Can anyone suggest an exercise to trim inner thigh and knees please...
Iwanttolosemymummytummy
Posts: 82 Member
I'm a keen walker and throughout an average day am so busy that I literally never sit down so you'd think that I'd have super slim pins!! (I haven't by the way....) I am not a gym bunny so I don't use any equipment other than what I have at home which are an exercise bike and a couple of dumbells. I don't usually get on the bike all that often I have to admit as my left knee begins to lock after a few minutes if pedaling. However I do up to 20 minutes HIIT sessions from youtube 5 days a week and a couple of sessions a week of weight training (nothing major or in the slightest bit impressive I might add).
Can anyone suggest an exercise to trim my inner thigh and the area just above of my knee? Even at my lightest I have never had skinny legs but I would like them to be firmer.
Can anyone suggest an exercise to trim my inner thigh and the area just above of my knee? Even at my lightest I have never had skinny legs but I would like them to be firmer.
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Replies
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calorie deficit... you need to lose more fat7
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Overall fat loss makes the most difference but I have found stair climbing, jogging (beginner level) and social cycling has help muscle development in my legs to have a better underlying shape as the fat came off.
Here is a pic about 1 yr apart ^
13kg weight loss and the exercise mentioned above.
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TavistockToad wrote: »calorie deficit... you need to lose more fat
Yes this is true!Overall fat loss makes the most difference but I have found stair climbing, jogging (beginner level) and social cycling has help muscle development in my legs to have a better underlying shape as the fat came off.
Here is a pic about 1 yr apart ^
13kg weight loss and the exercise mentioned above.
Your 2nd pic is the look I'm going for!! Your first pic is me now!! Thanks for taking the time to help. I will get on that bike and grin and bare it!! The stair climbing sounds interesting. How were you incorpirating that? Climbing the stairs at home or getting a stepper? How many reps etc? Jogging out of the question after 4 babies!
You look amazing by the way.0 -
Essentially, you just need overall fat loss. Ideally, you would incorporate a resistance based programs to continue to develop the muscles and eat adequate protein (.6-8g per lb) to enable muscle retention.
ETA: Don't try to use other people's success as means to think that is how your body will turn out. Genetics determines where you lose weight and it's more about cutting fat, that a specific exercise. There are a variety of exercise that can help you achieve that goal. Some are better at building/maintain the muscle mass (weight training > cardio), but that is about the extent.9 -
Stair climbing does make a difference.
I climb about 25 flights a day (20 stairs in each flight) 5 days a week at work.
I work in a 10-story office building, so I'm out there hiking up and down every day.
I also cycle a lot. Great fun and does wonders for the legs.
And I do a lot of brisk walking ... much of it uphill.4 -
Essentially, you just need overall fat loss. Ideally, you would incorporate a resistance based programs to continue to develop the muscles and eat adequate protein (.6-8g per lb) to enable muscle retention.
ETA: Don't try to use other people's success as means to think that is how your body will turn out. Genetics determines where you lose weight and it's more about cutting fat, that a specific exercise. There are a variety of exercise that can help you achieve that goal. Some are better at building/maintain the muscle mass (weight training > cardio), but that is about the extent.
Such as.....? What type of exercises? So I can try some out and see how I get on.
Oh, don't worry I won't be using other people's success as a means to think that is how my body will turn out. I have no doubt that she is probably at least 15 years younger than me, has more energy, maybe more time and definiately better genes than me and I have a realistic view of life
but I can use their success as motivation. 
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Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »Essentially, you just need overall fat loss. Ideally, you would incorporate a resistance based programs to continue to develop the muscles and eat adequate protein (.6-8g per lb) to enable muscle retention.
ETA: Don't try to use other people's success as means to think that is how your body will turn out. Genetics determines where you lose weight and it's more about cutting fat, that a specific exercise. There are a variety of exercise that can help you achieve that goal. Some are better at building/maintain the muscle mass (weight training > cardio), but that is about the extent.
Such as.....? What type of exercises? So I can try some out and see how I get on.
