my lower leg muscle

So almost 2 years ago i got into gear lost a bunch of wait (24kg) with cross country jogging which had a lot of inclines, i got some nice quads from it which im happy with (and makes me a quick sprinter) however my lower leg muscles are a bit to big for my liking (im 5'7" or 171cm so it looks a lil silly, to me anyway). I've changed to doing 10km endurance jogs along a flat course to try decrease them but haven't had to much luck, i was looking at swimming as i hear it lengthens muscle which may make it look smaller or less bulky. Any idea or tips?

(pretty much wanting to decrease mass but keep strength without starving or not working the muscles)

Thnx :)

I know what you mean, I have huge calves which I attribute to being in marching band in my teens and having to stand on my tiptoes and march around that way for long periods of time! Anyway, I actually like my big calves and get lots of compliments on them. Anyone who follows me up a flight of stairs always has something to say :D They look even bigger because my ankles are so tiny and I've honestly learned to love them for what they are.

Try learning to love them, but if you can't, the only thing I can suggest is stretch them out. For instance, step up onto something (a step or a curb) and let your ankles hang off, feeling a nice stretch. I do think it is possible to stretch out those knobby muscles a little!

Also wear things that flatter your calves. I've found that things that tie around my ankles obscures my little ankles and make my legs look more uniform...bear in mind I actually don't like that, but you might! Also if you wear skirts make sure they hit on the narrowest part of your leg either just above or just below your knee. Don't ever wear anything that hits right on your calves because it will draw unflattering attention to them. Also, flattering shoes to wear would be heels with pointed toes. Heels make your legs tense slightly and look smaller and leaner. Pointed toes elongate the leg -- the longer something is, the narrower it looks! Hope this helps! 

(not sure if you're a woman or man I just realized..)

OOH boy.

OK you can NOT lengthen your muscles. That's like saying "I'd like to make my femur longer how do I do that?"

Secondly, long distance running is the best way I can think of to GET RID OF MUSCLE, short of sitting on the couch and never using your legs at all.

and huge calves from marching band? I think that's just the way you're built. I was in marching band for years (so embarrassing) and well my calves never changed.

So by that token we shouldn't be able to make our muscles bigger if we can't make our bones bigger.

Original Post by liswobble:

So by that token we shouldn't be able to make our muscles bigger if we can't make our bones bigger.

 The length of your muscles is determined by where they attach to bones, muscles can't get longer without the bone getting longer (unless you rip the muscle off the bone and re-attach it someplace else).

 The size (not length) of muscles is independent of bone size.

I mean I understand that basically you're calling me out for optimism in a case where there may be nothing she can do. haters  

That aside, if muscles can't get longer then what is stretching, in your vast wisdom? It seems to me that while there is a maximum length a muscle can possibly be, due to exercise and inadequate stretching many people's muscles are not at the maximum length (ie range of motion.) They are in fact shorter (and bulkier) than they could be. Therefore, stretching will elongate muscles to their full potential and could (possibly) decrease the bulk in this situation. Or I'm full of crap, I say try it and see if it helps since there is no other helpful information forthcoming.

Stretching improves flexibility by increasing the muscle's elasticity, increasing the range of motion for the particular joint.  It doesn't actually change the shape of the muscle though as that's determined by where the muscle attaches to the bone.

To the original poster, how long have you been doing the flat endurance running?  Because that honestly sounds like the best solution, so it might just take time.