Leaning out legs

Candice2015

Cathlete
Seemed to have gained some inches in my butt and legs in recent months. I have been doing some lifting recently and I am about to start STS because I want to start a good lifting program, but kinda concerned with adding more bulk to my legs, don't want my pants any tighter. Any suggestions for a good dvd/workout for leaning out the legs?
 
I find every set of women's legs are quite unique and will respond differently to certain types of training at different times during their lives.
My legs (at the moment) like STS 2, pilates from time to time and incline walking. (But I change things up very often although walking has always been a good stand by for me when I feel weaker in the legs) Although I have heard other women say that STS 2 makes their upper legs too thick (for their own preference) and they prefer more STS Plyo, Tabatacise Step Blasts and CTX Leaner Legs.

What have you been doing?
 
I have previously leaned out my legs by doing T25 and Body Pump. Then was strictly doing barre workouts for about 6 months. I haven't really followed any rotation lately and I think that is why I am gaining, have but started doing random weight workouts. Just started Cathe workouts. I find I do better when I follow rotations and not try and put workout together myself. That is why I am going to do STS
 
I have thicker legs. Not fat, just thicker. I have to be careful with heavy weights. This summer I really focused on lifting heavy and a few months in, I didn't like how I was looking. My traps looked too big for my taste and I felt bulky. My quads tend to bulk quickly. I have been doing Kayla Itsines BBG ( Bikini Body Guide) for 8 weeks now and I am feeling the leanest I have in a long time. My skinny jeans and pants fit nicely ! My body responds to more plyo style training than traditional weights but that's just me and my taste.
 
I tend to gain muscle on my lower body easily, but have a harder time goining on my upper body. Irritatingly I lose fat from my UB first, and it takes time for it to go on my LB. So I end up with bulkier legs when I lift heavy. I know that muscle is denser than fat etc etc so, in theory my legs should get smaller when they gain muscle, but this theory only works if you lose fat at the same rate as gaining muscle! Cathe wrote an article on body types ( endo, ecto, meso morph), and the bit that stayed with me was the idea of having an ecto morph upper body and a mesomorph lower, so that the training needs were different. Lifting for hypertrophy for my top half, and fat loss for my bottom half makes sense to me.

http://cathe.com/fitness-training-body-type-somatotype
 
I have written the same post as Justine many times over the years on these forums. I lift for strength for the upper body and with greater variety, more for endurance, for the lower body.

In theory, heavy lifting is supposed to give us incredible lean muscle all over and a tighter body. But, that is not the experience of every woman. So, what gives?

There is no one solution. Also, there is no short cut for experimentation on your own. Every Cathlete could chime in here with what has worked for her but none of us are you, so you have to start playing around with different programs and approaches and find that winning combination of workouts types, weights to cardio ratio, lifting type, and approach to nutrition and also daily movement quotas (excluding actual exercise) that gives you the body you are comfortable living in.

Once you have that, bear in mind that our bodies change as we age, so what works for you now may not work forever. Stay flexible and keep tweaking.

Cathe herself might tell you that one of the best things you could do is to simply change up your program every month or so to keep your body guessing since our muscles do get used to certain movement patterns and the resistance placed upon them. What works now won't give you the same results in 6 months time. There is certainly nothing wrong with abandoning a program that is not giving you what you want and making you uncomfortable in your own skin. Your workouts are your passport to greater health and enjoyment of the body you live in. You are answerable to no-one else regarding the fitness decision you make and your daily fitness practices.

Personally, I have never been leaner in the lower body than when doing long distance backpacking or frequent distance running, which translates in the gym or in workout-speak to weighted cardio and long, endurance based cardio. So, workouts and Cathe programs that work for me are all step workouts, running, powerwalking, metabolic conditioning, lower body training like Leaner Legs from CTX, Xtrain legs, Lean Legs & Abs and Great Glutes, and Slow & Heavy for upper body.

We are all different.

Just re-reading your post again, you know, there's also nothing wrong with using the STS program as YOU wish, i.e., no-one is forcing you to do all 3 mesocyles, or to finish them all, etc. You might, for example, start Meso 1 and love the results. If you do, stay where you are. if you want to start Meso 2 and see what it does for you, then by all means. If you don't like it, then stop, or keep at it for the upper body for greater strength, but stay with Meso 1 for lower body, or keep Meso 2 for upper and start introducing the plyo workouts from meso 3 for legs along with Meso 1 for lower. There are many ways to work it.

Clare
 
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This topic of leaning out legs has been numerously brough up in so many various way! It would probably
be helpful if those "debulk" thread, whatever everyone would want to call it, could be sticked so whoever claiming to exponentially gain leg
muscle could just read it :):)Here are previous thead on this topic:

http://cathe.com/forum/threads/how-do-i-debulk-myself.277001/#post-2033909
http://cathe.com/forum/threads/how-do-i-debulk-myself.277001/#post-2033909
http://cathe.com/forum/threads/how-do-i-debulk-myself.277001/#post-2033909
http://cathe.com/forum/threads/building-leg-thigh-muscles.295964/#post-2235908

Seemed to have gained some inches in my butt and legs in recent months. I have been doing some lifting recently and I am about to start STS because I want to start a good lifting program, but kinda concerned with adding more bulk to my legs, don't want my pants any tighter. Any suggestions for a good dvd/workout for leaning out the legs?

To reply to your question, there truly is no need to be concerned. The "bulk" you could possibly gain from a 3 or 6 months STS rotation
can only be temporary water retention. Unless you have gained weight from consuming more calories compared to what you have burnt. Why? Muscle is dense and, despite many women claiming to easily gain more muscle than others, it is not feasible to gain a lot of muscle in that timescale to the point of changing wardrobe! To the point of increasing clothing size! :rolleyes::confused:of course this is not the case for professional bodybuilders! Yes muscle is denser than fat and take less space compared to fat.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

My last piece of advise: Try STS in it's entirety, to gain overall strength. If you gain water retention, temporarily suck it up and carry on. Further you weight train consistently, better your body composition will get. Cycle type of training endurance, hypertrophy and pure strength.

