Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below
napsgear
genezapharmateuticals
domestic-supply
puritysourcelabs
UGL OZ
UGFREAK
napsgeargenezapharmateuticals domestic-supplypuritysourcelabsUGL OZUGFREAK

total newb, i hate my legs

G

GG1234

New member
i've always hated my legs, and they're the only thing i'm SUPER self-conscious about. i have bigger thighs, and virtually no calf muscle, and fat knees :( i refuse to wear shorts, and it drives me crazy. i've tried running, and all sorts of other things, with absolutely no results.

what can i do to build up a calf muscle, and just tone up my thighs/knees?

Thanks.



*add* and on a completely different note, i recently gained a bit of weight, and have been trying to lose it. i was eating a lot of fast foods (bad, i know!). i've cut that down almost completely, and am eating a lot more tuna, whole wheat breads, chicken, salads (i'm a salad-aholic... if that's even a word). and i've visibly "lost weight", but, i'm still 130lbs. my face has thinned out, my pants fit a lot more comfortable, etc. but, i'm still the same weight. the amount of exercise hasn't changed at all, so... why have do i look like i've lost weight, feel like i've lost weight, but the scale says otherwise?


(sorry, just kind of an off-the-wall question i figured i'd ask)
 
scorpiogirl said:
If you haven't already...please read thru these first and post your stats....thx :)

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=363631

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=388278
Click to expand...


i'm reading through now.

however, aside from running/biking a lot to thin out my legs in general, what else can i do to build up my calf muscle?

i used to do gymnastics from when i was about 2 or 3 till i was 13, then i tore my achellis tendon, and had to quit. i'm guessing that's why i just have bigger thighs. i'm not too concerned about that, i just want to balance my legs out a bit more. i have virtaully no calf muscle at all, and it just looks off-balance with my thighs.
 
Calf muscles are particularly hard to build - generally you either have them or you don't. However, the exercises that will help are sprints, biking (look at the size calves of the competitive sprinters.. not marathoners... sprinters, and bikers), skating, skiiing. In the gym, standing, seated, leg press calf raises. Plyometrics - jumping, etc.

As far as changing your proportions, that's primarily a function of dieting down to where you aren't just losing bodyfat in the easy places, but also the hard places, like where women suffer - hips, thighs, stomach.
 
I agree - you have them or you don't! I....DON'T! I have to work at keeping them or they disappear!!! lol
 
Sassy69 said:
Calf muscles are particularly hard to build - generally you either have them or you don't. However, the exercises that will help are sprints, biking (look at the size calves of the competitive sprinters.. not marathoners... sprinters, and bikers), skating, skiiing. In the gym, standing, seated, leg press calf raises. Plyometrics - jumping, etc.

As far as changing your proportions, that's primarily a function of dieting down to where you aren't just losing bodyfat in the easy places, but also the hard places, like where women suffer - hips, thighs, stomach.
Click to expand...


i used to ice skate and ski a lot. not so much anymore, a lot more snowboarding though (makes my legs burn after a long day).

i've been working on my diet more. a lot less crap food, almost down to nothing. whole wheat/grain bread if i have bread at all, usually a chicken salad for lunch with green peppers, black olives, tomato, cucumber, a little olive oil and red vinegar (i'll pick on it through out the day), tuna and a cup of tea in the morning for breakfast. dinner depends on if i'm awake enough to make something. that's usually my downfall. macaroni and cheese or something of the like. since i've changed my diet (for the most part), i did notice weight loss (or at least visible loss) in my thighs, hips, and stomach). however, i'm still the same weight i was before... according to the scale.

no one in my family really has a defined calf muscle, unfortuately. my brother, sister, and both my parents have generally the same leg shape... no calf, and bigger knees/thighs. :(

i'll try some of the exercises you suggested. is there any other suggestions you can give? i'm a total newb to working out. i usually just kind of wing it, i have no real idea what i'm doing. :worried:
 
GG1234 said:
i used to ice skate and ski a lot. not so much anymore, a lot more snowboarding though (makes my legs burn after a long day).

i've been working on my diet more. a lot less crap food, almost down to nothing. whole wheat/grain bread if i have bread at all, usually a chicken salad for lunch with green peppers, black olives, tomato, cucumber, a little olive oil and red vinegar (i'll pick on it through out the day), tuna and a cup of tea in the morning for breakfast. dinner depends on if i'm awake enough to make something. that's usually my downfall. macaroni and cheese or something of the like. since i've changed my diet (for the most part), i did notice weight loss (or at least visible loss) in my thighs, hips, and stomach). however, i'm still the same weight i was before... according to the scale.

