why do i have soft muscles?

[wrestling2091]

i was wondering why my muscles are soft, i know some people that have rock hard muscles, i really hope it dosent have to do with genetics! i just hope that it will be a matter of hard work, patience and well time, does anyone else have this problem? or even better... has anyone had soft muscles and managed get them real solid?

[Jorge Sanchez]

Muscle is soft at rest. Your's may appear softer than others' because of more body fat.

[Torrok]

lol

you have more fat. take away the fat..

[motor head]

its fat, not muscle

[joelhall]

low minerals such as potassium, and hydration affect tone, thats about it.

joel

[BigCorey75]

2 possible reasons


1 ur carrying excess fat which makes u look "soft"


2 ur not lifitng heavy enough weight to increase the tonus of the muscle making it denser and appear harder, pump training just fills up the fibers and look good when u workout, u wanna truly look big all the time, train heavy make the muscle dense and youll get your goal

[thewicked]

muscles are soft at rest as others said. if you want more DENSITY and HARDNESS... lose the fat for one, then put in your time in the gym. Muscle maturity comes with time, not in a pill.

[rbtrout]

See what Big Corey says. Lift hard and heavy. "The Pump" doesn't build muscle, heavy weights do.

PS - lose the extra fat. I've got a 6 pack, but you can't see it because the mini-keg is in the way.

[wrestling2091]

i actually dont have that much bodyfat i can see a little bit of my top abs. also my brother and his cousin are pretty fat and they both have solid muscles

[MattBag]

You know I honestly can't see how someone at 140 pounds is fat...??? Unless its baby fat. And well I'm about 240 I got a tubby gut but I can go for two days without lifting, flex and still have sold muscles as if I worked out earlier that day.

It took me awhile to get to that point. Heavy lifting of fewer reps do maybe a 5x5 or something or look into maximum effort training once a week. I use to think that my muscles were always soft and yes I was fat but I'm still fat but have been working out much hard chuging alot of protien shake and eatin a ton so far little fat has been add and like I said my muscles are becoming tight maybe not as tone as I'd like but thats what cuts are for.

bottom line you want hard muscles, bulk eat and eat honeslty you wont gain to much fat and even if you did at 140 you'll be fine.

[wscully01]

I read the thread and I got to say that I have the sqme problem. I have only been working out consistently for 1.5 to 2 years and also have soft muscle tissue. I am 38 years old (almost 39) and have seen some improvement but still not 100% there yet. My younger brother (29 years old) thinks that I started working out too late in my life and thats why I am having this issue. Aside from the fact that I weight 135-137.5 llbs and am 5'6" with a slender body type, here are some other things:

Routine:
I am at the gym three to four days per week and spend 1.25 to 1.50 and 2 hrs on weekend
always target abs & lower back & arms
I believe in body symmetry (always work opposing muscle)
Do cardio (treadmill) for approximately 13-16 minutes everytime i am at the gym
Will work bi's & tri's along with glutes (Mon)
Will work legs, calf & thighs (Wed)
Will work chest, upper back & shoulder (Fri)
Repeat Mondays routine mostly using free weights.

I have not been increasing my weight. Bench press probably 140 and leg press probably 230 is max

Eating:
soy protien shake before workout
peanut butter sandwhich on seven grain organic bread
orgain yogurt
oatmeal
apple & orange
ensure/boost (trying to gain)
All this by 12 - 1 p.m.

Lunch:
Carb plus protien
sometimes veggie burger
tuna sandwhich

Dinner:
Carbs Veggies (salad or steamed) & protien

Usually try to have snack in between

get average 6-7 hrs sleep

What am i doing wrong here?

[Off Road]

1.) Eat more...especially protien and overall calories.

2.) Workout less. Get on a good abreviated routine, none of that bodybuilder split stuff.

3.) Increase the weight lifted EVERY time you workout!!!

4.) Get off the Soy protein and get yourself some Nitrean.

5.) Don't use your age as an excuse, it's your diet and routine that is to blame.

[Rugby Dad]

if what you're saying is that when you tesnse or flex a muslce, say biceps, it is not as hard as other dudes you've seen.
well then, that I believe is partly genetic.

along with loosing excess bf and getting as lean as possible, some guys do possess that muscle hardness that others will never achieve. As far as appearance goes the two may look the same, but the one guy's muscles are just much harder to the touch.

I knew a guy like that once, he could flex his bicep and concentrate to get it as hard as possible, and it literally felt like solid marble rock!!

[rbtrout]

I can tell you that age has nothing to do with it. I'm 47, haven't lifted basically in 2 months (injury) and my muscles are still as hard as rocks. It really sounds like you're not pushing yourself very hard. Start really working hard and increasing the weights nearly every workout. Also, there's no need to spend that much time in the gym. A good routine will have you in and out of the gym in an hour. Eat properly, you'll get there.

