Do any of you ladies have any ideas for good things to do to trim up the butt, thigh section?

Honestly? There's no amazing secret. Eat 6 clean, healthy and balanced meals a day at a deficit if you have fat to lose, make sure you are training your legs/glutes with squats and lunges of all kinds, and do your cardio. I find that running, walking on an incline, and the stepmill are all pretty good.

It all boils down to building up some nice firm muscles so you won't merely end up with smaller but still flabby legs/glutes when you drop your body fat down.

Hi Babe!

Good to see you on the boards! :claphigh:

I have learned so much here and though you are in GREAT shape to begin with, I know you will learn a lot from everyone here and also have a lot to offer to all of us.

Keep up the good work hunny! :tucool:

P.S. If you all have not figured it out, this gal is my wife! HA HA.

I find that squats and lunges worked wonders on my thighs, but I'm still trying to add junk to my trunk!

I want to make a recommendation: Now this may sound kinda weenie, (nobody laugh at me, please) but there's a dvd called Tamilee Webb's "I Want That Body". (She was the Buns of Steel Lady, btw.) Anyway, there are buns n thighs, abs, and arms workouts, two different 15 minute programs for each. So you get 6 different 15 minute workouts. Depending on your level of fitness, you can make the buns n thighs part harder by adding weights, or doing both programs in a row. I have been doing these for about 3 weeks and there is already a visible (and tactile, hehe) difference, and i'm not tired of it yet. My behind is getting back up where it's supposed to be. I don't care for exercise vids, but this one was recommended to me, and I love it to pieces. Got it from Amazon.com.

apart from getting your weights in a few days a week, make sure you diet is sound and then TONS of cardio. low intensity and high intensity. Mix it up.... cardio 6 days a week, you will slim down in no time.

There is no way to spot reduce. Squats and lunges- with heavy weight (enough weight to be challenging)- will help tighten things up back there- and other than that- a clean diet- and intermittant cardio sessions will help to reduce overall body fat.

Have fun and keep us posted on your progress! ;D

xoxo

If you all have not figured it out, this gal is my wife! HA HA.

Welcome, wilkommen, bien venue, suwa bona... etc...

Ry... dude... you haven't explained the unicorn concept of spot trainin' to the wife? :lol:

Seriously, good to see more couples interested in fitness... it's so much easier when your S/O is on the wagon, too.

-R

apart from getting your weights in a few days a week, make sure you diet is sound and then TONS of cardio. low intensity and high intensity. Mix it up.... cardio 6 days a week, you will slim down in no time.


if you do cadio more than 3 days/week, don't you lose muscle? how can you keep the muscle but rid the excess fat?

if you do cadio more than 3 days/week, don't you lose muscle? how can you keep the muscle but rid the excess fat?

frequently isnt really a factor in muscle loss. Just doing it for too long and without sufficient calories to support it.

*Was confused at the topic title. Thought it was to do with shaving :P :lol:

*Was confused at the topic title. Thought it was to do with shaving :P :lol:
:lol: :lol: :lol: You must not be in the “Baby got back” club like I am!

Hi Babe!
Keep up the good work hunny! :tucool:
P.S. If you all have not figured it out, this gal is my wife! HA HA.

Just too cool for words. Supportive partners are incredibly important, and public displays of affection ROCK!!!!

Hi ryswife! We are in the same boat. You got great answers to your question. I hope you will keep us updated with your progress. :flex:

Do any of you ladies have any ideas for good things to do to trim up the butt, thigh section?


:) Causticamuse is exactly on target with the entire picture and I couldn’t agree more with her diet and cardio assessment. After the diet, cardio and weightlifting program kick in and do their part for overall fitness and desired body fat, women who tend to carry the bulk of their weight in the posterior may still need to re-shape their lower body and squats are the way to go. But not necessarily with tons of weight for that tends to add dimension and this is something that some of us don't need any help with. All that is truly needed to reshape the rear end is light weight (30 to 40 lbs.) and many reps. Five minutes of them, wide stance, close stance, squat/lifts, etc. etc., two days a week, mix it up all in the same time span! It worked for me, after achieving my target weight of 130lbs I was still a size 6 in pants. Two years of doing 5 minutes of squats, with no weight loss, I am now a size 4. (I realize I’m older and perhaps two years might be too long a period of time for a younger woman to want to wait for her results…. :rolleyes: oh well just my input!)

