How to achieve lean legs?!?

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sjo_fitness
sjo_fitness Posts: 5 Member
edited August 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
I am on a major health kick and working my butt off, eating healthy and working out every morning. With that my thighs have always been my problem area. I have an athletic build and muscular legs but they also could loose a bit of weight. Does anyone have any input/recommendations on the best way to get the lean legs and figure that I am looking? Need to cut down on fat % and get a lean trim body. Please share any input you may have!

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  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Spot reduction isn't possible. As you lose body fat overall, your legs will get smaller.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    To start, you can't spot reduce. In a deficit, your body will lose fat from wherever it wants to.

    Cardio (if you like it) + Structured full body lifting program + a moderate deficit should get you to your desired aesthetic goals.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,973 Member
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    I think you've answered your own question - reduce body fat with a combination of diet and exercise. (I'm assuming when you say 'eating healthy' this includes eating at a calorie deficit.)

    That said, I wonder if your ideal legs goal is reasonable for your actual body type - got a picture of how you would like to look?
  • LPflaum
    LPflaum Posts: 174 Member
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    ^ as stated above, you can't spot reduce fat, you'll need to work on losing it all over. What CAN help in the meantime is toning. Squats for the quads, deads for the hamstrings, lunges for the quads and the glutes, bridges for the lower back and hamstrings, donkey kicks for the butt, side leg lifts for the outer thighs, etc. Toning up those areas will give you a leaner appearance than fat reduction alone.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,598 Member
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    You may get them lean in terms of lower fat % but yet they may never be fashionably slender looking if you have a stockier body build. I had to realize that a while back. It might be more realistic to focus on being and looking fit.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    RGv2 wrote: »
    To start, you can't spot reduce. In a deficit, your body will lose fat from wherever it wants to.

    Cardio (if you like it) + Structured full body lifting program + a moderate deficit should get you to your desired aesthetic goals.

    ^Yup this. But keep in mind, many women naturally carry more fat in their lower body and it can be stubborn to get rid of (at the expense of losing too much in the upper body), so keep your goals realistic for your body type
  • cbstewart88
    cbstewart88 Posts: 453 Member
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    I have found that yoga has done wonders for my legs. The treadmill has given me a lot of muscle, but the yoga has seemed to tone, stretch, shape and given me some definition...still have a bit of fat in my inner upper thighs though...am living with that....
  • sjo_fitness
    sjo_fitness Posts: 5 Member
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    cbstewart88 wrote: »
    I have found that yoga has done wonders for my legs. The treadmill has given me a lot of muscle, but the yoga has seemed to tone, stretch, shape and given me some definition...still have a bit of fat in my inner upper thighs though...am living with that....

    Do you do hot yoga or regular yoga? What kind? About two years ago I was really into Bikram Yoga and I really liked the results, I just don't have a studio offering that near me now!
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    You'll need parents with lean legs, most likely.

    We are all genetically predisposed to a certain body type. Mine is similar to yours in that my weight goes mostly to my thighs. Even at 5'3.5" and 115 pounds of nearly solid muscle my thighs were big. That's just the way I'm built. It's taken me a couple of decades to come to grips with it. You'll be happier if you learn to love your body the way it's built now. :smile:
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,973 Member
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    sjo_fitness wrote: »
    cbstewart88 wrote: »
    I have found that yoga has done wonders for my legs. The treadmill has given me a lot of muscle, but the yoga has seemed to tone, stretch, shape and given me some definition...still have a bit of fat in my inner upper thighs though...am living with that....

    Do you do hot yoga or regular yoga? What kind? About two years ago I was really into Bikram Yoga and I really liked the results, I just don't have a studio offering that near me now!

    I'm a yoga teacher and used to live at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, which offered Hot, Moderate, and Gentle yoga. I didn't notice a difference between fans of hot yoga and fans of vigorous but unheated yoga.
  • CasperNaegle
    CasperNaegle Posts: 936 Member
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    You just will not be able to do anything that causes your legs to shrink except stay in a deficit and slowly lower your body fat. No matter what anyone tells you, you can not exercise any particular area and cause fat in that area to burn.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,973 Member
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    SueInAz wrote: »
    You'll need parents with lean legs, most likely.

    We are all genetically predisposed to a certain body type. Mine is similar to yours in that my weight goes mostly to my thighs. Even at 5'3.5" and 115 pounds of nearly solid muscle my thighs were big. That's just the way I'm built. It's taken me a couple of decades to come to grips with it. You'll be happier if you learn to love your body the way it's built now. :smile:

    Ya, I used to hate my big and wide feet when I was a kid but learned to appreciate them when I started doing balancing poses in yoga :)
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Genetics, lol.
  • cbstewart88
    cbstewart88 Posts: 453 Member
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    sjo_fitness wrote: »
    cbstewart88 wrote: »
    I have found that yoga has done wonders for my legs. The treadmill has given me a lot of muscle, but the yoga has seemed to tone, stretch, shape and given me some definition...still have a bit of fat in my inner upper thighs though...am living with that....

    Do you do hot yoga or regular yoga? What kind? About two years ago I was really into Bikram Yoga and I really liked the results, I just don't have a studio offering that near me now!

    I do Iyengar yoga - which I guess would be considered "regular" yoga.
  • NaturalNancy
    NaturalNancy Posts: 1,093 Member
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    Squats and leg press
  • almostanangel21
    almostanangel21 Posts: 143 Member
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    I build muscle in my legs very easily, too; rather than go against my body type, I'm making sure to strength train my arms so I don't look imbalanced. (It's really hard to get to the point of looking like She-Hulk, so don't worry about that.) I've heard that doing stretching/pilates/yoga workouts help; doubtful, but they feel good and it doesn't hurt to increase flexibility.

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