My wife and I

[zantocon]

Though I've been a reader here for a while, I haven't been very active. My wife and I are starting to work out more, and currently we are using what equipment we have been given to start with. My question is for her though, it's about building muscle in the legs/hips/thighs.

 

She wants to tone in that area, and get a slimming effect. One of our friends, who works out constantly, said she should not work her legs at all except aerobic exercises. So far we've been doing arms, shoulders, chest, back on a bowflex (it was free and I don't have any free weights yet.) Then on odd days we do some sort of cardio/aerobic exercise.

 

Then comes the question: Should she do weight training on her legs etc, or should we continue the current routine? Secondly, if we are only working upper body, will we be in danger of over training by doing it Monday, Wednesday and Friday?

[Barb123]

I personally feel that working the lower body using moderate to lighter amounts of weight and doing several sets of higher repetitions has helped me tighten and tone my thighs and glutes immensely. When I started working out I was very afraid of adding more bulk or mass to the butt and thigh area, so I understand your wife's concern. I think working out the lower body also helps me lean out that area due to the increased activity of a large muscle group. I try to change my routine up every six weeks or so, but generally I try to do 15-20 reps per set with a weight that is challenging the last few reps. I vary the number of sets from 3 to 6 depending on whether or not it's a "heavy" leg day or not. Hope that helps.

[zantocon]

Thank you Barb for taking time to reply. Thank you for the advice

[Barb123]

you're welcome happy Holidays!!