Exercises to slim the hips and thighs, and keeping the booty

mom418

mom418

Cathlete
I'm all for working the lower body, but are there any exercises I should avoid?
Or perhaps it can't be helped, because we can't choose where we lose. I'm either pear or hourglass shaped so I lower body is always last to go.
 
Hi there,

I will answer your question based on my experience and research . Excessive long steady state cardio has worked against me for the tush.
If you want a strong one you will have to tone, strengthen it and eventually lose fat in the process. Lunges, squats and deadlifts with heavy weight plus plyometrics combined to Hiit have worked for me.
Now with regards to slimming my thigh, that is what I am aiming for. I reached a plateau and I am on a "attack mission ". One of dynamic catlete natasha aka mini-natty claimed gaining slimmer thigh result with turbo barre. Eventually she will share her thoughts on this .
:)
BTW , there are a few of us here , pear shape , hourglass aware of the fact we need to work/ hit the lower body harder. Combination of barre work, floor work and weight lifting is the way to go. Eating clean is the major key factor. It is more important than the workout.

All the best
 
Last edited:
I'm doing Cathe's Feb 2011 Rock Bottoms rotation for the 1st time. I'm just starting the 3rd week and lost .25 in my thighs so far, but no booty. This rotation is full of lunges, squats and Hiit. On stretch days, I've been doing either yoga or Turbo Barre.

For me any loss in my thighs is a plus, so I plan to stick with this rotation until XTrain arrives.

Lisa
 
I agree with nckfitheart2009 - plyo, Hiit and tabata has worked for my stubborn lower body. I hardly do any steady state anymore - unless it's walking on a recovery day. I think barre and alternating between heavy and light weight/high reps for the lower body keeps it guessing and toned. A running workout here and there also shakes things up. If I run - I go hard with hills. I also am taking more rest days (two instead of one when needed) to compensate for the higher intensity. Diet is also 70% of the equation. Limit sugar and bad fats, white carbs. Good Luck!
 
If you are talking saddlebags, the best exercise I did for getting rid of them was side kicks. The best results I get for thinning the thighs is running, jump squats and heavy weighted squats.

For the keeping the booty...walking lunges.

As others as stated diet is the key.
 
Lioness, yes part of it is saddle bags, but it's just overall much too wide in the whole lower body region, even for me.

To everyone, thanks very much for the suggestions. so far. Sounds like a plan- mixing it up between side kicks/speed skaters, lunges, squats. squat thrusts. Intense cardio- stairs instead of hills, Hiit, Plyo, Tabata, kickboxing. Of course diet and avoiding sitting is important too.

I just realized that in addition to these being great ways for me to get in shape. These workouts are great for when I don't have a lot of time.

If anyone has anything else to add, feel free to chime in. Probably most of us are in the same boat.
 
Horsing Around,
I was just looking it over, and
Rock Bottom (or Diamond Cut) Rotation sounds awesome!
 
How are you doing? You can find lots of free youtube workouts that slim down the hips + thights. I love youtube, don't know why I still order dvds:p

Best wishes,​
 
mom418 said:
I'm all for working the lower body, but are there any exercises I should avoid?
Or perhaps it can't be helped, because we can't choose where we lose. I'm either pear or hourglass shaped so I lower body is always last to go.
Click to expand...

NO, DO NOT AVOID ANY LOWER BODY EXERCISES! Do them ALL! Squats, Lunges, High Steps, Leg Lifts, Heavy Weights, Light Weights, Barre, Hamstring Roll-outs, ect. All lower body exercises plus plyo, hiit, step, kickbox, sliding disc work. Variety is key to creating a fabulous lower body ;). Also, do not neglect the upper body as it does balance out the lower-half.
More muscle overall = less fat overall.

Don't forget like the other's have mentioned, diet is KEY. All the leg lifts in the world will not give you leaner thighs unless your eating is as clean as possible. The less overall fat % you have, the smaller the lower body will get (yes, it's the last to go and it sucks big time). Bad news: you can't change your body shape. If you are a pear, embrace it because you will be a pear forever. Good news: you can visibly lose inches, have nice muscle definition, smooth out your thighs, and reduce cellulite.

I'm a pear-shape gal with a big ol' J Lo booty. Since finding Cathe, I was able to slowly but surely transform my lower body by doing everything I mentioned above. It's a work in progress, but I have lost inches, gained confidence, and (finally!) accepted my curves. It ain't so bad having a little junk in the trunk ;).

Good luck!

Natasha
 
Last edited:
Agree with Natasha! I was doing some warrior poses the other day and happened to look in the mirror and had to smile - I have a firm behind for the first time in years :rolleyes: Love it...
 
