Am I supposed to do strength training?

[peace-love-couture]

I've been on a 700 calorie diet and I do long distance running 3 days a week outside and then 2 days I do it in the treadmill. I also take classes with my friends(minus the step aerobics class I do).

My goal is to slim my legs down because they're bulky and short and too muscular/masculine looking ha ha similar to this

link

anyhoo, I used to do squats, lunges, wall sits and lift weights to help tone up but I've since stopped because I feel like it defeats the purpose of my workout and goals. I'm going to replace it with Pilates instead, so is that sufficient enough?

My goal weight would be 100 lbs because I'm 5'2 1/2 but I weigh like 116 now. Um, my goal is to slim my legs down

blahblahblah you disagree, good job you unique non conformists

[Shyguy_1988]

I bet you look fine the way you do know, but I find nothing is better then making goals for yourself and then accomplishing them just feels great! Long distance running is great for legs and keeping them fit, I love running but I do it for endurance and I enjoy it. What you're doing sounds like you will accomplish your goal within time! Best of luck :).

[WeaponZero]

Can not gain muscle while in a calorie deficit.

Honestly doing any kind of strenuous exercise while in a severe calorie deficit when already at a healthy weight is not going to give good results regardless of your goal. It only risks injury.

[WeaponZero]

Fat is like muscle in that it needs a surplus of calories in order to grow. If you burn more than what you take in you won't build muscle at all, no matter how you train. Doesn't matter whether you're doing powerlifting style training, gymnastics, sprinting, or what.

[WeaponZero]

Also, why do you keep asking fitness related questions here where 95% of the people have absolutely no clue what they're talking about, instead of on a legit fitness forum such as myfitnesspal.com? There you could get info from people who work in the industry and thus know their stuff.

[peace-love-couture]

because this is a Q/A forum & although you may disagree with my results, I'm still allowed to ask whatever I want just as people can ask "What do guys think about makeup" 500 times a day or ask about their small penises or how to lose weight fast

[WeaponZero]

you could, sure, but if you actually want answers, why not go to people who actually know their stuff?

[peace-love-couture]

people answered my question and my goal isn't to gain muscle or weight, so it was answered

[WeaponZero]

But was the answer correct? Fat is you won't gain anything in s calorie deficit

[peace-love-couture]

OHMYGOODNESS

YES IT WAS. I'm not trying to gain muscle or fat. She answered it

[WeaponZero]

she answered it, sure. but if you started asking fitness professionals this same question they would tell you something completely different. you can not gain muscle or fat while in a calorie deficit no matter how you train. and at your extreme calorie deficit (greater than ~500 calories below BMR, which is extremely unhealthy btw) any exercise at all that places stress on the muscles, whether it comes from sprinting, pilates, weightlifting, or whatever, is bad because you do not have

[WeaponZero]

the ability to allow them to recover properly in such an extreme deficit.

Besides, how do you know it's even possible to slim your legs down? Have you ever NOT had thick legs? Are you even aware of what your frame is realistically capable of?

Anyway to specifically answer your questions... No, you're not supposed to do strength training in your case. But the reason why has nothing to do with your goals. It's to avoid risk of severe injury in your extreme calorie deficit.

[peace-love-couture]

she answered my question, end of story

[WeaponZero]

And pilates won't be any better.

Eating 700 calories a day consistently falls in the realm of eating disorders. It is well below what is healthy for the body, well below what the body needs, and if you honestly need to go into such an extreme deficit to achieve the "desired look" you want, then what that means is that it is outside the realm of what your body is capable of. If your goal were realistic you would be able to achieve it without such unhealthy/dangerous nutrition practices.

[peace-love-couture]

she answered, so it doesn't matter

[62893]

not judging you or condemning you or anything...but I'm curious how you're doing on a 700 calorie diet. I feel like I'd easily go over that number or be hungry/weak all the time haha. like...do you skip breakfast...or just stick to foods with very low calories...or?

[peace-love-couture]

It was easy for me to skip certain meals because of classes being back to back but when I do eat it's low calorie like greek yogurt and fruit or a handful of almonds and glass of water or a low cal protein bar

[62893]

ahh ok.

[rachiee]

Strength training is going to cause you to gain muscle. Stick to cardio. I'd say pilates is probably fine to do.

[WeaponZero]

you're right under normal circumstances but in the case of such a severe calorie deficit there won't be any muscle gain no matter what she does.

[rachiee]

I'd have to disagree. It depends on her diet and what she's eating more than anything.

[BobBobinson]

Hm, 700 calories? That doesn't sound very healthy to me. Your maintenance is probably around 1700 a day, that means you're on a 1000 calorie deficit. Ouch, aren't you hungry all the time?

How many pounds are you losing a week?

[peace-love-couture]

This doesn't answer my question

[martyfellow]

You're getting plenty of core muscle workouts from all the running and step classes. If you want stronger arms and upper body, then some light weights would do the trick, but since your goal is mainly to slim down, it wouldn't be necessary.

[TheFuture]

You're probably all moody for being on a calorie deficiency. You need more than 700. Definitely cut out strength training and keep up the endurance running. You'll work on your type one muscles which are smaller and hold less water than the type 2 muscles making your legs so wonderfully thick, though it'll be hard to break down muscle since physiologically your body worked hard to make it.

[peace-love-couture]

I'm not moody dear :)

and no, they aren't wonderfully thick, they're horrible

[Moloch]

I suggest you not do strength training. I've seen pictures of the kind of legs you want, and they are skinny as hell with very little muscle. Just do cardio.

[peace-love-couture]

The purpose is to have little muscle so they can be slender but is pilates ok?

[Moloch]

I think that's okay.