It's largely going to depend on your personal interest. HIIT can be effective, as long as your are continuously increasing intensity. I am a big fan of structure programs that provide progressive overload, and there are several body weight programs that can do that: you are your own gym, convict conditioning and StrongCurves all have programs. Cycling has also shown to be beneficial and in certain circumstances can increase muscle.2 -
as a woman i'd say you're just going to have to lower body fat. most women hold fat around the hips and thighs and sometimes it can be the last to go. You can do all the leg exercises in the world, but you aren't going to magically lose weight here without lowering body fat.
to recap:- get on a well balanced full body routine
- lower your body fat
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If you extend one leg behind you, like you are going to do a curtsey and squat with your weigh on the other leg you will really feel that in your inner thigh. Google "curtsey lunge" for photos/videos.3
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I have been using a lateral elliptical machine for the last month. You can adjust the width of the stance. I can really tell the difference in my legs. I have a gap between thighs FINALLY! I also do the step machine1
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Thanks for all the advice.0
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Low impact if needed, elliptical, hands down. It is more about the fat loss via calorie deficit, however using the muscles themselves will give an appearance of being tighter and leaner, even without actual fat loss or muscle gain.
The first time I lost I basically only used a calorie deficit and the elliptical and I liked how my legs leaned out. That was 40 lbs lost.
This time I've lost it all again, plus some more and I am running and lifting weights at the gym. This time around my legs look stronger and have more definition and a lot less wobble. I've got a half a thigh gap too! Knees have a gap and top of thighs under the lady zone have a gap but not in the very middle yet.
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Fork out downs and table push aways12
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Eh?? In english please
Thanks, I'll google them0 -
As others have stated, there is no way to spot reduce fat in a certain area. Just keep eating at a deficit for allover fat loss and you'll eventually see improvement in your thighs.
If you are looking for a lifting routine, here are some great suggestions. I only have dumbbells at home as well and have started one of the dumbbell programs and am enjoy it:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you4 -
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Hi! The best way my clients lose weight in this area is in their diet. OVerall, you will lean out through what you are eating vs what you are working out in the gym. I'm sure you have heard you can spot- train to lose body fat. Losing body fat in general will help trim these areas. Any leg exercises, especially compound movements like squats, RDL's, Leg Press, all kinds of lunges, and doing them WELL with good form and progressive intensity will develop muscle in your legs which will help increase your overall metabolism, which can help to your body fat loss.
If you find you are losing body fat from all areas BUT some are being stubborn, this could be a hormonal issue. When hormones are imbalanced we hold body fat in certain areas and it doesn't let go until those hormones are balanced. Think about when we first get our menstrual cycle, the body is producing new hormones, and the balance of where we hold body fat changes- (adds to breasts, hips, thighs). Other hormones in our body from thyroid to cortisol (stress hormone) could cause our body to hold onto body fat stubbornly. Certain food choices and timing of nutrients, how and what time you workout, as well as supplement support (vitamins and minerals) can help balance these out again.
Hope this helps!
Christine Coen3 -
Hi! The best way my clients lose weight in this area is in their diet. OVerall, you will lean out through what you are eating vs what you are working out in the gym. I'm sure you have heard you can spot- train to lose body fat. Losing body fat in general will help trim these areas. Any leg exercises, especially compound movements like squats, RDL's, Leg Press, all kinds of lunges, and doing them WELL with good form and progressive intensity will develop muscle in your legs which will help increase your overall metabolism, which can help to your body fat loss.
If you find you are losing body fat from all areas BUT some are being stubborn, this could be a hormonal issue. When hormones are imbalanced we hold body fat in certain areas and it doesn't let go until those hormones are balanced. Think about when we first get our menstrual cycle, the body is producing new hormones, and the balance of where we hold body fat changes- (adds to breasts, hips, thighs). Other hormones in our body from thyroid to cortisol (stress hormone) could cause our body to hold onto body fat stubbornly. Certain food choices and timing of nutrients, how and what time you workout, as well as supplement support (vitamins and minerals) can help balance these out again.
Hope this helps!
Christine Coen
Thank you for your professional advice. I will take it on board. In your opinion what time of day is best to exercise? And with losing body fat I find myself keeping to the daily calories mfp has calculated for me but sugar is my enemy! How important is it to keep under my sugar allowance in order to lose body fat??0 -
Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »calorie deficit... you need to lose more fat
Yes this is true!Overall fat loss makes the most difference but I have found stair climbing, jogging (beginner level) and social cycling has help muscle development in my legs to have a better underlying shape as the fat came off.
Here is a pic about 1 yr apart ^
13kg weight loss and the exercise mentioned above.