[Raleighwood]

I read the thread and I got to say that I have the sqme problem. I have only been working out consistently for 1.5 to 2 years and also have soft muscle tissue. I am 38 years old (almost 39) and have seen some improvement but still not 100% there yet. My younger brother (29 years old) thinks that I started working out too late in my life and thats why I am having this issue. Aside from the fact that I weight 135-137.5 llbs and am 5'6" with a slender body type, here are some other things:

Routine:
I am at the gym three to four days per week and spend 1.25 to 1.50 and 2 hrs on weekend
always target abs & lower back & arms
I believe in body symmetry (always work opposing muscle)
Do cardio (treadmill) for approximately 13-16 minutes everytime i am at the gym
Will work bi's & tri's along with glutes (Mon)
Will work legs, calf & thighs (Wed)
Will work chest, upper back & shoulder (Fri)
Repeat Mondays routine mostly using free weights.

I have not been increasing my weight. Bench press probably 140 and leg press probably 230 is max

Eating:
soy protien shake before workout
peanut butter sandwhich on seven grain organic bread
orgain yogurt
oatmeal
apple & orange
ensure/boost (trying to gain)
All this by 12 - 1 p.m.

Lunch:
Carb plus protien
sometimes veggie burger
tuna sandwhich

Dinner:
Carbs Veggies (salad or steamed) & protien

Usually try to have snack in between

get average 6-7 hrs sleep

What am i doing wrong here?

The highlighted areas are problems... If you've been training for a over a year and can't bench (1x) or squat (1.5x) your body weight for reps, something is wrong with your training.

[dragoninstal]

I've seen and read a lot of posts regarding this subject.

All the time, people say that it is fat or etc and to go work out more. And the answer is no.

If you are exercising on a daily basis and muscles are soft, it is a good thing.

It means that you have flexibility in your muscles and, trust me, they are better than just rock hard muscles.

check this article out

even though its on muscles of horses it will clear a lot of light

http://www.equinew.com/kinesiology.htm

remember

"Soft muscles have a balance between tightness for support and looseness for flexibility"

[Off Road]

Interesting take on the subject.

[lampuiho]

I've seen and read a lot of posts regarding this subject.

All the time, people say that it is fat or etc and to go work out more. And the answer is no.

If you are exercising on a daily basis and muscles are soft, it is a good thing.

It means that you have flexibility in your muscles and, trust me, they are better than just rock hard muscles.

check this article out

even though its on muscles of horses it will clear a lot of light

http://www.equinew.com/kinesiology.htm

remember

"Soft muscles have a balance between tightness for support and looseness for flexibility"

It has nothing to do with flexibility. I have hard muscle but I'm extremely flexible (because of my Taekwondo training in early days).

My friend also has soft muscle but he is more powerful than me. And we are both skinny (6-pack). So soft muscle definitely exist and not fat. And the muscle is not flabby but it just isn't hard even when flexed / tightened. But he is not any more flexible than me.

People here talk about it based on their own experience and don't compare to major population. That isn't very scientific. To know the reason, first we should analyze the muscle structure. But I don't think any research has been done before.

[Minhpro.vip]

i was wondering why my muscles are soft, i know some people that have rock hard muscles, i really hope it dosent have to do with genetics! i just hope that it will be a matter of hard work, patience and well time, does anyone else have this problem? or even better... has anyone had soft muscles and managed get them real solid?

I think ur muscles are same mine. So you shouldnt worry much about that. I'm 18 years old,, and I also do some boxing, weightlifting, martial arts, football (rugby). So I train so hard as I can. I feel my muscles become bigger but a little softer when each time I finished training; then become harder and solid a few days after that . And I suppose thats normal, nothing wrong, I feel strong and very comfortable. Because when u train or work out much and hard, mucles will become soft for a sort time, that means they are growing up, prepare for bigger. Then they will become solid soon depend ur training and your rest.
It looks like 'water'...usually changes from liquid to solid and from solid to liquid.

[Off Road]

Liquid muscles...that's a new one.

[LilHillbilly]

I've never heard of soft muscles...

[MusicForMuscles]

I read in either 'starting strength' or 'maximum strength' that hard muscle is developed through heavy weights. So if you truly desire harder muscles, bigcorey and rbtrout are right in suggesting that you basically should switch for the time being to a progressive strength based routine instead of a bodybuilder hypertrophy based routine.

I switch it up myself to try to achieve a balance of both hard and strong muscles combined with the aesthetics. You of course have to put in the time to see what works best for you.

[thecityalive]

I used to have the same concern nearly 2 years ago in regards to my biceps. They always felt like they were softer in comparison to my friends. My solution was just increasing weight, eating right, and getting on the ALN bus. I cannot tell you the last time I have bought elsewhere. But if ALN isn't for you, make sure you are fueling your body with proper supplementation (where ever you get it).

[Mark!]

really guys? I mean come on...I think we're better than this...it's clearly liquid muscles.

[Spartian]

Yeah... defiantly a case of liquid muscles.