#244 Your Frequently Asked Questions Answered

I am asked a lot of workout questions on my social media and blog, so I thought I would answer some of them in this post. If you have any other questions, please leave them below and I will reply to you! xx

What exercises should I avoid to prevent my legs from getting muscly?

For most people that experience their legs getting too bulky, the best exercises to avoid are those where you can feel your quads burning. This includes squats, deadlifts, lunges, and overdoing it on the HIIT exercises including burpees, jump lunges, jump squats and box jumps.

I know most personal trainers are cringing as I write that. I will admit that they are all great exercises and have many great benefits, but if your goal is lean legs or trying to reduce muscle in your legs, I would avoid these. I’m not saying you can never do them. I occasionally add some burpees into my HIIT workouts because they are so great. But I don’t do them all the time.

You might also be interested in this blog post on how to do weights without getting bulky

Here are some other great workouts you can do that won’t bulk up your legs and will still get you great results:

• Butt workout that won’t bulk up your quads
• Victoria’s Secret leg workout
• HIIT workout that won’t cause bulk
• HIIT workout that won’t cause bulk #2

Should I walk at an incline or a flat surface?

I always recommend walking on a flat surface. Walking on incline will build muscle in your legs, and there are much better exercises you can be doing that will build muscle in your legs but also benefit your whole body. In my experience, walking on a flat surface also gives me much better results in terms of leaning out my legs.

What is the best time of the day to work out?

There is no “best time” – the best time is whatever suits you and when you can fit it in! I do prefer walking in the morning before breakfast (read more about fasted cardio here). But walking at any time of the day is great for you too! If you prefer working out in the morning to get it over and done with (me!), that’s the best time. If you can only fit it in after work, that’s the best time.

How heavy do you lift?

I don’t lift heavy anymore. I actually don’t use weights much at all. This has a lot do to with the fact that I am travelling so don’t have access to them, but I also prefer to not lift heavy. I use resistance bands, ankle weights and do body weight exercises. I do the occasionally HIIT workout but it is also body weight only.

These are the ankle weights I use:

Buy Ankle Weights Here

Should I eat before I workout?

This depends on what type of workout you’re doing, and what time of the day it is. I have answered this questions extensively here (with some pre and post workout meal ideas), so have a read!

Do you eat cheat meals?

Yes I do. But I don’t consider them cheat meals (read more about the problem with cheat meals here). I believe in balance and I think that by cutting out these types of foods, you will actually want them more and probably binge on them. It is good to exercise self control and be able to stop when you do eat these types of foods. I try to focus on eating healthy 80% of the time, and then having “cheat” foods 20% of the time. I find that this works best for me.

Do I need a protein powder?

No you don’t necessarily need a protein powder. It just makes it easier to increase your protein intake and eat the required amount of protein. If you don’t eat enough protein, I would definitely suggest getting a protein powder. I use mine every day.

This is why you need protein for fat loss, and this is how to choose a protein powder.