If you want thin legs DO NOT lift weights!?!?!?
beastmode2718
Posts: 108 Member
I see this in a lot of places. You have too much muscle keeping you from slim legs and if you want them thinner do not by any means do weight training or any exercise that might build muscle. Is this total bull or a sad truth?
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beastmode2718 wrote: »I see this in a lot of places. You have too much muscle keeping you from slim legs and if you want them thinner do not by any means do weight training or any exercise that might build muscle. Is this total bull or a sad truth?
depends how big your legs are, and whether they are big from muscle or fat....6 -
I suppose if you want thin and soft legs. But if you want more defined, lean and strong legs, weight training is a great way to get there. Most likely if someone who has weight to lose thinks their legs look bulky, it is a matter of fat covering the muscle, not the muscle itself.
My legs are very slim, defined and muscular, but not bulky... however I have run several bulk cycles to get them to look the way they do. Growing significant muscle does not happen overnight and definitely not in a deficit.
This is an example of me recently, unflexed.
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it takes a whole lot for girls to build muscle on their legs, it doesn't come easily. So don't worry if you lift weights you wont get big legs, but you will get in shape and look and feel great.6
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It also depends on what you consider "thin" vs fit vs strong vs big vs bulky vs whatever other label you want to use.9
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Where are you seeing this? I've never read that lifting weights prevents thin legs.
I do think this comes down to what your definition of thin is, as mentioned above. I don't consider my legs big at all but based on various threads by people bemoaning the sizes of their thighs and calves, they're big. If you are more of a fan of the Twiggy look - thin but low in muscle mass - then perhaps you don't want to lift weights. But as a woman, I caution you to think about years from now when you will wish you had done something to increase bone density so as to stave off osteoporosis as much as possible.6 -
Do you want weak flabby legs or stronger and firmer legs?4
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When I think of strong, muscular legs I always think of ballerinas - all those jumps and controlled landings, it's like lifting about 5x your body weight and they do it all day every day...every ballerina I've ever seen has what I would call slim legs, so I think it's safe to say that building muscle is the very best way to have slim legs in the end.10
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No one, male or female, gets big by accident. Bodybuilders take years and years of hard work to develop the physiques they have and even then if you look at many of the "natural" ones they're not what would be considered massive.
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It also depends on what you consider "thin" vs fit vs strong vs big vs bulky vs whatever other label you want to use.
Pretty much this...beastmode2718 wrote: »I see this in a lot of places. You have too much muscle keeping you from slim legs and if you want them thinner do not by any means do weight training or any exercise that might build muscle. Is this total bull or a sad truth?
basically what you're talking about is letting your muscles atrophy...you'll likely regret that later in life...2 -
I think this article covers the subject pretty well:
https://bretcontreras.com/how-to-attain-a-slender-look-like-jessica-alba-zoe-saldana/7 -
My thighs at the thickest part are 15.5" which I think is slim. I lift weights & do tons of lunges & squats, I used to dance & was a cheerleader. I think if my legs were going to get huge, it would have happened by now.2
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beastmode2718 wrote: »I see this in a lot of places. You have too much muscle keeping you from slim legs and if you want them thinner do not by any means do weight training or any exercise that might build muscle. Is this total bull or a sad truth?
it's probably genetics to about the same extent as any other body area. i've seen tiny little toothpick women in the gym who could probably put both legs into one side of my pants. and who are four or five or six times stronger than me, in terms of actual weight on the bar.
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The girls I see at the olympic lifting gym all have beautiful legs. Muscular but not ripped or anything. I don't know too many guys that would say they're too "bulky". But they would probably say they're hot haha! Squats really firm up everything in your lower body...legs, butt, core, etc. Any of the girls I've seen that squat on a regular basis all look really good.2
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Usually if I see a woman with legs that may be considered bulky, it's due to the layer of fat over the muscle. It isn't the muscle itself.1
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Skinny fat (being a normal BMI but without any muscle mass) is a health risk, just the same as being overweight or obese. Slack scrawny legs without any muscle may be common on models, but that doesn't mean you should emulate them. Choose to be strong and you will end up being beautiful as a side effect.1
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OP you need to define what you mean by Big...
as you can see most feel muscled legs on a lady aren't big...but at the same time you might...0 -
I just don't want to gain inches on them from weight training. My goal is to loose inches. I don't want super muscular quads. I want to slim them down and tone them. Basically I don't want them to get bigger from too much muscle.0
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beastmode2718 wrote: »I just don't want to gain inches on them from weight training. My goal is to loose inches. I don't want super muscular quads. I want to slim them down and tone them. Basically I don't want them to get bigger from too much muscle.
