legs/aerobics

T

talpete

Member
Hi everyone,

Hope someone can back me up on this subject that I find keeps getting slammed in my face.

Does stepping increase muscle mass in your legs versus would it be more likely to trim the legs down? My SO is saying that they are avoiding the leg sections of the videos as they do not want their legs to get any bigger. I am a runner and have been doing workouts in many ways over the years and I firmly believe that the running and stepping and floor exercises tone and shape and basically slim down the legs versus build them up. My SO is getting bigger and bigger legs and refuses to follow my advice.
 
I don't know this for a fact, but I would think that stepping would tone and slim as opposed to build muscle and bulk....
 
I think it is an individual thing. It seems like people who tend to have a heavier lower body and easily build muscle, can get bigger from step work, while those who tend to have leaner lower bodies may be more "toned" and "shaped."

SO? Significant other? They? I'm confused.
 
When I first started working out, I did old-fashioned high impact aerobics. Then I switched to jogging - both not very demanding on the leg muscles. Then I changed again to step aerobics, and I mean SERIOUS step aerobics. I never noticed a difference in my leg muscle size.

The way I understand it, you have to add weight in order to increase muscle mass. You - or your SO - is already used to lifting regular body weight, so I just can't see how muscle size would increase.

Besides which, aerobic activity will help to eliminate fat (unless you're one of those naturally skinny people who don't have any to start with... sigh), which will of course reduce leg size!!!
 
. It really depends on the person genetics. If naturally your legs get built up easily then stepping can increase it. Where as if you’re the type who doesn't get a lot of muscle mass then stepping can tone and slim. If a person gets bulky threw toning and they don't want it, then I usually switch them to a very low muscle tone aerobics in that area. But the main thing is to work in your best heart rate percentile to burn fat. This can turn your normal workout to a 70% of all calories burned from fat workout. Which can slim quickly, but only if you eat cleanly everyday, with no cheating. As simply a hand full of M&Ms or 3 cookies that equal 250 calories can destroy everything you cut back in your diet that day. As well as add fat because of all the sugar, as simple sugar is like acid in the blood stream if there's too much of it at once.

Kit
 
I've been stepping for a lot of years and I've never bulked up from stepping. BUT that's probably because I keep my step height low. I use only the 4-inch top because I have bad knees, so my legs don't work as hard as when I do weighted squats and lunges. I think this varies from one person to the next. I do bulk up fast with weighted squats and lunges. My legs have a better shape if I use very low weights or none at all.

Pinky
 
I am a long distance runner and didn't do lower body weight lifting since I needed my legs to be relaxed and ready for the run, I only streched them out after every run but since I learned to love stepping ;) I noticed my legs became waaayyy stronger, specially my calves,:D ... I am happy with the results, stepping helped my legs to run better :p I do squats and lunches with no weights at all just for the reason of avoiding stressing my legs, I even do sicsors with such agility and that is thanks to the stepping with cathe in her video "Cardio and Weights" and "Step Fit" where she includes those moves a lot! :7
Norma
The older I get the more I love me.

http://www.geocities.com/norma123nyc/MyJourney.html
 
Norma48,

Could you share your rotation which includes joging, stepping and no weight lunge and squat?

I would like to use it as my leg toning rotation.

Thanks

WantFit
 
WantFit:
My Pleasure :)

This is what it works for me:
first day first thing in the morning:
5K fast running, as fast as I can like I would do on a race, same day later in the afternoon step aerobics, my eating that nite is sort of carb loading, brown rice, sweet potatoe, some white meat or fish, veggies, and fruit with yogurt.

Second day first thing in the morning:
slow run, I find my pace where my heart is beating confortably, I go as far as I feel going then coming back the whole tihng takes me 2 to 3 hours, nothing else the rest of the day.

Third day: I just do upper body, abs, back, shoulders and arms with weights, that is all.

Fourth day: 5k fast running, and right there is the park I do squats and lunches to end the work out. later that nite other step work out.

Fifth day: rest

6th day: slow running again routine

7th day I rest.
and start all over again.... I do this for a period of a month, then I relax a little, not too much running not too much cardio, I just rest a lot, sort of lazy, just to miss my workouts a little, and then BAM! like Emeril would say: start all over again for a period of 3 weeks, in the past I didnt rest at all and I burned out or got sick.

