Are your legs so thin that people make comments about it every time you wear shorts? Getting fuller, more shapely legs can take time, as naturally thin legs tend to stay thin and can thin out even more with age. The good news is that you can add a few inches by doing a series of targeted exercises and consuming the right amount of calories to encourage muscle development. And, as an instant fix, you can also create the illusion of sturdier legs with some styling tricks. Read this article to learn more about how to make your slim legs more curvy.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Part 1: Rethink Your Routine
Step 1. Eat more
If you are on a diet, you will have a hard time getting the muscles in your legs to develop. In fact, this won't happen until you get enough calories to encourage this growth. That doesn't mean you can go wild and eat whatever you want, but if your goal is to have sturdier legs, getting more calories is essential. Eating substantial meals full of high quality foods will also help you gain healthy weight, adding shape and definition to your legs. Consume the following healthful foods:
- Consume a lot of protein. Protein is essential for building healthy muscles, so you need to get it with every meal. You can eat beef, pork, chicken, fish, or lamb, or, if you're a vegetarian, tofu, beans, and eggs.
- Whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and nuts are just as essential. They should be the basis of your diet.
- Avoid empty calories, such as those from refined flours and sugars, fast food, cakes, cookies, chips and other snacks that will leave you feeling grounded instead of full of energy.
- Try supplements. Some people find it easier to speed up the muscle building process by taking supplements such as creatine, a powder that provides the body with a naturally occurring acid that is used to grow muscle. Creatine is considered safe to use, just take it in the proper doses.
Step 2. Don't do too much cardio
When your goal is to have stronger legs, running, brisk walking and swimming will do you no favors. These exercises use stored energy to keep you moving for a long period of time. This means that you will have less of a chance to focus on high intensity muscle development. Limit your cardio workouts and put your energy into exercises that will make your legs more shapely.
Step 3. Instead, do weight lifting
Strength exercises focus the body's energy on the particular muscle you are training, breaking down the fibers so they can rebuild themselves bigger and stronger. Performing these targeted exercises will get you the curvy legs you want.
Step 4. Train intensely
Your leg muscles are used to supporting your body (and whatever else you are holding) up and down stairs and wherever you go throughout the day. To get these muscles to develop, you need to focus on doing more intense exercises than you might be dedicating to parts of the body that don't move in the same way. This means that every workout you do should increase your heart rate and "burn" your leg muscles. You need to break up the fibers and develop them so they get bigger and stronger.
- For each exercise, lift the weights according to your possibilities by assuming the correct form for 10 repetitions. If you can lift the weight easily for 15 reps, it's too light. If you can't lift it for more than a few times and need to stop, it's too heavy.
- Add more weight after a few weeks to maintain intensity.
- Practice faster. Do the exercises quickly and with explosive bursts of energy instead of doing them slowly. Explosive exercise makes muscles develop faster and helps you do more reps per exercise. You can practice by doing some timed exercises and doing as many repetitions as possible in about two minutes, and then take a break before the next set.
Step 5. Rotate the muscle groups
Don't work on the same muscle group every day. If you focus on your calves one day, do an intense hamstring workout the next day. This way, your muscles have a chance to rest and get stronger between workouts. This also helps you to avoid stabilizing without improving and keeping your muscles in a state of "shock", letting them go through the process of breaking down and rebuilding them to be stronger.
- If you do a tough workout that includes squats, box jumps, and leg curls for one week, move on to deadlifts, straight leg curls, and lunges the next week.
- Adding weight is another way to avoid stabilizing yourself. Add more every two weeks or so.
Method 2 of 3: Part 2: Making Your Legs Look Bigger
Step 1. Wear flared pants that hug your thighs but stretch from the knee down, making your lower leg look bigger and adding a flattering shape to your silhouette
You don't have to go for overly flared pants unless you like this look. Even slightly flared pants will change your silhouette and make your legs look a little bigger.
Step 2. Avoid skinny pants
They are designed to make the legs look like toothpicks, so you'll need to avoid them if your goal is to create an illusion of thicker legs. If you absolutely must buy skinny pants, such as jeans, choose looser ones around the thigh and knee areas. This style of trousers breaks the line of the leg and creates the illusion that it is thicker.
