It's like I always hear fitness gurus say....."Long, lean muscle".....Karen's got that in spades! While I, on the other hand, lean more towards "short, stocky muscle". Those extra few inches on my legs might be worth the pain?
I've heard both arguments about the ability to create "long, lean muscles" made by various trainers and even scientists or doctors. Keeping in mind that I have no scientific background whatsoever
, I do know that we can't change where the muscles are attached in our bodies. This article sums it up a bit better than I can. Not that you don't already know this stuff, I'm simply posting it for anyone interested in the anatomical info (written in layman's terms):
http://www.barbellsandbeakers.com/2012/07/04/can-you-really-lengthen-your-muscles-or-is-that-a-lie/
In that respect, I do believe we have
some limitations on how we can make our bodies look, even with a flawless diet and loads of exercise. Also, depending upon genes, lifestyle and our overall health, it just may not be realistic to diet down and exercise to the point where we look "cut". It seems easier for ectomorphs or mesomorphs to do this, but I know as an endomorph that it would take what I would consider excessive concern over diet and an extreme amount of exercise - and doing both forever - for me to ever look truly defined. It could be achieved, I suppose, but I think I'd be wearing out my ligaments, joints, and possibly my brain. The deprivation would make me unhappy in the long run, no matter how "attractive" I might be. It took me a long time to accept myself as an endomorph, and it's still a process at times. When a person starts working out regularly, one can believe they'll eventually achieve the same look as their beautiful instructors, such as Cathe.
However, I am now happy enough simply being healthy, fit, and strong. I accept that I couldn't look like Cathe (just for an example) without extreme measures on my part. I have friends who could much more easily achieve that look, although it would still take dedication. That said, I know my body continues to evolve with training and good nutrition. I don't use my genes as an excuse not to work out or eat well, I simply know that accepting how I look
today is key to my happiness.
Here's an example of someone with a genetically shorter muscle that's quite well-developed naturally.Some people will always have the classic "ballerina calves" because their calf muscle lays a certain way on the leg anatomically. They can stretch the muscle frequently, of course. They can choose not to train the calves if they feel they're already too big. Muscle atrophy could make the muscle smaller (although they'd have to be really inactive to avoid using their calves very much). However, they can't truly "lengthen" the muscle per se, unless they get some sort of muscle-sculpting surgery. I've heard rumors of people having that done in the entertainment industry, although I can't find any information on that sort of surgery online. Anyway, I've read that (at least in the past) Molly Sims has complained about her own ballerina calves. However, I think they're beautiful! I WISH I could get that kind of leg definition!
