Any ideas for cardio that don't increase leg muscle?

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  • Teardrop81
    Teardrop81 Posts: 132 Member
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    I also do a lot of elliptical for cardio (5 days a week for for 45-1hr on hills and high levels) and I do an hour of zumba 3x a week plus toning and weights. When I started noticing my leg muscles, at first I thought my muscles were growing. I measured and realized that my muscles weren't growing, they were just becoming visible because the fat was melting. It may not be like this in your case because everyone is different, but you might want to measure to see if your legs are actually getting bigger or if they are just looking more muscular. Like its hard to see the forest for the trees, its hard to see the muscle for the fat. :laugh: Like I said, this was just my experience. Swimming is excellent cardio and might not affect your leg muscles in the same way. Good luck! :smile:
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    Thanks for all of your responses. I might just be a bit more worried about it since when my sister was heavily into working out, I remember her having a lot of trouble finding jeans that would fit over her quads without gaping at the waist. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and avoiding those squats! :)

    So you alter the ill-fitting clothes to fit you body. You don't alter your healthy body to fit the clothes.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    duplicate.
  • a_mandolin_
    a_mandolin_ Posts: 336 Member
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    Thanks for all of your responses. I might just be a bit more worried about it since when my sister was heavily into working out, I remember her having a lot of trouble finding jeans that would fit over her quads without gaping at the waist. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and avoiding those squats! :)

    I have that "problem" now, but I had the same problem when I had fat legs instead of muscular legs. It's not hard to take a little dart in the waistband.

    That was going to be my response as well. I am sort of (not at all) a she-beast so I must buy a pant size up to fit my legs. I sew very poorly, but even I can manage a waistband dart. Just invest $2 for a needle that won't snap when it goes through denim.

    Gigantic monstrous hard muscular thighs (and nice perky bum from squats) > wobbly cardio thighs, imo. But whatever floats your boat!
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    Over time:

    All cardio will decrease size if it causes a calorie deficit.
    All cardio will increase size if fueled on a calorie surplus.
    All cardio or other exercises or bring human in general will cause temporary fluctuations in size. I don't count these as gains since I'm getting smaller over time. Work something out hard... Fluid will go to that part of the body... Temporarily. On a deficit over time the size will continuously decrease.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    Eating on a surplus = increase size

    eating on a deficit = decrease size

    working out = temporary increase in size for swelling related to muscles healing (this one I was reminded of when I went shopping after a two hour workout session and nothing fit well, the next day all my purchases were noticably looser)

    gap at wasteband of pants = not embracing genetics and not realizing that as a woman with a woman's body I have no business shopping in the juniors department when the thighs are tight and the waistband can be pushed down over my hips without unbuttoning. The trick here is the willingness to understand that no matter your size, you still have curves.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    duplicate
  • alfiedn
    alfiedn Posts: 425 Member
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    I'm pretty curvy and I have that waist band problem... I don't think my thighs are particularly muscular. It's a fairly common "problem" and comes from having a small waist! When you get there, relish it with excitement!

    I have some friends that have naturally skinny legs and some that have naturally thicker legs. They can be just as fit as each other, but shaped differently. For me a fit body, no matter the shape, is going to look better than a flabby one! :)
  • Bertjo44
    Bertjo44 Posts: 4 Member
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    Agree with what's been said but if you are still concerned try rowing or swimming. More body parts involved.
  • karinefitness
    karinefitness Posts: 336 Member
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    Thanks for all of your responses. I might just be a bit more worried about it since when my sister was heavily into working out, I remember her having a lot of trouble finding jeans that would fit over her quads without gaping at the waist. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and avoiding those squats! :)

    I have that "problem" now, but I had the same problem when I had fat legs instead of muscular legs. It's not hard to take a little dart in the waistband.

