How Do Men Get Rid of Big Legs by Lifting Weights?

Weight training is something you do when you want to bulk up, but it can help you slim down too. If you're looking to get rid of your big legs, you can do this through a combination of lifting weights and changing your dietary habits. Even if you want to lose muscle rather than fat from your legs, weight training can still play a key part in your program.

  1. Weight Training for Fat Loss

    • Compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups are your best choice for fat loss, says trainer Bryan DiSanto of LeanItUp.com. To maximize calorie burn and fat loss, he recommends performing compound exercises such as squats, dumbbell rows, dips and curls to presses in a circuit fashion. Perform each exercise for eight to 12 repetitions with no rest in between and complete three to four rounds of the circuit. Do this three times per week.

    Leg Workouts to Exhaustion

    • You might think that working a muscle to complete failure is the best way to make it bigger, but the opposite is true, according to Rachel Cosgrove, co-founder of Results Fitness in California. Performing more than 20 sets per muscle group and sets of 15 or more reps is not conducive for muscle growth. Therefore, it is possible to reduce muscle mass in your legs by training them as hard as possible, multiple times per week, as this won't allow for adequate recovery between sessions and will cause muscle breakdown. Along with your three full-body circuit sessions, perform two extra high-volume leg workouts on days in between.

    Skip the Leg Work

    • Alternatively, you could choose to forego leg training altogether. By not working the muscle fibers in your legs, you provide no stimulus for growth. If your legs are used to being worked hard, they'll likely start to lose muscle. When opting for this approach, simply omit the lower-body exercises from your circuit sessions and focus solely on upper-body moves such as pushups, rows, presses, chin-ups and pull-downs.

    Considerations

    • Adding lots of cardiovascular training to your workout schedule will also help you reduce your leg size. Aerobic training stresses your body, and catabolizes muscle mass, according to strength coach Charles Poliquin. Diet is critical too -- to lose weight and size you must consume fewer calories than you burn, so reduce your calorie intake and aim to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week. Consult your doctor before starting any new weight training regime.