Question for Runners

[kblover]

Hey guys,

I'm just starting running and actually did my first race of the year today - The Martian Marathon (but just did the 10K).

anyway, I'm really bothered by the look of my legs and want to lose weight there as well as tone up.

I wanted to know if weights will help me with my running or hurt me. I'm not looking to bulk up, but I do want to be trim and toned. I have my eye on a pair of shorts I want to run in but I'm not ready to expose that much leg.

any thoughts/suggestions?

CC

 

[syzygy314]

Weights have certainly helped my legs over and above the loss of inches accomplished through running 3x a week!

What I've found is that plyo legs have helped a lot with the strength of my legs to get up those hills with a lot less effort and toned them up quite a bit!

Although I didn't have a lot to lose in my legs, I certainly benefited in the inner thigh area!

Hope this helps you and congratulations on your 10K

 

[aveggiegirl]

Hey guys,

I'm just starting running and actually did my first race of the year today - The Martian Marathon (but just did the 10K).

CC

Just the 10k? Don't sell yourself short. Running a 10k is AWESOME in my opinion! Congratulations.

 

[mdbecky]

I just finished the STS-Shock Cardio 3 month rotation and my legs are looking super good. It really improved my running as well...I am much faster now. I think the HIIT and, as another poster mentioned, the Plyo Legs helped a ton. Note, you will get muscular legs. Good luck!

 

[cindi1]

Weights will definitely help with your running. So will running hills and sprints if you want to improve the appearance of your legs. Running longer distances at a slower pace didn't do as much for my legs as hill and speedwork did.

Lately I've been crosstraining with spin classes and that also has helped my legs.

 

[kblover]

Hmmm.....great thoughts/comments...lots to think about in terms of your comments as well as how my body works. I think I'm going to have to do some trial and error. I'm really scared of those hills but I know I have to conquer them.

Thanks all!
Cheryl

 

[Worknprogress]

Cheryl - weights are never bad for women. Very few have the body composition to bulk up plus as we know, research has shown that weight training is a must for women to keep their bones stronger.

Like previously posted, doing leg weight workouts will make your legs stronger which does make running easier. In the beginning your legs may feel a bit fatigued but that will go away.

Plus the running should help lean out your legs with the weight training giving you some nice definition to your muscle.

And congrats on the 10K!