Welcome, wilkommen, bien venue, suwa bona... etc...

Ry... dude... you haven't explained the unicorn concept of spot trainin' to the wife? :lol:

Seriously, good to see more couples interested in fitness... it's so much easier when your S/O is on the wagon, too.

-R

Blue, I have fallen down on the job...dangit! No but actually I have not explained the unicorn concept because I have never heard of it? What is it? I mean I know you cannot spot reduce of course, but what is that particular unicorn concept all about? I think (from my in person convos with her) she was probably wondering more about TONING than trimming.

She has been doing awesome and I have certainly noticed a difference all around! I am so proud of her, Smoookin! She can tell ya'll what her routine is like, but she amazes me...5 years ago when we started working out we could not run together without her being a good 10-15 yards behind me the majority of the time. Now she runs 3 miles at a solid pace every morning to start her day and she could beat me in a foot race hands down. Amazingly with all that cardio she has also really developed a great feminine build. Spousal support is a great blessing to have and I am thankful for her in that respect!

We are headed to Puerta Vallarta in August and I will be proud to have her next to me at the beach!! :cool: :nod: :claphigh: :drool: :tucool:

Thank you guys for all the advice. I started running rather than the eliptical and I think it's making a much bigger difference. The hard part is that I am on the last leg, getting rid of the final fat (does that make sense?) so the results are harder to see and seem farther apart. And I started doing a squat exercise on the smith machine that I really like that works outter, inner thighs and hams. I also have been using the rubber bands to work on toning that area. What do you guys think of that? And one more question: so what is enough calories to suport all the running without losing muscle? I am 5'2'', 113 (and yes, that's not a lot, but that doesn't mean I don't have fat on my butt!). As I figured it out on a website, I need to have 1800 calories a day. I have been trying to keep track and doing pretty well until it comes to dinner, because it's harder to keep up with. My husband told me to read Marcus's article on the calorie thing, but I would like your input too.

And yes, I have a wondeful husband :o)

if anyone is interested, take a look at oprah's website and click on "boot camp" it has some interesting info on eating habits.
www.oprah.com

I do some of the leg things in Windsor Pilates in order to strengthen an old hip injury. My SO does them with me and I swear his butt is getting even tighter :o

The hard part is that I am on the last leg, getting rid of the final fat (does that make sense?) so the results are harder to see and seem farther apart.

YES YES YES! This is the part that separates the women from the little girly sissies!
I am cutting and am still waiting for that stubborn lower body fat to wake up and get with the lean-me program. :lol:

Just keep up the work and you will get to the goal...

And everyone who can testify, feel free to say this along with me, "Failure is NOT an option!" :tucool:

The hard part is that I am on the last leg, getting rid of the final fat (does that make sense?) so the results are harder to see and seem farther apart.

I've seen some pretty great results with plyometrics with my trainer twice a week. This agrees with what Carole suggests of high rep, lower weight workouts. Often it is just body weight, but some of the best workouts I've had (and I've squated heavy before (225 -for a girl, I consider that heavy :flex: )

Maggie/Caustic is right on with good, clean nutrition and plenty of cardio as well. The synergy of all these combined gets you on a roll with one hot bod. Enjoy Puerto Vallarta! :cool:

This is my first time to really visit this site but this thread caught my eye right away. I'm a 33 year old female mother of 2 and married. I work full time. My days are very crazy but we manage to squeeze in Taekwondo 3 times a week (almost every week time down for being sick) and then we do weights 3 nights a week. My husband has added running to the schedule...first thing in the morning. He has a lot of endurance where I do not. I have problems breathing with really heavy exercise (like running). I am trying. No where near 3 miles a day or even close to keeping up with my spouse. I did get up this morning (without my husband) and did my two blocks(which I know isn't a lot but it's the best I've got in me right now) I am basically running one block and walking one....I run one side....walk one side. My body is trying to fall apart on me but I refuse to let it win. At least that is what I keep telling it. I do plan on moving forward with the amount of running I do verses the amount of walking. I want to get to the point where I can run both times around the block and then go a third time and so on.

For food intake we are doing the "body for Life" routine. we do the six meals a day and it's all items from the book. we don't leave anything out and we don't replace anything....if Bill Phillips put it in there that is what we eat....mushrooms and all :d_frown: ) So I'm pretty sure we are doing ok in the food area.

