Long lean muscles vs bulky legs?? Help

Finchtastic1

I have been working out and am trying to lose some weight and gain some muscle. I have noticed recently that I have cut inches from my top half but my legs are getting bigger. I do squats, lunges, I've been running, etc. I want to lose inches not gain in big muscle. I have heard that yoga helps with creating lean muscle. I want to keep working out but I don't want bulky legs...all of the pants I am trying to fit back into are a little snug in the thigh area!

Any advice? I enjoy crossfit on occasion as well, but I see people with some BIG muscular legs....not trying to say big legs aren't sexy, it's just not the look i am going for. I want long and lean all over. Help!!

LabRat529

Unfortunately, you can't make your muscles longer or leaner. You just can't change the shape of them. You can strength them, build them, but not make them long and lean.

Yoga is a great way to improve physical fitness, flexibility, and strength. It's probably not going to take care of the bulky leg problem. The only solution to the bulky legs is to lose more fat.

Good luck.

Rae6503

Overall fat loss accomplished through a moderate calorie deficit, cardio and weight training. Provided you are eating at a calorie deficit you shouldn't be gaining any significant amount of muscle mass. How many inches have you gained? Are you sure it's not temporary swelling or water retention.

Finchtastic1

I can certainly see more definition in my quads from doing squats. I have read that it is better for women to do low rep, high weight for legs? Is this true? It could be that I need to lose more fat from my legs. I am finding that losing from my inner thighs is the hardest thing as well as those love handles. Try to eat at a deficit, sometimes I go over and I am trying to exercise more than 3 days a week if not everyday.

I've just heard so much crap about how running or using the elippitical increases mass but pilates and yoga do not. I used to dance for 18 years and was small.....around 110. I had a major foot surgery which kept me off my feet for MONTHS...dropped to a very unhealthy weight because of all the meds and then I gained it back and then some. I'm just trying to find an effective way to keep my thighs firm but not huge.

Rae6503

I can certainly see more definition in my quads from doing squats. I have read that it is better for women to do low rep, high weight for legs? Is this true? It could be that I need to lose more fat from my legs. I am finding that losing from my inner thighs is the hardest thing as well as those love handles. Try to eat at a deficit, sometimes I go over and I am trying to exercise more than 3 days a week if not everyday.

I've just heard so much crap about how running or using the elippitical increases mass but pilates and yoga do not. I used to dance for 18 years and was small.....around 110. I had a major foot surgery which kept me off my feet for MONTHS...dropped to a very unhealthy weight because of all the meds and then I gained it back and then some. I'm just trying to find an effective way to keep my thighs firm but not huge.

High reps, and low weight has it benefits but it doesn't preserve muscle and/or build strength. My inner thighs and love handles are also the very last place I lose weight It's genetics and you can't do much about it. And yeah the stuff you hear about yoga vs. running is exactly that, crap. Yoga burns very minimal calories. Have you seen long distance running Olympians? They have tiny legs. Sometimes you've just got to do what you can to be health and achieve the best body your genetics allow while maintaining health. If you have genetically thicker legs, you have genetically thicker legs and chances are you might not get them as thin as you like while maintaining healthy levels of body fat.

Finchtastic1

What about low reps with a high weight? I was thinking of doing bikram yoga which says you will burn a lot of calories.

Tzippy7

I had this problem for months !!! It finally (like a few weeks ago) started to shift. Just keep on losing bodyfat and it will resolved itself.

LabRat529

What about low reps with a high weight? I was thinking of doing bikram yoga which says you will burn a lot of calories.

The extra heat with bikram yoga doesn't do anything except make you sweat, a lot, and relax your muscles. You'll burn the same amount of calories you'd burn doing those poses at room temperature. Heat really doesn't make you burn more calories. It just makes you hot. Saunas don't burn calories. Hot tubs don't. Steam rooms don't.

My body-fit media said I burned about 120 calories doing an hour of yoga, so it's just not a big burn.

Low reps with high weights is wonderful. I love heavy lifting. I'm not sure it's going to help with the thickness of your legs, but it can help with fat loss if you lift on a calorie deficit.

