Thigh muscle question

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DaisyJane
DaisyJane Posts: 147 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Does running on treadmill and cycling on excercise bike build up your thigh muscles?

I am desperate to lose weight from thighs and running and cycling are only things I enjoy... I really dont want muscle thighs either!


Just wanted a bit of advice from someone more knowledgeable!

Ta muchly
:flowerforyou:

Replies

  • DaisyJane
    DaisyJane Posts: 147 Member
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    Does running on treadmill and cycling on excercise bike build up your thigh muscles?

    I am desperate to lose weight from thighs and running and cycling are only things I enjoy... I really dont want muscle thighs either!


    Just wanted a bit of advice from someone more knowledgeable!

    Ta muchly
    :flowerforyou:
  • yellow_pepper
    yellow_pepper Posts: 708 Member
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    I find that cycling at high resistance can build up my thighs. Running, on the other hand, does not.

    In general, I'd say that if you're losing weight AND exercising, you shouldn't be getting bigger... You need to fuel muscle growth. And maintaining a 500 calorie deficit (to lose 1-lb per week) is inconsistent with muscle-building for most people.
  • Islandgrrl
    Islandgrrl Posts: 2
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    Running will not make your thighs huge. Cycling certainly has the potential to make your thigh muscles bigger, dependent upon the resistance and manner in which you cycle.

    Look at competitive athletes - how their muscles are - you rarely see a runner (distance) with big thighs. Sprinters, that's another story (different muscle mechanics: endurance for distance, power for sprinting). Competitive cyclists, same story. If you bike on a relatively flat surface at relatively low resistance and go for endurance, your muscles will respond accordingly. If you cycle on hills or at higher resistance, your muscles will get bigger because of the increased load.

    (I'm not just guessing here....I'm a certified personal trainer and spinning instructor)
  • DaisyJane
    DaisyJane Posts: 147 Member
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    Thats great. Thanks guys! Really appreciate the responses. With cycling I'm going for endurance rather than resistance uphill etc. So if i understand correctly, i shouldnt end up with disproportionately big thigh muscles :smile:

    Thankyou! :flowerforyou:
  • gnicolecan
    gnicolecan Posts: 293 Member
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    A simlar question was recently in a fitness magazine.

    The response was simliar to what is already posted here-

    Keep the resistance lower and speed higher when cycling. This will create less muscle bulge.
  • yellow_pepper
    yellow_pepper Posts: 708 Member
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    Thats great. Thanks guys! Really appreciate the responses. With cycling I'm going for endurance rather than resistance uphill etc. So if i understand correctly, i shouldnt end up with disproportionately big thigh muscles :smile:

    Just keep in mind: cycling at lighter resistance means you'll have to spend a lot more time on the bike to burn the same number of calories as you would at higher resistance. If you want a more efficient way to burn a lot of calories without making your legs get huge, try running for 30 minutes at a speed of at least 6 mph.
  • paulamma1
    paulamma1 Posts: 544 Member
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    DaisyJane,

    Being female you can pretty much guarantee you're not going to get big muscles anywhere! We don't have the testosterone.

    Those big muscled professional cyclists are exactly that, professional. They do it for a living, cycle 5-6 hours a day and, from the trend, most are on steroids etc. ~~ shrug ~~

    Cycle away girl. :smile:
  • DaisyJane
    DaisyJane Posts: 147 Member
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    Right! I'm off for a good old cycle followed by a spell on the treadmill!

    Thanks all
    :flowerforyou:

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