Your 2nd pic is the look I'm going for!! Your first pic is me now!! Thanks for taking the time to help. I will get on that bike and grin and bare it!! The stair climbing sounds interesting. How were you incorpirating that? Climbing the stairs at home or getting a stepper? How many reps etc? Jogging out of the question after 4 babies!
You look amazing by the way.
Thanks. I climb a huge outdoor set of stairs in a nature reserve 2-3 time a week then jog the trails.
^start of the stairs.
As others mentioned don't assume the same results as someone else (duh) but as background, I am 5'2'', 35yrs old and working (registered nurse) mother of 2, also doing post grad study - so probably not all that much more time. I was never overweight until suddenly gaining 14kg about 3yrs ago. I was about 69kg in the first picture. About 56kg in the second.
I posted my comparison as an example of what general weight loss and the exercises I mentioned had on MY body.
To be honest, I've had better results changing my leg shape with heavy lifting in previous years but this was without any weight loss as I was not overweight then.
But blah blah blah of course individual results will vary.
Losing fat and working your leg muscles is the best bet though.
Good luck!
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Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »calorie deficit... you need to lose more fat
Yes this is true!Overall fat loss makes the most difference but I have found stair climbing, jogging (beginner level) and social cycling has help muscle development in my legs to have a better underlying shape as the fat came off.
Here is a pic about 1 yr apart ^
13kg weight loss and the exercise mentioned above.
Your 2nd pic is the look I'm going for!! Your first pic is me now!! Thanks for taking the time to help. I will get on that bike and grin and bare it!! The stair climbing sounds interesting. How were you incorpirating that? Climbing the stairs at home or getting a stepper? How many reps etc? Jogging out of the question after 4 babies!
You look amazing by the way.
Thanks. I climb a huge outdoor set of stairs in a nature reserve 2-3 time a week then jog the trails.
^start of the stairs.
As others mentioned don't assume the same results as someone else (duh) but as background, I am 5'2'', 35yrs old and working (registered nurse) mother of 2, also doing post grad study - so probably not all that much more time. I was never overweight until suddenly gaining 14kg about 3yrs ago. I was about 69kg in the first picture. About 56kg in the second.
I posted my comparison as an example of what general weight loss and the exercises I mentioned had on MY body.
To be honest, I've had better results changing my leg shape with heavy lifting in previous years but this was without any weight loss as I was not overweight then.
But blah blah blah of course individual results will vary.
Losing fat and working your leg muscles is the best bet though.
Good luck!
Thank you for taking the time out to post another response and photo. you have now given me more motivation.
I am only 5 years older than you!! From your photo I honestly thought you were in your early twenties. And how wrong was I to think you had more time than me! As busy as you are, you manage to fit exercise into your life, that's fantastic!
I am on maternity leave at the moment and LO is just over 5 months, so am trying to get to my healthy weight again, which is usually 69kg for my 5'8" frame and lose roughly 21 lbs. I know I will do it, eventually, because I have done after my other 3. My problem areas are mainly thighs and belly but wanted ideas how to work the thigh area mostly.
From now on a set of stairs will be my new friend!
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Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »Hi! The best way my clients lose weight in this area is in their diet. OVerall, you will lean out through what you are eating vs what you are working out in the gym. I'm sure you have heard you can spot- train to lose body fat. Losing body fat in general will help trim these areas. Any leg exercises, especially compound movements like squats, RDL's, Leg Press, all kinds of lunges, and doing them WELL with good form and progressive intensity will develop muscle in your legs which will help increase your overall metabolism, which can help to your body fat loss.
If you find you are losing body fat from all areas BUT some are being stubborn, this could be a hormonal issue. When hormones are imbalanced we hold body fat in certain areas and it doesn't let go until those hormones are balanced. Think about when we first get our menstrual cycle, the body is producing new hormones, and the balance of where we hold body fat changes- (adds to breasts, hips, thighs). Other hormones in our body from thyroid to cortisol (stress hormone) could cause our body to hold onto body fat stubbornly. Certain food choices and timing of nutrients, how and what time you workout, as well as supplement support (vitamins and minerals) can help balance these out again.
Hope this helps!
Christine Coen
Thank you for your professional advice. I will take it on board. In your opinion what time of day is best to exercise? And with losing body fat I find myself keeping to the daily calories mfp has calculated for me but sugar is my enemy! How important is it to keep under my sugar allowance in order to lose body fat??
Any time of the day that you can exercise is what will be ideal. So whatever provides you the most energy and allows you to be the most compliant.