Just skip leg day ... loads of Johnny Bravo's at my local gym can give you advice on that.
Alternatively tone your legs instead.
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beastmode2718 wrote: »I just don't want to gain inches on them from weight training. My goal is to loose inches. I don't want super muscular quads. I want to slim them down and tone them. Basically I don't want them to get bigger from too much muscle.
You are not going to get truly super muscular quads without intentionally building them.
I suggest taking measurements and then starting on a full body training plan. Depending on if you have excess fat to lose and how much, eat at maintenance or a bit of a deficit. Look in the mirror and take measurements to gauge progress. Like I said before, growing legs, nearly any muscle really, takes work and it takes time. Nobody accidentally becomes a highly skilled concert pianist and nobody accidentally becomes a highly muscular bodybuilder.3 -
beastmode2718 wrote: »I just don't want to gain inches on them from weight training. My goal is to loose inches. I don't want super muscular quads. I want to slim them down and tone them. Basically I don't want them to get bigger from too much muscle.
Just skip leg day ... loads of Johnny Bravo's at my local gym can give you advice on that.
Alternatively tone your legs instead.
Toning is muscle building, it's not a different mechanism. What you're referring to is an aesthetic but it is still musculature.
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Bottom line is that individual genetics has the most influence.4
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beastmode2718 wrote: »I see this in a lot of places. You have too much muscle keeping you from slim legs and if you want them thinner do not by any means do weight training or any exercise that might build muscle. Is this total bull or a sad truth?
Good job I want strong legs rather than thin legs then isn't it? Seriously look at the photo, I am always getting compliments about my legs yet they are quite muscular.
beastmode2718 wrote: »I just don't want to gain inches on them from weight training. My goal is to loose inches. I don't want super muscular quads. I want to slim them down and tone them. Basically I don't want them to get bigger from too much muscle.
As others have said it's hard for a woman to gain muscle, but it's not hard to lose it. Weight training will help your legs look shapely as you lose the fat, pretty sure my legs wouldn't have looked this good if I hadn't been lifting as I lost the weight.
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First of all: hogwash. It takes YEARS to pack on muscle mass! Talk to any bodybuilder and just ask them how long it takes to gain 5lbs of muscle, and they specifically are trying to gain muscle. Also, having muscles helps prevent jiggle.0
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beastmode2718 wrote: »I just don't want to gain inches on them from weight training. My goal is to loose inches. I don't want super muscular quads. I want to slim them down and tone them. Basically I don't want them to get bigger from too much muscle.
So don't go very heavy of the weights. I'm barely starting to see truly muscular definition in my quads. I also max at 180lb squats and 360lb leg presses. There's still quite a bit of fat there, but they are starting to have some definition.
It also takes YEARS of lifting to truly pack on muscle. I did have a jump start from being obese (my legs were used to carrying around 350lbs all day, for a decade). Ask any women with muscular legs how long it took and what her workouts are.2 -
As many have pointed out, you don't just wake up with massive legs one day; nor are you guaranteed to get massive leg muscles from standard lifting regimens. I biked up and down hills over 4000 miles one summer, while carrying 30-40 pounds on my heavy bike, and at the end of the summer nobody could say that my legs were too beefy (in fact they looked shapely and amazing!) Even now that I lift, my legs are smaller than they were that summer. Don't worry, it takes a lot of effort for body builders to look like that. Come to think about it, look at dancers' legs; they're strong af, they leap around for hours a day, and definitely don't look too bulky.
I could also go on about how important leg training is for fitness, health, and longevity, but yeah basically leg training is fun and will change your life.1 -
Pic on right, I was not lifting any significant amount of weights and my legs were shredded. I was on a low calorie diet (1200 calories), did some carb cycling and my BF was only 17% which is pretty insane for a 57 year old woman lol!4 -
"Toning" isn't a real thing. There are no "toning" exercises. No such thing as a "toning" squat, curl or chest press.MelanieCN77 wrote: »beastmode2718 wrote: »I just don't want to gain inches on them from weight training. My goal is to loose inches. I don't want super muscular quads. I want to slim them down and tone them. Basically I don't want them to get bigger from too much muscle.
Just skip leg day ... loads of Johnny Bravo's at my local gym can give you advice on that.
Alternatively tone your legs instead.
Toning is muscle building, it's not a different mechanism. What you're referring to is an aesthetic but it is still musculature.
Building muscle takes serious progressive overload, volume enough to encourage hypertrophy and a surplus to support building new tissue.
If one doesn't want an overly muscular look, then don't get your body fat percentage too low.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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