seem to have smaller muscles than folks that do weight lifting.

Thanks guys! I'll give the swimming a try and look into the yoga. I already am doing quite a bit of running and walking. I'm def going to have to cut the running out though because my legs are getting even larger. Yuck!

Yoga, Pilates, and running!

LL

Won't running build up more leg muscle?

I would say yoga or pilates would be your best bet. They work on making nice long muscles instead of short bulky ones. Tia chi might be a fun one to take too.

I definitely don't any tendencies toward being muscular but I've noticed my biceps have gotten bigger/more definied from swimming (2x/week with different cardio on alternate days).

I believe running/jogging will only build up leg muscles if you run, like, 50mph or are the bionic man

Have a great day

LL

not necessarily true about running building up huge leg muscles....watch any elite marathoner and you will see they do not have huge legs. A sprinter, on the other hand, huge quads!

It's not necessarily that their body catabolizes their muscle tissue, but they (and any endurance athlete) have more of the "Slow-twitch" muscles fibers as opposed to the shorter, "fast twitch" muscle fibers. (Although many elite runners diet down excessively and therefore they do catabolize)

Pilates, Pilates, Pilates...the Windsor Pilates is the best! It is designed to stretch the muscles and sculpt them...not bulk them up. They compare the results to a dancers body!


Good luck...send me some of that muscle you dont need...I am hitting the gym every morning trying to tone mine!!

Sure, you can have all the muscle you want. LOL!!! I spent my entire life getting teased. 5'5 and 115lbs and I was getting teased because of my legs being so large. Hmmm.... doesn't sound so bad now that I am 138lbs. I have decided that I will do yoga in the am and run when I get home from work if it is nice out.... well that is the plan... getting myself up earlier than 6 could be quite the challange. Last summer I ran 4-6 miles a day and dropped about 12 lbs but I was also starving myself. Hopefully I will have a little more energy this time and the runs won't seem so tedious. Thanks everyone for the wonderful suggestions.