Help- my quads are so big now!!

L

LHK

Cathlete
Lately I have noticed that in shorts, spandex, even in dress pants my quads show. They look like two Thanksgiving turkeys glued to my femur!
I've been Cathe-ing for 6 months, maybe 3-4/week, and running 5 miles twice a week. I am relatively small and quite muscular: 5'3" and 119 lbs. I think MIS and Power Hour (or is it all the stepping?) have imparted these new quadriceps on me! I do either MIS OR Power Hour once a week, plus two other Cathe step vids (usually IM and Circuit Max) and the two runs.
I have already reduced my lunging weight to zero lbs, but I still use 12 lb dumbbells for squats and plies. Is this the problem? I want my thighs to be leaner and less muscular.
What exactly is making them so big and bulky? Should I run more? Step less? Squat less? I don't really want to stop lower body resistance training...Any ideas would be helpful.
Thanks, Lisa
 
Hi Lisa

Great topic....I'm not Cathe, neither do I have any answers, hehe. But, I'm in the same boat as you. I have been on a Pure Strength rotation now for hm.....going on my 7th week. And man oh man, has my quads grown, really. My six are too tight and my eights, that use to be to big, guess what they fit and there tight too, woe momma.

When I think about this, my diet hasn't been the best either. I have been eating more sweets and chocolate in the last few weeks and drinking more wines with dear boyfreind. Who hasn't picked up a lb. So this gal is going to buckle up and get going, giving it my all.

So I figure I need to add more cardio to my routines. I'm lifting heavy to for lunges (45/50lbs), squats (60/70lbs) etc... as heavy as I possible can. Which is good, I want to build more muscle, so cardio is definitely needed in my case. I'm really trying to convince myself to do this last week of PS, than moving on to a 4 week rotation with MIS. Good luck, and keep up the good work.

Missthang
 
You must be blessed with a lot of Type II muscle fibers in your legs--these are the muscle fibers that have the greatest ability to grow larger. If you don't want to bulk up, you need to use lighter weights and higher reps (up to 20). If you have been running a while then that will not cause your thighs to get bigger, if anything, it will slim them down because you are using mostly the endurance fibers (Type I) and they have less tendency to grow larger. I am not familiar with all the Cathe tapes you describe because I only have one at this point so I am not sure what those workouts contain. You may want to just do bodyweight squats for awhile and see if that helps--although 24# is not a lot of weight to squat really. You could also reduce your step height when doing step but again, step is really using the endurance fibers more than the strength ones. I would try trading one of your tapes for an additional running session and see if that helps.
 
The latest issue of Muscle & Fitness Hers talks about a 100 rep program to help lean you. Have you seen it? I discussed my first experience with it in the Open Discussion forum. Jeanne
 
I know exactly what you mean. I've been doing MIS, Power Hour, and Slow and Heavy a combination of 3 to 4 times a week with heavy weights for lower body (35 to 50 lbs.) for 3 months and now my pants are too tight! At first I thought I was eating too much but after I read your letter I think I might be doing something wrong. I don't mind being a little bulky but not to the point where my clothes don't fit. I should add that I eat healthy foods and try to eat as few carbs as possible. I also do about 3 hours of cardio a week.
 
Well I have decided to change things a bit. I'm taking the advice posted here and replacing one step tape with an extra run (or other non-step cardio). And I plan to replace some standing leg work with lying down leg work.

I just think I've over-developed my Type II fibers by doing a little too much step (for me) and a little too much lower body resistance training. Apparently it doesn't take much- I only ever used 12 lb db's (24 lbs total!) for squats etc. Oh well, I know I have a tendency to bulk quickly so I'll watch for this and just try to run more!! Thanks all for the great advice!
 
HI LHK,

I would love to see what Cathe would have to say about this. I have the same issue with my thighs. They tend to gain muscle very quickly, but then again so does the rest of my body, but I notice it in my thighs the most. I don't get more defined necessarily I just get bigger. The muscles just grow under my little layer of fat. It's kind of depressing. I know that with a clean diet I could be really cut, but I love to eat. One thing I've been doing is rotating weight training with power yoga every 4 to 6 weeks. Immediately when I go off the weight training to the yoga I notice that my thighs get a little smaller and I drop a couple pounds. Like you I do not want to give up weight training.

I've also heard that step can kind of add some bulk but I think that the tapes you have been doing, IM and Circuit Max, have a variety of hi/lo, kickbox and step, they are not all step, so it dosen't seem like they should be bulking you up. I also think that I read somewhere else on this forum to limit your stepping to twice a week if you tend to bulk. So if you're only doing them twice a week and the tapes you do aren't just all stepping I think it would be ok.