Intense cardio

mom418 said:
Lioness, yes part of it is saddle bags, but it's just overall much too wide in the whole lower body region, even for me.

To everyone, thanks very much for the suggestions. so far. Sounds like a plan- mixing it up between side kicks/speed skaters, lunges, squats. squat thrusts. Intense cardio- stairs instead of hills, Hiit, Plyo, Tabata, kickboxing. Of course diet and avoiding sitting is important too.

I just realized that in addition to these being great ways for me to get in shape. These workouts are great for when I don't have a lot of time.

If anyone has anything else to add, feel free to chime in. Probably most of us are in the same boat.
Click to expand...

Hi Lioness,

Can I just add...If at this point You have not been doing Hiit regularly, please take it easy. It is really intense. Also if you have joint issue, you can do low impact ones.

As per Cathe recommendation...3 times per week for pure Hiit is the maximum to do. If you want more cardio add in a steady paces to your routine.Yes variety in workout is what confuse muscle and helps get into shape. I believe variety is also what keeps most of us going :).

Wish you the very best on you saddle attack plan.

Please Keep us posted ;)
 
Yes, definitely. I won't be able to do plyo or HiiT or other extremely intense work very often. Only once a week at first. I'm building up to it. I have stairs I use often. I'm using them to build up my endurance. 25 steps or so, it's difficult to do even a few mins. even when I am in shape. Later, I'll be able to alternate squats w/weights and running stairs for a quick but challenging workout. I also have a whole w/o room full of equipment to use.

I'm also doing much better with diet. It's not difficult right now. I've noticed since I changed my birth control, my hormones really affect my appetite. Certain times I'm hardly hungry, then other times only legumes can fill me up. But I'm back to my normal self, craving healthy food, eating pretty healthy. doing much better with portion size. progress not perfection.
 
mom418 said:
Yes, definitely. I won't be able to do plyo or HiiT or other extremely intense work very often. Only once a week at first. I'm building up to it. I have stairs I use often. I'm using them to build up my endurance. 25 steps or so, it's difficult to do even a few mins. even when I am in shape. Later, I'll be able to alternate squats w/weights and running stairs for a quick but challenging workout. I also have a whole w/o room full of equipment to use.

I'm also doing much better with diet. It's not difficult right now. I've noticed since I changed my birth control, my hormones really affect my appetite. Certain times I'm hardly hungry, then other times only legumes can fill me up. But I'm back to my normal self, craving healthy food, eating pretty healthy. doing much better with portion size. progress not perfection.
Click to expand...

I know, birth control does not help! I had to gradually build up endurance to be the able to enjoy and do Hiit. The more I do more endurance I gain. I am not perfect and NOT aiming to be ;-)
Have you tried kickboxing workouts? You have mentioned side kicks. Those hit upper parts of legs very well :)
Aim to be consistent, you Will get what you want. :)
 
Last edited:
"saddle attack plan" that made laugh!

I'm definitely will be doing kick boxing videos and doing some punching bag and kicks on my own. Lots of talking about hills. There's a park almost in my backyard and my long backyard, but both are very flat. If I walk around in the neighborhood, there are a couple hills, but most frequently I'm using the stairs to get that challenge/lift.

Some people have also mentioned cycling. I used to use my stationary bike all the time, but since the resistance knob, and then the pedal straps broke, I haven't been using it. with so much other equip. to use I'm not missing it. Someday I would like to get a spinning bike, but that is some time in the future.

I'm working on being consistent with a scheduled w/o, and also exercise throughout the day. Extra trips up the stairs (all our bedrooms are upstairs), lunges while vacumning, multitasking while doing squats/calf raises- washing dishes, blow dryer, washing hands 50 times a day..it adds up. Working out with my kids is great too, I don't workout as intensely, but it's great to have a buddy. Or on the weekend we can all do run as a family when I'm in running shape again, or go hiking together.
I'm already down another lb, that's after I lost water from tom, so that's progress. and drinking lots of water and tea.
 
