For the pears - what workouts do you do...and which do you avoid?

[beyond.omega]

Originally Posted by eam531

Or speed skaters ... or cyclists ... or male ballet dancers.

[Tugger31]

First and foremost what helped slim my thighs most was a super clean diet. No matter what workout I did, my results were minimal when my diet wasn't in check.

That being said, my legs were slimmest when I was running 1-2 times a week (nothing more than 3 miles per run as my knees aren't great), and doing Cathe's XTrain Cardio Leg Blast, and Cathe's Afterburn and the Athletic Training Extreme premix from her Low Impact Series. I modified any moves that used discs b/c they never worked well on my carpet.

I gave Barre a try and though it made my legs feel "tight" and worked, they didn't change in size nor did my thighs become slimmer. I'm guessing not enough cardio effect.

I was curious do you consider your legs too big b/c of muscle, fat or both?

[Scorpio6]

Hi Bob!

I feel for you in your quest for better proportions. There are a couple of recommendations I can make.

1. There are good routines in Steve Reeves books that emphasize upper body, I refer especially to the book entitled "Building the Classic Physique the Natural Way" for $24.95. As you know, he had beautiful proportions. And, he only worked out 3 days a week his entire life, it certainly worked well for him. This book is available from the Steve Reeves International Society.

2. For lower body I would recommend Strong Stride which is a Pilates dvd for runners. It works everything you need to work but without weights. There is also a very good 3 dvd set called Pilates for Men that comes with a resistance band and inflatable ball. Pilates was designed by a man, originally for men, so don't think of it as "girly." You want high rep, no weight to lean out, also good interval cardio. Run or do intervals for that.

Pursuing a strategy utilizing these two steps should take care of your proportions problem.

[cristinalatina]

Why is everyone suggesting running? What is the difference compared to walking?

Thank you!

[Buttercup]

You might try the Adonis Index. It is the male counterpart to the Venus Index. Both are based on training for a certain aesthetic, what they call the "Golden Ratio." I have not done Adonis, but I gather from the women on the Venus Index forums who have done it, that it is very upper body and ab focused.

It is a paper based, or rather not a dvd routine. Probably 12 weeks long if it is similar to Venus. Probably minimal cardio, weight based and will focus on what they (the creators of Adonis, mind you) consider aesthetically appealing muscles. Probably will also include diet advice. It might be worth it to you to check it out.

BTW, I've always thought men that had nice muscular legs were way more attractive than "chicken legs." If that matters to you at all.

[Jane P.]

Originally Posted by Lucky Star

Brooke Burke has a DVD called Tone & Tighten. Both she and Brook Benten have very slim legs but I'm not sure which instructor you were referring to.

You're right. It is Brooke Burke. Got the name wrong, sorry. Guess is should have looked at the dvd before typing.

[pcramer]

What about Tracy Anderson???

Nothing pulls in and compresses the muscles like her programs, and she "says" she will be releasing a men's DVD in the near future, not that you have to wait for that. You could keep doing all the workouts that you love and just add a little TA magic to the mix and see what happens or do TA exclusively until you are at a happy place and then add back in what you love or miss.

Personally speaking, I "like" men with stronger bigger physiques, upper and lower just sayin