<p>So sorry if this is a bad forum to ask this question, but hey, no one wants to put on the freshman 15, so I figured I could get some advice here. </p>
<p>I’m in decent shape but I’d like to tone my legs a little - specifically I want thinner calves and thighs. I’ve heard some people saying running a lot can build up calf muscle and I definitely don’t want that (my calves are too wide). I’ve also had people tell me more intense cardio for shorter intervals is what causes that, and if I do low intensity running for longer distances it’s a good way to slim legs. I have no clue if this is true or not, but I have noticed long-distance runners are the skinny type whereas sprinters are more muscular so maybe it’s true. </p>
<p>Regardless, can someone give me exercise tips? I’ve heard pilates is good but I’ve never tried it.</p>
<p>Watch what you eat at the dining hall. It’s nice that they offer mac and cheese every day, but it might not be forgiving to your thighs or tummy.</p>
<p>Anybody who says that you can tone or “spot reduce” fat on a specific area of your body is flat out lying to you. When you burn fat, you lose it all over your body. Because everyone is different, people tend to store more fat on some parts of their body than on other parts.</p>
<p>Just worry about burning as many or more calories than you consume, and you’ll keep the fat off. But “toning” or “spot reduction” is a total myth. Just thought you should know that.</p>
<p>And I second what someone said earlier about not going overboard with the booze. Alcohol is all empty calories, and it dehydrates you. So just be disciplined about what you eat and lay off the alcohol and you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>Ok, I see what you mean about burning fat all over your body, but what about muscle? For example, my calves aren’t flabby at all, they’re solid, hard, muscular calves - not muscular like a guy’s but muscular like female runners develop since I used to be a sprinter. So say I do leg presses and bike a lot, aren’t I building up the muscle in that area again? </p>
<p>Would running for longer distances at low-intensity (endurance running) vs shorter distances at high-intensity be beneficial? I figured this is why sprinters always have muscular legs and endurance runners are skinnier.</p>
<p>I’m guessing the reason sprinters are more muscular is because they need a lot of quick power to get them going fast in a short amount of time. Whereas long distance runners just need endurance… their muscles have to maintain a decent pace while not tiring out.</p>
<p>I can’t remember the order, but for weightlifting in general you do a low amount of reps for power, a medium amount of reps for size and a high amount of reps for endurance. Or something like that.</p>
<p>Also, you won’t build up much muscle if you don’t feed your body enough to facilitate such growth.</p>
<p>I mean, if I’m understanding this correctly, your calves pretty much already ‘toned.’ You say they’re not flabby, which means there isn’t much fat there. What else do you want / what are you trying to achieve?</p>
I don’t want muscular runner calves. I want skinny little calves.
And my legs aren’t completely toned, my thighs could afford to lose flab for sure. I think because I used to run a lot, then stopped in college, that’s why my thighs got flabbier, so if I start running a lot again they’ll go back to being toned like before. </p>
<p>I started going to the gym about a month ago, but all I do is run and swim (I run outdoors a lot too). Maybe yoga or pilates would help.</p>
<p>Burn more calories than you consume and it doesn’t matter how much muscle you put on your calves. Sure running might develop your muscles more but the fat burning benefits are far greater. People who say otherwise a)don’t know what they’re talking about or b) are lazy and need an excuse.</p>
<p>I’m a distance runner. I run everyday and my legs are pretty “big”, but I’ve always been muscular. Long distance runners are usually smaller because it’s easier for someone that weighs less to carry themselves for a long time, whereas sprinting invloves quick movements and strong muscles (it can get more complicated with the whole physics of it all but that’s pretty much it).</p>
<p>I’d say if you want to lose weight you’re going to have to do more than just run 3 miles a day (if you consider that distance). I know a lot of girls on my team who run ~5 miles everyday and are still the same size they were at the beginning of the season. I would try doing aerobics or something like that – the key to doing well in aerobics though is to actually do the exercise, don’t be afraid to look stupid because then you won’t get the full workout. Eating healthy always helps too :)</p>
<p>A lot about your leg shape is really just genetics though. You’re most likely never going to get incredibly skinny claves, but you could definitely get skinnier calves.</p>