Whatcha gonna do? Maybe it's not as bad as the illustration above, LOL, but I learned about six months ago that I am stuck, genetically speaking, with what I call "chicken legs". Thanks, Mom and Dad!When I first started working out with Dr. Darden, he did a "visual evaluation" of me. To see what my weak points and strong points are.
It seems that God gave me "high" calf muscles. Hopefully this quick sketch shows how this refers to the length of the muscle, the muscle belly, and the insertion points. In layman's terms, no matter how "big" or strong my calves get, they will always be "high" with a lot of distance between the bottom of the muscle and my ankle. As opposed to this:
This sketch shows longer calf muscles. Built up properly, this leg will look pretty big. Mine, not so much. Unless I go in for calf implants.... and I'm not gonna EVER do that... I will be stuck with "chicken legs". Oh well. Chicken legs are tasty. I'll just make them the best chicken legs I can!You live long enough, you hopefully stop worrying about the things you can't change. The lesson about genetics? Make the most of what you have, and don't fret about what you don't have. Identify your strong points ( I was told that for me it's chest and arms), and your weak points ( for me, calves and lack of abs). Work on both of them, maximizing your potential. That's important... YOUR potential.
Be the best YOU that you can be.
What are your comments on "cankels" or calves that are the same width as a person's ankles. Trust me, I've seen this- it exists! (Not mine of course) It seems to be more common for females than males, but guys can have 'em. Can they be done away with without plastic surgery and just plain old exercise?
ReplyDeleteHey Keelan. Thanks for the intersting posts. Just wondering what you weight and bf% is now. Have you added some muscle.
ReplyDeleteJP, "cankles" are genetic, for sure. My wife SWEARS she has them, but I don't agree. Really, she just has longer calf muscles. She's really toning up now, and her lower leg is leaning out. As she starts to build up the underlying calf muscles, she's gonna have some pretty impressive calves ( better than my chicken legs) and no more cankles at all.
ReplyDeleteRick...
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's an interesting post all of it's own. Stick around... I'll get to that in a few days.
Don't you love those things that come from our relatives that we can't change? Even when I did gymnastics as a preteen and was at my fittest, I still had those genetically-endowed annoyances like the majority of us (how I've always longed for a flat stomach and chiseled jaw!) By the way, good call on avoiding the calf implants...I've read those are some of the more horribly painful cosmetic surgeries you can have. Besides, I never noticed your chicken legs. I only see you in gig pants!
ReplyDeleteThanks Keelan. I look forward to hearing about your progress. I am still finding it hard to believe that you made such great gains with such little exercise. I guess I am alot like the guy who when you hand him a shovel, he still digs with his hands.
ReplyDeleteHey Keelan, how's your progress?
ReplyDelete