Tragic Exercise Error

[danam]

I have exercised all my life--mostly distance running. Last year I decided I needed variety and switched to high-intensity workouts. The advantage is that they are much quicker--30 minutes for a good workout versus 60-120 minutes for long distance runs.

The disadvantage is...well, they build muscle. So, without trying at all, my shoulders became much more defined. Mostly from pushups and sprints. I did not do any targeted weight training! Major bummer for crossdressing!! I had no intention of getting more defined...it just happened. :( Granted, I have the type of metabolism in which I drive by a gym and I gain mass, but this is a bummer.

I am conflicted because I really enjoy tough workouts and the health benefits, but it is, of course, making it very hard for me to be passable due to the large shoulders and triceps/biceps. I do enjoy the fact that I look better in DRAB, however, there is a cost...not looking as good as Dana. Oh well, just thought I'd vent.

[KerryLynn]

Try Yoga burn ((It gets the same effect as situps w/o a lot of the musucle mass gain)) I do the Abs and burn all together 40 mins workout and 0 mass gain Hope this helps

[dilane]

I have exercised all my life--mostly distance running. Last year I decided I needed variety and switched to high-intensity workouts. The advantage is that they are much quicker--30 minutes for a good workout versus 60-120 minutes for long distance runs.

As a distance runner myself, I can vouch for HIT running workouts. Runners call them interval workouts. I do no weight/resistance stuff, just running faster for short intervals. You get the same benefits (weight loss, improved endurance, more challenging workout) without the upper body muscle development :)

Assuming you are in running shape (you can jog at least 30 minutes without strain), do something like:

Warmup jog for at least 10 minutes. This is important.
10 x 1 minute moderately hard (not a sprint, but quick, just below leg burn), and 1-2 minute walk or jog break between intervals. A guaranteed solid workout.
Then cooldown jog or walk.


The disadvantage is...well, they build muscle. So, without trying at all, my shoulders became much more defined. Mostly from pushups and sprints. I did not do any targeted weight training! Major bummer for crossdressing!! I had no intention of getting more defined...it just happened. :( Granted, I have the type of metabolism in which I drive by a gym and I gain mass, but this is a bummer.

I'm the same, I have very defined arms without doing any kind of upper body work whatsoever (just running). At least they're thin. I avoid any weightwork for that reason.


I am conflicted because I really enjoy tough workouts and the health benefits, but it is, of course, making it very hard for me to be passable due to the large shoulders and triceps/biceps.

A HIT running workout will totally wring you out. After a couple sessions (separated by two days for recovery), you'll be running the fast parts faster and enjoying it more. Just remember not to strain or go all out -- keep it at 90-95% only. More than that courts injury/burnout.

I do 8-10 x 400m when I get ready for a race, and even though I run 60-70 miles/week, I'm as weak as a kitten after that workout. Intervals (aka HIT) work!

[Karan]

Kinds the same problem. I have always loved to hit the weights. There is some inexplicable force that draws me to the weight room. The feeling of heavy dumbells or the "high" I get from a good work out. Not to mention how it somehow feels good to be a little sore the next day. Never got big, 162 lbs, and I get an occasional compliments on my build as a guy. However the horseshoe tricep and broad back from countless chin ups make it difficult to wear some of the nicer outfits. Forget short sleeves or exposed shoulder. More than once I vowed to stop lifting to look better, but once I am in the gym and hear the clang of the weights I am back at it. So I guess I have to stop working out to look better? Now there is an oxymoron.

[suchacutie]

Broad shoulders and muscle mass all over the upper arms and shoulders...

Great in drab, terrible in drag! I think I spend 80% of my fashion time trying to figure out how to hide those shoulders and upper arms! My problem is that we heat with wood, so we get logs which I cut to length (no splitting, thank heaven) so the 14 pound chain saw and I dance for a couple hours at a time, and then the 40 pound logs need to get stacked and then thrown into the furnace. Those muscles will never go away at this rate.

