Leg issues

[LeslieJo]

Over the past 6 months I have been working really hard. I am having to trim down first, but build the muscle back at the same time. I took pictures last night and although my quads and hams show a lot of improvement, my calves are really getting big. It looks a little awkward to me. I dont want big calves, just tone. I have cut down on my calf raises and the weight, but do you have any ideas on how to work the quads more with less emphasis on the calves. Keep in mind, leg extentions are out right now due to a bad knee.

[heavy hitter]

can you squat with your bad knee? these are my favorite for adding bulk.almost no calf involement. i like hacks too. you couls also quit training calves altogether. a lot of women never train them and they look great.

[LeslieJo]

I was doing smith squats, but found I was having lots of fluid build up on the knee. I don't know if directly related, but doc said back off. Which is bad since I love squats. I started doing lots of lunges and horizontal squats. mI have backed off on the calve raises, but I guess I could stop all together.

[heavy hitter]

how about leg presses? i find those to be lots easier on the knees than squats

[asim]

Having knee problems myself i'd say smith squats is what totally fucked me up and had me off my legs for 5 weeks.

Leg presses are great, i dont feel any pressure in the knees. You may want to make sure your knees are fully healed and dont have any fluid in them to begin with when you train them. Any previous injuries can cause fluid to stay there for a while and training on that can make it worse. Always remember to warm up thoroughly before starting your leg workout. I like to stretch my legs for a few minutes, then warm up on stationary bike, then stretch again and begin training.

Make sure you get that technique down for all your exercises to minimise problems with the knees.

[RonD]

Sounds like good suggestions. Be thankful your calves are growing and you may be able to not train them directly There are alot of us who would love that problem!!
Have a great day.