Thick Calf

Hi Ben - I have new 25 yr old female client who is a pear - ie: larger lower body and thick calf muscles - thin upper body. She had calf lipo 3 years ago and was left with dimples and lumps. She is starting a new training program with me and is VERY concerned about her calf and legs (getting bigger). I will be training her full body as I do with all clients (cardio and resistance – HITT, TABATA,, etc) but wanted to run this by you for your thoughts on thick calf muscles and an exercise program for weight loss and general fitness. Oh yeah – she is getting married in 3 months and wants to be perfect by then (losing 20-25lbs – though 15 lbs is more realistic). I gave her no guarantees. I also understand there is no spot reduction but also do not want to train her “calf” incorrectly. She has a lot of fear because of the negative lipo experience.

I’ve read that training her calf with high rep/low weight and cardio / walking and running is best. Thoughts….
Patty

Hey Patty!

I have a female client that had lipo done on her thighs a few years ago and she now has some dimples and lumps on her legs as well... it's unfortunate that the doctors don't have to inform their clients of all the risks and what may happen if they put the weight back on after a procedure like that.

I was watching the new season of "Celebrity Apprentice" this week and one of the contestants this year is former supermodel Cheryl Tiegs. She was wearing a sleeveless shirt in the episode and also had some really bad dimples in her upper arms and it looked an awful lot like lipo scarring to me.. who knows though.

Anyways, if your client is really worried about her calves getting thicker then I would stick to body weight exercises only. Exercises like squats, step-overs, box jumps, lunges, step-ups, drop squats, jumping jacks, burpees, sprinting and tabata's will get her heart rate up and get her sweating but WILL NOT make her legs or calves any bigger!

Her legs might feel thicker after a workout because there will be increased blood flow and she will have a "muscle pump" but after she has cooled down, her legs will be no bigger than before she started. And you need to make her understand that it is physiologically impossible for her to put on "mass" if she is doing high rep, body weight exercises. She just doesn't produce enough testosterone nor will she be lifting anywhere near heavy enough for muscle growth!

p.s. post up a new profile pic when you have a chance!

Thanks Ben - Again, we are on the same page. That's what I thought - bodyweight exercises. What about standard Cardio (ie: when not with me). She just bought (before she started with me) an Elliptical and wants to incorporate it into her off days routine. Thoughts? She is new and still learning how to move her body while using good form so she is not comfortable doing Tabata's on her own.
It is so sad to see what lengths people will go to in order to look better – and she did not have fat calves – they were muscle. I can’t believe a Dr did Lipo on muscular calves... Thanks again!!! Side Note – Bravo on your Crossfit journey.

Hey Patty,

As fas as her cardio is concerned, tell her to mix it up between interval training and steady state (same speed, longer duration). I would suggest she do at least 4 days of cardio each week if weight loss is her main goal and split it up something like this.

Mon - interval training (maybe 10 to 15 - 30 second sprints)
Tues - steady state (at least 30-40 minutes)
Wed - stretch
Thurs - intervals again (same as Mon)
Fri - steady state (same as Tues)
Sat - long walk outside bike ride if weather permits
Sun - rest

Now this is just her cardio program.. she should be strength training at least 4 days a week as well and I think it would be easiest to do the 4 days of strength on the same days as cardio.

And it will be a bit trickier to do her sprinting or high intensity intervals on the elliptical but it's doable.. I'd suggest you put her through her first interval session so you can push her outside of her comfort zone and find her appropriate exertion levels. I guarantee if she does it on her own she won't push herself hard enough!

PERFECT! Thanks!! She will be training with me 3/days a week for a few weeks, then down to 2/wk until her wedding in May. I will use one day to train her on a home CARDIO program. Other days will be Bodyweight exercises, etc. (Form and safety). Thoughts on calf raises? no wt/high rep

If she's worried about her calves getting bigger, I wouldn't suggest doing any isolation exercises like calf raises.. stick to multi-joint compound movements like drop squats, box jumps, lunges, aerobic step-ups, etc.

I'd have her do 3-4 exercise circuits (i.e. squats, jumping pull-ups, kneeling push-ups, leg drops), taking minimal rest between each exercise. Stick to mostly bodyweight, keep the reps high and push her as hard as she can go!!

Have a great weekend Patty!