I've also considered doing floor work but haven't really gotten any tapes yet. What tapes will you get? I've heard that the firm has a good lower body floor tape but I don't do the firm. Let me know what you get, maybe I'll try it out too.

Good Luck,
Kristie Schultz
 
Hi LHK,

I think this is an excellent topic that needs to be addressed more. I don't know how many times I've read and heard that women need to stop fearing getting bulky by lifting heavier weights when this is not all true. Through trial and error I've learned that unless I want to look like a body builder, I can't do a video like S&H without showing a marked increase in muscle mass. It's sort of irksome to me that information about strength training and body types isn't qualified more. Although it's true that muscle burns more calories and takes up less space than fat, it's also true that lifting heavier weights, or doing too many exercises that recruit the type II muscle fibers can result in increased size. This is a good thing if you happen to be long, lanky and can afford to fill out more. But if you're like me, short and compact then you might want to stick with higher reps/lower weights. I went through the same thing you're experiencing right now (stepping too many times a week, lifting too heavy) and began running to counter the effects of bulking up. So far, it's worked really well. I also stick with videos like Power Hour and stay within a certain weight limit. For me, it's not necessary to go heavy to see the benefits of strength training e.g., faster metabolism, definition, getting stronger, etc. Good luck let us know how you progress. :)
 
KFowler, you have neatly addressed an issue of great importance to me and you said it well. I agree with you completely.

I too am short and compact and my legs (particularly quads) develop more muscle than I want when I use heavy weights for lunges and squats. My personal goal is to have a tight and toned lower body with more muscle development in upper body (cuts and definition). When my quads get over-developed I am not happy with the look.

I have found a weight size that seems to work for me.

For lower body work in MIS and Pure Strength Strong Legs I use a 30 pound barbell (I could go heavier but won't) and for Power Hour I use a 20 pound barbell. I will go heavier for deadlifts and inner thigh work but anytime I do a squat or lunge section I keep the weights lower than what Cathe uses.

The above poundage has resulted in less bulk with an overall leaner, tighter look to legs and butt.

For those who develop lower body muscle even more quickly than I, I suggest using less poundage, decreasing until you find the particular weights that net the desired results. I believe it is okay to work the legs two times per week but each exerciser needs to find the poundage that works for her. In some cases, it may be no poundage.

Marlene
 
Hi LHK,
I am a mesomorph (build muscle easily), am tall (6ft) and have a large frame to boot! I followed a 4 week rotation on each of the CTX, PS and S&H series, using low/no weight for the lower body work. I still got a really good workout and in 12 weeks I have lost more than 12" from my whole body, with 1/2" from each thigh. Like you guys, I want to tone and look cut, but I don't want to bulk as my frame is large already.
I absolutely love Cathe strength workouts, but for me, keeping the weight low, particularly on the lower body, has been the key. I also did 4 cardio workouts per week - 3 x 30 minute interval type workouts, and 1 60 minute endurance/steady rate cardio.
We're all different, so this may not work for you, but just wanted to share my results. I hope this helps!
Kaz.

Today Is The Tomorrow We Worried About Yesterday And All Is Well.
 
Funny you mention that - Good advice about the experimenting to find what works.

I'm at the clothes size and basically weight (2 lbs off 10 years ago - which was my goal) but NOT happy with firmness on lower body - Like the tone of the upper body. I've been eating clean since Feb and doing well on water

So now the trick is to find out the balance of cardio and lower legs - to get where I really want to be! Trying to find the combination of running - step - kick box - interval - with the Lower body work out (gym vs. LL vs. S&H) and the weight level -

Seems that there is no one right way for all of us - hmmm now to decide what to do today!

good luck all
 
I am glad to see this issue addressed as well because I think it's common to lots of women. I find that lunges do not build the quads as much as squats do, so I avoid squats now.

I generally will do one muscle building exercise for each lower body muscle group and followed by defining exercises for that same muscle group.

For example, I'll do step ups for the glutes (three sets of 15 on each leg) followed by glute lifts where you lie on the floor and table work on all fours where you lift the leg back.

For the quads, I'll do lunges followed by leg extensions with ankle weights. I keep the reps high on all the exercises.

The problem with this approach is that there's no tape to follow, and it takes a long time because you have to work each leg separately, but it seems like the best approach for me. I also do
lots of cardio.
 
