Thighs getting bigger with elliptical?

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yellowpear
yellowpear Posts: 137 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I do the elliptical for 1 hr with lowest resistance since I find this easier than doing the threadmill. Also, I noticed that more calories are burnt on the elliptical than the threadmill for the same amount of time.
Now I am a little worried after reading experiences of people. Is it true that the size of the thighs & butt will increase by doing 1 hr of elliptical? I am fat esp. the lower half of my body. That will be last place I want to bulk up. Won't elliptical help to reduce thigh & butt size?
What do you think?
Thank you.
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Replies

  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
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    your butt and thighs will get firm, and while they may bulge a little at first because the muscle is building, especially on an incline, slowly but surely the fat will burn away. please do not get discouraged by this.
  • mmuzzatti
    mmuzzatti Posts: 706 Member
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    Wait, wait, wait, wait wait....you are now entering the workout zone...I don't think you need to worry about anything getting big till you get smaller then you will notice that anything that has gotten big is not big but firm! Work it...if you are doing an hour on the elliptical then you are doing great......add more...work harder and get to your goal!
  • trud72
    trud72 Posts: 1,912 Member
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    :wink: totally as engine said they are not getting fat i promise! i have/am doing this also they get really toned up!
  • 03258
    03258 Posts: 60
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    It's awesome that you are working out for an hour! Do not worry about anything getting bigger just keep doing what you are doing!! I have used the elliptical forever and have never noticed that!!! Good job. Keep it up. :-)
  • nph1960
    nph1960 Posts: 57 Member
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    You will love the results - fear not.
    You are currently doing an hour of movement? That is awesome!
    When you feel you are ready, do try to add some resistance. This is how you will tone those muscles in the legs and butt. You will be amazed as your legs get SMALLER as the fat melts away.
    Good luck!!!

    PS When you add resistance, here is a good strategy:
    Push yourself so that you start to feel just a little bit winded for about a minute, then give yourself a few minutes to "recover". I like to push for the first minute of a song, and then hang back for the remaining 2 or 3 minutes, then repeat when the next song comes on. You could do this for maybe 15 minutes, rather than a whole hour. You could alternate this workout with your 60 minute one.
  • mussmom
    mussmom Posts: 362 Member
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    I have incorporated my elliptical as a main component of my workouts for the last six months. Intervals with weights, or just a weight loss or performance workout. I have never heard or experienced this. On the other hand, one day I stretched in bed and happened to feel some muscles in my thighs. I told my husband- "I have muscles!!!:)" Also, I am tall (6'2"), I tried on several pairs of pants this past month that didn't fit at all in the spring. Um, not only did they fit, but they were long enough! They had been too short before because of hips, thighs and butt. So, if the elliptical makes me bigger, I am going to stay with it-haha...I LOVE my elliptical!
  • Puckermann
    Puckermann Posts: 52
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    If you are new to working out you might add a bit of mass for a while (Noob gains), even if you are eating in a deficit. Nothing to worry about.
  • lcgallagher
    lcgallagher Posts: 3 Member
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    i find if you make a concentrated effort to work the back of your thigh this helps put the work into the whole leg and not just the front of your thigh muscle. Maybe mix it up and do half on the stationery bike - this helps lengthen the leg muscle. lx
  • cedarhurst2006
    cedarhurst2006 Posts: 378 Member
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    Stay with it. The elliptical for me has been wonderful!! I do the elliptical or arc trainer almost every day and I have upped the resistance and inclines on both. When I first started in January, I could do all of two minutes. Now I do the interval or weight loss program for 30 - 40 minutes. I definitely notice a more leaner look and my my teenage niece said to me, and I quote.... "Auntie, you have a booty.!" My thighs are more leaner - I can actually see a space between my legs when I stand.

    It is my understanding that when you build muscle, that helps burn the fat.
  • CoachNYLA
    CoachNYLA Posts: 129
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    It's all about the food....where are you at on your food plan? Also, are you executing leg routines/training at all including doing inner and outer thigh work?

    I had a member in one of the gyms I was a trainer for train on the elliptical six days a week for the same amount of time. When she started I checked her body composition (fat/lean mass ratios). She trained for one month on the ellptical at least 6 days a week and hour a day and when she came to me to check her composition a month later, she went up in fat.

