Squats, squats and more squats

[Amberwaves]

Ok! I'm a 33 year old female
I've been working out for a couple of months now. I do lots of squats with weights as well as body weights. I want legs tight and firm! I also need to lose some fat I'm sure of! I'm trying to understand what is exactly going on as I am training them. They are much much firmer and I think the fat to muscle ratio is changing but they still look the same size! I guess I just don't quite under stand what is happening as they change!

[Alinshop]

It sounds like you are adding muscle which in turn will make your legs a little bigger yet leaner at the same time. This is a good thing. Are you performing any cardio as well?

[Amberwaves]

I have just started doing cardio! I tend to build muscle easily. I always have! I just want legs to get smaller! I really hate cardio though! Yuck

[Boss Man]

Hi Amber good to talk with you.

It sounds like muscle gain which is a good thing and no your body might not really look much different simply because for every 1lb of added muscle you gain you burn around 45-50 additional calories per day, so it's good for fat burning as well.

This however means your muscle to fat ratio would be getting better, but your legs would appear largely the same, not least as leg definition is the hardest thing to achieve probably out of any muscle area.

You will need to balance the squats out though and observe rest too. You need to balance them out with things like lunges, because otherwise if you get muscle gain in the quads but not the hamstring muscle, you could become what's known as quad dominant and that could affect your ability to walk and may even cause discomfort and pain.

Resting is key too, so don't be training quads every day, I'd say limit to 3x a week tops and do it every other day.

Am I to assume you do other areas of the body too, not just legs?

[Amberwaves]

Ok! I understand what you are saying! I have a hard time getting a routine down! I only have free weights at home right now. I need to join the gym ASAP. As for cardio I haven't been doing any I hate exercise videos. I prefer the treadmill which I don't have right now!
If I add cardio will it speed up the fat loss?

Hi Amber good to talk with you.

It sounds like muscle gain which is a good thing and no your body might not really look much different simply because for every 1lb of added muscle you gain you burn around 45-50 additional calories per day, so it's good for fat burning as well.

This however means your muscle to fat ratio would be getting better, but your legs would appear largely the same, not least as leg definition is the hardest thing to achieve probably out of any muscle area.

You will need to balance the squats out though and observe rest too. You need to balance them out with things like lunges, because otherwise if you get muscle gain in the quads but not the hamstring muscle, you could become what's known as quad dominant and that could affect your ability to walk and may even cause discomfort and pain.

Resting is key too, so don't be training quads every day, I'd say limit to 3x a week tops and do it every other day.

Am I to assume you do other areas of the body too, not just legs?

[Boss Man]

Adding cardio in could help, but you wouldn't need to do too much. If for example you were training your whole body 3x a week, you could add in a couple of days of cardio and have two days off split up, so it would look a bit like this.

Day 1. Weights

Day 2. Cardio

Day 3. Weights

Day 4. Day off

Day 5. Cardio

Day 6. Weights

Day 7. Day off

As for having free weights at home, they can be beneficial but it all depends on what you've got, as you may be limited, however if you wanted to add more stuff to the collection, you could get a good routine going with a bench and some free weight at home.

[Amberwaves]

Ok! This is great to go by ! Thanks! One other thing that is bothering g me
All of the leg workouts I have been doing are causing me to need to go
Up a size in pants! That is not what I want! weight hasn't changed but pants are too
tight all the way around.
I am kinda freaking out! I do NOT want bigger legs than
they are already! What should I do? Take a week or 2 off? I just want to get smaller, lean legs..
I can really tell legs are tighter but they are also bigger
and this is the point where I give up because I freak out!
To me they are bulkier!
Day 1. Weights

Day 2. Cardio

Day 3. Weights

Day 4. Day off

Day 5. Cardio

Day 6. Weights

Day 7. Day off

As for having free weights at home, they can be beneficial but it all depends on what you've got, as you may be limited, however if you wanted to add more stuff to the collection, you could get a good routine going with a bench and some free weight at home.[/quote]

[Boss Man]

Well it might be down to the way you've structured your diet, but the strength in the legs is DEFINITELY a real plus point, so please don't feel bad about that. The muscles and connective tissue strength, plus the increased bone density, will be so beneficial for the rest of your life, so please don't fret too much about that, because it's just your body becoming more beautified as a result of your hard work and I want you to be proud of that hard work and I am proud of you and I want to say WELL DONE, because you have shown me that what you're doing is yielding positive results and they ARE positive and you CAN be proud of them .

