A super-ripped gym mum shared how to get toned legs without bulking up, and it’s easier than you think.
Shannon Collins, 44, better known as The Gym Nurse to her whopping 150,000 Instagram fans, is always dishing out her fitness wisdom online.
She’s totally upfront about the graft she’s put into sculpting her bod. And recently, she let slip that she’s been smashing heavy leg workouts for seven whole years without bulking up.
READ MORE: ‘I’m a fit gran and don’t need to look younger – I already know I’m beautiful’
Check out more diet & fitness stories here
Shannon reckons it’s not the muscles you should be fretting over. It’s all about tackling that pesky layer of fat.
Pumping iron actually helps you shed the flab, so there’s no need to panic about looking “bulky”. She’s urging people not to give up on weight lifting just because they’re scared of gaining size.
It’s all about playing the long game and sticking to a few key steps to nail those dream results. And, trust us, it’s a piece of cake once Shannon lays it all out.
(Image: thegymnurse/Instagram)
Over on Instagram, Shannon said: “Please don’t stop lifting. I got this question in my QandA and I get it often.
“The fear of getting bigger when we are trying to get smaller in certain areas or all over. Muscle will only help you on your journey to improving your body composition. Don’t stop lifting to just get smaller or worse yet to weigh less.
“If you are unhappy with the size of an area it is a body fat issue. It is so hard and time consuming to build muscle. You aren’t going to end up getting too big with muscle.”
She adds: “Over the years, I’ve had many clients convince themselves they have too much leg muscle, so they eliminate or majorly reduce the training, when they lose body fat they finally realise they didn’t have as much muscle as they thought they had. So back to building it they went.
“Years ago I hated my legs. But I never once thought to stop training them thank goodness. And years later I’m so proud of the shape I’ve given them combined with some short periods of calorie deficit.
“If you don’t ever train them, they will be shapeless and saggy when the fat comes off. Not a cute look in my opinion.”
(Image: thegymnurse/Instagram)
Years ago Shannon looked strikingly different, and a glance at her transformation snaps demonstrates how far she’s come. She used to be on the curvier side, not paying much attention to health and fitness until she decided to make some poignant changes.
Now she’s fit, toned and flourishing, with her followers hooked on the advice she offers. Her followers even rated this post as the “best” she’s shared so far.
One follower remarked: “Big dose of patience. Love this. 100% true.” Another commented: “Learning this firsthand! My legs are changing so much!”
A third responded: “I feel that way about my arms! I hold fat there and sometimes it makes me not want to train them heavy because I don’t want them to get ‘bigger'”.
Meanwhile, another person chimed in: “Yes! I have some body fat on lower body I still want to get rid of but I am concentrating on building muscle. Patience is key… it takes time.”
Want all the biggest Lifestyle news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Hot Topics newsletter