thinning.. err, toning, thighs and calves?

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pkgirrl
pkgirrl Posts: 587
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone :)

Now, i say toning with slight hesitance, as my legs are already quite muscular. Other than some inner thigh woes, my legs are quite built, actually, too built, for my liking.

I;ve always played intense sports, and several of my past jobs have included lots of heavy lifting, so I've built up a lot of leg muscle, and i was wondering if anyone knew any ways to thin it out a bit?

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  • pkgirrl
    pkgirrl Posts: 587
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    Hi everyone :)

    Now, i say toning with slight hesitance, as my legs are already quite muscular. Other than some inner thigh woes, my legs are quite built, actually, too built, for my liking.

    I;ve always played intense sports, and several of my past jobs have included lots of heavy lifting, so I've built up a lot of leg muscle, and i was wondering if anyone knew any ways to thin it out a bit?
  • ChubbyBunny
    ChubbyBunny Posts: 3,523 Member
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    Pilates and yoga do wonders for me.
  • mrsyac2
    mrsyac2 Posts: 2,784 Member
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    Pilates and yoga do wonders for me.

    ditto pilates lengthens (compared to bulking up) and yoga stretches
  • TudorRose
    TudorRose Posts: 238 Member
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    I'll see if I can dig the article out but I read somewhere that to slim the appearance of limbs, the best bet was to try exercises that lengthen the muscle, not bulk it in width. Like yoga and pilates. They gave a few examples, which I'm afraid I can't recall, but I'll copy them out if/when I find the magazine it was in
  • Kimono
    Kimono Posts: 367
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    I have always been confused on the lengthing the muscle thing. Really, how can you lengthen them?? I'm not getting any taller so how is my quad muscle going to lengthen?
  • ChubbyBunny
    ChubbyBunny Posts: 3,523 Member
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    Alright, I think I can phrase this right from my sports health class....
    It's HOW the muscle is worked that can alter it's appearance.
    Certain exercises create a more compact muscle shape...due to how the muscle is used.
    Other exercises (like Pilates and Yoga) elongate the muscle.... due to how it is used.
    You won't get taller....that's bone structure....not muscle structure.
  • Phoenixflame
    Phoenixflame Posts: 560 Member
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    Jillian Michaels actually addressed this today in her radio show.

    Her answer: minimal lower body resistance training, lots and lots and lots of running.

    However, she warned the caller that this was not a paragon of healthy training--you should not normally try to decrease your muscle mass, but she understood why the caller would want to.

    And she also said there was no such thing as "lengthening" muscle. They get bigger or smaller, nothing else.
  • Kimono
    Kimono Posts: 367
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    Alright, I think I can phrase this right from my sports health class....
    It's HOW the muscle is worked that can alter it's appearance.
    Certain exercises create a more compact muscle shape...due to how the muscle is used.
    Other exercises (like Pilates and Yoga) elongate the muscle.... due to how it is used.
    You won't get taller....that's bone structure....not muscle structure.

    I realized I was not going to get taller, but I really don't get how muscle can be elongated? Maybe I'm just slow... I mean if the distance from my knee to my hip is lets say 24 inches, how would that muscle get longer, and if it could where would it go? Leaner I can understand, more flexible, I get that. I have always been under the impression that if you work a muscle, you are breaking it down and actually damaging the muscle, and that is when you get "sore" Then the muscle fiber repairs it by building up the muscle tissue, which means you burn more calories even when at rest. And musle is more compact than fat, so you are then smaller and leaner. Right??
  • TudorRose
    TudorRose Posts: 238 Member
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    I suppose "longer" isn't the right word. More taut, maybe? Thus appearing slimmer and longer
  • ChubbyBunny
    ChubbyBunny Posts: 3,523 Member
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    Alright, I think I can phrase this right from my sports health class....
    It's HOW the muscle is worked that can alter it's appearance.
    Certain exercises create a more compact muscle shape...due to how the muscle is used.
    Other exercises (like Pilates and Yoga) elongate the muscle.... due to how it is used.
    You won't get taller....that's bone structure....not muscle structure.

    I realized I was not going to get taller, but I really don't get how muscle can be elongated? Maybe I'm just slow... I mean if the distance from my knee to my hip is lets say 24 inches, how would that muscle get longer, and if it could where would it go? Leaner I can understand, more flexible, I get that. I have always been under the impression that if you work a muscle, you are breaking it down and actually damaging the muscle, and that is when you get "sore" Then the muscle fiber repairs it by building up the muscle tissue, which means you burn more calories even when at rest. And musle is more compact than fat, so you are then smaller and leaner. Right??

    Maybe it's the word, elongated.... leaner would be a better choice... although most people (aka trainers) I've listened to still use that term.
    So you are on the right track, it's just a vocabulary glitch probably.
  • Kimono
    Kimono Posts: 367
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    Thanks. Do you think they use that word instead of "build muscle" because women freak out when someone says "build muscle" because we are afraid of "bulking up"? Just a thought. I do know some women who are afraid to pick up any weight that is more than 3 lbs because they think they will "bulk up" So then they do a billion reps with a 3 pound weight.
  • ChubbyBunny
    ChubbyBunny Posts: 3,523 Member
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    Thanks. Do you think they use that word instead of "build muscle" because women freak out when someone says "build muscle" because we are afraid of "bulking up"? Just a thought. I do know some women who are afraid to pick up any weight that is more than 3 lbs because they think they will "bulk up" So then they do a billion reps with a 3 pound weight.

    Ohhhhh that's a good thought.
    Could be.
    I don't necessarily WANT to look larger.... but I am not afraid of big weights...:laugh:

    I mainly like yoga and Pilates cause it makes me more flexible.
  • pkgirrl
    pkgirrl Posts: 587
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    hmm, okay thanks guys :)
    yeah ive heard pilates and yoga a lot, but they just don't seem to be enough of a workout? i think im ging to try a mix of pilates and running though, as i do love to run, thank you all for your replies :D
  • paulamma1
    paulamma1 Posts: 544 Member
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    I have always been confused on the lengthing the muscle thing. Really, how can you lengthen them?? I'm not getting any taller so how is my quad muscle going to lengthen?

    This made me laugh. :flowerforyou:

    Carry on with your usual viewing.
  • mrsyac2
    mrsyac2 Posts: 2,784 Member
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    Hit the cardio and the weights-
    Toning is just less fat showing defined muscles- You won't get bulky if you lift heavier- Start with some squats and lunges without weights then build yourself up to adding weights- Do some romanian deadlifts to work your hamstrings and some lying leg curls or standing leg curls- Do calf raises and calf extensions those are a few things you can do to work your legs oh don't for get diagonal lunges plie squats (with weights) the ideas are endless. and Don't forget Cardio Cardio and more Cardio

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