no one in my family really has a defined calf muscle, unfortuately. my brother, sister, and both my parents have generally the same leg shape... no calf, and bigger knees/thighs. :(

i'll try some of the exercises you suggested. is there any other suggestions you can give? i'm a total newb to working out. i usually just kind of wing it, i have no real idea what i'm doing. :worried:
Click to expand...
Don't just "wing it" - you could hurt yourself! Do a search on the web of exercises and how to do them. There is tons of info. - and pics. It will definitely help you! :)
 
im sure you see something different than everyone else see's ... as do most.
 
YaH reality is never what we think it:0

Keep working at it and dont stress
 
*MissFit* said:
YaH reality is never what we think it:0

Keep working at it and dont stress
Click to expand...


i know. i look back at pictures from about 2 years ago or so, and l remember thinking i looked fat back then. now, i think i almost looked too skinny. lol

i've never really been self conscious about anything, except my legs. just something i have to work on i guess. when i was at the lowest weight when i was in college, 105lbs (i'm 5' tall) i was almost happy with my legs. i was working out a LITTLE bit back then, jogging for about 15-20 minutes a few days a week. then i stopped, and it just went downhill. i think i'm going to go shopping for a tred mill and put it in the garage.


do you think it would be worth it to pick up any other machines? an eliptical (sp?), one of those bike machines, etc?

it's cold out, and i really dislike gyms, so, i'd rather just pick up a few machines, and some weights or something, and just do what i can here at the garage (where i work and spend 90% of my days).
 
GG1234 said:
i know. i look back at pictures from about 2 years ago or so, and l remember thinking i looked fat back then. now, i think i almost looked too skinny. lol

i've never really been self conscious about anything, except my legs. just something i have to work on i guess. when i was at the lowest weight when i was in college, 105lbs (i'm 5' tall) i was almost happy with my legs. i was working out a LITTLE bit back then, jogging for about 15-20 minutes a few days a week. then i stopped, and it just went downhill. i think i'm going to go shopping for a tred mill and put it in the garage.


do you think it would be worth it to pick up any other machines? an eliptical (sp?), one of those bike machines, etc?

it's cold out, and i really dislike gyms, so, i'd rather just pick up a few machines, and some weights or something, and just do what i can here at the garage (where i work and spend 90% of my days).
Click to expand...

Do you train with weights at all.....
 
GG1234 said:
i know. i look back at pictures from about 2 years ago or so, and l remember thinking i looked fat back then. now, i think i almost looked too skinny. lol

i've never really been self conscious about anything, except my legs. just something i have to work on i guess. when i was at the lowest weight when i was in college, 105lbs (i'm 5' tall) i was almost happy with my legs. i was working out a LITTLE bit back then, jogging for about 15-20 minutes a few days a week. then i stopped, and it just went downhill. i think i'm going to go shopping for a tred mill and put it in the garage.


do you think it would be worth it to pick up any other machines? an eliptical (sp?), one of those bike machines, etc?

it's cold out, and i really dislike gyms, so, i'd rather just pick up a few machines, and some weights or something, and just do what i can here at the garage (where i work and spend 90% of my days).
Click to expand...

Weights hunny:)

r the key to nice legs..
I have trouble doing dead lifts but squats have made my legs nicer than they have ever looked
 
*MissFit* said:
Weights hunny:)

r the key to nice legs..
I have trouble doing dead lifts but squats have made my legs nicer than they have ever looked
Click to expand...


never weight trained. like i said, i'm a TOTAL newb, and really have absolutely no idea what i'm doing as far as working out, weight lifting, etc. lol i've tried doing squats before, but i don't know if i was doing it right or not.
 
Yep, you need to get some weight training in there! Cardio - especially too much cardio - isn't going to do it all. Diet, weights - then cardio.
 
Gotta have diet, and the weights. Squats are a great exercise, but I never noticed a huge difference until I started lunges. Walking lunges with DB's are probably the best, but standing forward or backward lunges work too depending on the space available.
 
If you want to workout at home, I would get some dumbells and a rack to start with. You can use them for almost every exercise. Have you been doing any calf raises? You can do them just standing there and it's a start.

