Leg slimming exercises?

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Amys712
Amys712 Posts: 86 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey all,
I have pretty thick legs. (On the left in the pic.)
3bylv3h833jy.jpg
I'm cool with the curvy shape, but I just wish they were a little smaller. Are there any particular reps that might help me?
I dance constantly and started weight lifting a couple months ago. I do squats, lunges, leg presses, the hip abductor and adductor, and more. I enjoy the challenge of lifting, so I don't plan on stopping...are these reps making my legs bigger? How can I keep toning while losing some inches?
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Replies

  • spdaphne
    spdaphne Posts: 262 Member
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    Your legs are great!! Yeah might be hard to slim your legs and doing lots of leg work will add muscle. We have some big muscles in our legs. I think they're great though :)
  • Amys712
    Amys712 Posts: 86 Member
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    usmcmp wrote: »
    There really aren't ways to make legs slimmer beyond losing fat. It might be a good idea to just learn to love them how they are. My thighs are very thick and that makes them even more powerful.

    Makes sense. I'll just keep working to stay under my calorie amount then and see if losing helps slim them a bit.

    And "powerful." I like that.
  • Amys712
    Amys712 Posts: 86 Member
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    spdaphne wrote: »
    Your legs are great!! Yeah might be hard to slim your legs and doing lots of leg work will add muscle. We have some big muscles in our legs. I think they're great though :)

    Thanks for the encouragement. :)
  • Joanna2012B
    Joanna2012B Posts: 1,448 Member
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    I think your legs are beautiful, however I get what you are saying. I too have strong and powerful legs and have learned to love them.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    calorie deficit
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
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    If you want slimmer legs, there's no exercise in the world. The only way to get truly slimmer legs is to be bedridden for 6 months or so on a subsistence diet, and that's not really advisable.

    Bottom line is, unless you're massively overfat, big legs are strong legs.
  • ew_david
    ew_david Posts: 3,473 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    calorie deficit

    this

    If you keep doing all that stuff you listed while eating in a deficit, you will lose the fat covering the muscle resulting in slimmer legs. I hated my legs until I was about 35 when I accepted them for what they were and used squats and deadlifts to my advantage while I dieted off the fat.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Embrace your legs. There are no exercises that are going to slim them. You can cut calories and try to get leaner overall, but a lot of genetics still comes into play. Don't hate on your legs, they look great.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    Unfortunately the body burns fat from wherever it wants to, and we don't have control over that. You can do strength training to gain muscle on your legs. I'm close to my goal weight, I'm a runner, and I've still got big legs--mostly muscle on my calves, but more fat than I'd like on my thighs. My legs can transport me over long distances, though, which is exactly what I want them to do. I just have to remind myself to work with my body rather than against it.
  • Amys712
    Amys712 Posts: 86 Member
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    apullum wrote: »
    Unfortunately the body burns fat from wherever it wants to, and we don't have control over that. You can do strength training to gain muscle on your legs. I'm close to my goal weight, I'm a runner, and I've still got big legs--mostly muscle on my calves, but more fat than I'd like on my thighs. My legs can transport me over long distances, though, which is exactly what I want them to do. I just have to remind myself to work with my body rather than against it.

    Thanks for the thoughts. It's always so fun when I meet a runner with thick legs. It's not the typical body type for that sport, so I get kind of excited about it. Haha.

    I'll just keep doing strength training and keep watching my calories. :)
  • Amys712
    Amys712 Posts: 86 Member
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    rybo wrote: »
    Embrace your legs. There are no exercises that are going to slim them. You can cut calories and try to get leaner overall, but a lot of genetics still comes into play. Don't hate on your legs, they look great.

    Fair point on genetics.
    Thanks for the compliment.
  • Amys712
    Amys712 Posts: 86 Member
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    _dracarys_ wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    calorie deficit

    this

    If you keep doing all that stuff you listed while eating in a deficit, you will lose the fat covering the muscle resulting in slimmer legs. I hated my legs until I was about 35 when I accepted them for what they were and used squats and deadlifts to my advantage while I dieted off the fat.

    Sounds good. I'll just keep up with my work out routine then and keep watching my caloric intake. Thanks. :)
  • heavensshadow
    heavensshadow Posts: 264 Member
    edited June 2017
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    Them curves tho!
    I'm going to repeat what most have already said: Don't hate those beautiful asskickers. They're strong and powerful, and I'm guessing most of that is muscle. Unfortunately genetics can play a part in body shape, but they're lovely as they are. Love 'em up good! You're already on the right track.
  • Tried30UserNames
    Tried30UserNames Posts: 561 Member
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    Tracy Anderson has a lot of workouts she says are designed to give you more of a lean dancer's look rather than a lean weight lifter's look. It's too soon for me to tell if it's working for my legs, but it has worked rather dramatically for my arms in just a couple months.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    Tracy Anderson is full of *kitten*.
  • Tried30UserNames
    Tried30UserNames Posts: 561 Member
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    usmcmp wrote: »
    Tracy Anderson says a lot of garbage and her workouts have women lifting less than their purse weighs. Seriously, a max of 3 pounds.
    Do you really think it's a good idea to be doing very fast aerobic style moves with heavy weights because I don't. You'd bash yourself in the head or tear something. Context...that's what's always left out of that quote from her. Obviously in any one of her workouts you can see her recommending more than 3 lbs...she has you use your body weight in planks, pushups and lots of other moves.

    I just assumed from the OP's post asking how to make her legs a little smaller that she might be interested in a workout that can make her legs a little smaller so that's the post I answered.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    Tried30UserNames wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    Tracy Anderson says a lot of garbage and her workouts have women lifting less than their purse weighs. Seriously, a max of 3 pounds.
    Do you really think it's a good idea to be doing very fast aerobic style moves with heavy weights because I don't. You'd bash yourself in the head or tear something. Context...that's what's always left out of that quote from her. Obviously in any one of her workouts you can see her recommending more than 3 lbs...she has you use your body weight in planks, pushups and lots of other moves.

    I just assumed from the OP's post asking how to make her legs a little smaller that she might be interested in a workout that can make her legs a little smaller so that's the post I answered.

    Except they won't make her legs smaller. Doing aerobics with any weights is dangerous and absurd. Tracy sells the idea that any type of lifting other than her program will make women bulky. Unless a woman has an absurdly high amount of testosterone with a calorie surplus, great genetics, and spends many years without looking in a mirror there's simply no way a woman is going to get bulky. Tracy makes money off of fear and serious misguidance.

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