Having said that, what you could do is modify your eating, so let's say you take 10g carbs out of each meal and replace the calories with fat. It doesn't matter if by increasing the fat you get a few extra grams of protein per day, or maybe a gram or two of carbs put back in one or more meals, because unless you just started consuming stuff like edible oils more, you'd find it hard not to just replace the carbs with purely fat calories, but by doing this your body would be looking to source the usual amount of carbs for it's energy requirements and failing, so it would more than likely source extra fat for energy as fat is a secondary energy source.

This means you maintain calories to hopefully protect that precious, feminine and beautiful muscle, but perhaps be able to encourage a bit of added definition, though I would say have some carbs in your diet, but providing you're not going below 20g carbs per meal doing this, then this approach should be fine and hopefully productive for you.

I think this macronutrient restructuring approach Is better than just overdosing on cardio to try and remedy your concerns, as I think that would be a substandard idea.

As for the effects you're getting though, I am proud of you for working hard to achieve what you're clearly getting, which is stronger and fitter and I do want you to be proud of yourself and to be heartened and enthused by this, not stressed and put off at all, because I am certain you are just making your body more artistic and beautiful, not off putting and ugly and I'm sure with time you'll find the where with all in your heart, to accept these beautiful changes for the beautiful changes I think they are, but I do understand your concerns of course I do and hopefully what I suggested will work for you.

Please do keep us posted okay and GOOD LUCK, because I think you are a lovely, lovely Lady and we are here for you to support you and look out for you as much as is reasonable okay, so chin up, be strong, no worries and keep on pushing, because I think you're doing great and I'm happy for you I really am.

[Amberwaves]

Thanks so much for the encouragement ! I'm trying to keep
head focused on the good of the muscle growth. So, diet is more
then likely to blame because it's not structured well
at all.
I have to try and get diet in check. So you are saying that if I cut some of the carbs and replace
with fat it should help? Just making sure I'm understanding you correctly.

Well it might be down to the way you've structured your diet, but the strength in the legs is DEFINITELY a real plus point, so please don't feel bad about that. The muscles and connective tissue strength, plus the increased bone density, will be so beneficial for the rest of your life, so please don't fret too much about that, because it's just your body becoming more beautified as a result of your hard work and I want you to be proud of that hard work and I am proud of you and I want to say WELL DONE, because you have shown me that what you're doing is yielding positive results and they ARE positive and you CAN be proud of them .
I
Having said that, what you could do is modify your eating, so let's say you take 10g carbs out of each meal and replace the calories with fat. It doesn't matter if by increasing the fat you get a few extra grams of protein per day, or maybe a gram or two of carbs put back in one or more meals, because unless you just started consuming stuff like edible oils more, you'd find it hard not to just replace the carbs with purely fat calories, but by doing this your body would be looking to source the usual amount of carbs for it's energy requirements and failing, so it would more than likely source extra fat for energy as fat is a secondary energy source.

This means you maintain calories to hopefully protect that precious, feminine and beautiful muscle, but perhaps be able to encourage a bit of added definition, though I would say have some carbs in your diet, but providing you're not going below 20g carbs per meal doing this, then this approach should be fine and hopefully productive for you.

I think this macronutrient restructuring approach Is better than just overdosing on cardio to try and remedy your concerns, as I think that would be a substandard idea.

As for the effects you're getting though, I am proud of you for working hard to achieve what you're clearly getting, which is stronger and fitter and I do want you to be proud of yourself and to be heartened and enthused by this, not stressed and put off at all, because I am certain you are just making your body more artistic and beautiful, not off putting and ugly and I'm sure with time you'll find the where with all in your heart, to accept these beautiful changes for the beautiful changes I think they are, but I do understand your concerns of course I do and hopefully what I suggested will work for you.

Please do keep us posted okay and GOOD LUCK, because I think you are a lovely, lovely Lady and we are here for you to support you and look out for you as much as is reasonable okay, so chin up, be strong, no worries and keep on pushing, because I think you're doing great and I'm happy for you I really am.

[Boss Man]

Yes that's what I'm saying. When the body wants it's energy from carbs and carbs aren't plentiful enough, then it will hopefully look at fat as a way ot fill the remaining void .

[Amberwaves]

Thanks. I will try this and see what happens! I'll update in a few days ! Thanks for all of your help

Yes that's what I'm saying. When the body wants it's energy from carbs and carbs aren't plentiful enough, then it will hopefully look at fat as a way ot fill the remaining void .

[Boss Man]

Squats don't need to make you feel weak. If they do you might be using too much weight or the wrong technique.