With all that said....About a year and half ago I had gotten up to 215(i'm only 5'5") I guess all work and no play will make one fat. I'm down now to about 170 or so....depending on the kind of week I've had. I've gone from a tight 16 to an almost loose 12. We have been doing measuring about once a week and plugging it into a website that my husband uses. Mybodycomp.com. I appear to be going up in body fat and up in measurements...I'm not sure how that is even possible. Especially if I'm going down in clothing size. I'm not a quitter but it's getting very upsetting to me. I keep telling myself that it's all about how the clothes fit and not the scale or tape but the child in me still wants to see results in everything. Not only is it a disappointment to me that I appear to be going in reverse but I feel like I'm letting my husband down as well. Any Advice on this? Can anyone see something I am doing wrong?

This is my first time to really visit this site but this thread caught my eye right away. I'm a 33 year old female mother of 2 and married. I work full time. My days are very crazy but we manage to squeeze in Taekwondo 3 times a week (almost every week time down for being sick) and then we do weights 3 nights a week. My husband has added running to the schedule...first thing in the morning. He has a lot of endurance where I do not. I have problems breathing with really heavy exercise (like running). I am trying. No where near 3 miles a day or even close to keeping up with my spouse. I did get up this morning (without my husband) and did my two blocks(which I know isn't a lot but it's the best I've got in me right now) I am basically running one block and walking one....I run one side....walk one side. My body is trying to fall apart on me but I refuse to let it win. At least that is what I keep telling it. I do plan on moving forward with the amount of running I do verses the amount of walking. I want to get to the point where I can run both times around the block and then go a third time and so on.

For food intake we are doing the "body for Life" routine. we do the six meals a day and it's all items from the book. we don't leave anything out and we don't replace anything....if Bill Phillips put it in there that is what we eat....mushrooms and all :d_frown: ) So I'm pretty sure we are doing ok in the food area.

With all that said....About a year and half ago I had gotten up to 215(i'm only 5'5") I guess all work and no play will make one fat. I'm down now to about 170 or so....depending on the kind of week I've had. I've gone from a tight 16 to an almost loose 12. We have been doing measuring about once a week and plugging it into a website that my husband uses. Mybodycomp.com. I appear to be going up in body fat and up in measurements...I'm not sure how that is even possible. Especially if I'm going down in clothing size. I'm not a quitter but it's getting very upsetting to me. I keep telling myself that it's all about how the clothes fit and not the scale or tape but the child in me still wants to see results in everything. Not only is it a disappointment to me that I appear to be going in reverse but I feel like I'm letting my husband down as well. Any Advice on this? Can anyone see something I am doing wrong?

first... CONGRATS on starting your transformation and making all of the gains (or losses) you have so far :claplow:

second... the food list for BFL is just 'suggested' foods... you don't need to eat every single item on the list... if you don't like the something... don't eat it. Why don't you post your typical day's meal plan here and we can see if there is anywhere you could tweak it.

third... DON'T worry about your scale weight... take pictures, have your body fat tested at the gym, measure yourself... all of these tools will help you determine progress much better than the scale EVER will... I've only lost, roughly, seven pounds in the past three months... but I've gone from about 30% body fat down to 20%... I am much leaner than I was and it shows... but if I went only by scale weight I might be depressed with what looks like very slow, almost non-existant progress... see what I mean... the scale is not a good indication of progress... you've gone down SEVERAL sizes... that's what you should pay attention too... you've done GREAT!

Post your pictures, your meal plan (typical day) and your workout schedule... I'm sure you'll get a LOT of really great advise... this board is a GREAT source of information and positive reinforcement :gl:

Thanks so much for the response. I don't have pictures...although my husband will use your request against me. I so much hate pictures and to even think about taking one where someone might actually see flesh...well I'll need a big tall stiff drink for that. probably a couple.

Typical day: Mind you the meal 5's change but are always a dinner from the book....we pretty much eat those meals we like and stay away from those that I can't bring myself to eat. My family likes mushrooms...I don't...so I try to suffer through that. I just squesh them between something.

