chubby thighs...to resistence train or not?

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13

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  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
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    Add weights to those squats, seriously! 40 reps is a lot, I wouldn't go higher than 10 personally. If you can do more, up the weight. Also, crunches won't help the stomach fat, they only work the muscles underneath. You can't spot reduce but a calorie deficit will reduce the fat over time.

    You say it's not that intensive, but I think what you do is an awful lot! That's great if your fuelling yourself for it and you enjoy it, but you don't "need" it, weights will do a lot more for your legs and stomach. If you cut down the cardio, and want to keep your deficit the same then you will have to make up for it elsewhere though (with strength training and/or diet)

    All you really need to lose fat is a deficit. Weights help to give you shape and definition by maintaining the muscle as you lose weight/fat. The calorie deficit is what helps you lose fat. Cardio (any exercise really) help with the deficit and is also good for cardiovascular health.
  • xViccas27
    xViccas27 Posts: 21
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    I'm just here for the legspiration, go about cho' business!

    Me too. Leg envy. Have it in spades right now. I think I have great legs, but dang.

    ^ Why I'm here.
  • Beastette
    Beastette Posts: 1,497 Member
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    If you want to lose fat, you are actually holding yourself back by not resistance training the largest muscle groups on your body, OP.

    As long as you are eating at a deficit, you won't gain/bulk, but you should but that lower body to work for you with squats, deadlifts, etc.
  • xidia
    xidia Posts: 606 Member
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    Running does tone the legs - at some point I'll get a photo of mine which are all down to running over the last 8 months.

    However, if your carrying fat over the top, you won't see the effects. I'm lucky, and I'm guessing Canelly might be too, in that I don't carry weight on my thighs, so running (and now Strong Lifts 5x5) have shown immediate results in muscle definition. If you've got the stereotypical female pear shape (also known as "saddle bags", "love handles", "thunder thighs" etc) then you'll need to drop fat by having a calorie deficit. Make sure you lift heavy too in order to maintain lean mass while losing fat, but until the fat goes, you won't see the definition clearly. The muscles will be there, and your legs will look better, but the real change will come when the fat burns off.
  • palmerig88
    palmerig88 Posts: 623 Member
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    you will lose the fat through calorie restriction, whether you are burning the cals with cardio or not...don't lose too fast because then you lose more muscle mass than intended

    I feel like you are not doing hard enough squats and lunges if you are able to do them 3-5 times per week. My legs get insanely sore when I give them a good workout so I would say I max 2x per week on legs but many weeks I do only one

    heavy lifting in general, legs and upper body will shrink you and pull your waist in it will be awesome.

    I have had stocky chubby flabby legs my entire life too and never had nice legs until last year. I'm 32


    ETA: by "hard enough" I meant you need to at least hold some heavy dumbbells or use a weighted machine or something, don't just use body weight
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    I have pretty big thighs as well (28" each right now). Running definitely helps, but you want to build muscle in your legs as well so once you're at your goal weight, you don't just have skinny legs, you have toned legs. So I do a lot of bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges, plie squats, yoga & pilates help a lot, but I also like to work them with weights at the gym. I love the squat press, squats on the sliding barbell machine (not sure what it's called - lol. you basically have the bar behind your neck and it slides on a frame so you're not just squatting with the weight, it's controlled), abductor and adductor machines (for inner and outer thighs), and the calf raise machine.

    All of that combined back when I was consistent, I was losing about an inch off my thighs a month. Hope this helps! Also, stationary bike! I love it. I don't like the low seated one, I like just the regular bike and I like to alternate speeds (kind of like cycling but not as crazy - lol). I usually start with a resistance of 4 and go moderately fast, and then go as fast as I can as long as I can stand it and switch back and forth. Great burn and you'll feel it later. :happy:
  • EmilyJackCO
    EmilyJackCO Posts: 621 Member
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    I'm all legs, and still have trouble with my thighs, they seem to be the LAST thing to go. I do cardio more for stress than for burning fat, but have just worked with my trainer on a plan to start divvying up my hour of cardio between treadmill and cycling. My problem is my stupid lungs hate me. Asthma is the devil, I swear. This will be the first change to my cardio in a year, so we'll see how it goes. I do lift heavy twice a week, am moving that to three-four times a week - but need to get more comfortable lifting without a trainer first. Long story short - I haven't been paying attention, that's what I pay him for. :P
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
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    http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/The_Starting_Strength_Novice/Beginner_Programs

    i was too ashamed to take before leg pics...but i have a before regular pic.
    lift heavy...3x a week, do cardio a few other days.

    33110506_7732.jpg
    33110506_3110.jpg
    33110506_8190.jpg
    33110506_4848.jpg

    Pic quoting so everyone can see your amazingness.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    You haven't mentioned how many calories you are eating. But, I concur with the masses here-cut back on the cardio and focus more on heavy weights. Too few calories combined with excessive aerobic exercise can easily mask fat loss at it causes spikes in cortisol which elicits substantial water retention. Check out both references listed (Starting Strength and NLRFW) as they are invaluable guides to lifting.
  • oDapho
    oDapho Posts: 50
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    bump. great suggestions, this thread is awesome.
  • happydaywitty
    happydaywitty Posts: 86 Member
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    bump. Great thread
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    I love the way that Canelly says she got her legs from running and body-weight lunges and squats, and all the other posters keep talking about and advocating weight-training, as if they did not even read what she said !
    I am sure you can achieve nicer legs both ways. But, lets face it, if you want to burn a lot of calories fast, running wins hands down. It is also not true that you can run miles and miles and not strengthen and tone your legs. Running and walking are what legs are for.

