Butt/Legs

[Sobo]

Butt/Legs

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I hope I'm asking the right people as it seems everyone on here is a bodybuilder but you all seem very knowledgable so here goes....ever since having children my butt doesn't have the umph it once had and my legs just don't seem to want to get leaner no matter what I do. I do retain water ecspecially in my legs, I still have cankles sometimes as if I was pregnant
So what kind of exercises will work to firm my butt and also to lose some inches in my legs? I'm a runner and run every morning consistently but don't lift weights for my legs because I always think they are just going to make them bigger. Pre=pregnancy my legs would always get leaner from running, now it's a different story, what's the deal..can anyone help?

 

[Sobo]

Was it something I said? There is nothing to tell me...??

 

[Dad]

First, check these:
Testosterone levels - free and bound
Thyroid function - T3, T4, and TSH
Estrogen levels - estradiol, estrone, ect.
You want to be sure that these are all in the normal ranges, and that some hormone imbalance isn't creating problems. For example, sometimes being on even low-dose birth control pills will ad enough extra estrogen and progesterone to interfere with fat loss.

Next, wide stance squats, done to parallel, NOT the 2/3 or 3/4 squats yuo see those few who even do them perform, but deep to the point where your thigh is parallel to the floor. Also, sumo style deadlifts. Both these will work the glutes, hips, and Adductors (inner thighs) quite well.

Women are ALWAYS concerned about getting "bigger," but this is hard enough for guys, and if yuo aren't already big and muscular naturally, this is not something to be worried about.

 

[Big A]

Dad just said everything I was going to say.

 

[Amazon Doll]

Great advise.

The only thing I would add is thatI hear a lot of women who start lifting and actually put some muscle on thier legs and HATE it!

I can't imagine that but there are plenty of women that don't want muscles, they want ~skinny~. If you have never worked out your legs with weights, they will probably start to get tighter & firmer and may actually gain a little size.

Checking your hormones & thyroid is a great start.

 

[Sassy]

You didn't mention your age, and that's ok. I've just noticed when I was in my 20's I had no problem getting that yuck off my legs... but then again I had chicken legs. Then I hit 35 and something happened... I noticed that the first place the fat went was too my butt and legs. For most women, legs and butt are where we store fat, so it's just genetic. Don't let that discourage you. If you stick to their advise above, you can over come genetics. Just don't forget your diet. When you reach 35 and up, you diet is another major key to losing weight in those area.

 

[phoenix13]

walking lunges with dumbbells are making a great difference for me. if you make the sets long enough, you don't have to use that much weight.