Slim toned legs

beastmode2718

what exercises are best to get them. I heard you shouldn't lift weights or sprint aka hiit because it will stimulate muscle growth and make your legs bigger and you should do slower more controlled motions like yoga, lunges, squats, side lifts and so on. Is this true?

IsaackGMOON

Toning is essentially losing weight to get the 'toned look'. You can't spot reduce, so you just have to lose weight everywhere until you're satisfied.

You heard some next level broscience. Generally, you only build muscle in a caloric surplus (unless you get newbie gains). And it'll be pretty hard for you to build muscle in a deficit even with newbie gains.

Just lift heavy to preserve lbm and eat in a deficit to get your dream legs.

jemhh

IsaackGMOON wrote: »

Toning is essentially losing weight to get the 'toned look'. You can't spot reduce, so you just have to lose weight everywhere until you're satisfied.

You heard some next level broscience. Generally, you only build muscle in a caloric surplus (unless you get newbie gains). And it'll be pretty hard for you to build muscle in a deficit even with newbie gains.

Just lift heavy to preserve lbm and eat in a deficit to get your dream legs.

He is correct.

I will add that we all carry weight differently based on our genetics. Some people tend to have bigger calves no matter what. Some people tend to have smaller calves no matter what. Some women have curvier thighs, while thin or overweight. Some have thin thighs when overweight and then even thinner when at a healthier weight. You can certainly improve your overall look and health with weight loss and exercise but keep in mind that you are not going to out exercise your genetics.

leggup

You won't get bulky legs with lifting. It takes a LOT of dedicated work to get big muscles, especially for women. Absolutely worst case scenario- you build 'too many' muscles by eating in a calorie surplus, loading up on protein, and lifting aggressively. If you were able to somehow accidentally become too muscular, all you would have to do is lay off the lifting for a little and you would lose those muscle.

This will never happen, though.

yusaku02

beastmode2718 wrote: »

what exercises are best to get them. I heard you shouldn't lift weights or sprint aka hiit because it will stimulate muscle growth and make your legs bigger and you should do slower more controlled motions like yoga, lunges, squats, side lifts and so on. Is this true?

Everything you heard is wrong.
It's basically impossible for you to accidentally build muscle.
'Toning' is just reducing body fat to reveal the shape of the muscle underneath. What you should do to 'tone' is lift heavy to preserve the muscle you do have and eat at a deficit to lower your body fat percentage.

SueInAz

I'm never going to have "slim, toned legs" no matter what I do. At 5'3" and 115 pounds, doing karate for several hours per day 5 days each week my legs were never slim. They were instead, muscled and firm which is the best I'm every going to be able to hope for.

We can't spot reduce and we can't change the body that genetics have given us. You also aren't going to get bulky eating on a deficit. Lift heavy, keep losing fat and you'll reveal the muscle that's already there.

vinerie

I hold all my weight in my butt and thighs. For the longest time I held off from lifting weights on my lower body because I thought they would get even bigger. I saw some before-and-afters on this very forum of someone who had lifted weights on her lower body, and I thought "what the heck." I have been SO pleased with the results. I really notice a difference. And I have measurable differences, too, as in one inch lost on each thigh. Seems small, but it makes a HUGE difference in how my pants fit. I do 3 sets of 10 lunges with 10 pound weights (I worked up to that), squats with 20 lbs on each side of the bar (also something I worked up to; I believe I started by just squatting the bar) and also a couple pilates-type moves.

I don't think you can spot reduce--that is pretty much known. But by building muscle, you can activate your metabolism, which in turns helps to burn fat faster. The result is leaner legs that look better than those who don't lift because you have some muscle from the lifting.

IsaackGMOON

vinerie wrote: »

I hold all my weight in my butt and thighs. For the longest time I held off from lifting weights on my lower body because I thought they would get even bigger. I saw some before-and-afters on this very forum of someone who had lifted weights on her lower body, and I thought "what the heck." I have been SO pleased with the results. I really notice a difference. And I have measurable differences, too, as in one inch lost on each thigh. Seems small, but it makes a HUGE difference in how my pants fit. I do 3 sets of 10 lunges with 10 pound weights (I worked up to that), squats with 20 lbs on each side of the bar (also something I worked up to; I believe I started by just squatting the bar) and also a couple pilates-type moves.

I don't think you can spot reduce--that is pretty much known. But by building muscle, you can activate your metabolism, which in turns helps to burn fat faster. The result is leaner legs that look better than those who don't lift because you have some muscle from the lifting.

You are correct in saying that you cannot spot reduce; your genetics dictate that. On the terms of building muscle, it does increase the amount of calories burned... but the amount that would need to be gained would have to be quite significant and would require the OP to go on a bulk. It is very likely she won't be gaining muscle in a deficit.

vinerie

@IsaackGMOON I'm building muscle and don't feel/look bulky at all. In fact, as I mentioned before, my leg circumference is one inch smaller since I started lifting weights with my legs. Also, I'm eating at a deficit and losing weight.

beastmode2718

K thanks for the advice. Guess I better start lifting