Thighs getting bigger

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ottbbabe2002
ottbbabe2002 Posts: 15 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I hit the weight my goal weight about 2 months ago, I was happy with my shape and decided to start trying to tone up by doing body weight work outs everyday. But I have noticed my thighs are actually getting bigger. I like the way the rest of my body is changing, but I have always carried extra weight in my legs and I am not exactly thrilled about adding more bulk there. Any tips on getting slender and toned thighs?
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Replies

  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
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    Are your pants fitting the same? If you are in a calorie deficit or just maintaining then you shouldn't be gaining size especially in 2 months and doing body weight workouts.
  • ottbbabe2002
    ottbbabe2002 Posts: 15 Member
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    I'm still wearing the same size, just fitting a little tighter. They had been loose around christmas time and no its a little difficult to get them on. And there has been no increase in size anywhere else
  • motherofdragons84
    motherofdragons84 Posts: 58 Member
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    Thick thighs save lives, IMO.

    If you're lifting then you are building muscle. I view that as a good thing.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    You could be holding more water weight there.

    "Slender and toned" = low enough body fat to reveal muscle mass

    That means losing fat and having muscle to reveal. Your options are:
    1. Eat over maintenance while doing progressive resistance exercise to build muscle. Follow up with a fat loss (calorie cutting) period.
    2. Eat at maintenance while doing progressive resistance exercise to build a bit less muscle than #1 but not have to follow up with a calorie cutting period.
    3. Eat a bit under maintenance while doing progressive resistance exercise to build a less muscle than #2.
  • xsmilexforxmex
    xsmilexforxmex Posts: 1,216 Member
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    It might be muscle gain if you're doing a lot of squats/lunges, ect. Could just be eating enough to see a slight muscle gain faster than fat loss in the area, especially if you're losing in other areas.
    Since spot reduction isn't a thing, my only tip is learn to love your legs... If it really bothers you, you can stop doing leg work outs - but fit, thick thighs look better than skinny fat legs IMO.
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
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    Eat less food
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
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    But honestly, women with thick muscular thighs are very attractive
  • AJbandit88
    AJbandit88 Posts: 31 Member
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    I did some research a while back and found mostly that if you want to build muscle and not bulk up you need to stretch the area you worked out. Mainly legs. I started stretching after my runs and legs days and noticed that I'm still losing over all size in my thighs but building more muscle too. I normally sit on the floor with legs out straight and try to touch my toes, then put right leg to the side and touch toe, then do left side also. I stretch for about 10-20 sec and move to the other leg and repeat about 3-4 times. Hope that might help some.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    Seriously.. what is your secret?? Second bulk here, my thighs are still pretty tiny. :(
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
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    AJbandit88 wrote: »
    I did some research a while back and found mostly that if you want to build muscle and not bulk up you need to stretch the area you worked out. Mainly legs. I started stretching after my runs and legs days and noticed that I'm still losing over all size in my thighs but building more muscle too. I normally sit on the floor with legs out straight and try to touch my toes, then put right leg to the side and touch toe, then do left side also. I stretch for about 10-20 sec and move to the other leg and repeat about 3-4 times. Hope that might help some.

    Can you share this research?
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
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    AJbandit88 wrote: »
    I did some research a while back and found mostly that if you want to build muscle and not bulk up you need to stretch the area you worked out. Mainly legs. I started stretching after my runs and legs days and noticed that I'm still losing over all size in my thighs but building more muscle too. I normally sit on the floor with legs out straight and try to touch my toes, then put right leg to the side and touch toe, then do left side also. I stretch for about 10-20 sec and move to the other leg and repeat about 3-4 times. Hope that might help some.

    Uh what? I stretch my legs everyday when I work them yet they continue to grow, in part due to the STRETCHING

  • Meganthedogmom
    Meganthedogmom Posts: 1,639 Member
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    Own those thick thighs!!!
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
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    jessef593 wrote: »
    AJbandit88 wrote: »
    I did some research a while back and found mostly that if you want to build muscle and not bulk up you need to stretch the area you worked out. Mainly legs. I started stretching after my runs and legs days and noticed that I'm still losing over all size in my thighs but building more muscle too. I normally sit on the floor with legs out straight and try to touch my toes, then put right leg to the side and touch toe, then do left side also. I stretch for about 10-20 sec and move to the other leg and repeat about 3-4 times. Hope that might help some.

    Uh what? I stretch my legs everyday when I work them yet they continue to grow, in part due to the STRETCHING

    Addition. How do you add mass and also lose size? Hypertrophy is the damage, repair, and regrow th of muscle cells. I think you're confusing definition from a weight loss with hypertrophy.

  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    xsmilexforxmex wrote: »
    It might be muscle gain if you're doing a lot of squats/lunges, ect. Could just be eating enough to see a slight muscle gain faster than fat loss in the area, especially if you're losing in other areas.
    Since spot reduction isn't a thing, my only tip is learn to love your legs... If it really bothers you, you can stop doing leg work outs - but fit, thick thighs look better than skinny fat legs IMO.

    Two months of a woman doing bodyweight exercises is not building much of anything, certainly nothing you could see with the naked eye.

    Also, I was a gymnast and dancer, I spent most of my childhood and early 20s stretching. I still have thick thighs and calves. Because gymnast. Dancer. Genetics.
  • AJbandit88
    AJbandit88 Posts: 31 Member
    edited February 2017
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    I will have to see if I can find the link. It was a couple years ago but if I can find it I will post it. It seemed to help me but can be different for anyone. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with weight loss also but before I did my stretching routines I would keep increasing the size of my legs while I was losing weight. I'm by no means an expert though, just posting what has worked for me.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
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    You aren't going to be building appreciable muscle with bodyweight exercises (let alone within 2 months). You are either retaining water or have let your diet slip and you're eating in a surplus.
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
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    AJbandit88 wrote: »
    I will have to see if I can find the link. It was a couple years ago but if I can find it I will post it. It seemed to help me but can be different for anyone. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with weight loss also but before I did my stretching routines I would keep increasing the size of my legs while I was losing weight. I'm by no means an expert though, just posting what has worked for me.


    Were you measuring your legs regularly? Just what you're describing is muscular hypertrophy while at the same time as inducing atrophy. Though if you were losing weight you were definitely not building any substantial muscle, it was more than likely increased definition leading to the appearance of greater muscle mass.
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
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    trigden1991 wrote: »
    You aren't going to be building appreciable muscle with bodyweight exercises (let alone within 2 months). You are either retaining water or have let your diet slip and you're eating in a surplus.

    ^^THIS.

    Or your pants shrunk in the wash.
  • AJbandit88
    AJbandit88 Posts: 31 Member
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    [/quote] Though if you were losing weight you were definitely not building any substantial muscle, it was more than likely increased definition leading to the appearance of greater muscle mass.
    [/quote]

    That could be. I never thought about definition making it look like more muscle but actually just losing weight. Thanks jessef593.

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