Question for Bikers

[Stacy]

I have a stationary recumbent bike, not a spinning bike unfortunately. I have "thunder thighs" and would love to spin them down.

Do you think biking on my recumbent would slim my thighs down as much as people who do spinning??

I cant do high impact work or many squats/lunges b/c of knee issues so I'm always looking for a new thigh slimming plan.

Also do I go for speed and distance?? Higher resistance and shorter distance?? Hills???

Thanks!

[tralaiven]

I, personally, would not use spinning or even much step to slim down my thighs... In fact, these two things, while toning them, tend to bulk mine up a bit. I also have a past acquaintance who was a professional bike rider and she had some mighty thighs, let me tell you! For the reasons mentioned above, I limit my stepping to once a week at the most for cardio. And I am still recovering from an arm/shoulder bike injury, and that coupled with the weather, I have not been riding.

What generally works for me, to slim down my thighs, is cardio like running or Hiit activity. That is my best bet and tends to whittle away my thighs and keep/make them sleek.

best wishes.

[Stacy]

Thanks for your comments. Unfortunately my knees cant take the impact of running or HIIT. I do some jog/walk intervals on my treadmill but that's about the extent of it. I'm always searching for some new thigh slimming ideas that my knees can tolerate!

[mini-natty]

Hi Stacy,

I was a huge fan of outdoor mountain biking (not indoor spinning) and would spend 2-3hrs sat/sun's enjoying trails, hills, terrain, ect (that was before I had my daughter 3 years ago). I was fit and strong but my legs were always flabby, especially inner/outer thighs & butt (I am pear-shaped. My thighs accumulate fat easily). It was not until I incorporated Cathe's LIS, that my legs are whittling down and becoming toned, defined and YES, SMALLER! I can't say enough positive things about this series. I am truly impressed with my results. Proof is in the pants. All my pants that fit me before I got pregnant, are all LOOSE in the thigh/butt area. For the first time in my life I was able to go pant shopping and not dread it. I have actually reduced my pant size and bought skinny jeans.

Right now, I am incorporating LIS with high impact cardio and 1 upper-body, 1 lower-body weight training/week. I never used to do a "legs" only day, as I thought adding heavy weight to work my legs would bulk them. Not true in my case. That along with the magic of firewalkers & Turbo Barre is finally giving me thighs I could have only dreamed of (and a healthy diet is crucial for optimal results). There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to health/fitness. You just kinda' have to find out what works/does not and take it from there.

Good Luck!
Natasha

[Stacy]

Natasha, thanks for the comment. It seems as though we're built the same. I've put off purchasing the LIS b/c it seems to incorporate alot of disc moves and those, though low impact but alot of strain on my knees.

Are there workouts in this series that I can still do effectively without the gliding discs???

(I have Turbo Barre and just purchased Low Impact Challenge Step. I dont have a spin bike.)

Thanks!!!

[mini-natty]

Originally Posted by Stacy

Natasha, thanks for the comment. It seems as though we're built the same. I've put off purchasing the LIS b/c it seems to incorporate alot of disc moves and those, though low impact but alot of strain on my knees.

Are there workouts in this series that I can still do effectively without the gliding discs???

(I have Turbo Barre and just purchased Low Impact Challenge Step. I dont have a spin bike.)

Thanks!!!

Actually Stacy, the only workout that uses the discs throughout is Slide & Glide. The others (AT, AB, TBT, CSS) do use the discs but only with certain exercises (like burpee's). You can definitely do the workouts without the discs if you prefer. I find TB to be an amazing workout to trim down thighs. Also the firewalker bands are gold IMO. What really gets me, is the dixie cup lunges. My butt and legs just burn with those. No weights required! TBT lower-body is also great for shaping/toning the legs & butt.

Good luck!

Natasha

[JT]

The ONLY workouts that don't make your thighs bigger are maybe swimming and walking at a pace.

[lainabaina]

you could continue doing some training on your recumbant bike, but i would suggest doing intervals. something like this: 20 sec work/40 sec rest for maybe 3-5 rounds/minutes. then go to 30/30 and then 40/20. of course you should do a proper warmup first, 5-10 mins should be good. i am not familiar w/ how the resistance/gearing works on your bike, but what I mean by work & rest are, when you are doing the work efforts you need to be challenging yourself and almost breathless by the last few rounds. the "rest" should just be a lighter resistance where you recover so you can push yourself on the next work effort.

training like this will burn calories and I think if you did this 2-3 times a week, building up your overall time, you will get a good bang for your buck. i also would suggest anything in the LIS. it is a wonderful series, every workout is great. good luck!