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Old 04-18-12, 07:39 AM  
blueskies
 
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Rethinking my Slim in 6 results - blech!

I saw my reflection in the mirrors at the bridal shop when I was with DD helping her pick out her Prom dress. Not good! Why does strengthening and firming my lower body = a bigger body? Ugh. My outer thigh/hip area has a bulge that sticks out on both sides. I was going for the toned, sleek look, not bottom heavy! I'm not sure what is to blame for this--was it the squats, lunges, or the extended side kicks in Burn It Up? It definitely couldn't have been the leg floorwork because that just worked the back of the legs and butt. Whatever it is, I want to eliminate it from any future routines I do because I don't like feeling and looking bigger in my lower half. With my thin upper body, I don't look good with a thicker lower body, especially one that has built-up outer thighs. This reminds me of what I used to look like when I did The Firm Volume 1 all the time. Double blech!

What bothers me the most is all the time I invested only to end up looking and getting bigger. My jeans fit snugger in the legs and hips. The improved silhouette I thought I saw in my mirror at home definitely didn't translate to the "real world." Since my weight is less than my starting weight, I can't blame "gaining fat." I can't blame the "newly challenged muscle retains water and thus looks puffier" effect because that ended weeks ago. This is truly developed muscle from exercise, just not in an aesthetically pleasing way. I wouldn't have minded getting bigger up top--that would've balanced out my physique. I thought using no weights on the lower body exercises was supposed to counteract the bulking effect, as well as performing the exercises virtually every day for 6 weeks? At least, that’s what the slim training claim is.

So, how to rectify this situation? Any of you out there have similar results from Slim in 6, or from working your lower body, only to have your body get bigger? I’m not talking body-builder mega-mass changes here—just a general increase in girth, noticeable when walking and standing looking in mirrors at bridal shops lol (which, believe it or not, are actually skinny mirrors). Maybe I should focus more on walking or light resistance cardio for my lower body? Last summer, my lower body looked fantastic due in large part to a very restrictive eating plan. Maybe I should go back to doing that? (Any of you with specific eating/dietary recommendations are welcome to PM me.)

Thoughts?
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Old 04-18-12, 07:58 AM  
sunday
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Rebecca, I think we are built the same! Even though I am thin, I am always bigger in the lower body than the upper. I'm so sorry you're disappointed now with your results!

I started a SS rotation but am rethinking it, synchronistically, for the same reasons you are mentioning. I don't want to bulk up (relative term, I know!) in my lower body. I am thinking I am going to do more of a fusion rotation - maybe Ellen, Essentrics, my iSculpts, etc. I've noticed when I do that I get the thin, lean muscles that I am looking for.

Of course I have to also eat very clean, which I am pretty good at doing.
Are you willing to try a fusion rotation?
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Old 04-18-12, 07:58 AM  
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I'm trying to understand the nature of your lower body "bulges". Are they outward curves of your quads? Are they "saddlebags"? Did you use light weights for lower body Si6 work or was it completely unweighted?

Since Debbie Siebers' workouts are mostly lunges and squats I'd think you want to avoid them altogether. You'd probably benefit from just doing floorwork for your lower body, a la Winsor Pilates-type stuff. There's the classic Winsor Pilates Bun & Thigh Sculpting, and Mari Winsor's most recent Lower Body Pilates DVD. Together those would give you four 20m routines you can mix and match. Whatever lower body floorwork you do, I wouldn't add ankle weights or add'l resistance, at least not til you see the kind of results you're getting.
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Old 04-18-12, 08:30 AM  
txfitmom
 
