To worry about my spindly legs?

[Budikka]

I have very funny-looking legs. They basically did not develop in quite the correct way in childhood. It is hard to describe, but I think I just did not get enough calcium or nutrition in general. I was very thin and my legs are very thin, so the effect is like two sticks with a knee (knock knees) standing out in the middle.

Since becoming an adult, I have tried to rectify this by going to a gym, but I have just been unable to build muscle and "fill them out". I get so self-conscious and would love to go swimming in a normal swimming suit, but I know I would be thinking about people looking the whole time.

If there were even some operation (is there one?) to rectify the issue, I would pay any amount of many for it. Am I wrong to worry and should I just be thankful I am alive in general?

It’s just biologically impossible that training correctly in the gym wouldn’t result in muscle hypertrophy. So I think that you probably weren’t training correctly. You need to be weight training, regularly with progressive overload and eating a high protein diet, not pissing about on a treadmill or hours of cardio.

A personal trainer will be far, far cheaper than any possible plastic surgery, if a potential procedure even exists. You need to be very specific and firm with the trainer about what your goals are - i.e. I want to build strength and muscle in my legs to make them look bigger. Quite a lot of PT’s just assume that a woman attending for PT automatically wants to lose weight, because she’s a woman duh, and that’s what allll women want, isn’t it?! 🙄

Have you talked to a GP? It doesn’t sound like there is anything to worry about, but a doctor is the person to ask. And, frankly, no one looks perfect in a swimsuit, but who cares? Do what you want, whatever shape you are.

Thanks for the kind responses. The thing is, I was doing the right exercises (in theory), like the one when you lie on my back and push the weights up above you with your feet, and I was eating nothing but protein and lots of it in general!

I see runners with bulging calves and envy them so much, not to mention just people in general with "normal" thighs and calves. I suppose I will just have to accept the way I am, like the above poster said, but will keep on trying anyway.

As long as you are still breathing and on the green side of the turf, everything else is secondary.

It takes a while to get the body used to building muscle mass if it isn't used to it. Weights and a personal trainer are definitely the way to go.

Good luck.

It sounds like we might have similar legs, mine are scrawny sticks with knobbly knees, have been since I was a child.
I have some medical conditions so I know the cause of mine, but yeah I understand the feelimg uncomfortable in swimsuits.
I tend to wear thicker clothes, like big cardigans that cover my arms or long flowy skirts and dresses so it always feels like such a change going to just a swimming costume.

I was much to nervous to wear one one as a teenager and did get a few confidence knocks in my early 20s on beaches where stranger asked me if I was sick or gave me weird looks. Fake tan did make me feel more confident for a while- as did a nice patterned swimming costume that even if I felt it looked a bit silly on me- I thought as a item of clothing it was really pretty.

These days I dont care as much- there are all sorts of bodies on a beach and generally people seem much less rude about body stuff. I still have legs like Spongebob but I don't even get funny looks these days. Try it, it will likely be totally fine.

I have the opposite problem. Generally fairly slim with slim arms, but I've got REALLY CHUNKY legs!
I've got a bit of an odd, stompy walk, due to hypermobility, so that's caused large, muscley calves, and I've got quite big fatty deposits around my knees and really big thighs. Shorts look awful on me, and I really struggle to find trousers that don't make my legs look like over-stuffed sausages.
Not helped by the fact that my mum has really slim legs, that look lovely in everything. She just likes to comment on my "fat knees" and tell me I've got "solid legs like your dad."

I still think the weights are worth another go, with consistency and for a prolonged period of time - if you commit to a year of weight training, I’m sure you’ll see great aesthetic results, as well as huge benefits to your physical and mental well-being.

You should find that with very slim legs, your muscle gains will be visible quite quickly if there’s not much fat overlying them.

The leg press is great for overall leg training, but there’s lots of other different machines and exercise to target the individual muscle groups too. This is where a PT is really useful, because they’ll know all of the things you need to do, such as the right weight, reps, etc to maximise the benefits.

@zingally my legs are also like this, I have a condition called lipoedema, is it possible this is something you have too? Apologies if not, I just wish I had known about it sooner

I’m a fellow hypermobile pear shape. My upper body is skeletal - with my ribs showing through my chest between my boobs, and my clavicles and hip bones jutting out. My bum, thighs and calves are chunky and stompy, but weights have helped massively.

What a lovely post, Ghostlight. Would it be possible to enquire what the medical condition you mentioned is?

I like your idea of fake tan, also maybe buying a really good swim costume. It can make you feel good wearing it and, hopefully, draw attention to that rather than your legs! Your description of your own legs matches mine to a T.

I have Crohns and Graves disease

The fun swimsuits did really help, and its a bit of a drastic solution to being self consious but I also have a fair few tattoos on my legs and back/shoulders. I know it does nothing to change the shape of me but I feel like it sort of disguises where the bones stick out. And even if I get a few sideways glances I know that people might be looking at my tattoos or at my swimming costume rather than judging my body. Plus even if I don't love what is underneath, I love my tattoos so when I look at myself I still see something pretty.

Also little things like when I know I will feel more exposed like in a swimming costume or something- I like to paint my nails or something that I don't normally do to boost myself a bit.
Same as when I take my children to the pool, I have a pretty and soft towel and a nice pool bag and its silly but I feel better.

I would do two things. (1) I would work on accepting yourself the way you are and (2) get a personal trainer and tell them you want to focus on building up your leg muscles. Doing some weights in the gym without knowing what you are doing, and eating some chicken breasts isn't going to do it, but a good personal trainer should be able to help.

Can anyone tell me what the going rate is for a personal trainer? I would rather pay more at the start for a very good trainer and then work on my own, because I feel it should be me who puts in the slog... I get that a personal trainer can really push you, but I have been quite disciplined in sports training before (obviously just not good at building up my legs!).

I’m in the East Midlands and pay my PT £250 for a block of ten sessions, it’s slightly reduced as I’m a member at the gym where she trains, it’s more expensive to see her as a client at that gym if you’re not a member there.

I have PT twice a week, and go on my own to train outside of that, I also try to do yoga twice a week which I find helps with recovery from the weight lifting and really helps build core strength. Sometimes I’ll do PT at 10am and then be back at the gym on the same day for Yoga at 8.30pm, but I like to add in the extra classes because it means my muscles are constantly in use and the DOMS don’t get so bad as they are after a prolonged rest.

She’s useful to have because she really helps me with form and being able to adjust my lifts/feet position to target the right muscle. I’m very tall, so sometimes I’ll do a Bulgarian Split Squat (for example) and not be able to feel it in my glutes at all, so we’ll adjust my form until I’m getting the benefit in the right place. Working with her has made me feel capable of things I never thought possible. The other day I took part in a grip strength challenge, I managed a single arm deadlift of 62.5kg and held it for 5 seconds. A year ago I’d have whinged at the idea of lifting a 10kg bag of cat litter from the car to the house!

I've googled it, and reading through, and looking at pictures, it's very possible!!
Unfortunately it doesn't seem like there's a lot that can be done. I'm a bit overweight, and my legs (particularly my thighs) do look a lot better when I'm a couple of stone lighter.

@zingally the fat can be surgically removed (as it's diseased it's resistant to diet and exercise, though most people with the condition have a mix of normal fat and lipoedema fat) but this isn't funded on the NHS sadly. Apparently around 10% of women have the condition.