Norma
The older I get the more I love me.

http://www.geocities.com/norma123nyc/MyJourney.html
 
Hey everyone,

If I can ask a crazy question. I have friends who want slim legs and I seem to be the opposite. I want big legs. Not fat, but muscular. My husband has said that he likes my strong legs. I guess what I am saying is all my friends or those who workout always think I'm crazy. Don't get my wrong, I certainly don't think slim legs are a bad thing, but they look at me weird when I want big muscular legs. Why is that? And yes I think stepping if prone to muscular legs will keep them that size.



Sorry, I didn't mean to butt in an make this a question for me.



kim
 
Norma,

Thanks for your sharing. You look fabulous in your picture link. I know it all came out from your determination and diciplines.

WantFit
 
Hi Kim,

You're not crazy. I have legs that probably qualify as "big". I do a lot of skiing in the winter and have always geared my workouts to supporting that. So, I've developed rather large "skier legs" or maybe "speed skater" legs, where my quads are kinda big. I think they're pretty cool, but I wish my hips were a little slimmer :+ .

I have actually gotten compliments (respectful compliments) from men about their muscularity, so not everyone thinks they're weird. ;-)

HTH
 
Yeah gail, if someone tells me I look fit, they are always looking at my legs. One man ask me did I play tennis, and I'm thinking what kind of legs do they have? I've never noticed.


Yes, I like my big legs too!!!



kim
 
Kim,

Your not werid, though you may like the article in the back of Shape, Aug 05 issue, it's about a women who always had muscular legs and was teased about as a young girl, and now has found out so many benifits of having them now has the last laugh.

There are benefits to both slim and muscular legs, it's just the fact you got to like what you get, or you'll never be happy. If you like muscular legs then go for it. Personally on myself they don't look good, they look like I stole someone else’s legs and put them on. It has a lot to do with x-small body frame. I have to be careful with building muscle or I look over muscled very easily. But if it works for you’re body frame then go for it. As everyone is different some people have more of an athletic body frame while others have more of a slim line body frame. And some people have an athletic lower body but a slim line upper body, or vice versa.

Kit
 
Hi Kathryn,

Yes, SO is significant other and they is my wife. We both work out but have very different ideas on what works but we are completely different physiques, shapes, body types and what have you. My love is a combination of boot camp videos,running,biking, and whatever else makes me sweat. My wife loves the tapes but is very frustrated with her legs and abs. So, me, the supportive husband has to find a way to give helpful and loving advice:) while being honest and to the point and not hurt her feelings. Anyway, tricky. So, I believe in my running as a way to slim down the legs and tone. She thinks anything she does with her legs will make them bigger so she skips the leg intervals on the tapes adding to the frustration as her legs do not get worked at all other than aiding in her upper body and ab work. So back at square one. We have loads of tapes with numerous leg workouts built in. My advice has been to increase intensity and get the heart rate up, combine some walking/running with aerobics, and some small weights with high reps as that has always helped tone and slim. Muscle burns more calories than fat, right?

Sorry about the long entry, I have run out of ideas and thought maybe some long-term fitness people out there who would be able to relate to what my wife is dealing with could offer some great angle on this. Yikes, I am done! :)
 
Everyone is different but yes she does need to work the legs a little bit. And you're body changes over time, so what worked 5 years ago, may actually do the reverse for you now. Which might be something she's finding, a few years ago she may not needed to work the legs, but now she does. Just an example. Try to get her to try a little bit of leg work. And tell her to give it about 2 months, is she doesn't see any improvement or they get bigger all she has to do is stop and the muscle will fade away and she'll be back at square one. But she'll have tried. But if she thinks there's a lot of fat on the legs/abs, she needs intense cardio and really watch what she eats, as only a good clean diet with cardio will get the fat off. Which I'm sure you know. But a lot of times it's more bumpping the intensity and being a bit more strict with diet, to make a dent in the legs and abs.

But this is a bit of a tough question mostly due the fact, as women age, it seems to be harder and harder to get the legs to keep that nice slim appearance. And it seems like your always switching things and doing stuff as what worked a few months ago, isn't working now, and so on.

HTH,

Kit
 
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