annoyed :(

okay, so i used to work out like all the time. i was really good at it, but then i noticed that my legs and butt were like a million times larger than the rest of my body. and well you can see from my profile that they're not too big. but it's a lot of muscle i think...well the only thing is, i feel really self consious about it. i want those long lean legs that soo many people have, and i just don't know how to do it! i want to start working out again, but i am afraid that i am just going to have these super large legs and butt. and well that is enough to keep me away. so does anybody have any suggestions? should i just stop working out and lose muscle that way? or should i get my butt back there and start running again...

It sounds like you might need some targeted resistance training, just for the legs.  There are always "side effects" from working out, which might include more muscle in your bottom but this can't be a bad thing, right? :) 

I know I've heard that the stair climbing machines can make your bottom larger from the muscle gain, but what about walking or lunges? 

Good luck!

Have you considered getting into yoga?  Since doing so I (and quite a few others) have noticed that my muscles are longer and leaner, especially in my legs.  I have a tendency to bulk up too, so it's nice to do something that encourages that lean, elegant shape, not weight lifter legs :)

Good luck!

My sister was always larger on bottom than top.....she got into figure competitions (kind of like body building but 'prettier' for women) and had to figure out how to lean it down her legs and butt.

She said that she had to start doing more reps, lower weights. So for ex instead of 3 sets at 40 lbs for an exercise, it would be 5 sets at 30lbs. I stole this from her blog as one of her workouts:

Group 1:
-Leg Extensions (toes pointing regular)
-Lying Leg Curls
-Standing Calf Raises
Group 2:
-Back Extensions
-Flutter kicks
-Single leg calf raises
Group 3:
-Uneven squats (leg up on stepper box)
-Glute Press
-Seated Calf Raises
Group 4:
-Stick Squats
-Leg Raises on bench (lying on stomach to hit hammies and butt)
-2nd position calf raises

like i said, it was less weight, more reps for all!

Here, I found another one as well, that shows her reps. She wrote a whole article about it and I edited it, but cannot find it!

Group One (5 sets)
- Stick Squats - 15 reps each
- Reverse Lunges - 15, 12, 10, 8, 6 reps each
- Single Leg Calf Raises - 10 reps each
Group Two (5 sets)
- Leg Extensions - 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
- Lying Leg Curls - 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
- Standing Calf Raises - 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
Group Three (5 sets)
- Back Extensions - 15, 12, 10, 8, 6
- Donkey Kicks - 15, 12, 10, 8, 6
- 2nd position calf raises - 15, 12, 10, 8, 6
Group Four (4 sets)
- Cable Hip Abductor - 15, 12, 10, 8
- Cable Hip Adductor - 15, 12, 10, 8
- Seated Calf Raise - 15, 12, 10, 8

I've heard that stretching for a few minutes after working out can create longer, leaner muscles...and as dls337 and vicki suggested, you may wanna try yoga and doing more reps, but with less weights... you might also wanna try alternating workouts...Good luck:)