Meal 1: Eggs and Cereal

1/2 cup egg whites
1 portion Kellogg's Complete Oat Bran Flakes (About 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup skim milk

Meal 2: Turkey Crisp

2 slices Turkey Breast ( I use the fat free meat) about 2 oz
1 slice reduced -fat Swiss cheese about 1 oz (I get it already sliced)
2 Ry Krips crackers

Meal 3: Either a Chicken wrap or a turkey sandwich

Chicken wrap:

1 portion grilled chicken breast (my portion is pretty small since my palm is so small...I use just what fits in the palm of my hand)

1 cup lettuce
1TBSP low-fat caesar salad dressing
1 TBSP reduced -fat Parmesan cheese
1 10-inch spinach tortilla

Turkey Sandwich:

1 TBSP mustard (usually just a little I like mustard but not too much)
2 slices Whole-wheat bread (we make sure there is not high frutose in there)
2 lettuce leaves
1 portion turkey breat (fat free)
1/2 tomato

Meal 4:

1 apple (I try to make sure it's no bigger than my fist...if it is I just don't eat it all)

1 portion Part-skim string cheese (usually 2 sticks)

Meal 5:

Lemon Pepper Salmon:

1 portion brown rice with green onions and parsley to taste
6 oz salmon broiled with a mixture of Fat-free mayonnaise, lemon juice and lemon pepper...it's just brushed on and then broiled

1/4 pound of broccoli florets steamed

Meal 6: If eaten it's usually either a slice of the cheese cake or the pumpkin cheese cake in the eating for life book. Lately I haven't been eating this meal because I'm just not hungry and it's unually after 8pm when it's time to eat Meal 6

so that is typically my intact

we try to drink water or tea (no sugar)

As for the scale...we do weigh in each week or at least try to but what is really getting me down is the fact that when we measure and do the body fat calculation I'm usually increasing instead of decreasing. I think the scale bothers my husband more than me...I keep telling him that female muscle just weighs more than guys :D but I don't think he buys it.

Workout:

Mondays:
Taekwondo

Tuesday:
Run in the morning
Weights in the evening (Biceps and triceps..I believe we do those on Tuesdays)

Wednesdays:
Taekwondo

Thursday:
Run in the morning
Weights in the evening (Legs)

Fridays:
Taekwondo

Sunday:
run in the morning
weights in the evening (back and shoulders)

:) Enjoy the drink and take the pictures…………I like you didn’t want to see pictures, didn’t take them and now regret not having taken them. Unlike you I didn’t have benefit of this forum (nine years ago) and didn’t realize how important the pictorial comparisons would be. Please, please do yourself a favor, take them. Bottoms up and smile for the camera!! :tu:

I'm with liteweight, We train together, with the same trainer :claplow:

I have never had much of a butt before, it was flat and headed "south" Since doing plyometric training with dtrainer, my rear is finally standing up and getting attention (mostly my dhubbies ;) it deserves. My legs have more definition/cuts and tone than they did when i was squating heavier weights too. Not to mention that the training and intensity is a great fat burner :tu:
Clean eats and cardio are also very important.

:) Causticamuse is exactly on target with the entire picture and I couldn’t agree more with her diet and cardio assessment. After the diet, cardio and weightlifting program kick in and do their part for overall fitness and desired body fat, women who tend to carry the bulk of their weight in the posterior may still need to re-shape their lower body and squats are the way to go. But not necessarily with tons of weight for that tends to add dimension and this is something that some of us don't need any help with. All that is truly needed to reshape the rear end is light weight (30 to 40 lbs.) and many reps. Five minutes of them, wide stance, close stance, squat/lifts, etc. etc., two days a week, mix it up all in the same time span! It worked for me, after achieving my target weight of 130lbs I was still a size 6 in pants. Two years of doing 5 minutes of squats, with no weight loss, I am now a size 4. (I realize I’m older and perhaps two years might be too long a period of time for a younger woman to want to wait for her results…. :rolleyes: oh well just my input!)

Carole,
Can you help me with some specifics? I am really trying to get my rountine in gear. First, I got some basic toning exercises that I have been doing in the morning... but about squats: should I do them on one of those smith machines? What about the squat machine? One of my big struggles is form, so I like to use machines when I can. What do you think about doing the same exercises for weeks at a time? Should I switch up these exercises each lifting day in a week? (I lift m/w/f, with light cardio at the beginning or end, and do intense cardio t/th/s). I have heard that you should change your routine every 4-6 weeks. That seems like a lot. So a trainer gave me a tip that I should have two workouts that are different but work all the same muscles and rotate them every two weeks. So that's what I have been doing. Full body workouts, 3 days a week, alternating work out every two weeks. But when I said I needed to re-do my workouts, my husband said that I should change up what I am doing each day. A little bit differnt monday, than Wednesday, and so on. So I am confused on what to do. And I really want to cut the backside area. It's always the last place to go. And what do you guys think about running vs eliptical. Technically, I am supposed to burn more fat when I am on the eliptical, keeping my heart rate in the right place, and so forth. But I feel like I get better results when I run, run, run. So, there's about a million questions from the slacker who hasn't been on since October. :o) I appriciate any input.

