Hello! I've been doing 2 x personal training sessions and 2 x Spin classes per week (usually... give or take). I can feel myself toning but this afternoon i was trying on a pair of leggings and my calves look giant! now, it could be they have been giant for a while and I only just notice them now, or maybe its body dismorphia but I am terrified that the exercises I am doing is making them fat. I do a lot of squats and core and lounges as part of my training, and the spinning is a lot of leg work. Do any of these make your calves grow bigger? I know I should ask my trainer but I am very very self consious and I find it very hard to draw people's attentions to my problem spots. Anyway, I know you cant really comment without seeing my legs but in terms of leg exercises, whats been your experience? i am generally stay within calorie limit with occasional minor badness... Also my weight has gone up slightly since training but my size has reduced, so I am trying to not weigh myself often but thats also been messing with my head a bit too, hence thinking that maybe this is also partly body dismorphia. So what are your thoughts? xo

All of the exercises you mentioned will build the muscles in your calves.

Take measurements to see any changes in your calves

Talk to your trainer, you need an impartial perspective and if you don't like the way you're sculpting your muscles your routine needs to change. You are the client, your opinion matters and they're providing you with a service. You should feel like you can speak openly about your concerns with your trainer, self conscious or not. You're paying them for their knowledge, USE IT.

Side note, most people would KILL to have calves that respond easily and/or quickly to exercise, they're notoriously difficult muscles to grow.

I think that perspective can help minimize self-conscious feelings about your body being "flawed." This is a situation where you're paying for a service, and you'd prefer the service sculpts your body differently. Your trainer wants to make you happy, so would likely appreciate the feedback so s/he can change up your routine a little bit. Some of us are predisposed to building more calf muscle than others, but that doesn't mean we can't design a workout that takes that into account.

I've always had heavy calves, simply because that is how my body is built. Some of it is fat, and this is one of the places where I see fluid retention immediately. Exercise has, if anything, taken them down in size, but not by much, as it's simply my genetic lot in life.

Still, when I felt low-spirited about them the other day, and started googling "calf reduction," I came across this article & began to wonder about myself & what kind of aesthetic standard I've got in my head. This really made me rethink how I feel about my body.

http://thegrandnarrative.com/2009/10...surgery-korea/