Many people face that when losing weight, they first lose centimeters and volume in the chest and abdomen. We asked the experts why it is tough to get rid of excess weight around the thighs and legs and also found out what to focus on, how to eat, and what exercises to do in the gym and at home to make this part of the body slimmer and slimmer.
A sedentary lifestyle is also terrible for the figure. Therefore, if a person likes to slots at Bollywood, or gets hooked on games like online craps while sitting at the computer at home, it is necessary to do exercises to maintain the tone.
Why leg fat appears
Women have a higher percentage of body fat than men. By 25, for example, healthy-weight women have almost twice as much as men. This physiological difference begins at an early age. From birth until age six, the number and size of fat cells tripled in both boys and girls, resulting in a gradual and equal increase in fat deposits. But after about eight, girls begin to gain fat mass faster than boys. Doctors speculate that this results from a lower rate of basal fat oxidation in women. In addition, the volume increases by increasing the size of the fat cells, not the number of fat cells. Hormones stimulate fat deposition around the waist, buttocks, and thighs in women and the abdomen in men.
Fat deposits on the legs are different in women and men. In women, the hips and pelvis area are more often problematic: these areas are responsible for the function of carrying babies. Therefore, the body tends to make them more voluminous for pelvic stability and the safe carrying of the fetus. Genetically, women are more prone to the accumulation of subcutaneous fat. Men, in general, are easier to lose fat mass, and legs are no exception.
A distinction is made between subcutaneous and intramuscular fat. The former is found on the thighs and is located just under the skin, while the latter is dispersed within the muscles. Most leg fat is found under the skin, which creates fewer health problems in the long run. A small percentage of it is not dangerous; it is necessary for the body’s normal functioning. Keep an eye on your body fat percentage: take checks at the gym, consult a trainer and a doctor.
In addition to gender and genetics, leg fat results from everyday choices. Improper diet, sedentary lifestyle, and sedentary work contribute to excess volume from the buttocks to the shins.
Exercises for skinny legs at home
Exercise can be given to the legs at home, but you should be open to more than this. Add walking or jogging to your daily schedule, be outdoors more, and look for new and exciting activities.
Aerobic exercises are efficient for burning fat. Try to include them in your weekly exercise program. Whether you walk, swim, or bike, choosing the type of exercise you can do with moderate intensity is essential. In addition, you need to increase your heart rate to burn as many calories as possible.
- Side Lunges. Stand up straight with your arms bent in front of your chest or hands on your hips. Take a comprehensive step with your right leg to the side, transfer your center of gravity, and squat to a right angle at the knee. Your left leg remains straight. Smoothly return to the starting position and repeat on the other side. Keep your back straight, and you may tilt your body forward slightly. During the exercise, you can feel the work of the gluteal muscles and quadriceps.
- Squat jumps. From a standing position, feet shoulder-width apart. Arms bent at the elbows in front of you. Squat down with your knees bent. In the process, the hips should be lowered to parallel with the floor: it is essential not to crouch forward. The neck is an extension of the spine, don’t lower your gaze; look straight ahead. From this position, jump up vertically and return to the squat. The speed of the exercise and the number of repetitions can vary depending on the fitness level.
- Kick from Lunge. Classic front lunge with knees of both legs bent at right angles. From this position, extend the left leg forward and kick with the right leg forward as if you were throwing a punch. Repeat several times on one side and then on the other.
- Leg raises in shoulder bridge. Lying on the mat, arms outstretched along your body. Bend your legs, lift your lower torso and transfer your weight to your shoulder girdle. Alternately, lift your feet off the floor, keeping the angle at the knee, and return them to the starting position.
Diet for losing weight in the legs
The main thing is establishing a daily routine and going to bed on time. Also, reconsider your diet: proper nutrition is the key to the optimal work of all internal systems of the body and the improvement of metabolism.
You will not decrease the volume if you emphasize training the lower part of the body, squatting, doing leg presses, and other exercises. Of course, on a bioimpedance analysis of the body, you can see how much fat was and is, but strength training increases muscle, so there is a substitution for one.
Often a person has quite an impressive muscle mass on the hips, and fat is also localized here, which means that the figure looks disharmonious and one wants to lose the volume below. The primary advice, in this case, is to include cardio exercises and to take long and active walks one or two times a day.
It is necessary to reduce carbohydrate intake: remove sugar, honey, food from white flour, and high-glycemic fruits and vegetables from your diet because of the consumption of these products and increased fat depots.
Watch your drinking regimen, and drink plain clean water as needed. To improve peristalsis in the diet should be fiber, fresh fruits, and vegetables. In addition, watch your balance of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Doctors agree that strict, restrictive diets do more harm than good. Moreover, they inevitably lead to kickback: as soon as a person breaks down and returns to the usual regime of eating, extra pounds are deposited even more actively, including in the area of legs, thighs, and buttocks.
Can you lose weight in your legs without pumping them up?
When you exercise your muscles, including your leg muscles, they must adapt to the new conditions. So if you haven’t exercised before, they may get a little bigger. But to rock the legs, you will have to exercise on machines and with weight. If you are afraid of the appearance of extra volume around the hips and calves, emphasize cardio training rather than strength exercises in the gym.
Many people worry about whether their calves and thighs will become even bulkier if they exercise all the time. So it will happen if you train not on endurance (i.e., with a large number of reps) but on strength (using weights), and, secondly if you forget about recovery and relaxation. In this case, fluid will accumulate, provoking swelling, and the legs will increase in volume. To avoid this, rely on functional training without the use of weights and with a large number of reps, do not focus on working and pumping any particular muscle, but choose the complex exercises, regularly practice cardio training, and watch your drinking regime and proper recovery after the training.
