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2004/03/03, 08:19 AM
I am so confused. I listen to too many people tell me too many different things. I want to shape/tone my inner & outer thighs and buttocks. Twice a week I do my leg workout which consists of the following.
Leg Curls 3 X 12-15 (65#)
Leg Extensions 3 X 12-15 (65#)
Squats 3 X 12-15 (20# each hand)
Front Squats 3 X 12-15 (25#)
Stiff Leg Dead Lifts 3 X 12-15 (20# each hand)
Calves on leg press 3 X 12-15 (140#)
Abductors 1 X failure (110#)
Adductors 1 X failure (110#)
40 minutes cardio
I've been told that after doing the above that I shouldn't do anymore, but I've also been told that squats AND lunges are the way to tone your thighs and butt. If I add the squats am I over doing it???
I am 5'7" and weigh 145, I would like to drop 5-10 lbs, but that isn't even as important as toning the area I'm inquiring about!!
PLEASE HELP!!!!!:angry:
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2004/03/03, 08:27 AM
I am guessing you are female... fill out your profile.
Your routine is good, are you trying to build up those muscles, or lean out your legs? You are kind of headed for muscle gain, which can be a good thing, but if you just want definition and leanness, look to your diet and acrdio routine. Losing fat boils down to burning more calories than you eat, and eating a good clean diet. weight lifting is important to boost your metabolism and shape your body, but you have to uncover your muscles by burning bodyfat.
I found stairnaster really worked my butt and thighs.
Lunges definitely are ione of the best shapers for legs, they force your inner and outer thighs to work to stabilize and you use pretty much every muscle in your legs to do the movement. try walking lunges - pretty graet. You could drop some of the isolation moves like leg extension and hamstring curls and focus on those compound moves, throw in some plyo or cardio inbetween sets for an added calorie burn.
Good luck!
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"To be able to go to the gym and train hard is a joy and a privelege, even though the hard work necessitates driving yourself through considerable discomfort. Savor this privelege and blessing, and revel in it."
Stuart McRobert, Beyond Brawn
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2004/03/03, 09:25 AM
I am look to tone not gain muscle. So basically what you're saying is drop the leg extensions and hamstring curls and add the lunges.
Are my weights and reps at a good number?
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2004/03/03, 11:39 AM
from my understanding of a post on here a while back, that toning up was a made up word to get women to buy products. If you wanna get rid of fat to look lean , do cardio, if you build muscle under fat, that muscle will make the fat stick out further, and make you look even bigger. If you have 2in of fat on your legs, and you add 1in of muscle under it......whats gonna happen? think about it.
isolationlifts work different for differnt people, the cheerleaders hate doing squats and lunges, cause they say their legs get bigger, but they like to do leg curls and extensions with high reps low weights. Like sets of 15 or 20 reps per set. Expierement and see what works for you.
However I see no real point in doing both front and back squats, do one of the other. do your cardio 1st if you don't already, then work your legs, this should help in keeping them from getting to bulky.
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.......adversity causes some to break, but others to break records!
......minds are not vessles to be filled, but fires to be enlightened
......Confucious once said ,DO NOT play leap frog with a unicorn
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2004/03/03, 11:59 PM
Toning is a word that means gaining muscle. It's a word used to make women feel more comfortable. If you want to get that lean look, you need to add muscle or you'll just look soft and thin. As to bigandrew, yes you may gain inches of muscle, but every ounce of muscle increases your metabolic rate and helps lower your body fat. Any gain in inches is temporary, and besides, I'd rather have slightly larger thighs that don't jiggle, wouldn't you? Case in point, I have far leaner, slimmer legs now that I'm seriously lifting compared to when I danced ballet!
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2004/03/08, 02:00 PM
being asian, I've got small legs - calves, thighs, hamstrings.
my old leg work out plan included sqats, leg curls, leg presses and calf raises - but that hasn't realy helped.
could you please give me a break down of which exercises help increase muscle mass for the legs. thanks
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