JesterMFP

Your original post is a bit confusing because you say you're trying to gain muscle, but that you don't want big muscles. I think you need to work out whether you want to increase the size of your leg muscles or not. It sounds, from the way you're talking about things, that you don't. Losing fat will help to make them slimmer, but there isn't any exercise that will make the muscles "long and lean". Yoga and pilates are great for lots of things, but they absolutely cannot lengthen your muscles. Low reps with heavy weights will help to build muscle size (particularly at a calorie surplus) and help to maintain the muscle mass you have if you're losing weight.

Strength training definitely helps burn fat, so maybe continue with that but concentrate less on your legs if you think they are muscular enough. Just keep eating at a modest calorie deficit and that should help you lose the fat all over. Yoga, pilates, running and weight-training are all great forms of exercise, but none of them are going to specifically slim down your legs. It may be that for you, the thighs and love handles are the last place for the fat to go. That's actually pretty common for women. You just need to persevere, while accepting that it's partly due to your own natural, genetically-determined shape.

Sallydoodle

hi,
i tend to build bulky leg muscle if i do lots of squats and heavy leg work. my aerobics instructor suggested I either run, walk or swim to get my muscles to elongate as the squats were bulking them out. i have to say this has proven itself. i have just taken up a combat fitness class and its happened again. the class has quite a few leg routines and everyone has commented on how my legs have bulked out, back to the treadmill or to beg my instructor to drop one of the leg sessions!

ItsCasey

Muscle is, by definition, lean. The only way to build it is to eat at a surplus and train with resistance.

My guess is that you really just want to lose body fat, in which case you should eat at a deficit, consume at least your lean body mass in grams of protein, and train with resistance.

PeauxPeaux

My body-fit media said I burned about 120 calories doing an hour of yoga, so it's just not a big burn.

You get out of Yoga what you put in--- you can burn 500 + calories doing Bikram, easy, if you go deep into the poses and push yourself to your edge and then just stay there. A good heart rate monitor will back me up on this, but you have to be on your edge and stay on your edge.

DavPul

Can we get some hard data here? How many inches were your waist, hips, thighs and calves before you started lifting and how many inches are they now?

Achrya

Darnit! I swear everyone is getting bigger (while on a deficit) while lifting except for me. I just keep getting smaller. I need a file a complain with the forum police; I was promised I'd get bulky and all that's happened is weight loss.


Seriously tho, odds are you aren't getting 'bulky' from muscle, but rather because you have fat left to lose in your legs and that's on top of your muscle. Keep watching your intake and eventually the fat will poof, leaving long lean (visible) muscle.

fbmandy55

What steroids are you using to get your muscles bulky? I lift and I'm just losing fat and seeing lean muscle..

etoiles_argentees

Can we get some hard data here? How many inches were your waist, hips, thighs and calves before you started lifting and how many inches are they now?

yes, please.

simplyciera

Barre workouts! I love dancing and doing legit barre workouts give you those long, sculpted dancers legs. They are intense. Lots of holds, core control, small movements that force you to exert so much energy even though it doesn't look like it. I'm doing another round of barre & I ALREADY see my legs scultping! Dance is great.

I also do Denise Austin Legs & Buns Workout on Youtube. There are 3 Levels. I like it. 10 minutes and it just gives my legs that extra bump I want. I'm pear shaped. I have big old thighs and butt. Trying to shave it down lol!

Melissa11412

Just. Keep. Going. I'm small up top and larger on the bottom (current measurements are 34-28.......42 :frown: I am happy though, my hips were 46 back in January.

Keep with a reasonable calorie deficit, do the yoga, weight training, crossfit, etc, mix it up, have fun and keep at it. The cal deficit along with increased activity will result in you getting SMALLER, not bulkier. Promise.

norcal_yogi

What about low reps with a high weight? I was thinking of doing bikram yoga which says you will burn a lot of calories.

The extra heat with bikram yoga doesn't do anything except make you sweat, a lot, and relax your muscles. You'll burn the same amount of calories you'd burn doing those poses at room temperature. Heat really doesn't make you burn more calories. It just makes you hot. Saunas don't burn calories. Hot tubs don't. Steam rooms don't.

My body-fit media said I burned about 120 calories doing an hour of yoga, so it's just not a big burn.

^^truth. i teach hot yoga and the heat does not result in a higher calorie burn. it does warm your muscles to allow for a safer practice. the sweating is a great detox... but again, not a higher calorie burn.

