STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

GucciGal19 · BCBG

Toning your legs

jen · Kate Spade

Well, you cannot spot reduce, ever. So, the only thing to get rid of fat is cardio (burning calories). But keep in mind that having muscle makes you burn far more calories than if you had no muscle, so keep up with the lifting for your legs. Also, muscle takes up much less space that fat because it is so dense. So, if you legs have muscle to them, they will look leaner than legs with out muscle. Hth. Let me know if you have any more questions.

shopgirl82 · Chanel

i find that the stairmaster works the best for me. also, that stair climber machine (i don't like it too much though). running also works great, if you enjoy running.

the elliptical which i love, doesn't tone my thighs as much as the stairmaster. i hope that helps.

lynnie · Chanel

I'm working on toning my legs too! I hope that I can finally stick to my exercise plan. I find what works best is if I mix a bunch of things up. I like pilates/strength yoga videos- (I have one that is ok, i can't remember her name, I think it is Jennifer..something) and Carmen Elektra's Fit to Strip video (2nd in her collection). These are both all-over, but they definitely help my legs as well. I also have a really hard Callanetics video (really old school) that always makes my body feel very strong. I try to do these videos 2-3 times a week. Also, running is great- when I was on the Cross Country team, my legs looked great. I'm going to start running again when I have the chance. I use the elliptical machine a lot simply because I can read magazines on it. I may switch to the stair master though and use running as my cardio. You definitely need to add cardio and diet in there- see if you can cut some calories or eat smaller meals. As for individual leg exercises, I use all of the leg machines in the weight room two or three times a week- specifically the butt machine (good so butt doesn't melt into upper thigh), the hamstring curl, the machine where you rest weight on your shoulders and do calf raises, inner and outer thigh squeezes, and the quadriceps machine where you sit down and push weight up. Make sure you stretch to help lengthen your muscles and so they aren't sore, and try to walk more places/use the stairs- my bf lives in NY on the sixth floor of a building with no elevator- woo, not only was I walking everywhere in the city, but I also had to go up 6 flights of stairs a few times a day, it DEFINITELY made my legs work. Hope that helps!