It makes me feel so much better knowing I am not alone in this bulky muscle dilemma! It's true that I am enjoying the higher metabolism that my new muscles have brought, but I am not thrilled with the bulk! Like I've said, my sharply faceted quads protrude from the front of my pants, and my hams look like a bullfrog, and my calves are like clubs...although I am pretty slim other than that. ANYway, I have changed my exercise pattern. I now do the following each week:

2 five mile runs
1 general non-step cardio (CK, CM)
1 step workout (StepMax, BodyMax)
1 resistance tape (MIS or PH) with low weights for leg work.

Thanks everyone for the insight! Any more tips just keep posting!
Lisa K.
 
Hi LHK,

Your workouts look a lot like mine now :). I think you'll be pleased with the results in no time. By the way, have you tried MIC? I enjoy it because it has a fun step segment but is balanced with very challenging hi/lo aerobics. I wish I could do step aerobics more often (because Cathe's workouts are really fun) but unfortunately I have to be extra careful. Having bulging quads and not fitting into my jeans is not my idea of feeling good. Please keep us posted with the progress you make. Good luck! :)
 
This is a toughie....my opionion, for what it's worth, is that you need to experiment with your cardio and strength training, but ALWAYS be aware of your eating habits. I have a lot of personal experience with this subject. My legs muscle up easily.

Rule 1 is to journal your eating

Cardio....Experiment! I used to do a lot of walking but have cut WAY back to just once a month or so, and have increased my step workouts. Now, I've read that stepping "bulks" up some people's legs, but I've not found that to be the case with me.

Weights: Light weights and high reps seem to be the key.

Everyone is different. Just play with it and find out what works for you.
 
Hi honeybunch,

I wanted to ask you why you had to reduce your walking workouts to once a month? You're absolutely right about everyone being different. For better or for worse, I tend to get muscular with minimal effort. If I could, I'd do step with Cathe tapes 3-4x a week, but unfortunately, I have to keep it to a minimum. One thing I am curious about though, (this is a question for anyone who can help): if someone like me, (who bulks up fairly quickly) continued to do step, would the bulking be temporary, since with all activities, the body adapts and muscular growth levels off? I'm not sure, really. I'm ashamed to admit this but, I'm afraid to experiment since I become depressed when my clothes get tighter. I'm in my twenties and am still learning to get over the vanity thing. Oh well...
 
Hi,
Do you like doing floorwork? The Firm's volume 1 has a pretty good routine. I find that it leans out the legs rather nicely if done regularly with 5 lbs ankle weights. Some like to add on a dumbell to the leg lifts too.
My goal is to get my lower body bigger, the legs have always been too skinny in comparison to the rest of me. S&H Legs was basically the answer to my problem. Though lots of people favor LL and PS I think it's because most women want to shrink down their lower body.
Stepping has not added bulk to my quads at all. Infact when increasing my step workouts to 3-4 x/week I found my hard earned legs were beginning to get obviously skinnier. So I had to drop down to one or two x/week.
I read that if there was a particular body part you wanted to build then you should up the weights and slow down the reps and if you wanted to shrink you should opt for lighter weights with higher reps. I'm not sure if this is true but it's worth a try. Plus, cardio and diet ofcourse.
 
To be quite honest, I didn't HAVE to reduce my walking workouts....I just love Cathe's step tapes so much, I began to do them more and more. Most of the time when it comes down to what to do when I am on the verge of working out or skipping it, I most always get out a Cathe step tape. I seem to get the best cardio balance with the CTX series.

Eating too much is really the only thing that made my pants get too tight....I could never blame it on any kind of exercise other than lack of it.
 
Can anyone recommend a good high rep low weight workout. I have PH and love it, but I want a few more like it. I know about Powerbar training and am considering it. I've also heard that firm Volume 1 is good, but where do I get it? Any other suggestions for a low weight high rep workout that is worth spending money on????

Thanks,
Kristie Schultz
 
Hi,
Leaner legs is pretty much high rep low weight endurance work. I think it has got to be one really sadistic routine. Atleast with body pump classes there are only 2 tracks for lower body but LL is an entire workout just for the lower body. Doing half of it would still be a toughie.
Volume 1 is really good. Firmdirect has it for sure, they just re-released it. Have you done FIRMs? If not, must warn you that if you are mostly used to Cathe then you might find Firm's a tad odd. But if you had to get just ONE it has to be Volume 1. It is actually the ONLY firm you need. It is the tape that firmies usually say we use if we need to get date ready.
The new body bar workout with Kelli Roberts is good. The upper body isn't very challenging but the leg routine did actually hit a spot, mostly during the single leg lunges like the ones in LL. The partials hurt. I would say it is a moderate leg workout...good for days when you don not want to spend too much time on legs but want something ok. I used free weights, barbell and EZ curl bar to make it more challenging. It's production isn't as good as Kelli Roberts' ultimate step by fox.
 
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