Puffingmuffin

I did a week of 200 squats daily and my thighs grew half an inch. I freaked out and stopped doing them. I decided to take another approach instead. I do slow running (45 mins) 4-5 times a week to tone my legs and on the weekend I will do some sumo squats. Runners really do have the best legs! I'm going for the slim, long and toned look! Looks best in hot shorts

kavanaghev

My legs look bulky as hell and I LOVE IT. It means I'm finally losing the fat that covered my beautiful muscles.

CoderGal

I can certainly see more definition in my quads from doing squats. I have read that it is better for women to do low rep, high weight for legs? Is this true? It could be that I need to lose more fat from my legs. I am finding that losing from my inner thighs is the hardest thing as well as those love handles. Try to eat at a deficit, sometimes I go over and I am trying to exercise more than 3 days a week if not everyday.

I've just heard so much crap about how running or using the elippitical increases mass but pilates and yoga do not. I used to dance for 18 years and was small.....around 110. I had a major foot surgery which kept me off my feet for MONTHS...dropped to a very unhealthy weight because of all the meds and then I gained it back and then some. I'm just trying to find an effective way to keep my thighs firm but not huge.

Yep, you know what you heard.....'crap'. I use to dance for a few decades and was light as well. When I went back to exercising I picked up high weight low reps. The women should do highly repetitive low weight movements are bull crap. This is what the high weight stuff did to my thighs:


Strength does not equate to larger muscle mass size on a calorie deficit. To create larger muscles, you need a surplus in fuel to make them. You cannot create denser, heavier (by volume) material and get larger while losing weight with less fuel. It just doesn't make any sense in the world.

hungryhobbit1

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1027237-women-muscles-and-bulk-a-historical-perspective

micheleb15

Unfortunately, how your legs look is genetic. You can do crossfit, yoga, pilates, ballet, run, etc. If your body wasn't meant to look that way, it won't. I am 5'3 and my legs will always be big. They will get smaller with a body fat % loss, but never be long and lean.

psuLemon

I did a week of 200 squats daily and my thighs grew half an inch. I freaked out and stopped doing them. I decided to take another approach instead. I do slow running (45 mins) 4-5 times a week to tone my legs and on the weekend I will do some sumo squats. Runners really do have the best legs! I'm going for the slim, long and toned look! Looks best in hot shorts

There are only two ways you gained 1/2" in your legs in a week.... 1. water retention or 2. you didn't measure in the same spot. Running will not tone your legs. In fact steady state cardio can more likely lead to muscle loss than heavy weight training like you were doing. Also, how can you make an informed decision after only a week?


OP,

You are a woman, the only way to get big bulky legs is steroids, otherwise, you will just get more lean. But keep in mind that you can mismeasure and have water retention which can skew your results.

cleotherio

Runners really do have the best legs!

I disagree.

Delicate

I find sprinters have better legs (and bums) than long distance runners.

You are seeing more definition cause you are losing fat (and hopefully retaining muscle)

If you get to 10% body fat and still have 'bulky legs' blame your genetics. everything else is just fat.

As far as we know, you cant detach your muscles and put them further away from each other to 'look longer'.

elvensnow

I skimmed through some posts so apologize if I rehash. But I didn't see anyone mention the book "New Rules of Lifting for Women" (often abbreviated NROL4W). I just found it recently as well and it is an amazing source of information if you are looking to build muscle.

But in general there is no such thing as "toning" or making your muscles "long and lean" or any of those words bandied about on "women's" fitness DVDs. You will only look lean and athletic if you are a lean athlete. Meaning you have muscle and low body fat% so that those muscles show through.

Also doing lots of reps with low weight is complete fitness-snake-oil. If you use low weights and lots of reps you are essentially doing cardio (it is no longer anaerobic exercise, which is what you want), which will not build muscle. You might gain a -little- over doing nothing, but it won't build over time.

If your thighs are bulking after squats and lunges, it's likely the muscles getting bigger but you haven't lost fat over them. Keep in mind too that muscles will retain water and get "puffy" after exercise as they are recovering from the workout.

I highly recommend the book for any women (and honestly men too) looking to dispel some myths and get into a real weight routine.