    I can say with absolute certainty that running gives you better legs than not running, and running and strength training gives you better legs than just running.
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
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    Now that I've gotten past my thigh envy, I have to disagree with cutting back on cardio. Agree completely with adding weight to lunges and squats, though.

    23 miles on the bike on Friday made me so happy and euphoric, and my legs were as pumped from that as if I had lifted (which I did, on Thursday). And the calorie burn was enough to where I polished off a 12 ounce steak at dinner without blinking or feeling the slightest guilt from it.

    Strength AND cardio. Strength AND cardio.

    I don't know any runners or bikers with legs that aren't strong and lean.
  • canelly
    canelly Posts: 731 Member
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    I love the way that Canelly says she got her legs from running and body-weight lunges and squats, and all the other posters keep talking about and advocating weight-training, as if they did not even read what she said !
    I am sure you can achieve nicer legs both ways. But, lets face it, if you want to burn a lot of calories fast, running wins hands down. It is also not true that you can run miles and miles and not strengthen and tone your legs. Running and walking are what legs are for.

    Yes this is what have worked for me I have not stepped on a gym yet. But I can't wait till I start lifting heavy weights and get bigger muscly legs.
  • canelly
    canelly Posts: 731 Member
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    I'm pretty proud of what has happened to my legs as a result of weightlifting. I don't dare post pictures after canelly's though!:laugh: !!

    I have no opinion on the 'less cardio' issue because I'm also a runner- my opinion is that you should prioritize the weightlifting and fit the cardio around it however you like.

    Squats, deadlifts, lunges, and hill sprints are the ticket to hot legs and a badass booty.
    I have been a runner my entire life, and never had the legs/azz I wanted until I started seriously weight lifting.

    Lol..com'on everybody wanna see pics and I bet your legs look way better than mines !
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
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    no, no weights on the lunges/squats.
    are 40 reps a lot?
    i do 100-200 crunches a day 5 times a week and i'm not seeing any changes.
    such a novice here!

    squats--I do 30-50 reps with up to 100lbs on my back!

    Treadmill--I do no more than 30min, 4x a week. I started with a 1% incline, but for the last 3-4 months I have been doing hill intervals with the top incline being just under 6%

    I also do the hip adduction and abduction machines--just bumped up to 150#

    this is my leg the beginning of December
    8386370405_6ca952422b_m.jpg
    IMG00877-20121209-0835 (2) by crochetmom2010, on Flickr

    this is my leg the beginning of january

    8386370709_cf5e2e4d6a_m.jpg
    20130112_144909 by crochetmom2010, on Flickr

    I only lost a pound! Do you see the changes?
  • Lovable12
    Lovable12 Posts: 34
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    I have a similar problem.. I just started lifting heavy weights (like 4-5 sets of 6-8reps vs 3x10) 3x a week and running 2x a week.. before I just ran and did 3x10 average weights and I notice a difference. I think it really depends on where you are at I would do more running to lose the inches (my thighs got slim when I ran all the time, but like someone said earlier super jiggly!) and then slowly add heavy weights until you are doing more heavy weights and less running to start toning. Unless you are taking steroids/testosterone you are not going to bulk up.. the lighter weights/more reps you lift you will create a "pump" look which may make you feel bulkier where heavier/fewer will build strength and really tone..


    My real problem are is my inner thighs! Compared to the rest of my body they are not toning up at all and make my knees look like they go inward/my thighs rub together and are 22" at the biggest part! Anyone have any ideas on specific exercises to tone inner thighs?? I do 5x6 squats with 155lbs and lunges with 40lbs... I've noticed a huge difference since doing SL in my butt and back of thighs but nothing for the inside of my thighs! I've heard pointing your toes outward slightly doing squats helps target the inner part more but it is just not toning up!

    Any suggestions??

    Also, as for running 60 minutes a day practically every day... I read somewhere a university study that said people doing 4 days with 30 min cardio actually burned more fat/lost more weight than those doing an hour of cardio every day... not sure how accurate it was, just something I read..
  • LWolford84
    LWolford84 Posts: 14 Member
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    ETA- User error :-)
  • LWolford84
    LWolford84 Posts: 14 Member
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    I'm always so intimidated going into the lifting room at the gym. I've been using Jillian Michaels' DVDs at home. She focuses more on strength than cardio and I finally feel like I'm noticing a difference in muscle tone, especially my arms. I too have the trouble with my thighs, always have. I think I'll start incorporating some extra squats until I get the courage to hit the lifting room! :)

    Don't be scared of the weight room. I look forward to my lifting day. I would recommend throw some headphones on, get in the zone, and only focus on yourself and your techique.
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    euirqosdifo Posts: 6
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