But the rest of my body I can tailor by running but not doing any of the weight training that add non-fem mass. It does take some planning, but some exercises/training have to be eliminated :)

tina

[eluuzion]

I have been involved in martial arts & tennis since I was 8 years old. Either one can be the toughest workout you could ever find. It is possible to control the "bulking up" issue, as in both sports, that is a flexibility/movement disadvantage.

I can still wear the same clothes I wore in high school. You can do it at home too. I have kick bag and a back board for hitting tennis balls on my downstairs patio. I use it all year round.

just an option. Or you could dress up and go down to a seedy area of town, wait for muggers to notice you, and outrun them! Kind of a flakey workout plan, I guess...nevermind....:love:

[prene]

"I have exercised all my life--mostly distance running."

That is me to a T. I hardly ever lift weights or anything for a fear of building upper body maass.

What I started doing is faster intervals. I need the cardio to keep the weight down. I have a good thing that happens for me. I running body gives me huge thighs but a smaller waist.

Otherwise my upper torso gets to big.

[Dee2U]

I too, am afraid of building up my upper body. I do aerobics videos and in addition to the cardio / dance, many have toning exercises. Since they are done one after another with the instructor, it is hard to skip some that you dont want. I dont mind the shoulder and triceps I but just use a light weight for the biceps. I think that if you have a biceps size to triceps size ratio that favours the triceps then it is not too bad. It is the biceps size that is too muscleman for me. I noticed this first with the women in the videos - it was the biceps size that always caught my attention (in the wrong way) for some of the instructors. Fortunately dance and aerobics videos feature a lot of abs and butt work which really do help me work on my figure. That and the stretching and actual dancework are excellent for developing grace and fluidity of movement. Moving "like a truckdriver" (sorry truckers - just an expression) undos the body shape we work so hard to achieve....Dee

[jenifer m.]

dana im right there with you.i body build,im on roids and all.but it does interfear with jenifers look en fem.i love looking good en drab but i know that my upper body is definetly not feminine looking,i have 19,and three quarter inch arms now,but thats not gonna stop me from enjoying being a girl.i just love to work out,as a matter of fact im off to the gym now.

[insearchofme]

Have you tried pilaties (sp?)? The exercises tend to enlogate the muscle adding tone not adding bulk.

I'm like Karen, I love to strength train with weights. I like the bulk to some extent but as I get older (61) I am lightening the weight and doing more reps. This getting my targeted muscle more cut up.

I'll never be femme and know that I'll never pass in public so I just go with exercises that feels good to me.

[kristinacd55]

Get back to distance running, or mix in some sprinting to shorten your workouts. That way just shapely legs! :)
PS-don't know if I'd call it "tragic" though! Just a slight change will put you on the right path.

[Angie G]

Well Dana we can't alway get what we want. Major bummer I know.You can keep fit without going all out girl think about it.:hugs:
Angie

[sherri52]

You may have to keep with just the running. I use to do weights until it got in the way of Karate. In karate you don't want massive muscles. As a CD we want even less. It's running and swimming for me now, although I've gotten slack

[Genifer Teal]

I'm a skinny person. Back in my 20's I started lifting weights to bulk up. The first thing that happened was I lost 10 lbs. Not what I was expecting. I stopped after 3 months. I did get some muscle definition as well.

Gen

[TxKimberly]

I grew up the same way most boys did, surrounded by other boys who all wanted to impress each other and the girls with their muscles. I even spent over a decade active duty Army, where being "buff" was pretty much a requirement. In all of that time I was cursed with the utter and complete inability to physically bulk up. I could and did lift just as much as the other guys, and my endurance was at least as good as the others, but I never bulked up to LOOK like I had much muscle. These days of course I consider that "curse" to be a blessing - it doesn't matter what I do, I will never bulk up to having huge arms.

[sissystephanie]

I grew up the same way most boys did, surrounded by other boys who all wanted to impress each other and the girls with their muscles. I even spent over a decade active duty Army, where being "buff" was pretty much a requirement. In all of that time I was cursed with the utter and complete inability to physically bulk up. I could and did lift just as much as the other guys, and my endurance was at least as good as the others, but I never bulked up to LOOK like I had much muscle. These days of course I consider that "curse" to be a blessing - it doesn't matter what I do, I will never bulk up to having huge arms.

