Question:
I was wondering what
types of exercises I can do to lose inches off my thighs
without gaining a whole lot of muscle. I have muscular legs
already, but I want to lose the fat around them. Do you
have any diet tips or exercises to help me?
Answer:
The primary factor that influences
whether an exercise builds muscle or not is rep range, while
losing fat depends heavily on nutrition.
If you want to get stronger
without gaining much muscle, use a range of between 1 to
3 reps where you reach muscular failure in that range.
Alternatively, if you use
a rep range of 15 or more reps per set, you will build muscular
endurance and very little muscle mass.
You can combine both of these
rep ranges into a workout while avoiding everything in the
middle (between 4 - 15 reps).
Exercises such as squats,
lunges, leg curls, stiff-legged deadlifts, leg extensions,
and calf raises are all excellent for toning your legs.
For instructions on how to
best do some of these exercises, click
here.
Cardiovascular training such
as running is very good for keeping the thighs from gaining
much muscle while still losing fat. Not too many runners
have big legs but most have very lean legs. The same is
true of cycling or the stair machine.
---------
As far as nutrition goes,
1. Increase your protein intake,
e.g. eggs, lean meat, chicken, fish, etc. This help to support
your metabolism.
2. Cut back on junk food.
This will make a huge difference quickly. You don't have
to totally eliminate it, just decrease it greatly.
3. Don't eat anything before
a workout. If you do, your body will burn what you just
ate rather than fat.
4. Eat directly after a workout.
Stick to protein and low-fat foods.
5. Try not to eat late at
night. Your body won't have a chance to use those calories
and will store them as fat.
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