I really appreciate the support and suggestions.
Feeling a bit discouraged atm, bc I just did some measurements. I also looked at some size charts to see about where the size I'm trying to get to is, hip wise. I just didn't realize there were so many inches to lose, but I know I can do this. I've done it before, and I'm going to be consistent and fierce.sp? Started yesterday on the bottom rockers rotation , modifying when I need to. I like the workouts that are listed. I'm on my second day, doing workouts or part of them with my daughter. she's young, so I leave it up to her if she wants to join in or workout on her own. we've been working out together the past weeks, but they were easier workouts, working up to Cathe :) Songza has some great playlists for working out or any mood/activity.
so that helps so much. great music is a must. Cooking my brussel sprouts with red peppers and chipotle mustard. man i love chipotle. its my dressing on salads too.
 
mom418 said:
I really appreciate the support and suggestions.
Feeling a bit discouraged atm, bc I just did some measurements. I also looked at some size charts to see about where the size I'm trying to get to is, hip wise. I just didn't realize there were so many inches to lose, but I know I can do this. I've done it before, and I'm going to be consistent and fierce.sp? Started yesterday on the bottom rockers rotation , modifying when I need to. I like the workouts that are listed. I'm on my second day, doing workouts or part of them with my daughter. she's young, so I leave it up to her if she wants to join in or workout on her own. we've been working out together the past weeks, but they were easier workouts, working up to Cathe :) Songza has some great playlists for working out or any mood/activity.
so that helps so much. great music is a must. Cooking my brussel sprouts with red peppers and chipotle mustard. man i love chipotle. its my dressing on salads too.
Click to expand...

Glad you appreciate the support. I have something else to, hopefully, encourage you to be fierce than ever! I want an inch slimmer thighs. I used to complain too much about them. My measurement, just for thighs, decreased by about 7 inches over years eating pretty clean and working out consistently. ;)
You can do it. The key is to find a workout you truly enjoy. You could possibly just keep up with the fun of the workout instead of over thinking measurements and shrink without realising! This is what happened to me.:cool:
 
Last edited:
mini-natty said:
NO, DO NOT AVOID ANY LOWER BODY EXERCISES! Do them ALL! Squats, Lunges, High Steps, Leg Lifts, Heavy Weights, Light Weights, Barre, Hamstring Roll-outs, ect. All lower body exercises plus plyo, hiit, step, kickbox, sliding disc work. Variety is key to creating a fabulous lower body ;). Also, do not neglect the upper body as it does balance out the lower-half.
More muscle overall = less fat overall.

Don't forget like the other's have mentioned, diet is KEY. All the leg lifts in the world will not give you leaner thighs unless your eating is as clean as possible. The less overall fat % you have, the smaller the lower body will get (yes, it's the last to go and it sucks big time). Bad news: you can't change your body composition. If you are a pear, embrace it because you will be a pear forever. Good news: you can visibly lose inches, have nice muscle definition, smooth out your thighs, and reduce cellulite.

I'm a pear-shape gal with a big ol' J Lo booty. Since finding Cathe, I was able to slowly but surely transform my lower body by doing everything I mentioned above. It's a work in progress, but I have lost inches, gained confidence, and (finally!) accepted my curves. It ain't so bad having a little junk in the trunk ;).

Good luck!

Natasha
Click to expand...

Definately agree!!!!!
 
Body composition

mini-natty said:
NO, DO NOT AVOID ANY LOWER BODY EXERCISES! Do them ALL! Squats, Lunges, High Steps, Leg Lifts, Heavy Weights, Light Weights, Barre, Hamstring Roll-outs, ect. All lower body exercises plus plyo, hiit, step, kickbox, sliding disc work. Variety is key to creating a fabulous lower body ;). Also, do not neglect the upper body as it does balance out the lower-half.
More muscle overall = less fat overall.

Don't forget like the other's have mentioned, diet is KEY. All the leg lifts in the world will not give you leaner thighs unless your eating is as clean as possible. The less overall fat % you have, the smaller the lower body will get (yes, it's the last to go and it sucks big time). Bad news: you can't change your body composition. If you are a pear, embrace it because you will be a pear forever. Good news: you can visibly lose inches, have nice muscle definition, smooth out your thighs, and reduce cellulite.

I'm a pear-shape gal with a big ol' J Lo booty. Since finding Cathe, I was able to slowly but surely transform my lower body by doing everything I mentioned above. It's a work in progress, but I have lost inches, gained confidence, and (finally!) accepted my curves. It ain't so bad having a little junk in the trunk ;).

Good luck!

Natasha
Click to expand...

Hi Everyone,

I would like to clarify. Highlighted info above. Water, muscle and fat are (partially) what the body is composed of. Natasha, We can change that through nutrition and exercise. I am sure other cathletes would agree with me that we can change the muscle/fat and water ratios.:cool:
 
Last edited:
nckfitheart2009 said:
Hi Everyone,

I would like to clarify. Highlighted info above. Water, muscle and fat are (partially) what the body is composed of. Natasha, We can change that through diet and exercise. I am sure other cathletes would agree with me that we can change the muscle/fat and water ratios.:cool:
Click to expand...

:eek: Geeze. Wrong word on my part. My bad. I think I actually meant to say you can't change your body shape, not composition. You guys my drift though ;). Sorry!

Happy booty shaping ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top