This thread is going to get hilarious with the bullshit answers given but I bet a little good advice will come up. Most of you are probably going to think I've got a problem, I do, it's just not this one.

I'm skinny already but I don't have the upper/lower body proportion of hard climbers my weight. I have leftover legs from my triathlon, or cycling, or even pedicabbing days. Fact is, I don't need them. Bird legs would get the job done and I'd be lighter.

I don't have giant muscular legs and they certainly have shrunk since I quit racing several years ago. What's a good strategy to cut weight on the legs? It's got to be muscle, I'm well under 10% body fat, I don't have the good fortune to drop fat.

I can be as light as 137 and as heavy as 145. I average 140. So how then do I drop 5 off the legs?

Shave your legs. Eliminate excess hair weight!

You're just going for this look, aren't you?

My pocket knife; I'm pretty quick. I watched man vs wild and everything

Go swimming in shark infested waters.





No BS, I'm dead serious.

Break both of your legs or use a wheel chair for the next six months.

The "I have huge legs" excuse for not climbing harder is lame. Every excuse I ever used I have proven to be BS between my ears. I did this by getting on things and sending the day after I used any of a number of excuses including the huge legs excuse.

Might be a few folks on here that would help break those legs for you. Ha ha.

A tactic I remember from the old days is to acquire a few groupies to haul your gear for you while you take an hour on a 15 minute approach

If I had skinny legs my HUGE upper body would look out if proportion .....so...nah

Did you read this one yet?

Six steps to skinny legs for JohnL

running is your best bet.

John,
PM sent.

Knee surgery made my brother's leg freakishly skinny. You could try tearing your acl, or even just immobilizing your legs for a month or so. It's amazing how much muscle mass you can lose that way.

I'm not exactly sure why one would trade the ability to get to the climb for a letter grade of sport-climbing improvement, but I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works.

I believe you. I was blessed? with skinny legs. I don't fight MMA. I just thought it might be worth a look to the OP.

I too have thick legs and am curious as to what Mono has to say.

Eat a significant amount less than usual and do low-impact cardio to go into caloric deficit - this will make you lose weight.

The trick is to keep from losing climbing muscles. Continue to work those out hard and use your legs as little as possible, and your body will consume the unused muscles first.

The intervals idea sounds bad to me - your burning leg muscles will have to use calories to recover. I usually hate on elliptical machines because they confer none of the strength benefits of running or cycling - but in your case that might just do the trick. Rowing would be good too, since it uses upper body.

Basically, force your body to consume itself and don't use the muscles you want consumed. Sounds like fun!

I too am interested in what the maniac has to say.
Seems he was even more of a big-leg ratio kind of guy back in the day

compared to now


And those aren't what I'de consider teenage-skinny-jeans legs going up that .14

I'm w/ JohnL - I don't think he's saying heavy legs are an excuse for not climbing x grade, I don't use mine as an excuse. I think overall weight does make a difference, and removing it from somewhere that isn't providing any benefit is the logical choice. I'm not quite down to the body fat % to where I'de be shedding muscle to drop lbs, but not too far off either. Interested in other people's experiences w/ this.

I lost a ton of muscle in my legs due to atrophy in a matter of weeks when I broke my leg. Perhaps you could immobilize your legs and get around on a wheelchair or crutches for a week or two?

1) Break your legs. I lost 3cm from my right calf while it was in a cast for 10wks. Just break both at the same time otherwise it just looks freakish.

2) pull the Hugh Herr trick, and then you'd have interchangable legs at that. Although people will then discredit your ascents saying that you really aid climbed it, since you can interchange your feet to fit the crack (see HH's ascent of City Park at Leavenworth)

sanctioning

pokey 50 Submitted By: Brendan N. (grayhghost) on Apr 30, 2012

RUN IN THE SAME PAIR OF TENNIS SHOES FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS......THIS WILL DO THE TRICK, AND WEAR ENOUGH OF THE TREAD OFF SO THAT YOU WON'T HAVE TO MAKE CARDBOARD SHOES.

Most every article on the interwebs I've read, tends to suggest that HIIT type workouts are best for preserving muscle mass while reducing fat, where doing steady state longer distance cardio, you're more prone to losing muscle mass along with fat loss. I don't know which would be better for the purposes of this conversation, or if what bf% you're currently at would be a determining factor in which to choose.
This is all assuming that you don't want to go the route of breaking your legs and rollin' around in a wheelchair for months - the consensus most effective method.

It appears as though mono is running, possibly uphill in his photo. Looks like that's the thing NOT to do unless you want some thick treetrunk legs like those =)

Hey Tim, when do you want to go climb? no homo! And none of that RRCoS slab stuff - too footwork-intensive, I don't want my legs getting too big!

My two cents on the subject can be found here.