Question:

I have fairly large calves and all my life I've wanted slimmer calves. They have helped with sports, as I was really good at athletics for years, but now I just want skinner calves to fit into boots in winter and look good in heels in summer. Can you break down muscle mass and reconstruct through cardio and diet?

Answer:

Calf muscles are a tricky body part! You can tone and build calf muscles with specific exercises but unless you are really overweight it's very difficult to spot reduce the size of your calf muscles.

Take the focus off your calf muscles and focus on overall fitness, weight loss and toning. Avoid doing a lot of cardio-related exercise, which gets you up on your toes and emphasises the calf muscles such as sprinting, hill or stair running and cycling.

Dean Piazza — your online personal trainer
www.getfit.com.au