training legs to lean them out || possible silly question

[cdntraveller]

I hope this hasn't been asked before, if it has... sorry.

I have what i consider to be very chunky legs. Will all the recent running i've been doing i am starting to see small changes in them but are still tree trunkish (my description of them).

I've avoided leg exercises for a few months now because i don't want to build any mass on them. I realize i can't spot reduce but figured if i stay away from weights the nice thick layer of fat will eventually disappear through diet and exercise.

Here's my question. Why does it make sense to work my legs when the more i work them the fatter/thicker they become. Underneath i could feel more muscle but they looked fatter.

Is it a matter of timing/patience... meaning i need to lose ALL of the fat off my legs before the muscle underneath will lean out?

The heavier the weight i used the bulkier my legs look so the most recent set of exercises were done at high reps with low weights.

[SexyChic]

Hi


It sounds to me like you build muscle easily on your legs (this is a good thing) and it is your body type.

You *may* have some fat covering your muscles, but in order to get your legs leaner, your upper body will probably become extremely lean. You will have to work on decreasing your bodyfat %, if you want to see a change.
And you can't really make the muscle lean out....unless you do some long distance running or something which burns some of the muscle off.


For eg: I used to be a pear shape, and my hips and butt were always bigger than my upper body. In order to reduce my hips and butt, I had to lower my overall body fat, which in turn made my upper body even thinner.

[cdntraveller]

i'm not sure if i'm considered a long distance runner or not. I run between 40-45 km a week right now. By the end of the summer that'll increase to 50-60km per week.

Losing overall bodyfat is something i'm working on already and by lean muscle i mean i want shapely legs. I've always been embarassed to wear skirts or even capris and would like to eventually embrace me. I'm short (5'3 on a good day). i know i can't change that so my legs will never look the same as someone who's say 5'6 or taller.

What is frustrating me is that it feels like when i use heavy weights at 8-10 reps my legs gain bulk or look bulkier. The running i do has helped from what i'm seeing but it really bothers me/makes me self conscious.

SO the question is since i'm got a ways to go to get to a lean look (i'm probably somewhere between 27-30% based on other profile pics i see) right now what is the best form of reps and ranges? High reps with low weights or suck it up and heavy weights with low reps?

BTW, i didn't mean for this to turn into a rant.

[SexyChic]

I wouldn't consider this a rant lol!

Anyway, if I was in your position....I would probably continue to lift heavy, because when you do get your body fat down you will have smokin' legs. It may not feel like it's a good thing to you right now, but think of the end result. Nothing worth achieving is done overnight.

Avoiding leg exercises is not going to help make your legs shapely. You gotta incorporate weights/diet/cardio (moderation of all 3) to get your results.

Do you do squats/lunges/etc?
Is your diet in check?

I think you should use the negativity that you are feeling towards your legs to fuel your desire to workout hard and eat right.
Everyone has been at the point that you are right now...no one loves every single part of their body. And you can only work to improve and make sure you aren't being counterproductive.


Plus why do you feel self conscious in your skirts/capris? As long as they aren't too short, then who cares what other people think? Usually people are so involved with themselves, they don't really notice these things.

Good luck! And I would highly recommend reading all the stickies in the women's section, just to make sure that you are covering the basics.