Also about the scale saying you're the same weight, but you're looking smaller. It could be because you've put on some muscle, but lost some bf.
 
Sassy69 said:
http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=449825

I knew I was experiencing deja vu....
Click to expand...


haha yea, i saw her post that up a little after i put my thread up. :)

i work in a huge warehouse/garage (3800sq/ft) working on cars and stuff. and i'm trying to convince my boss/business partner/roomate/not-quite-boyfriend to let me use one of the rooms on the side for exercise equipment and stuff (it's basically just used for storing crap right now). our apartment is EXTREMELY small (barely big enough to fit the couches and our bed), and there's no way we could fit anything else in there.

he wants to get back into running again also (he was a runner back in HS and college), so, i think he may go for it with a little convincing :D


what are calf raises? (sorry if that sounds like a dumb question)

i appreciate all the help :) the last forum i went to a while ago, no one replied, or they were just rude. thanks :)
 
Just stand there and raise up on the balls of your feet. I use a wood block to get a stretch on each rep when I come back down. Do a web search on "calf raises", look at the pics. There's a ton of them.

 
Well I used to have no calves and decided to sit on the seated calf raise machine 4 days a week.... Could be overtraining but I started at 45 pounds and then I would just squeeze the heck out of them at the top of the rep and do them until I couldn't walk. That made my gastroc start popping out. Then I started running long distance and that gave me more definition. Now I do standing calf raises, seated calf raises, and angled calf raises. Or Calves twice a week. I noticed one of last year's figure competitions (Where the GNC competitor took first) that she was the only one on stage with some calf definition. The one girl looked like pole legs (which I used to have), and the others just had a blob of gastroc and soleus melted together. So you are not the only one that has trouble with this part of the body. From my experience you definitely need to add lots of weight and just burn the heck out of them.
 
hmm... maybe i'll start doing those.

i've done those before, but when i do them, my heels kind of pop out to the sides, not straight back. is there a certain way to do them? just lift the heels straight up, i'm assuming?
 
You can do them straight, toes in and toes out (as with all calf exercises). Try doing 6 sets of 20-25 - toes in, out and straight. You're last 5 reps should be excrutiating....make 'em burn to the point you have to sit down and shake them out. It works! :)
 
scorpiogirl said:
You can do them straight, toes in and toes out (as with all calf exercises). Try doing 6 sets of 20-25 - toes in, out and straight. You're last 5 reps should be excrutiating....make 'em burn to the point you have to sit down and shake them out. It works! :)
Click to expand...


which is better to work the inner calf?

walking in snowboard/ski boots... is KILLER on the calf muscles. i learned that while walking about 1/4 mile across the parking lot for the first time this season with my boots on. lol

i'll give those a try tonight :) thanks.
 
GG1234 said:
which is better to work the inner calf?

walking in snowboard/ski boots... is KILLER on the calf muscles. i learned that while walking about 1/4 mile across the parking lot for the first time this season with my boots on. lol

i'll give those a try tonight :) thanks.
Click to expand...
Toes in for the inner calf (Medial Head of the Gastrocnemius muscle).

 
another interesting exercise is to walk back & forth (like 20 steps each direction) on your toes carrying 45 lb plates, doing the full calf extension on each step.
 
buffalogal said:
Now there's some calves!! Nice avi, MissFit!! :)
Click to expand...


i have to agree :)


thanks for all tips/advice :)

now i gotta get my butt into gear and start doing all of these regularly... and not just whenever i remember :p
 
GG1234 said:
i have to agree :)


thanks for all tips/advice :)

now i gotta get my butt into gear and start doing all of these regularly... and not just whenever i remember :p
Click to expand...
:velvett: I think Sassy's "plate walking" sounds like it kicks ars!!!
 
It actually works pretty good if no one stops in front of you. Definitely wear your gloves as the plates can get heavy. And have a good place to set down the plates at the end of your walk so you don't drop them on something or yourself.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
how can I grow my legs bigger?
Replies
8
Views
575
ceo
ceo
J
Supplements / diverticulitis
Replies
8
Views
852
SteveMobsterG
SteveMobsterG
A
boosting my lean mass as a female
Replies
12
Views
2K
Quadsweep
Quadsweep
Resurrected
Approved Log My Comeback Lifestyle Log
Replies
63
Views
7K
the_alcatraz
the_alcatraz
R
Recomping after years of being chubby
Replies
20
Views
2K
Noah Wixx
Noah Wixx
Top Bottom