-- ryswife

I know a chick who literally bicycled her butt off. :D

It works wonders...

Carole,
Can you help me with some specifics? I am really trying to get my rountine in gear. First, I got some basic toning exercises that I have been doing in the morning... but about squats: should I do them on one of those smith machines? What about the squat machine? One of my big struggles is form, so I like to use machines when I can. What do you think about doing the same exercises for weeks at a time? Should I switch up these exercises each lifting day in a week? (I lift m/w/f, with light cardio at the beginning or end, and do intense cardio t/th/s). I have heard that you should change your routine every 4-6 weeks. That seems like a lot. So a trainer gave me a tip that I should have two workouts that are different but work all the same muscles and rotate them every two weeks. So that's what I have been doing. Full body workouts, 3 days a week, alternating work out every two weeks. But when I said I needed to re-do my workouts, my husband said that I should change up what I am doing each day. A little bit differnt monday, than Wednesday, and so on. So I am confused on what to do. And I really want to cut the backside area. It's always the last place to go. And what do you guys think about running vs eliptical. Technically, I am supposed to burn more fat when I am on the eliptical, keeping my heart rate in the right place, and so forth. But I feel like I get better results when I run, run, run. So, there's about a million questions from the slacker who hasn't been on since October. :o) I appriciate any input.

-- ryswife


ryswife... the best cardio you can do, is the one that you LIKE to do... if you don't like the eliptical, don't do it... if you like to run... run.. simple isn't is :tu:

what you should probably do after a while is move away from full body workouts... they are great for beginners but once you've gotten used to them you should move to a split workout of some kind... the split I used to do is:

back/chest/bi's
shoulders/tri's
cardio only
legs/abs
cardio only

then start all over again

my current split looks like this (this is pretty hard core, but will work the heck out of your legs and butt):

day 1 - back/chest
day 2 - gluts day (lots of different lunges, straight leg deadlifts and glut push backs [on a machine])
day 3 - cardio only
day 4 - bi's/tri's
day 5 - shoulders/abs
day 6 - cardio only
day 7 - full leg day (squats, leg press, leg extensions, leg curls, straight leg deadlifts & sumo squats)
day 8 (or new day 1) - cardio only

splits can change a LOT depending on your goals and what you really need to work on... my upper body shapes up faster than my legs and butt do.. so I'm working them pretty hard (or at least I will be again once my ankle and my knee heal... right now I'm not doing either leg day :mad: darnit).. oh and I do cardio 5 to 6 day's a week :tu:

Hey Hun, Good to see you here! Thanks to everyone who has given her input!

Hunny - you are in great shape and I am glad that you are at the point where you feel you need to take it to the next level. You could go either way like we talked about in terms of mixing in 3 different full body workouts each week or even trying a 3 day split, which now that I think about it and have read Chameleons post may be something to consider as you in such great shape already and have several years experience lifting...

I am very proud of you...get this ladies and gentlemen...4 years ago when we got married she could not run more than a 1/4 mile with me before getting winded and having to walk...and its not like she was overweight at all at that time, just not in shape. NOW, she can outrun me any day of the week and knocks out 5 mile runs several times a week with a couple 2.5 - 3 mile runs in between! She has become and inspiration to me in my fitness and is my favorite training partner and she is dead sexy on top of all of that...

Ok:whistle: ...going to go prepare myself to recieve brownie points...but it was all true, every bit of it, I promise babe!

:lol:

awww. what a guy! keep him.

ryswife... the best cardio you can do, is the one that you LIKE to do... if you don't like the eliptical, don't do it... if you like to run... run.. simple isn't is :tu:

what you should probably do after a while is move away from full body workouts... they are great for beginners but once you've gotten used to them you should move to a split workout of some kind... the split I used to do is:

back/chest/bi's
shoulders/tri's
cardio only
legs/abs
cardio only

then start all over again

my current split looks like this (this is pretty hard core, but will work the heck out of your legs and butt):

day 1 - back/chest
day 2 - gluts day (lots of different lunges, straight leg deadlifts and glut push backs [on a machine])
day 3 - cardio only
day 4 - bi's/tri's
day 5 - shoulders/abs
day 6 - cardio only
day 7 - full leg day (squats, leg press, leg extensions, leg curls, straight leg deadlifts & sumo squats)
day 8 (or new day 1) - cardio only

splits can change a LOT depending on your goals and what you really need to work on... my upper body shapes up faster than my legs and butt do.. so I'm working them pretty hard (or at least I will be again once my ankle and my knee heal... right now I'm not doing either leg day :mad: darnit).. oh and I do cardio 5 to 6 day's a week :tu:

