Best exercise for leaner legs : ) ??

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believe1922
believe1922 Posts: 59 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey everyone...just wondering if anyone can give me some advice as to what the best exercise is to get toned and lean legs??
Thanks so much : )

Replies

  • belle19822000
    belle19822000 Posts: 62 Member
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    Need that info too - I have big thighs need them to be smaller... :sad: :sad:
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    Unfortunately, you can't spot-reduce fat, so there is no particular exercise that will specifically make your legs leaner or slimmer. The only way exercise helps to make you slimmer is by creating/increasing your calorie deficit, but you have no control over where the fat comes off.

    You can target particular muscles with particular exercises, but that won't make those body parts smaller (unless your body just happens to be ready to let fat go in that area - nothing to do with what exercises you do). Any exercises that are recommended for certain body parts will potentially make them bigger, especially if you are eating more calories than you burn.

    If you are eating at a calorie deficit, just b patient and hope that the fat comes off where you want it to. Targeting muscles with strength training may make you happier with the shape of them, but won't shrink them.
  • belle19822000
    belle19822000 Posts: 62 Member
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    That explains a lot...

    I was doing 30ds last autumn and didn't reduce calories cause I wasn't planning to lose weight at the time, and at one point I started to eat more than I should :sad: , and my thighs increased by 2 centimeters! It happened almost overnight....

    I'm restricting my calories for now ( 1300 net), but still can't make myself focus on that body part - I give everything the same attention as much as I can, and they went down by almost 1 cm (I'm sure it's more, but I promised myself to stop measuring for a while, or I'll do it every day)
  • fancycupcake
    fancycupcake Posts: 78 Member
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    That explains a lot...

    I was doing 30ds last autumn and didn't reduce calories cause I wasn't planning to lose weight at the time, and at one point I started to eat more than I should :sad: , and my thighs increased by 2 centimeters! It happened almost overnight....

    I'm restricting my calories for now ( 1300 net), but still can't make myself focus on that body part - I give everything the same attention as much as I can, and they went down by almost 1 cm (I'm sure it's more, but I promised myself to stop measuring for a while, or I'll do it every day)

    1300 may be too low of a calorie intake. Deficits are of course THE way to lose weight, but too much of one will prevent you from getting the nutrition you need, will slow your metabolism, and you'll be hungry and miserable, making it more likely that you'll fall off the wagon!!! May I recommend this (below) to you? I changed mine from 1400 calories to 1700 calories just last week and feel so much better - weight hasn't come off yet but I'm on my period anyway so I'm not even thinking about it XD

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • belle19822000
    belle19822000 Posts: 62 Member
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    Oh, I'm actually not hungry and I eat clean food all the time (vegetables and meat and fruit, I got that habit years ago). I love sweets, but I gave them up a month ago, and still haven't cheated because I really don't feel like eating sweets for now.

    As for 1300 cal. - I am mostly sedentary (my job, the rest of the day too) type. But, in the afternoons, when I walk I count that too. I walk fast but count it at slow, cut back the time, and when I work out, I count that too. So I usually eat 200 -300 calories more on a day.
    Today, I sat on my but for almost all the time, and I am stuffed, can't get more than 1200 cals.... which I believe are quite enough since I'm not really burning them.

    I will probably change to 1400 net in few weeks time, since it will get warmer here (spring) and I'll walk all the time, so I won't count the "walking" part everyday unless it's more than an hour.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
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    Diet.
  • shanmackie
    shanmackie Posts: 194 Member
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    Work that incline on the treadmill, and DON'T HOLD ON.
  • lizzardsm
    lizzardsm Posts: 271 Member
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    Unfortunately, you can't spot-reduce fat, so there is no particular exercise that will specifically make your legs leaner or slimmer. The only way exercise helps to make you slimmer is by creating/increasing your calorie deficit, but you have no control over where the fat comes off.

    You can target particular muscles with particular exercises, but that won't make those body parts smaller (unless your body just happens to be ready to let fat go in that area - nothing to do with what exercises you do). Any exercises that are recommended for certain body parts will potentially make them bigger, especially if you are eating more calories than you burn.

    If you are eating at a calorie deficit, just b patient and hope that the fat comes off where you want it to. Targeting muscles with strength training may make you happier with the shape of them, but won't shrink them.

    THIS!

    And THIS for finding and appropriate calorie deficit!
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • Butterflyblue_
    Butterflyblue_ Posts: 19 Member
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    Im not sure about leaner but more toned, defined, sexy legs? ......... SQUATS!!! Deadlifts, lunges, SQUATS. Really your *kitten* and legs will thank you.
  • CakeFit21
    CakeFit21 Posts: 2,521 Member
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    Im not sure about leaner but more toned, defined, sexy legs? ......... SQUATS!!! Deadlifts, lunges, SQUATS. Really your *kitten* and legs will thank you.

    MOARSQUATS
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    That explains a lot...

    I was doing 30ds last autumn and didn't reduce calories cause I wasn't planning to lose weight at the time, and at one point I started to eat more than I should :sad: , and my thighs increased by 2 centimeters! It happened almost overnight....


    That is very unlikely to be from muscle gain, certainly not overnight. When you work your muscles, they hold on to water as they repair themselves. This can make them swell a bit.
  • oneofakind0
    oneofakind0 Posts: 8
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    Im not sure about leaner but more toned, defined, sexy legs? ......... SQUATS!!! Deadlifts, lunges, SQUATS. Really your *kitten* and legs will thank you.
    THIS_zps99ebb3b5.gif
  • belle19822000
    belle19822000 Posts: 62 Member
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    That explains a lot...

    I was doing 30ds last autumn and didn't reduce calories cause I wasn't planning to lose weight at the time, and at one point I started to eat more than I should :sad: , and my thighs increased by 2 centimeters! It happened almost overnight....


    That is very unlikely to be from muscle gain, certainly not overnight. When you work your muscles, they hold on to water as they repair themselves. This can make them swell a bit.

    They remained big for 3 months after - so that's not water..... weight gain + exercising could be the reason why they've increased.

    Well, I am doing a lot of SQUATS for 5 weeks now, and they reduced by 1cm plus (it's the t.o.m. so I am sure they are even smaller).

    So, squats, here I come, watch out!

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