The Leg Thread - Toning, Firming and Questions

[Yppe]

Never use a lift, always go up by stairs. I live in a top-floor and I see the changes since I gave up lifts.

 

[Hipkitten]

Squats with a medicine ball - works every time

 

[TheSoCalledPrep]

bicycling at a fast pace definitely helps

 

[EmmyDesigns]

Thanks everyone!

 

[Becky_da_da_da]

Squats, the bane of my life... but they work

 

[adorefaith]

anyone have a good how-to for squats? thanks!

 

[breathe0xygen]

I have merged all the threads that concern "legs" toning, firming, etc. into one, to keep things organized. This way we can all answer, ask questions, find useful information in one place, instead of having to search all the time!

enjoy!

 

[breathe0xygen]

Bump! a Thread for the masses that are seeking information about thighs.

 

[laura4eva]

Cardio,i do cardio around 10-15 mins a day,i try and do it everyday but most of the time i do it like 3/4 times a week.is this enough??I might take up running,but there isnt nowhere to run around my area.

 

[Ithillien]

Will running on a trampette make my thighs like a rugby players? Im worried to do too much excercise incase i end up with thighs you could crack nuts with!

 

[VICTIM]

i have quite large legs but the top half of my body is pretty small so i look kinda strange lol i wanna know how to get legs like dior homme models, do you think pilates would help that?

 

[sasseestefanie]

there are two machines at the gym i go to... one is called "Hip Adduction" for inner thigh... and the other is called "Hip Abduction" for the outter thigh They work really well.

 

[SevenWeeksLater]

What are some exercises that will help toning the inner thighs? Gah I am so out of proportion my measurments are 29-24-35 It seems like everything I eat goes to my thighs. How old do you have to be to have lipo?

 

[Assembler]

What are some exercises that will help toning the inner thighs? Gah I am so out of proportion my measurments are 29-24-35 It seems like everything I eat goes to my thighs. How old do you have to be to have lipo?

I'm like you, except that (and maybe you have this too) I have big boobs, so when I do my measurements, I get more the hour-glass shape. But I have a tiny waist, and pretty small ribcage and shoulders, tiny wrists, but ENORMOUS Butt and thighs. When I lose weight it comes off my top first and I tend to look bony on the top and still very flabby on the bottom. I play hockey and soccer, so I have strong legs (though not overly muscular) but what definitely bothers me is the amount of flab and skin on my thighs and rear. I feel like I have that saggy skin that most of us are destined to get in our 40s/50s already, and I'm only 24.

What Can I do about that? Tightening the skin? I know I need to lose the fat (though I don't want to lose more weight on the top, so I don't know if that's possible), but even with the fat gone, the area looks saggy. I think i might have really unelastic skin. I have billions of stretchmarks. Is there anything I can do to salvage my legs!

And, what cardio exercises can one do while they have a broken toe....

 

[mouko]

You cannot spot train, it is a workout myth. That is, you cannot do an exercise for a part of the body to lose fat in that area. Situps won't flatten that stomach nor will squats make your legs thinner, those only workout the muscles, which will not show through unless you burn that layer of fat.

The key is a combonation of cardio, strength training and a good clean diet. Cardio will burn fat overall, strength training (weights, resistence bands...) will build muscle, which boosts metabolism. For every pound of muscle you put on, you add an extra 50 calories an hour your body burns that your muscles require to function. Compare this to a measily 3 calories an hour a pound of fat burns! And ask anyone that is serious about working out and they will tell you that 80% of weigh loss starts in the kitchen! Eat a clean, healthy balanced diet. 5-6 small meals a day spread out 2-3 hours after each other to keep your blood sugar and metabolism stable.

So to lose those big thighs and legs, I suggest combining a cardio routine (at least 4 times a week) and a weight routine (at least 3 times a week, done every other day)

There are a lot of great books and websites you can google for weight routines. Or join a gym (the dreaded g word) and talk to a personal trainer there.

For the people asking about losing weight just on the bottom, your body is the only judge of where you will lose fat. Its a general rule that you will lose fat first in the last place you gained it. So don't be discouraged if your always-been-fat-thighs aren't catching up with the rest of your body, you have to have patience.

Low impact cardio routines I would recommend would be yoga or pilates, pilates is especially good because there are a lot of laying exercises.

As for everyone, most results are visible after 4-5 weeks, about a month.

 

[SevenWeeksLater]

Assembler,unfortunetly I dont have big boobs,or any boobs for that matter.Im more of a pear shape.Erg,I hate it,Im very small on the top and once you get to my thighs,bam,thunder thighs.