I am similar to Kimberly in many ways, although definitely not in good looks! My arms are very much shaped like most girls, although much stronger. I have also never been able to "bulk" up. although I work out almost every day and have for years. My strength stays good, but the bulk just never comes. Do I care? As Stephanie, not in the slightest! In drab, maybe a little! But really very little, since I do like to CD!!:)

[suzy1]

I was wondering if anyone chooses specific exercises to help there figure.
I do an exercise to shape my legs and bum. Another to help keep my tummy flat. Also something to help my waistline.
I know some of you go to the gym, which must be one of the best ways to keep fit, but I am talking about exercises aimed specifically at shaping the figure.

[Rachel_DBN]

I do an exercise to shape my legs and bum. Another to help keep my tummy flat. Also something to help my waistline.

Well hun, what else do you want or need to get into shape?! :battingeyelashes:

[KateSpade83]

I do lotsa road biking to lose or control my weight gain by eating well. Like one day I weighed 157.0 lbs, ate well then next day was 158.4lbs so next day I did a 36 mile workout and weighed 156.8lbs the next day.

[Soriya]

Diet is at least 75% of keeping your waist line slim. Also, weight is deceiving. Muscle weighs more then fat thus if you do things that increase muscle anywhere in you body, you will see a change in weight. Also, I wouldn't get to hung up on the number on the scale as well and certainty don't weight yourself everyday, that will drive you crazy. Pick one day a week and weigh yourself each week on that day and at at the same time each week. You will typically weigh less in the morning as well. I have been exercising routinly for 7 weeks now and for the last few weeks, I have only lost 1 pound but have lost almost 1 and a half waist sizes in that time. This is because I am replacing the fat with muscle, and not huge bulging muscles either. :)

[linnea]

It sounds like the exercises that you're doing are appropriate, but the comment about the weight of muscle versus fat is a good one since we can be deceived by variances in weight due to that difference.
Exercise that increases metabolism will probably take more weight off if you couple it with sensible diet. Those things will help your girlish figure develop. Remember too that genetic males store fat in some different places from those that GGs do, so you're working against a genetic condition too when you want a female figure.
Good luck.

[Sarah Doepner]

A while back someone posted this link to Renee Reyes home page where there are some interesting examples of exercises that may be able to help.
http://www.reneereyes.com/Webdocs/tipsexerc.html

[Laura Evans]

I have been exercising for years: running, mt biking, wgt lifting, martial arts, rock climbing. Fortunately I am not a big bone person and I lift wgts not for bulk but for maintaining my strength as I grow older and because I have an active life. I have upper body mass that is not very feminine but I have gone out wearing tank tops without much notice from the public. My lower body is much more developed but I still wear skirts and dresses and rarely get a second look from the people I pass. Hope this helps, if not then cover them up.

[danam]

Thank you for all the replies! Here is what I look like now, after bulking up a bit:

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o156/danamatthews71/CD_IMG_2801.jpg

[mapletree]

i wish this was my problem
i must eat less
i love to cook and I am pretty good

[Rebecca Petersen]

I know what you mean, I just finished an hour on the Chair-Master and was so tired I moved over to the computer chair to do my daily finger exercises. It's true, no pain - no gain.
Seriously if you wore tops or dresses with sleeves 4 inches longer - in other words - just below the elbow, you seriously don't have a prob.
You look great, and fit too. :)

[Midnight Skye]

I've had the exact opposite Dana. I gave up my pushups and freeweight training and have only stuck to my cardio workouts. My shoulder and bicep definition have shrunk big time. Actually I recently noticed this week when I got majorly sick just how much weaker my arms are... its rather pitiful.

[rocketscientist]

I don't care what ANYBODY says(even you:straightface:), I think you are still gorgeous!:D Hugs, Tonya:hugs: Oh, and that green dress is very sexy! :thumbsup:LOVE IT!