Neccros

I am currently about 265 and its mostly gut. I have muscular legs and like 18" calves and I hate them being that big. I got them cycling my whole like and wanted to know is there anyway to "downsize" calve muscles w/o losing strength???

Not sure if this is even possible.

WonderMonkey

Cutting fat will shrink them (some) of course. Possibly making sure your spin doesn't work your calves as much would maybe halt them from growing (if they are).

Other than that I don't have any ideas for you.

Neccros

Problem is there isn't that much fat around them...they are just huge... I've had them leaned out a little before but all I get is more definition and no size reduction

Dave Cutter

Don't kid yourself. Fat deposits can be under the muscle as well as between skin and muscle. Although cycling can build muscle mass in the legs.... many pro's don't have such big looking legs.

Get yourself to a healthy weight and you might be surprise how well proportioned your legs look.

chasm54

Suggest you prioritise the gut. Muscular calves are the least of your problems.

Neccros

Honestly I've had huge calves when I was young and skinny too...

Dave Cutter

+1
Sounds more like the food addiction talking..... worrying about his appearance after weight loss. Our own minds are our worse enemy.

Neccros

BTW, I should rephrase my initial statement about my weight... I am 265 with a gut but I am large boned and stocky. The guts not the entire reason I am 265

achoo

Don't worry about it.

As you lose weight, they'll probably get smaller - and if they don't, what are you going to do? Shave 'em off?

(FWIW, when I was your weight, in college playing football, I had 21 1/2" calves. They're only 19" now with me at about 200 lbs so I'm thinking yours will probably go down as you lose weight too.)

Neccros

I have lost 40lbs in the past and they didnt shrink....

Sixty Fiver

Calf size is largely determined by genetics and reducing their size is very difficult... short of developing a wasting disease. Professional bodybuilders have been known to get calf implants as no matter how big the rest of them gets they can struggle with developing proportional calves.

With an injury that affects my left leg my left calf is the same size as my right; I am 145 pounds and have 14.5 inch calves (symmetrical), while my right leg is 22 inches and my left leg is 19.5 as this is where the nerve damage manifests most.

I used to have 24 inch legs and my calves were the same size as they are now.

I know these numbers as I have to go for check ups and measurements to see if I have been making improvements and after my accident I did experience a good amount of wasting to my left leg and calf and while my lower leg recovered my upper leg still lags behind.

If you are working your calves excessively while riding you are doing it wrong, look at many pro riders and you will see they have massive upper legs and calves that look they were taken off a 12 year old girl. Mountain biking tends to work the calves harder because of more standing and harder climbing.

Lowering your % of body fat will make you calves look a little slimmer although this is usually not a place we put on a lot of weight.

Neccros

OK.... My whole reason for posting here wasn't to be critiqued on my eating habits, etc but rather to find out if there is a known method to shrink calve muscles regardless of what size, shape, color I am...

Apparently there isnt

mcmoose

I think the only relevant advice is to keep your cadence up and avoid mashing; keeping your work aerobic will minimize building up muscle mass.

Neccros

Sounds good thanks

WonderMonkey

Some people just have large calves with minimal effort. I do know (as you say) that you will lean them out a bit as you move forward with your weight loss efforts but you may just be stuck with your pre-disposition towards large calves.

Maybe you have cows instead?

Sixty Fiver

It is a difficult body part to change... I used to have steroidally imbalanced individual approach me in the gym and ask me what I did to get those calves and I would tell them, "nothing".

Sixty Fiver

Steers... which is not a bad thing.

Neccros

Cows??? Oh DUH.... like I said before I've had large calves even when I was skinny I just get tired of seeing riders with smaller legs (even heavier ones) and I just wish mine weren't so huge...

WonderMonkey

Cows instead of calves. Steers instead of calves is probably the better one as Sixty Fiver said.

I've met plenty of people with body parts who were thick and powerful with minimal effort. Just the way they are built. It would be interesting what you find out as you investigate more.

linnefaulk

Weight comes off in reverse order of the way it went on. If you gain first in legs then your belly, your belly should shrink first.

nkfrench 

OP I sense and share your frustration.

Both my mom and I have large calves. I am 5'6" with 18.5" calves and have struggled with my weight my entire life. The calves have stayed about the same size between a very lean 140# and very fat 295#. There wasn't even much change when I tore up a knee and was non-weightbearing on that leg for 8 weeks and in a brace for a year. Quads - absolutely it atrophied; calf, barely.
Mom was slightly taller, her weight was between 125# and 180#. Her ankles were slender, mine are large. I would guess her calves were at least 17". She wasn't athletic but was a very strong woman. I've heard stories about her carrying a 80# stack of shingles up a ladder to roof our house when she was 8 months pregnant with me.
It's been problemmatic buying socks, boots, and pants. The jeans I am wearing are skin tight in the calves and baggy in butt/thigh.
At least at my leanest weight the muscles were slightly more defined.
I suspect much of the bulk is water. Mom had to wear full-leg compression stockings in her final years.

My dad had bird legs despite carrying a few extra pounds in his mid-section. Thanks mom for the genes.

Willbird

Never really measured my calves, turns out I am 5'8".....219 lbs, and have 16" calves, maybe there is a "single body part" contest somewhere ??

:-).

bigfred 

And here I was always priding myself on my calves. Maybe I should develop a concern about them as well as the rest of me:-)

In all seriousness, there are a few things that can be done to minimize calf development. In addition to spinning and not mashing, there's cleat position to be considered. The further aft your cleats the less you'll engage your calves in the pedal stroke. However, this also comes at the expense of high cadence loss. You might even look into midfoot cleat positioning as promoted by Steve Hogg amongst others.

But, there's only so much you can do to fight your own genetics.

Concentrate on living a healthy life and eating a good diet. If you're fit and happy, chances are you won't even notice your calves. If you do, it'll be because they're ripped and some gal has just commented on them:-)

Yendor72

My FIL has big ole calves. He's overweight, but his calves are huge and well defined. Any body builder would love to have his calves. He's overweight and the only workout he gets is during hunting season, but the dog does most of the work there. My wife inherited his calves. While she is heavy her calves have a perfect upside down heart shape and she is getting more ripped and toned in her calves and thighs the more we bike. Genetics is what would explain that. Sorry, no real way to get rid of them.

Chitown_Mike

I flaunt my massive calves because it was the only part of my body that was muscular when I was fat. Almost 60 lbs shaved off and they only got bigger and more toned.

Funny story was I was at the gym when I was really into lifting, and I was doing calf raises on a machine from 0 to 600 lbs in 50 lb increments. I did this twice and there was no resting between sets other than to change the lock pin. A body building fellow from eastern Europe walked up, and in a super thick accent, asked how I got my big calves. I said it was my genes, his response?

"Where you buy jeans at?"

We had a short conversation on genetic makeup, and my genes and my other jeans.