Thank you so much! I think I am going to try that, but I have a few more questions. One, when you do cardio 5-6 days do you do it at the same time, because I am not able to do one in the morning one at night at this point. So when you do cardio on non-cardio-only days, do you do soemthing other than what you do on cardio only days? A different intensity? Also, what kinds of squats do you do? I really want to get trimmer but not bigger (even with muscle) back there. Any specific exercises you can suggest?

And honey, thanks! You are so sweet! You've inspired me to make and reach goals in so many areas including fitness. And because we work out together, it makes it so much more fun!

And I will keep him.

Want to know the funniest part of all this, though, he's also on JSF right now, sitting next to me at the table, each of us with our lap tops.

Thank you so much! I think I am going to try that, but I have a few more questions. One, when you do cardio 5-6 days do you do it at the same time, because I am not able to do one in the morning one at night at this point. So when you do cardio on non-cardio-only days, do you do soemthing other than what you do on cardio only days? A different intensity? Also, what kinds of squats do you do? I really want to get trimmer but not bigger (even with muscle) back there. Any specific exercises you can suggest?

And honey, thanks! You are so sweet! You've inspired me to make and reach goals in so many areas including fitness. And because we work out together, it makes it so much more fun!

And I will keep him.

Want to know the funniest part of all this, though, he's also on JSF right now, sitting next to me at the table, each of us with our lap tops.

LOL.. that's cute :)

you won't get bigger by doing squats.... what you will get is a firm and shapely butt :D :nod: squat heavy and don't be afraid of bulk.. it will NOT come... trust me... IF you seem to get a little bit bigger at the beginning it's because you might still have a bit of fat back there and you're building muscle under that fat.. once you lose the fat you'll be left with a REALLY nicely shaped butt :tu: :moon: hehe... I finally have a good reason to use that smilie :lol:

I do regular old squats... ask your hubby he can show you how to do them... your feet should be about shoulder width apart, with your toes pointed just slightly out, and the bar on your shoulders, squat down as far as you can go without lifting your heals off the floor and then press back up.. don't straighten your legs all the way at the top though... stop just short of straight and then go back down :tu:

Thank you so much! I think I am going to try that, but I have a few more questions. One, when you do cardio 5-6 days do you do it at the same time, because I am not able to do one in the morning one at night at this point. So when you do cardio on non-cardio-only days, do you do soemthing other than what you do on cardio only days? A different intensity? Also, what kinds of squats do you do? I really want to get trimmer but not bigger (even with muscle) back there. Any specific exercises you can suggest?



I just realized I didn't answer both your questions... I split my cardio (in the morning) and my weights (in the evening).. if you can't do this due to time, then lift first and then do your cardio, but do low intensity cardio (LISS)... I usually do LISS all the time, regardless of it being done in the morning or after a workout :tu:

And I will keep him.

Want to know the funniest part of all this, though, he's also on JSF right now, sitting next to me at the table, each of us with our lap tops.

Ok, thats good to know :D

and yes I am a "JSF Junkie" who is glad his wife has started coming around to meet all the other great folks around here.

Thank you so much! I put together a workout last night according to what you said. I will let you know how it goes. :bb:

Carole,
Can you help me with some specifics? I am really trying to get my rountine in gear. First, I got some basic toning exercises that I have been doing in the morning... but about squats: should I do them on one of those smith machines? What about the squat machine? One of my big struggles is form, so I like to use machines when I can. What do you think about doing the same exercises for weeks at a time? Should I switch up these exercises each lifting day in a week? (I lift m/w/f, with light cardio at the beginning or end, and do intense cardio t/th/s). I have heard that you should change your routine every 4-6 weeks. That seems like a lot. So a trainer gave me a tip that I should have two workouts that are different but work all the same muscles and rotate them every two weeks. So that's what I have been doing. Full body workouts, 3 days a week, alternating work out every two weeks. But when I said I needed to re-do my workouts, my husband said that I should change up what I am doing each day. A little bit differnt monday, than Wednesday, and so on. So I am confused on what to do. And I really want to cut the backside area. It's always the last place to go. And what do you guys think about running vs eliptical. Technically, I am supposed to burn more fat when I am on the eliptical, keeping my heart rate in the right place, and so forth. But I feel like I get better results when I run, run, run. So, there's about a million questions from the slacker who hasn't been on since October. :o) I appriciate any input.

