Without making my muscles look any bigger

**Emma Lanni** · 05-14-2004, 08:19 AM

Nice

thx greek. Thats good stuff. I think Im just going to stretch the crap out of my body and stick to exercises that dont fill me out too much. For example, I have amazingly strong freaking quads. rather than squating a million pounds with 8 reps, I will notch it down just a bit to still feel the burn but so Im able to do 15 without feeling like Im "tearing" my muscles.

I find it weird too. My body responds differently to different weights.

If I go heavy, my soreness feels like my muscles are "torn" and building on top of each other - hence the "bulk".

But when I go lighter with lower weight, my soreness feels more like a rubber band stretched so tight. I dont feel like they are torn, but stretch to the max - almost like Im pulling them long.

Today my calves hurt sooooo bad - i used no weights with the calf raises but did them til failure. I cannot walk. "laugh: but they dont feel torn, they just feel stretched (its almost dangerous because if i walk to fast, I can easily pull a muscle) thats how tight they are.

anyways..... the good advice helped out guys.

**Vieope** · 05-14-2004, 08:30 AM

Originally posted by greekblondechic
...high reps low weights IS a good idea. It helps you get the benefits of weight training w/o adding bulk.

What are the other benefits of weiht training besides muscle growth?

Originally posted by greekblondechic
To prevent muscle fullness and promote length, ALWAYS stretch.

What..Where..Who.. come again?

**LAM** · 05-14-2004, 08:44 AM

Originally posted by greekblondechic
Oh, almost forgot, if you are dieting, that should also help you avoid muscle gain.

that is what is most important...regardless if the "load" that are using for your sets your muscles can not continually grow larger and larger with out a caloric excess. this is why counting calories is the best way to lose, gain or maintain ones current weight.

If you do not increase the load placed on the muscles they will not adapt and will not hypertrophy. using loads of 65% or less of you 1RM will keep micro-trauma to the bare minimum. if you don't tear down your muscles they will not grow larger...

**greekblondechic** · 05-14-2004, 08:47 AM

Lets see, preventing catabolism, increased metabolism, stronger bones, and I'm sure there's others I cant think of at the moment

As for stretching.. your muscles contract when you lift.. and if you don't stretch they will tighten up and stay that way.. I don't really know how to explain it...

Emma just do what feels right hon, going heavier hurts different because you are tearing up more muscle fiber..

Stretching also helps relieve soreness and tightness

**Vieope** · 05-14-2004, 08:57 AM

That is why there is better cardios. Like swimming, running..
I don´t think that is possible to change your muscle by streching.

**Emma Lanni** · 05-14-2004, 10:52 AM

So if I already have muscle in a place, I can relax knowing it is still burning fat as long as I make use of it right?

I dont necessarily have to make it grow - just keep it maintained?

Vieoe - I keep active with swimming and running (see my journal) - but sometimes by just doing that, my muscles sometimes feel softer. I like then tight and hard but not so big. Know what I mean?

Hopefully as long as I lift my muscles are working and if my muscles are working, my legs will stay in the shape they are in and I will still burn fat.

**Vieope** · 05-14-2004, 11:06 AM

When you feel they are different that is because your body fat changed. Their texture can not be changed.
Let´s say that you are satisfied with how much muscle you have, you can show them by lowering your bodyfat or hide then incresing your body fat. That you achieve through dieting. Cardio is very overrated.

**greekblondechic** · 05-14-2004, 11:40 AM

Dieting is not the whole solution.

If you train light, you'll keep it and burn fat with it. If you don't weight train, you'll get soft.

I read somewhere that a pound of muscle burns like 35 calories a day while a pound of fat burns only 2.

**Vieope** · 05-14-2004, 11:43 AM

Where is LAM when I need him?

**LAM** · 05-14-2004, 12:23 PM

Originally posted by greekblondechic
Dieting is not the whole solution.

maintaining a constant caloric intake is essential is the person does not want to gain LBM. it is physiologicaly IMPOSSIBLE to continually gain LBM at the same caloric intake regadless of how heavy you lift...

training 'light" at high reps has no direct effect on lipolysis, it does NOT burn more fat...

**Emma Lanni** · 05-14-2004, 12:39 PM

ummm...

**Vieope** · 05-14-2004, 02:19 PM

Originally posted by LAM
training 'light" at high reps has no direct effect on lipolysis, it does NOT burn more fat...

Thanks

**Emma Lanni** · 05-14-2004, 02:21 PM

yea, im not too sure which answer is correct and would be more fundamental for me.
kinda confused still. we got a debate going on

**Vieope** · 05-14-2004, 02:23 PM

Do you know what is your body fat ?

**greekblondechic** · 05-14-2004, 02:39 PM

I don't get it, so you're trying to convince her to do what? Not lift at all or lift heavy? I can't follow..

