Want that yoga/barre look over bulk....without doing Barre

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can buy barre DVDs - I might suggest going to a few classes to get the technique down with teachers in person but then I think you could easily do it at home.

NP here. Thanks! I didn't think of DVDs. If you can recommend any specific ones, that would be great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you're not long and lean, no exercise is going to make you look long and lean.

14:46 here. I disagree. Pilates has made me much leaner in a toned way. It has been a big change in my physique.

[Anonymous]

OP--own the muscle. It will serve you well in coming decades as others get that saggy, old lady physique--flapping ass in yoga pants.

You will naturally lose muscle as you age. I am sure you look better than you think.

Toothpicks aren't sexy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can buy barre DVDs - I might suggest going to a few classes to get the technique down with teachers in person but then I think you could easily do it at home.

NP here. Thanks! I didn't think of DVDs. If you can recommend any specific ones, that would be great.

Pure Barre's DVDs are good

[Anonymous]

Barre3 has good online workouts of various lengths - they have ones you can do without any props and others that only require 1-3 pound weights.

[Anonymous]

in addition to Washington Ballet, both Joy of Motion and Capitol Hill Arts Workshop offer adult ballet classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP--own the muscle. It will serve you well in coming decades as others get that saggy, old lady physique--flapping ass in yoga pants.

You will naturally lose muscle as you age. I am sure you look better than you think.

Toothpicks aren't sexy.

I was thinking the same thing!

Signed,

toothpick woman who lifts heavy but still can't make herself look as meaty as she'd like

[Anonymous]

I am almost 50 and have a similar problem. Weight lifting HAS made me look bulkier than I'd like. I can't lose another pound, but wish that my arms were smaller and less defined. They look mannish. My bingo wings still flap but my triceps are huge. I hear you OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP--own the muscle. It will serve you well in coming decades as others get that saggy, old lady physique--flapping ass in yoga pants.

You will naturally lose muscle as you age. I am sure you look better than you think.

Toothpicks aren't sexy.

+1. Don't purposely try to drive your metabolism down right now, especially if you like the exercises you're doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:in addition to Washington Ballet, both Joy of Motion and Capitol Hill Arts Workshop offer adult ballet classes.

I tried a Joy of Motion class a few times, but the tinny recorded music drove me around the bend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Change how you do weights - more reps at a lighter weight will give you a leaner look.

Also, you can't fight how you're actually built. Fit is fit, no matter the shape.

This is exactly wrong, although it parrots what you'll get from most weekend certified PTs.

Higher reps with lower weight will tend to promote sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and result in more local inflammation, which gives the kind of bloated, puffy look the OP eschews.

Heavy, low volume lifting with a narrow exercise menu promotes neurogenic tone, i.e., taut, wiry muscles, without doing enough tissue damage to cause a lot of inflammation. As hypertrophy is primarily a function of training volume, heavy, low volume lifting tends to result in much less of it. Undereating or consistently eating at maintenance calories will ensure little to no tissue is built.

[Anonymous]

And can someone explain to me wtf "long" means in the context of long and lean muscles?

Muscles have attachment and insertion points that can't be changed without surgery. Nor does a muscle change shape; it either grows, shrinks, or stays the same size. So you can't actually make a muscle longer or change its shape.

You also can't really make a muscle "lean," for that matter, beyond the fact that as you get leaner overall the muscle will store less intracellular triglyceride. This won't much change the muscle's appearance assuming the same level of fat covering it.

So when people say "long and lean," they really just mean losing bodyfat, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And can someone explain to me wtf "long" means in the context of long and lean muscles?

Muscles have attachment and insertion points that can't be changed without surgery. Nor does a muscle change shape; it either grows, shrinks, or stays the same size. So you can't actually make a muscle longer or change its shape.

You also can't really make a muscle "lean," for that matter, beyond the fact that as you get leaner overall the muscle will store less intracellular triglyceride. This won't much change the muscle's appearance assuming the same level of fat covering it.

So when people say "long and lean," they really just mean losing bodyfat, right?

Yes but also maybe improving posture - that goes a long way in changing someone's appearance. But you're right about anatomy. It drives me crazy when trainers claim to be able to make someone long and lean!

[Anonymous]

Oh Lord people. English please. The last two messages are so typical of a self important smarty pants that can't comprehend that there are many different ways of doing things that can work. I only work out my upper body with low weights and high reps. I am small, lean, and tight in those areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Change how you do weights - more reps at a lighter weight will give you a leaner look.

Also, you can't fight how you're actually built. Fit is fit, no matter the shape.

This is exactly wrong, although it parrots what you'll get from most weekend certified PTs.

Higher reps with lower weight will tend to promote sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and result in more local inflammation, which gives the kind of bloated, puffy look the OP eschews.

Heavy, low volume lifting with a narrow exercise menu promotes neurogenic tone, i.e., taut, wiry muscles, without doing enough tissue damage to cause a lot of inflammation. As hypertrophy is primarily a function of training volume, heavy, low volume lifting tends to result in much less of it. Undereating or consistently eating at maintenance calories will ensure little to no tissue is built.

This is really interesting. I go to a gym which offers two types of classes. One is a lot of heavy lifting - lots of technique etc. The other is more cardio - running, light weights with high reps, etc. The woman doing the heavy lifting have much better bodies. I always wondered why when it seems all the high repetition, running stuff seems to much more exhausting.