Dear Dr Gardner,

I love the shape of footballers' legs. I am a 43-year-old female with a bad knee but good muscle tone. Sometimes I exercise, doing cardio and light weights. I want to get rid of some of my leg fat, but still look shapely with wide lean hips. This is very important to me. How can I achieve this so my legs look like a footballer's? I am 5'8" and weigh 208 pounds.

- Legs

Dear Reader,

Thanks for your very interesting letter. Your height/weight ratio indicates that you are overweight. Even if your body frame is of the large type, your ideal weight would be under 160 pounds. Thus, you need to reduce your weight overall to reduce your specific challenges. Your bad knees could be a direct result of your excess weight. Increasing your cardiovascular exercise sessions and reducing your caloric intake are good places to start.

The right kinds of exercises can improve the look of your legs. However, there are some fundamental differences in the muscles of men and women. The quality of muscles in men and women is similar. However, our hormones dictate some differences in the way our muscles develop and respond to exercise. Generally, the muscles in men are larger because of the sex-specific hormones. Exercise does not allow women to develop their muscle to the same size as men.

Do more sets

Any systematic application of the overload training principle will indicate some degree of change in your muscle size. The method that is most commonly practised is to do a number of sets of 10-20 repetitions with a load that you can manage successfully. The larger the volume of work you are able to accomplish, the more significant the improvements are likely to be. However, our responses to these kinds of exercise prescription vary widely because of our individual differences and fitness level.

When we combine strength development exercises and aerobic exercises this helps to reduce the volume of fat tissues and improves muscle definition. You should recognise a reduction in the size of your legs, but not necessarily in your weight if there is no balance between consumption and expenditure of calories. Muscle tissue is denser than fat tissue so you can experience a change in your body composition but not in your weight. This is what discourages many people who are exercising to lose weight.

Athletic profile

Some of the most attractive females do weight training to enhance their image. Many athletes subject themselves to intense training over many hours to achieve their athletic profile. Many body builders follow an exercise routine that requires back-to-back training that involves the use of the same muscles at each session.

Dr Kenneth Gardner is an exercise physiologist at Holiday Hills Research Center; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.

Get 'em legs!

Listed below are some exercises that will help to improve your level of fitness and provide you with a pair of excellent legs:

Step-ups with weights in your hands or on your shoulders

Heel raiser with weights in your hands or on your shoulders

Bent leg raises

Lateral leg raisers.

Squats with weights on your shoulders

Bent over squats

Kneeling bent leg raises

Leg pumps

Kneeling leg swings

Bear hugs

Leg extension (weights machine)

Leg press (weights machine)

Leg curls (weights machine).

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