    I have this issue with jeans that aren't stretchy; my quads are too big. And with skinny jeans, it's my calves. But I don't mind, I kinda like my semi-muscular legs, even if it means I have to stick to stretchy jeans/pants. It's actually good for my budget because I only have two pairs right now ;)

    Everything else fits better, so yeah, I'll keep squatting ;)
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    Honestly, which problem would you rather have? "The waistband is too big on these jeans?" or "The waistband is too tight, cuts me in half, and gives me a muffin top?"
  • Brad805
    Brad805 Posts: 289 Member
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    Sorry, but I just do not believe you have larger than normal leg development. Many of us think this at one point or another, but as we progress towards leaner BF levels many of us find that is not the case. Some researchers suggest female lifters can add 0.25lb/wk of muscle with ideal nutrition and training. Many have far too many personal constraints to create ideal training or nutrition, so that is an upper bound. Even if you were adding that much muscle consistently, it will take a lot of time before that creates a clothing fit problem. What the basic problem usually is fat around the thigh region.

    Keep lifting and cease the fretting about getting huge anywhere.
  • NaomiJFoster
    NaomiJFoster Posts: 1,450 Member
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    Thanks for all of your responses. I might just be a bit more worried about it since when my sister was heavily into working out, I remember her having a lot of trouble finding jeans that would fit over her quads without gaping at the waist. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and avoiding those squats! :)


    I've had that problem my entire life and it has nothing to do with muscle at all. I just have huge thighs. I buy pants to fit the size of my thighs and then belt the waist. And everything has to have a bit of stretch to it, for comfort in the thigh zone, because I just can't tolerate things being tight right there. Drawstring waists are my favorite thing in the world.
  • ElBence
    ElBence Posts: 291 Member
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    Swim using a pull buoy. Your arms and shoulders might get some bulk, but your legs won't be doing any work.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Any ideas for cardio that don't increase leg muscle?

    Ummmmm.....all of them?
  • ShaniWulffe
    ShaniWulffe Posts: 458 Member
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    None of the exercises you have mentioned increase leg muscles, so you're just fine as-is.

    Well, Zumba, when done right, can increase leg muscle if you're at a calorie surplus
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    None of the exercises you have mentioned increase leg muscles, so you're just fine as-is.

    Well, Zumba, when done right, can increase leg muscle if you're at a calorie surplus

    hehe
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
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    I've always had that waist band problem. Because I have a tiny waist and a very round booty. It's not a problem. If you buy stretchy jeans it works better. I take other pants to the tailor.

    All forms of exercise cardio will reduce body fat, revealing the muscle underneath, making you smaller and more defined.

    I've trained as a dancer (not zumba), and that can be different. You're body will build strong (yet still pretty small) muscles to be able to leap to the ceiling ten times in a row, do all the jumps, lift your leg to your face and all of that. But, most dancers have strong legs, visible muscle definition, but are also quite slender. We need to be able to lift each other.

    I've also always done resistance strength training and weights. Heavier for this past year. I'm not bulky.
  • cynthiaj777
    cynthiaj777 Posts: 787 Member
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    If done right, all cardio will increase leg muscle. Hill sprints or incline running, intense Zumba, spinning on a high resistance bike (or biking natural hills)...all increase leg muscle strength; therefore, by laws of muscles, they have to be getting larger to be more powerful. However, the increased muscle mass burns more calories daily, so on top of muscle gain, there is fat loss. Do not fret. Low intensity cardio won't really build leg muscle....just cardio health. I have extremely muscular legs. All of my jeans are tight in the thighs, my skinny jeans are too tight in the calves, BUT unlike you, they are not too big in the waist....they fit just right or on intense work out weeks, too tight almost ll over. I have no curves. At any point in time, I can pull my pants or shorts down without unbuttoning them. You should embrace your womanly body. Not everyone has one. I would die for a freaking waist! I am straight as hell. Nonetheless, I am always complimented on ny legs. I like em!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    If done right, all cardio will increase leg muscle. Hill sprints or incline running, intense Zumba, spinning on a high resistance bike (or biking natural hills)...all increase leg muscle strength; therefore, by laws of muscles, they have to be getting larger to be more powerful.

    Not really. Bigger does not always equal stronger, and stronger does not always equal bigger.

    Look at Nia Shanks. She's 122 pounds and can bench press 145 and squat 1.5x her bodyweight. Her arms are quite small. She's pretty tiny everywhere.

    nia.jpg

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