    My question to them was what were they putting in their mouth. Bingo...found out she was bargaining with her food in conjunction with her training.

    You truly can't shrink the fat cells on top of the muscle by weight training and cardio training alone. It is up to 80% of what you put in your mouth.

    It's not my opinion, it's physiology.

    Take it from me. I am a recovering food addict with a PAST TOP WEIGHT of almost 170 pounds and I am only 4'9"!!!!

    Anything I can do to pass on what I have done in my food plan, I would be more than happy to share.

    Best, Nyla:smile:
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    It's awesome that you are working out for an hour! Do not worry about anything getting bigger just keep doing what you are doing!! I have used the elliptical forever and have never noticed that!!! Good job. Keep it up. :-)

    Me neither. If anything, I'd say the other way round. I ended up with very trim legs and bottom, while the rest of me was lagging behind a bit. Indeed, that's still the case now - my hips are a size or two smaller than the rest of me.
  • yellowpear
    yellowpear Posts: 137 Member
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    Thank you everyone. Yup.. I'm going to stay with the elliptical & try increasing the time & resistance gradually.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    That's great. Best of luck.

    Btw, in relation to your original post, if you want your cals burned to be realistic, you may want to start upping the resistance a bit as you progress. The elliptical can be 'easy' if you don't increase resistance as your fitness improves.
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
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    The only thing I'd like to add is to be wary of the cals burnt on the elliptical. They are notorious for overestimating calories in general.
  • yellowpear
    yellowpear Posts: 137 Member
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    Point noted.
    I have increased the resistance a little more today. It's only 1.5 week since I joined the gym & started using the elliptical trainer. So decided to gradually increase the resistance. Before that I used to walk at the park for an hour. I guess I find the elliptical easier since it burns more calories in a short period of time & keeps me motivated. I will try out the weight loss mode tomorrow. Thank you for the reply.
  • yellowpear
    yellowpear Posts: 137 Member
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    That's great. Best of luck.

    Btw, in relation to your original post, if you want your cals burned to be realistic, you may want to start upping the resistance a bit as you progress. The elliptical can be 'easy' if you don't increase resistance as your fitness improves.

    Point noted.
    I have increased the resistance a little more today. It's only 1.5 week since I joined the gym & started using the elliptical trainer. So decided to gradually increase the resistance. Before that I used to walk at the park for an hour. I guess I find the elliptical easier since it burns more calories in a short period of time & keeps me motivated. I will try out the weight loss mode tomorrow. Thank you for the reply.
  • yellowpear
    yellowpear Posts: 137 Member
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    The only thing I'd like to add is to be wary of the cals burnt on the elliptical. They are notorious for overestimating calories in general.

    I too have been thinking about it...
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
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    You will love the results - fear not.
    You are currently doing an hour of movement? That is awesome!
    When you feel you are ready, do try to add some resistance. This is how you will tone those muscles in the legs and butt. You will be amazed as your legs get SMALLER as the fat melts away.
    Good luck!!!

    PS When you add resistance, here is a good strategy:
    Push yourself so that you start to feel just a little bit winded for about a minute, then give yourself a few minutes to "recover". I like to push for the first minute of a song, and then hang back for the remaining 2 or 3 minutes, then repeat when the next song comes on. You could do this for maybe 15 minutes, rather than a whole hour. You could alternate this workout with your 60 minute one.

    yes!!! i run outside, hills, and i try and sprint to the top of a hill, and coast on the way down. great way to build strength, endurance, and help build a quicker recovery time!
  • kmcrey87
    kmcrey87 Posts: 422 Member
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    I vary my resistance between 7-13 and my thighs have only gotten slimmer. My lower half use to be HUGE, but I do tons of lower body exercises with weight and I also always workout on the bike and elliptical with high resistance and it is still shrinking and toning up.
  • yellowpear
    yellowpear Posts: 137 Member
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    Thanks for the information. Today I managed to do the weight loss mode for an hour (alternating the resistance as 3 & 8). Even though it was tougher, I loved it & I feel more energetic.

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