A personal trainer responsible for transforming the physique of thousands of people around the world has shared her simple method to slim down muscular or overweight calves.
Rachael Attard, from Sydney, said many of her clients struggle with “stubborn fat” or too much muscle around their calves.
And while it’s impossible to reduce fat in a localized way, there are steps you can take to tone and lose weight in the overall area.
A personal trainer responsible for transforming the physique of thousands shared her simple method for slimming down muscular or overweight calves (Rachael Attard pictured)
Rachael Attard, from Sydney, said many of her clients struggle with “stubborn fat” or excess muscle around their calves, and one of the best things she can do is walk more (one of her transformations pictured). .
“Many women struggle to lose weight in their calves and I get a lot of questions about this,” Rachael posted on instagram.
“It helps to start by understanding why your calves might be bigger in the first place.”
The first reason Rachael said you might have big calves is because you have a lot of muscle there:
“If you’ve done a lot of calf-targeted exercises throughout your life, especially heavy, high-intensity exercises, then it’s quite possible that your calves have increased in size due to muscle growth,” he said.
“If this is the case, avoiding certain exercises can prevent your calf muscles from growing and, over time, you might even notice them shrinking in size.”
If your calves are bigger due to fat, then it’s “super doable” to shed the excess weight, Rachael said.
To do this, you simply need to modify your diet to include more low-intensity exercise.
Finally, if your larger calves are due to genetics, then this is more difficult to get rid of, but you can make minor changes to get results.
The PT (pictured) recommends that you ditch movements like squats that focus on the calves and instead do more low-intensity exercise.
She recommends avoiding training moves that involve jumping, hopping, and running, and instead said you should make walking your ‘new best friend’ (one of Rachael’s transformations pictured).
“There are three things I recommend to clients who want to slim down their calves,” Rachael said.
“If the cause of your calf size is muscle, then you should stop doing any exercise that made your calves bigger in the first place. The most important thing here is to exercise them less and give your muscles a chance to lose weight.’
The second piece of advice from the personal trainer is to incorporate more low-intensity cardio into your routine:
“This will also help you lose more excess fat in your lower half without building additional muscle,” Rachael said.
She recommends avoiding training moves that involve jumping, hopping, and running, and instead said you should make walking your “new best friend.”
“Finally, you can focus on losing weight in general,” he said.
“This will help you lose fat in your lower half overall, but remember that it will take some time.”
Rachael said that if you eat a little less calories throughout the day, you will lose weight.
Earlier, Rachael (pictured) shared why 30 minutes three to four times a week is the “magic” amount of exercise to do each week for a toned body.
Previously, Rachael shared why 30 minutes three to four times a week is the “magic” amount of exercise to do each week for a toned body, and why more than this is just a waste of time.
Rachael said she used to “go to the gym for an hour or more six days a week” and preferred “super intense workouts” and hard sessions.
But while he worked out “harder than anyone I knew, it didn’t seem like it.”
She has since discovered that a gentler, more balanced approach to exercise is much better for staying in shape.
These days, Rachael prefers Pilates, yoga, short sessions (high-intensity interval training), and light weights.
He also does not exercise more than five times a week.
“Overtraining, plus high stress from work, lack of sleep, and lack of downtime didn’t do my body any favors,” Rachael recalled.
Now, I really only work out for 30 minutes three or four times a week, plus I try to walk as much as I can, and I’ve never been in better shape.
“I also have a lot more energy,” she added.