Sugar isn't the enemy and will not prevent fat loss outside of increasing calories. Fat loss is controlled by calories.1 -
psuLemon MFP Moderator sugar not my enemy? Whoop! Whoop! I can have jam!! (In moderation of course) I agree that anytime we can fit exercise in is better than not doing any at all. But I sometimes find myself doing a workout at 10pm because I haven't been able to fit it in any other time. Are there any benefit/drawback to this? One drwback - takes longer to wind down afterwards to get to sleep.1
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Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »psuLemon MFP Moderator sugar not my enemy? Whoop! Whoop! I can have jam!! (In moderation of course) I agree that anytime we can fit exercise in is better than not doing any at all. But I sometimes find myself doing a workout at 10pm because I haven't been able to fit it in any other time. Are there any benefit/drawback to this? One drwback - takes longer to wind down afterwards to get to sleep.
The only drawback to very late exercise would be if it interrupts your ability to sleep. If it doesn't, then it's all good. I workout around 830-930 every night and go to bed around 10... hasn't been an issue yet.
You can look at my diary if you want, but sugar is regularly 120g+ on my high carb days. And prior to cycling calories/carbs, I was eating 100g + and have lost 50 lbs. So no, sugar isn't the enemy, calories are. If you can moderate it, then you can definitely incorporate it into your diet.. just don't make it take up a lot of calories where you take away from other important nutrients.1 -
The only drawback to very late exercise would be if it interrupts your ability to sleep. If it doesn't, then it's all good. I workout around 830-930 every night and go to bed around 10... hasn't been an issue yet.
You can look at my diary if you want, but sugar is regularly 120g+ on my high carb days. And prior to cycling calories/carbs, I was eating 100g + and have lost 50 lbs. So no, sugar isn't the enemy, calories are. If you can moderate it, then you can definitely incorporate it into your diet.. just don't make it take up a lot of calories where you take away from other important nutrients.
50lb weight loss, that's great!! I'm rather new to mfp and don't know how to view other people's diary. I exceed my sugar "allowance" most days so it's good to know it shouldn't be too much of an issue.0 -
Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »
The only drawback to very late exercise would be if it interrupts your ability to sleep. If it doesn't, then it's all good. I workout around 830-930 every night and go to bed around 10... hasn't been an issue yet.
You can look at my diary if you want, but sugar is regularly 120g+ on my high carb days. And prior to cycling calories/carbs, I was eating 100g + and have lost 50 lbs. So no, sugar isn't the enemy, calories are. If you can moderate it, then you can definitely incorporate it into your diet.. just don't make it take up a lot of calories where you take away from other important nutrients.
50lb weight loss, that's great!! I'm rather new to mfp and don't know how to view other people's diary. I exceed my sugar "allowance" most days so it's good to know it shouldn't be too much of an issue.
If you are on a web browser, click on my picture, then my user name and then you can hit view diary.2 -
Eat less and move more. 1
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That said... I'm loving my legs now. I do deadlifts, squats, hip thrusts, calf raises and do about 40 flights of stairs a day - those, combined with the weight loss have given me some pretty nice legs.
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There is no spot reducing. Exercise BUILDS lean body mass, the calorie deficit reduces body fat. For us females that lower body area is the last to go and the first to come up when you start putting body fat back on. There is no changing that, if you want to lose that last bit of fat - it's the calorie deficit. You already got the exercises listed here for the BUILDING a shape that when you lose the fat with a calorie deficit it will look pretty.2
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0
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Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »
The only drawback to very late exercise would be if it interrupts your ability to sleep. If it doesn't, then it's all good. I workout around 830-930 every night and go to bed around 10... hasn't been an issue yet.
You can look at my diary if you want, but sugar is regularly 120g+ on my high carb days. And prior to cycling calories/carbs, I was eating 100g + and have lost 50 lbs. So no, sugar isn't the enemy, calories are. If you can moderate it, then you can definitely incorporate it into your diet.. just don't make it take up a lot of calories where you take away from other important nutrients.
50lb weight loss, that's great!! I'm rather new to mfp and don't know how to view other people's diary. I exceed my sugar "allowance" most days so it's good to know it shouldn't be too much of an issue.
If you are on a web browser, click on my picture, then my user name and then you can hit view diary.
Thanks for letting me know. I will take a sneaky peek, always interesting comparing what I eat to other people!0
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