When Did Your Legs Come In?

[cheerleader0720]

I'm 5.5 weeks out from my second figure competition, and still not seeing much lower ab or leg definition.

My upper body looks good - I'm even showing some striations in the shoulders and chest, but my lower body is just being stubborn.

I can see a little definition in the legs when I'm in the right light, but I don't think I'm anywhere near where I need to be.

I'm wondering when people's legs typically "come in"? Any tips on getting them there?

[straightsix]

im 1 day out from my 1st show so I don't have a ton of experience but my legs started splitting up pretty decent at around 6 weeks out. it really depends though on when you started prepping and how much fat you needed to lose. My legs where definetly one of the last places to start coming in. One thing I noticed about my legs is that once they started coming in, they came in pretty quickly since there isn't much fat there to lose in general.

[brownbeard]

Strong username

[AlejandroRY1]

7 weeks out, but everyone is different however if you work for it just wait, legs are coming

[cheerleader0720]

Thanks, guys! Any ladies out there have an answer for me? I'm sure it's different for guys and girls, since we typically maintain a higher bf% when competing.

[kimm4]

If you store more fat in your lower half it will be the last place to lean out. The other issue is having enough overall muscle combined with a low enough bodyfat to support the look. If a person is undermuscled in certain areas, you won't have that solid definition even when lean. You might need to focus on building more muscle in your legs during the off season.

I consider myself lucky because I'm able to maintain quad definition/separation year round. I have a pretty even fat distribution, but I've also got 30 yrs under my belt.

It really comes down to giving yourself enough prep time to get lean enough. Legs are a bitch for most women, which means longer dieting and going the distance.

Good luck to you!

[cheerleader0720]

Thanks Kimm4! Yeah, my legs and lower abs are definitely where I hold my fat.

I'm kind of in a bad place mentally right now. I did a 16-week prep, which I feel like should have been plenty of time, given where I was when I started. I hired a competitor to do my diet for me, since I don't have a ton of experience with competition diets. I should have double-checked her figures sooner (hind-sight is 20/20), but I just assumed that her calculations were correct (for as much as I paid her, they should have been!) I trusted her for way too long, while she continually told me that I was "right on track". Finally, after actually gaining weight, I added up the meal plan she had me on and figured out that I had been eating over 2300 calories! That may be fine for some girls, but I told her early on that my maintenance is somewhere around 1800-2000.

I'm now doing my own diet, and seeing progress, but I'm afraid I may not have enough time now. Unfortunately, I've already paid for the show fees, plane tickets (I'm going to my home state to compete in an all-natural competition), tanning, etc.

I guess I just have to hit it hard and hope my body drastically changes in 5 weeks.