RE: thanks!
Hi!!
I think adding recumbent bike will add to your "bulk" because you are using almost only your legs, pushing against resistance. Biking on my mountain bike hasn't done much to shrink my quads..that's for sure!! I don't think you should be worried though. It stands to reason that the less fat you have to lose, the slower it is going to come off. I know everyone here says when you build muscle you actually get SMALLER because the muscle is taking up less space than the fat. True, but what if you don't carry much fat there and are putting on the muscle faster than you are taking off the fat?? Result would be your legs would feel and/or look BIGGER. I know I had this problem. It is not a BAD thing. Adding a little more cardio and decreasing the weights will probably work, so that you are maintaining your lean mass while dropping the (I'm sure SMALL) amount of fat that is on your legs.
You say that you have an interval workout for your bike. I am not too familiar with stationary bikes, but I would not use much resistance, I think they call that "spinning", where your legs move very fast at many RPM but there isn't max resistance?? You don't want "the burn", like the one you get in IMAX in those plyo jumps.
I cannot understand wanting to "scale down" the legs...these are your biggest fat burners!!!! I am darn proud of my little tree stumps myself!! They let me eat more calories everyday just for bein' there!! And the power you gain in your cardio workouts from strong legs is immeasureable. And female style of clothing nowadays is pathetic..I NEVER fit into pants or jeans or whatever. My waist does, but once those jeans hit my quads, there ain't no goin' up. But that is what strength training does for me. I guess that is more important to me, the way I feel rather than the way I look. I like feeling strong and super athletic.
Just be careful. You don't wanna lose too much muscle...Hope some of this helps...Janice