Why are my jeans are too tight since I've been going to the gym?

Question

I've been working out for 3 months now and recently have noticed that my jeans are all tighter around my thighs but not my waist. Also my long sleeved fitted tops are tighter around the tops of my arms. So I'm guessing I'm building muscle but surely it's too soon after just 3 months to see a difference?

I've been going about 4 times a week and doing 20 mins cardio and then 20 mins on weight stations and free weights. I didn't want to lose weight just tone but I don't want to keep getting bigger - any tips on what I should be doing just to stay lean and trim?

Many thanks

Answer 1

Excellent! Those are exactly the places you would want that to happen. Its certainly possible to experience a measurable amount of muscle growth in 3 months. The problem you are experiencing is that fat loss is much slower than muscle gain especially if you are whats known as an endomorph.

I'm sure you look 100 times better so stay the path. Evaluate your diet. Pull away from the carbs a bit. Look up something called HIIT cardio. That muscle you are building is going to melt that fat right off and you are going to be a compact, toned person that people will subconciously just see as attractive.

Answer 2

youll soon be hitting a plateu as its known when you start at a gym you see big differences quite quickly but they slow down as your body gets used to the exercises so you need to change it around a bit to keep getting results,use lower weights and higher reps for cardio, low reps at high weights builds muscle which isnt a bad thing as it aids weight loss as younuse more energy in trying to keep the muscle you gained

Answer 3

It sounds like your thigh and upper arm fat has been transformed by your exercise regime and have got bigger with muscle. Muscle is denser than fat and so it is not surprising that you have got bigger in those areas.

Go easy on the weight training and stick to cardiovascular if you want to strip you fat down and tone your core muscle groups.

Answer 4

Sounds possibly like you are building muscle and not toning....

When using free weights, basic principle is to do lots of repetitions on light weights to tone, and a few (say 6 - 10) on heavy weights to build muscle.

To tone my chest for example, I started by choosing a weight I could do at least 30 repetitions of in one go, and worked up to 50.

Hope it helps.

EDIT:- Rookie35 below me (idiot), why then is Bruce Lee's body different to Arnold Schwarzenegger's?

You moron.

Answer 5

sounds like youre doing great! muscle is good. toning and building muscle are the same thing. like rookie said start looking at your diet and modify.  When i was in your situation i cut way back on the bad stuff like sugar and processed foods.  It seemed like the fat literaly melted off and you could see all that awesome muscle underneath. Good luck!!

Answer 6

its do to all the running and cardio your building up the muscles in your legs which is causing the jeans to be tight around that area. dont go as often go twice a month or so that way your keeping up the tone youve already got without making them bigger.

Answer 7

More reps of lower weights.  

Answer 8

Are you calling into the kebab shop on the way home form the gym?

Well there is your answer then