STS in it's entirety is a great program. Many have managed to gain better body composition. Some have also lost weight!
 
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I find every set of women's legs are quite unique and will respond differently to certain types of training at different times during their lives.
My legs (at the moment) like STS 2, pilates from time to time and incline walking. (But I change things up very often although walking has always been a good stand by for me when I feel weaker in the legs) Although I have heard other women say that STS 2 makes their upper legs too thick (for their own preference) and they prefer more STS Plyo, Tabatacise Step Blasts and CTX Leaner Legs.

What have you been doing?

Yeah yeah I too have heard this, God knows, How many time!!:confused::rolleyes: Phew. My 2 cents to anyone who can not stand muscular look,
ease off training frequency. Take time off from heavy training and the muscular look will disappear. It take REAL hard work to gain muscle, to build
but it take less time to loose muscular look:):)
 
Thanks for the responses and the links. I appreciate any and all help I can get. I read so much conflicting information on what is the best training (Weights, cardio, Hiits, etc.) and types of workouts that it gets so confusing.
 
I know STS is three days a week and cardio should be the other three days. If I was to purchase another workout set, which would be better to go with STS - RWH, Xtrain, LIS or ICE. Nothing real high impact. I have sampled them all and like them all.
 
LIS if noting real high impact. For me, LIS helped to lean out my legs as well. Some of the cardio workouts incorporate lighter weights, plus there is the turbo barre workout and 2 yoga workouts. ICE would be good also - the ways to use this series are limitless!

Lisa
 
Squats and lunges, I used 10 or 12 lb dumbbells per hand and worked out almost every day that year.

I was amazed at the results. It took a while and patience.
 
Sweetmelissa, I just started BBG 2. I was curious if you used heavier weights with the Legs Circuits or did you just do the 1st BBG which I believe does not use weights (??) One of my goals other than fat loss is to debulk/thin out my muscular thighs. I like muscle and strength but not the size of my quads so there's a fine line to walk with just slimming thighs by muscular atrophy. I def don't want "skinny fat" thighs. I was thinking of maybe subbing some more glute focused exercises for some of the quad focused exercises. Or, simply doing the Leg Circuits in BBG2 all unweighted. What has been your experience? Thanks.
 
Just curious if anyone has experimented with using ART Prescriptives (Terri Walsh) combined with Cathe Low Impact for said effect? I am on a forced hiatus as of now, but this has been peaking my interest quite a bit as I want to do something different again. My backside usually calls for a change and mash-ups from time to time! Lots of fitness folks put on sales this coming week. :)

Thanks.
 
Just curious if anyone has experimented with using ART Prescriptives (Terri Walsh) combined with Cathe Low Impact for said effect? I am on a forced hiatus as of now, but this has been peaking my interest quite a bit as I want to do something different again. My backside usually calls for a change and mash-ups from time to time! Lots of fitness folks put on sales this coming week. :)

Thanks.
Hi Elsi, I have been doing an ART rotation with Kettlebell kickboxing and have had amazing results. I think if you mix anything with ART you will be happy with the results.
 
Hi Elsi, I have been doing an ART rotation with Kettlebell kickboxing and have had amazing results. I think if you mix anything with ART you will be happy with the results.
Thanks for the feedback. I suppose what I was hesitant about was that there appears to be a lot of time spend on isolation work, which I find is unsustainable for me. What do you think? Are you doing isolation stuff many times per week vs. just a Lower Body/Leg day like in pure lifting?
 
Thanks for the feedback. I suppose what I was hesitant about was that there appears to be a lot of time spend on isolation work, which I find is unsustainable for me. What do you think? Are you doing isolation stuff many times per week vs. just a Lower Body/Leg day like in pure lifting?
Good question, I've not thought about it. I'm at the end of the ART beginner series (week 15) which I feel is easy and somewhat leg focused. There is a ton of core work and upper body so id say its an overall body wrkout. I use the ART method on my low intensity days and use KBKB as my high intensity workouts. I'm not much help sorry. I've not ever focused on my core so that's probably why I've had such good results. I'm not lifting anything at the moment either (besides a kettlebell and my own bodyweight). ART has really pulled me in and I feel stronger.
 
Good question, I've not thought about it. I'm at the end of the ART beginner series (week 15) which I feel is easy and somewhat leg focused. There is a ton of core work and upper body so id say its an overall body wrkout. I use the ART method on my low intensity days and use KBKB as my high intensity workouts. I'm not much help sorry. I've not ever focused on my core so that's probably why I've had such good results. I'm not lifting anything at the moment either (besides a kettlebell and my own bodyweight). ART has really pulled me in and I feel stronger.
That is wonderful help, actually. Many thanks. & congrats on your progress so far. :) Sticking with a program for 15 weeks indicates to me that your body is enjoying the work.
I don't have KBKB, but I do use KB fairly regularly (although not as much lately). I just like doing my own finishers or ladders with it.
 
That is wonderful help, actually. Many thanks. & congrats on your progress so far. :) Sticking with a program for 15 weeks indicates to me that your body is enjoying the work.
I don't have KBKB, but I do use KB fairly regularly (although not as much lately). I just like doing my own finishers or ladders with it.
Sorry Elsie, I had forgotten to mention that Terrie Walsh has a special Leg leaning series on her PowHow. Access is $19/month but, that leg series and a couple others can be downloaded to your computer. I love ART its like Cathes workouts for Pilates/yoga (for me anyways)
 

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