loosing weight without building too much muscle?
I’m 5’4″ tall and about 165 pounds. I know I’m not HUGE, but I’d like to be more healthy/fit and exercise more… the only problem is, I gain muscle REALLY quickly! Even my guy friends are jealous of me… they work out almost every day and don’t really bulk up their muscles or have anything to show for it, but I lift a few weights and suddenly I’m wonder woman! I like running, but every time I start running, my calves get huge! I don’t know how to loose weight a trim up without becoming the Hulk! please help! any advice is appreciated
(p.s. I eat healthy and keep my portions small… I don’t drink soda and rarely eat sweets, and I don’t eat late at night… usually diets don’t do much for me, I always level off after losing about 5 pounds and then nothing more happens no matter how long the diet lasts)
August 2nd, 2011 at 8:28 pm
I’d advise aerobic exercise with little exertion for extended periods (>60Mins.) maintaining a relatively low heart rate (<~160BPM). Intense exertion for prolonged periods forces the body to feed itself on a more substantial fuel than fat (carbohydrates), however, working within ~50% VO²Max. promotes primarily fat oxidisation, while this lesser level of exertion has little or no effect on the muscle's mass while increasing it's myofibril density. Science aside, simply: Exercising at ~50% max. exertion will burn fat without causing much muscle fatigue. You'll loose weight without gaining muscle mass. Watch your calorie consumption too: your weight/height ( although perfectly healthy) suggests you've a slightly slow metabolism and at rest, you'd realistically burn around 1450KCals. An hours exercise at ~50% max. exertion could burn ~300KCals., so you've now ~1750KCals. to consume. Any more and you'll gain weight, consume any less and you could loose fat and compromise your fitness. If you'd like greater detail or dietary advice don't hesitate to email me. Please be aware although said advice is derived primarily through personal experience and achievements it is ultimately, only my own opinion.