Step 3. Opt for socks and pants that have a geometry or print
Choose floral, striped, polka dot or tye-dye clothing pieces, the more colors they have, the better. When you wear printed fabrics on your legs, they make them appear visually larger. Wearing dark, solid-colored pants, on the other hand, can make them look slimmer and thinner.
Step 4. Wear knee-length boots
Knee-length boots can completely change the way your legs look. Choose thick, arched shoes instead of snug ones. Wear them over jeans or stockings to give your legs a fuller look.
Wearing boots over pants creates more volume on the legs. Try wearing knee-high footwear over jeans for a trendy look
Step 5. Wear skirts and dresses that hug the body
If you wear loose, puffy skirts and dresses, your legs will look slimmer by contrast. Wearing these tighter cut pieces of clothing will not give the impression that your legs have been swallowed by the fabric.
Step 6. Bring dresses and skirts that fall right on your knees
Wearing hems that fall 2.5 to 5 cm on the knees will make your legs look less thin. Wearing very short skirts and dresses draws attention to this area, while wearing hems that fall below the knees can emphasize the contrast between your skinny legs and the fabric you're wearing.
Method 3 of 3: Part 2: Do Physical Exercises to Get Curvy Legs
Step 1. Do squats
This is the best exercise you can do to help fill your thighs, as it involves most of the muscle fibers in the area. If you are a beginner, you can do squats without weights. If you are at a more advanced athletic level, hold a barbell with weights, which you can lift by doing 10-12 reps. In case you prefer not to use this tool, you can opt for two weights instead. Here's how to do a squat correctly:
- Stand up straight and spread your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Bend your knees and squat by lowering your butt until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Hold the position for 10 seconds.
- Return to the starting position.
- Repeat 10-12 times for 3 sets.
Step 2. Do walking lunges
This exercise helps tone your glutes, quads, and hamstrings in your knees, and over time helps you build muscles to make your legs fuller.
- Take a big step forward with one foot.
- As you go, lower your remaining knee to the floor.
- Keep your torso perpendicular to the floor.
- Stand up to the starting position and lunge with the other foot.
Step 3. Perform box jumps
This is another excellent exercise that you can do with a few tools and is good for getting fuller calves. Stand in front of a gym box or step that you can easily jump on. The higher the box, the harder it will be. Start with your toes pointing towards the box. Jump explosively and land on the box with your toes. Stand out to return to the floor. Repeat.
- Make sure the box you use is heavy enough not to slip as you land on it.
- It is not a good idea to use weights when doing this exercise; you may need your hands to keep from falling if you lose your balance.
Step 4. Do leg extensions
For this exercise, you will need a dedicated machine, which can be found in any gym that has an equipment room. Load the leg extension machine with the weights you can lift for about 10 reps. They can vary between 10 and 20 kg, depending on the strength you have in your legs.
- Sit on the machine to extend your legs with your knees bent and your feet under the bottom bar.
- Extend your legs to lift the weight, then lower them.
- Do 3 sets of 10-12 reps.
Step 5. Perform standing leg curls
This is another exercise that requires a machine. You will need to use a suitable one, which allows you to lift weights by attaching a cable to the ankle. Load the machine with all the weight you can lift for 10 repetitions, which can vary between 10 and 20 kg (or more).
- Attach the cable to the ankle with the harness and grab the support bar with your hands.
- Bend your knee back as you lift, then straighten your leg again.
- Complete 3 sets of 10-12 reps, then switch to the other leg.
Step 6. Do the deadlifts
This exercise focuses on the hamstrings of the knees, which is essential for getting more sculpted legs. You will need a barbell loaded with the weight that you can lift by doing 10 reps without the need to stop.
- Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and bend your waist, keeping your legs straight. Grab the barbell with your hands.
- Keeping your legs straight, lift the barbell up to your thighs, then lower it back to the floor.
- Do 3 sets of 10-12 reps.
