gaining inches???

amber_hanners
amber_hanners Posts: 388 Member
edited September 25 in Health and Weight Loss
ive ben working out and eating better for about 2 weeks yes im losing weight and some inches but ive also gained a few inches in my thighs which i really want to go down. i do strength training or weight machines everyday for just 20 mins before i start cardio because i have so much to lose and i need to tone while i lose. Do you think i should cut back on the leg work ????

Replies

  • TeriTee
    TeriTee Posts: 38
    No!
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,321 Member
    I would be more inclined to cut back on the cardio. The increase in your legs might be muscle, but unless you have the right genetics and are working really hard in your weight training for that 20 minutes, it is not likely.
  • agdeierl
    agdeierl Posts: 378 Member
    I would be more inclined to cut back on the cardio. The increase in your legs might be muscle, but unless you have the right genetics and are working really hard in your weight training for that 20 minutes, it is not likely.

    Could you explain this a bit more, please? I'm a little confused how cardio makes you gain inches?
  • ocsurfmama
    ocsurfmama Posts: 127
    Sounds like you have a good routine workout set up. Don't worry about the extra inches yet, since you just started out. Give your body and muscles time to adjust. I am doing 50-60 min of cardio a day, plus 35 min of strength training. I found that even though the measurements are the same, I am much firmer. You may want to give yourself a few more weeks of the regular routine and then see where you are with the inches, weight loss and new gained energy.
  • DianaPowerUp
    DianaPowerUp Posts: 518 Member
    Just keep at it. You're not going to get appreciable muscle gain in that amount of time, so it's not that. Maybe you measured incorrectly one time? Maybe you measured different areas? Maybe you retain water in your legs? Who knows. But if you keep at it (both cardio and strength training), you will see the inches go down too.
  • ManX_84
    ManX_84 Posts: 5
    perhaps you should consider doing more body weight exercises with your legs rather than lifting weights with them... or go lower weight and higher reps so you recruit more muscle fibers all over your legs causing it to lean out. but in two weeks, i wouldnt worry too much, be patient. as hard as it is to be patient, it's probably the best advice anyone can give at this point. its still early and they will begin to lean out more over a longer period of time. early on, sometimes, some people see small gains in places like their thighs or chest but its temporary. just keep at it and it'll work out!
  • gabegoldman
    gabegoldman Posts: 1
    Hey Amber been doing this for a bit, and first off good for you! With regards to the inches, depending on how intense you are strength training and how focused you are training coupled with intense lower body cardio it is almost certain that you will gain inches temporarily in your legs. The good thing is it is muscle, just think, you have padding covering the muscle (i.e fat), you are getting stronger so the muscle is getting bigger behind the fat. As you keep working out and loose fat you will loose the inches again.
    Also make sure that you are focusing on fatiguing the muscle through reps vs. heavy weight. Heavy weight will build, lower weight with higher reps will tone and burn. Hope this helps.
  • skee80
    skee80 Posts: 20 Member
    Yeah i wouldn't change anything. In order to put on muscle and get bigger you need a calorie surplus (which is more calories then your body will use in a day) along with some solid weight training. If your eating healthy you should be fine :smile: at first especially when you have a good amount to lose there can be a lot of fluctuation. TBH any weight training you do will help you in your goals that you mentioned weightloss/toning. when you do cardio you burn calories during your session but not many after... when you weight train you can burn calories for many hours after the workout, while your body repairs the muscles you worked on.

    p.s. i woudlnt worry about cardio putting on inches in response to another post in this thread. If that was the case all the bikers/joggers you see in your neighborhood would be getting giant! Getting bigger is more about your nutrition then anything.
  • amber_hanners
    amber_hanners Posts: 388 Member
    thanks i was just worried that since i use lower body cardio like elliptical and treadmill that the strength training for legs was to much thanks for all the advice
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