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I have the same problem. I easily add bulk to my lower body, especially on my butt and side of my hips/legs. I am going back to doing only floor work (no lunges, squats, etc). I think I will break out Mari Winsor, maybe some Tracey Mallett or other pilates workouts that I have. Also, probably throw in some Ellen. Ellen's moves never bulk my legs even though she has a lot of standing moves. In the past, I have found that Cathe's strength workouts also bulk my lower body like crazy so I can only do her upper body strength workouts. I actually gained inches in my lower body when I did her STS program.
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Old 04-18-12, 08:46 AM  
Peggy T
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Spinning slims my legs like nothing else...
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Old 04-18-12, 09:14 AM  
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What does everyone think of an elliptical? I have an elliptical at home and not sure if it is good or bad for a pear to use for exercise.
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Old 04-18-12, 09:36 AM  
blueskies
 
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sunday - I'm sorry too. Parts of my results are great, but the aesthetic definitely hasn't made me happy. What exactly is "fusion"? I see it mentioned here quite a bit and wasn't certain what is meant by the term. I'd love to try Ellen again (she has such a wonderful personality), but anything I've ever done by her has bothered my lower back. I think it is all the sweeping down to the floor motions while in a plie stance. Do her newer ones still have these? I'm almost afraid to try her again for fear of aggravating things.

Lucky Star - The bulge is on the outsides of both legs directly below the point where the butt meets the leg. These jodphur pants are a perfect illustration of what I'm talking about (more pronounced in my case). Instead of the outer thigh line having a sleek, straighter appearance, there is a noticeable outward bulge. I'm not exactly sure which muscle causes it, I just know that I don't like it! And all lower body work I did for Si6 was completely unweighted (with the exception of body weight lol). Thank you for the Pilates recs--I'll definitely look into those.

txfitmom - I asked sunday above, but do you have any Ellens that don't include a lot of those sweeping motions I talked about? One of the reasons I've never been brave enough to try Cathe is the results you mentioned! Not sure about the elliptical for thighs; I did hear that the elliptical's style of repetitive motion can aggravate your knees.

Peggy T - From your previous posts on here, I know that you love spinning! Any recs for treadmill workouts? I have one of those lol.
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Old 04-18-12, 10:08 AM  
Sarah-lara
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blueskies View Post
I can't blame the "newly challenged muscle retains water and thus looks puffier" effect because that ended weeks ago.
Not necessarily. My experience after starting any exercise program more intense than I'd been doing is that I get bigger for a whole couple of months before the results really kick in and I get smaller. I know Chalene says "only 2 weeks," but if you read that article of hers on the subject, many commenting disagree. One of the main coaches at Sparkpeople says it can take 8 weeks before the results of a new fitness program show. The good/bad news is that science doesn't support us women gaining much muscle in a 6 week period at all. Maybe 1 lb's worth at the max, the last I read up on it.

Plus, you're doing this same style workout nearly every day, so you may just have the temporary pump (blood) from yesterday's workout going. A lot of female runners notice this the day after a run, even though they've been running for years.

I've never had any exercise truly bulk me (and I supposedly have the body shape that will always bulk). I always get smaller if I stick it through. Even accounting for some curve showing in the muscle, the overall arm or leg is still smaller, eventually.
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Old 04-18-12, 10:43 AM  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by txfitmom View Post
What does everyone think of an elliptical? I have an elliptical at home and not sure if it is good or bad for a pear to use for exercise.
Works real well for me paired with Cardio Coach.
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Old 04-18-12, 10:51 AM  
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Rebecca, fusion is what I used to lose nearly all of my weight. In my limited opinion, it's any workout that blends together different styles, such as cardio, barre, Pilates, etc. Ellen does fit the bill, but there are other fusionistas out there, too; Tracey Mallet's new ones look like they will be fusion style. Grace Lazenby is probably my all-time favorite for fusion.

Funny about Ellen; when I first used her, she also tweaked my back! Ended up that I just had a really weak back, which got strengthened over time.

Have you ever tried barre? I did nearly a year of barre in 2010 and liked my results. I agree you should stay away from any squats and lunges. Maybe do some cardio with light weights and barre?

As for Ellen again, I really like her older Crunch workouts, especially Burn and Firm Pilates. It uses light weights, and there are no down the floor movements. She has some squats and lunges, but in limited amounts they have never bothered me.
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