-- ryswife

:)
+Hi, please forgive me for not making a more timely response….I guess it never really occurred to me that someone might actually be interested in my impute and therefore I rarely check the threads to which I have posted comments. I’m not feeling sorry for my self but I realize that I have no ‘hard core’ knowledge to offer, only my personal experience and what worked for me. The following comments and observations are offered with the preceding caveats in mind. In my original post I failed to mention that the 5 minutes of squats that I referenced were in the context of a ‘pump’ class. There is no way I would do 5 minutes of squats on my own, twice a week without the spirit of, how shall I say it ‘competition’ engendered in a room full of women. Having participated in a ‘pump’ class for aprox 2 years I have since moved on and dropped the class. Let me say this though, at least for me, I believe that using the lighter weights enabled me to perform the discipline for a longer period of time therefore achieving cardio benefits in addition to garnering strength gains. The reductions in posterior size I mentioned in my previous posts seem to hold true and my pants size continues to ‘drift’ down. I now use heavier weights utilizing the ‘smith’ machine for squats and stationary lunges, the hack machine, plate load extension machine, nautilus hamstring machine, plate load leg press, incorporating various foot positions to target different muscles and oh yes, straight leg dead lifts and good mornings. There are so many other available strategies to go after the legs and glutes, things that I don’t even know about but others on this forum are well versed in and willing to share. As for full body as opposed to split workouts let me say this…with out benefit of guidance I adhered to a regimen of ‘full body’ workouts for aprox 8.5 years. Perhaps I would have achieved better results doing splits sooner but that said I must admit I can’t imagine being happier with the gains I made doing what I did. I now utilize a sort of ‘split’ I suppose.
Tuesday………..legs/bi’s
Wednesday…….cardio (treadmill)
Thursday……….delts/pecs/lats/tris
Friday…………..cardio (treadmill)
Saturday………..legs/bi’s
Sunday………….delts/pecs/lats/tris
Monday…………cardio (treadmill)

Oh yes, Pilates every Tuesday and Thursday.

Please bear in mind that the above is the workout of someone who is just feeling her way along without benefit of real knowledge but if there is one thing I have learned from this forum it’s that there is a real ‘science’ to this marvelous thing of working out and watching and reading this forum is part of the fun. :)
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I used to coach fencing. A lot of women who take up fencing aren't that interested in poking each other with steel rods, nor the fact that men and women can compete against each other, although some are.

A noticeable fraction of the women who took up fencing did it because of the way fencing trains the legs. Competitive fencing involves hours of footwork, and the lunge is a staple element of the fencing footwork diet. In fact, other disciplines like weight lifting borrowed the lunge from fencing and modified it.

A relatively fit person can do two or three hours of footwork drills a day with little or no apparent harm, although you will have very strong and stable legs after about a month. In a few months, significant progress in shape is normally apparent. Because of the long practice sessions, the muscles that are developed are the small smooth "Type I" variety and the thicker "Type IIb" variety tend to convert to the less thick "Type IIa" variety.

Now I am not suggesting that people who want to tone their legs take up competitive fencing - although that is one thing that works.

This is more in the way of suggesting that for most women, body weight lunges and squats can probably do pretty well. You just have to do them enough for them to qualify as your cardio. The convenience of this is that you can always do these anywhere, anytime, with no equipment.

I no longer fence, but I use fencing exercises in my current training. Part of it is the added use of hip abductor/adductor muscles in addition to just quads and hamstrings. The arm motions are more vigorous too: even 15# dumbells make these exercises brutal: I can do more reps of 50# lunge walk than 15# fencing lunges.

So people who are looking for exercises that don't need much added weight but which will develop strong, smooth and lean legs, might want to consider fencing footwork. It will help with dancing too (back in the old days fencing masters were often also dancing masters).

There are probably other disciplines that have good sets of leg exercises. I'm just mentioning fencing because it's the one I know.