 

[Assembler]

You cannot spot train, it is a workout myth. That is, you cannot do an exercise for a part of the body to lose fat in that area. Situps won't flatten that stomach nor will squats make your legs thinner, those only workout the muscles, which will not show through unless you burn that layer of fat.

The key is a combonation of cardio, strength training and a good clean diet. Cardio will burn fat overall, strength training (weights, resistence bands...) will build muscle, which boosts metabolism. For every pound of muscle you put on, you add an extra 50 calories an hour your body burns that your muscles require to function. Compare this to a measily 3 calories an hour a pound of fat burns! And ask anyone that is serious about working out and they will tell you that 80% of weigh loss starts in the kitchen! Eat a clean, healthy balanced diet. 5-6 small meals a day spread out 2-3 hours after each other to keep your blood sugar and metabolism stable.

So to lose those big thighs and legs, I suggest combining a cardio routine (at least 4 times a week) and a weight routine (at least 3 times a week, done every other day)

There are a lot of great books and websites you can google for weight routines. Or join a gym (the dreaded g word) and talk to a personal trainer there.

For the people asking about losing weight just on the bottom, your body is the only judge of where you will lose fat. Its a general rule that you will lose fat first in the last place you gained it. So don't be discouraged if your always-been-fat-thighs aren't catching up with the rest of your body, you have to have patience.

Low impact cardio routines I would recommend would be yoga or pilates, pilates is especially good because there are a lot of laying exercises.

As for everyone, most results are visible after 4-5 weeks, about a month.

Yeah, I know about the spot reduction being a myth, which is why I've been wary about getting too far into cardio. My ribs and shoulder blades already poke out on the top, and yet my bottom is a size 8US [Not large, but out of proportion]. I know that I need to lose weight, and it'll just keep coming off the top (and out of my boobs! BOOOO!!!) and I guess the only thing I can do to stop looking freakish would be to add a lot of weight training to the upper body to cover those bones up (though I don't know what exercises to do that covers the rib cage. I have pretty good lower torso muscles, but nothing over my ribs).

Bye bye boobies. Sigh. While my toe heals I'm going to start up walking after meals. I can walk, just nothing more strenuous than that.

Thanks for the info. Any thoughts about retightening saggy skin once fat has been lost?

 

[mouko]

Yeah, I know about the spot reduction being a myth, which is why I've been wary about getting too far into cardio. My ribs and shoulder blades already poke out on the top, and yet my bottom is a size 8US [Not large, but out of proportion]. I know that I need to lose weight, and it'll just keep coming off the top (and out of my boobs! BOOOO!!!) and I guess the only thing I can do to stop looking freakish would be to add a lot of weight training to the upper body to cover those bones up (though I don't know what exercises to do that covers the rib cage. I have pretty good lower torso muscles, but nothing over my ribs).

Bye bye boobies. Sigh. While my toe heals I'm going to start up walking after meals. I can walk, just nothing more strenuous than that.

Thanks for the info. Any thoughts about retightening saggy skin once fat has been lost?

I know a lot of women are concerned about losing their boobs, but you know they're mostly fat. There's no real way around it :T.

Saggy/loose skin is pretty random. It usually only happens to extremely obese people who lose a large amount of weight. As of this past sunday (which is when I usually weigh myself) I have lost a total of 65lbs and don't have any loose skin. I know someone that has lost 150lbs and has no loose skin. So my only suggestion is to up the strength training to replace the fat with lean muscle mass.

Don't worry about your top, your body knows where its stored energy. If you are consistent with your routines, your top will most likely stay the same while your bottom areas will burn off. When I was first losing weight it seemed only my top was losing weight, after a few months I noticed my bottom area catching up pretty fast as I realized my pants started getting too big. It's just a matter of time.

 

[Assembler]

allright, i'm so ready to get these legs in shape, and lose weight. I've taken pictures of myself in my swimsuit so that I don't concentrate on my scale weight, or even cm's (Inches take too long to come off! ). I WANT NICE LEGS.

 

[Assembler]

allright, i'm so ready to get these legs in shape, and lose weight. I've taken pictures of myself in my swimsuit so that I don't concentrate on my scale weight, or even cm's (Inches take too long to come off! ). I WANT NICE LEGS.

So I've been exercising a week, and nada! in fact, I feel like it looks worse. wah. well. I will keep trying. Anyone know any good skin tightening cream. Or has anyone tried anti celulite cream, and found that it worked at all?