Is it possible to lose muscles without stopping working out? (gym, legs)

[cakeitup]

Hi,
My question might sound weird but I'd like to know if it is possible to lose muscles without stopping doing sports.

I love going to the gym and working out, I used to do some cardio and some leg press/squats and so on..
Now my legs are kind of "bulky" not hugee but still I hate them!

I would like to slim them down, make the muscles melt, the thing is,
I don't want to stop working out, I'd like to keep doing cardio (running and so on)
But I'm affraid that it keeps developping my leg muscles

Someone help me please

[grmi66]

Quit doing heavy squats - they are the basis for almost every bulking routine out there. Switch to lunges, air squats, goblet squats - do the movement but reduce the load.

You can also do hill sprints, works your legs but doesn't bulk them up. I ended up doing way too much heavy squatting over the past winter. Had strong legs but did not like carrying the extra 15 lbs up the mountain when I was trail running or climbing.

[boxus]

What sports and/or goals you have? People generally train for a goal or sport, looks are not a concern but a side effect of their training program. For looks, that is a body builder thing.

I would just lay off the heavy squats and leg presses, incorporate light work into it and continue to do the cardio, eventually your legs will lose strength. Which specific muscle(s) are bothering you?

[cakeitup]

Originally Posted by grmi66

Quit doing heavy squats - they are the basis for almost every bulking routine out there. Switch to lunges, air squats, goblet squats - do the movement but reduce the load.

You can also do hill sprints, works your legs but doesn't bulk them up. I ended up doing way too much heavy squatting over the past winter. Had strong legs but did not like carrying the extra 15 lbs up the mountain when I was trail running or climbing.

Thank you for the reply!
I don't think I do heavy squats, 20 kgs (44 lbs) maximum! Yet they're still getting big, and I don't squat very often, once in a while only, but I used to do a lot of leg press before, pushing 2x33 lbs weight on each side.

I feel like even running will make my legs bigger and bigger, I mean some men and women like that look but I hate it

[cakeitup]

Originally Posted by boxus

What sports and/or goals you have? People generally train for a goal or sport, looks are not a concern but a side effect of their training program. For looks, that is a body builder thing.

I would just lay off the heavy squats and leg presses, incorporate light work into it and continue to do the cardio, eventually your legs will lose strength. Which specific muscle(s) are bothering you?

Thanks for the input!

My goals ? I want to slim down a little and remain toned, I also exercise simply because I love it, it makes me feel better.

I've stopped squating and leg pressin, but my friends started telling me my legs got bigger after I stopped doing squats and press. I'm really hoping with cardio only my legs will slim down , my quadriceps are really bothering me, they make my legs look "inflated" I dont know if you get what I mean :s.

[hooligan]

Pictures? My guess is that you are over-amplifying reality. We're all usually our own worst critics, you know?

Are you a man or a woman?

[SunnyTXsmile]

Originally Posted by cakeitup

Hi,
My question might sound weird but I'd like to know if it is possible to lose muscles without stopping doing sports.

I love going to the gym and working out, I used to do some cardio and some leg press/squats and so on..
Now my legs are kind of "bulky" not hugee but still I hate them!

I would like to slim them down, make the muscles melt, the thing is,
I don't want to stop working out, I'd like to keep doing cardio (running and so on)
But I'm affraid that it keeps developping my leg muscles

Someone help me please

When I was weight training more frequently than I do now, I had a similar problem with my arms, because, as you know, arms are secondary muscles for just about every upper body movement you do (and it doesn't help that Roger's Row is my favorite machine. Who doesn't love rowing? lol).

I wanted tiny toned but soft girlie arms, not bulk ones, by any means. As soon as I saw veins, in horror, I stopped "arm day" for a few months but continued the rest of my routine, and viola. It worked well, too, since it was summer and it gave me an opportunity to get out of the gym more and partake in other fitness activities to mix it up a bit.

[cakeitup]

Originally Posted by hooligan

Pictures? My guess is that you are over-amplifying reality. We're all usually our own worst critics, you know?

Are you a man or a woman?

I'm a woman, I know I'm very harsh on myself, I'm not saying that I have huuuuuge legs but they are getting bigger, Im worried, I can't wear some of my pants anymore I will post a picture later.

[cakeitup]

Originally Posted by SunnyTXsmile

When I was weight training more frequently than I do now, I had a similar problem with my arms, because, as you know, arms are secondary muscles for just about every upper body movement you do (and it doesn't help that Roger's Row is my favorite machine. Who doesn't love rowing? lol).

I wanted tiny toned but soft girlie arms, not bulk ones, by any means. As soon as I saw veins, in horror, I stopped "arm day" for a few months but continued the rest of my routine, and viola. It worked well, too, since it was summer and it gave me an opportunity to get out of the gym more and partake in other fitness activities to mix it up a bit.

haha that's why I never work on my arms I dont want them to look like men's :s
the thing is we have to use our legs for anything we do so it's not like I cant stop using my muscles :s

[hooligan]

"Toned" is just a euphemism for low body fat. Working a given muscle group has not been show to "spot reduce" fat. Clean up your diet if you want to "tone" without adding lean mass.

Lower body fat, aka "toned", will also result in INCREASED visibility of veins, fyi. No getting around it.