Regardless of whether or not light weight training has any effect on lipolysis.. it prevents catabolism and that in itself is enough.

Take two people dieting and doing cardio, one lifting weight w/ high reps low weights and one not lifting at all, and the weight lifter will lose more bodyfat.

The reason I said calorie restriction/dieting is not enough is because as women, it is very easy for us to undereat, thus leading to other problems such as slowed down thyroid function. The optimal solution for Emma is a combination of a clean slightly restricted diet (not too low in calories), cardio, and light weight/high reps training.

**LAM** · 05-14-2004, 03:31 PM

Originally posted by greekblondechic
I don't get it, so you're trying to convince her to do what? Not lift at all or lift heavy? I can't follow..

Regardless of whether or not light weight training has any effect on lipolysis.. it prevents catabolism and that in itself is enough.

Take two people dieting and doing cardio, one lifting weight w/ high reps low weights and one not lifting at all, and the weight lifter will lose more bodyfat.

The reason I said calorie restriction/dieting is not enough is because as women, it is very easy for us to undereat, thus leading to other problems such as slowed down thyroid function. The optimal solution for Emma is a combination of a clean slightly restricted diet (not too low in calories), cardio, and light weight/high reps training.

I am simply trying to inform people (Emma and others reading this) that lifting light weights for high reps does not "tone" muscle anymore than does lifting a heavy weight for lower reps. Too many people already have that implanted in their head and it is simply not correct…

And yes, it is important for woman to maintain a sufficient caloric intake especially if they are active. But Emma's desire "to make my muscles calm down and grow longer rather than thicker" will not be accomplished by using light weights for high reps. If a person is genetically predisposed to have large full muscle bellies that is what they will have if they continue to lift weights. Emma would have to lose a lot of LBM in order to lose the "fullness" in her muscles but that of course would reek havoc on her endocrine system.

Over time Mother Nature will take care of those bulky muscles, rest assured...Emma enjoy them while you have them...

**NickB** · 05-14-2004, 06:39 PM

Lam you need to get some backup for your statements. You're the only one saying to either train heavy, or not at all.

**CowPimp** · 05-14-2004, 07:50 PM

Originally posted by NickB
Lam you need to get some backup for your statements. You're the only one saying to either train heavy, or not at all.

That isn't what he said at all. He simply said that endurance type resistance training (High reps at low weight) does not improve toning, which is true. That is an extremely common misconception. As well, he said that endurance type resistance training doesn't improve fat loss compared to strength/mass training. He was stating the facts so the thread originator could chose for herself.

There are two ways to improve toning. One, lose body fat; two, increase muscle mass. A combination of both is the best way to go about it in my opinion. Now, endurance type training might give you a slight increase in muscle mass at first, but nothing significant overall.

**NickB** · 05-14-2004, 10:56 PM

I think you're confused on the term 'tone'. Tone, to the average person, simply means you're not flabby. Certainly lowering body fat will make you appear tigther, but using your muscles (low weight high rep) does that too.

Getting bigger is just that, getting bigger.

When someone says tone, they mean to see their muscle/have it be hard. Working your muscles accomplishes that. Not using them makes you soft.

There. End Confusion.

**LAM** · 05-14-2004, 11:15 PM

Originally posted by NickB
Lam you need to get some backup for your statements. You're the only one saying to either train heavy, or not at all.

site ONE statement anywhere in this thread where I said not to train at all ?

**BettyBlu** · 05-16-2004, 04:11 AM

From www.stumptious.com
What we tend to call "toning" or "definition" simply refers to a loss of body fat so that the muscle underneath may be more clearly seen or felt. There is nothing special about toning or definition. It is not a mystical or special process, one which is restricted to women or a particular workout protocol. It's a loss of body fat, plain and simple.

Body fat loss also tends to be an imprecise process, in that the body likes to also jettison muscle tissue along with fat (conversely, when muscle mass is gained, some fat mass usually is as well). This varies, however, with how the fat is lost, how much fat is lost, and the starting point of fat loss. If there is a great deal of fat to lose then the percentage of loss which is lean tissue is likely to be less. If fat is being lost by a person who is already at a low body fat, then more muscle relative to fat is consumed. This loss of muscle is one reason why bodybuilders who wish to compete at extremely low levels of body fat use drugs: it's hard to get super lean without losing a lot of good stuff too. This is also why it is essential to get sufficient protein and engage in weight training while losing fat, so that the maximum amount of lean muscle tissue is retained. One study which I saw years ago showed that women who were put on equal diets (same amount of calories) lost the same amount of numeric weight (i.e. scale weight in pounds), but the group of women who was weight training wound up with much lower body fat than the sedentary group. Some members of the sedentary dieting group even wound up with more overall body fat as a percentage than they had started with, indicating that there was substantial muscle loss as a result of the dieting.

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