Will squats make my thighs bigger?
toomuchbootyindapants
Posts: 811 Member
The answer is no...not really.
So many women want to know the secret to slimming out their thighs. It's an area women struggle with because we tend to store fat there, the stubborn kind that seems resistant to change. And yes, it is stubborn. Which is why it is all the more important to SQUAT, LUNGE, DEADLIFT, JUMP, and USE THOSE THIGHS to their advantage! Big muscle groups within the quads, hamstrings, and glutes that burn big calories! Muscle burns more calories at rest than does fat so we WANT to build muscle in our legs, or at least retain as much as we can while dieting.
Squats - in conjunction with a caloric deficit - will help your legs get smaller, more taut, less jiggly - what we alllll want. The people who say that squats made their legs bigger are special snowflakes OR they were eating too much and either gained muscle in the process or gained fat (depending on how much they were eating and what they were doing for exercise).
This picture below shows my legs at 185# on the left. I had already lost 35# but you can see they are very flabby and pocked and just not pleasing to look at. They rubbed against each other when walking, standing, what have you (and that ish hurts when they chafe!). At this point all I had done for exercise was walking and some jogging (while doing C25K). You can imagine how fatty and big they were when I was 220# several months earlier!
The picture on the right shows my legs currently, in progress. I'm 155# (about 25% bodyfat, trying to get to 18-20%). You'll notice they didn't get "bigger". They are more defined, leaner, and definitely wayyy more taut than before. My quads are pretty dominant and I can squat a hella lot of weight. These legs were built from lifting (no cardio) and a small calorie deficit (250-500 cals, toward the lower end on average though - I like to eat, a LOT). So - squats, deads, lunges, etc COMBINED with a caloric deficit = smaller thighs. As I continue to drop fat, they will continue to lean out and be even more defined and taut. I'm anxious for that but I suck at dieting.
So there ya have it - a little progress picture to show the ladies who are afraid to lift weights because their legs might get "bigger" that it's all about your diet when you are lifting. If you eat at maintenance or more, you may build some muscle and until you lose that fat your legs will look bigger. But if you eat within a deficit, your legs will respond and get smaller. It just takes time...because that fat is very stubborn. Happy Beautiful Thigh Thursday!
So many women want to know the secret to slimming out their thighs. It's an area women struggle with because we tend to store fat there, the stubborn kind that seems resistant to change. And yes, it is stubborn. Which is why it is all the more important to SQUAT, LUNGE, DEADLIFT, JUMP, and USE THOSE THIGHS to their advantage! Big muscle groups within the quads, hamstrings, and glutes that burn big calories! Muscle burns more calories at rest than does fat so we WANT to build muscle in our legs, or at least retain as much as we can while dieting.
Squats - in conjunction with a caloric deficit - will help your legs get smaller, more taut, less jiggly - what we alllll want. The people who say that squats made their legs bigger are special snowflakes OR they were eating too much and either gained muscle in the process or gained fat (depending on how much they were eating and what they were doing for exercise).
This picture below shows my legs at 185# on the left. I had already lost 35# but you can see they are very flabby and pocked and just not pleasing to look at. They rubbed against each other when walking, standing, what have you (and that ish hurts when they chafe!). At this point all I had done for exercise was walking and some jogging (while doing C25K). You can imagine how fatty and big they were when I was 220# several months earlier!
The picture on the right shows my legs currently, in progress. I'm 155# (about 25% bodyfat, trying to get to 18-20%). You'll notice they didn't get "bigger". They are more defined, leaner, and definitely wayyy more taut than before. My quads are pretty dominant and I can squat a hella lot of weight. These legs were built from lifting (no cardio) and a small calorie deficit (250-500 cals, toward the lower end on average though - I like to eat, a LOT). So - squats, deads, lunges, etc COMBINED with a caloric deficit = smaller thighs. As I continue to drop fat, they will continue to lean out and be even more defined and taut. I'm anxious for that but I suck at dieting.
So there ya have it - a little progress picture to show the ladies who are afraid to lift weights because their legs might get "bigger" that it's all about your diet when you are lifting. If you eat at maintenance or more, you may build some muscle and until you lose that fat your legs will look bigger. But if you eat within a deficit, your legs will respond and get smaller. It just takes time...because that fat is very stubborn. Happy Beautiful Thigh Thursday!
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Replies
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made mine a lot bigger0
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And also a lot sexier!!!!0
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made mine a lot bigger
Did you actually take measurements to verify this? Or did they appear bigger for the reasons the OP explained?
Love this OP! My legs are rocking thanks to squats. My muscles look bigger, but my legs are smaller. I know this because I've measured and I'm down another pant size since starting lifting (depsite not losing much weight).0 -
Mine have pretty much stayed the same. I was blessed with the gut and back flab gene. But because of squats, deadlifts, lunges and step ups (and thanks to running) you can see my muscles starting to define. Which I think is sexy, and which my husband thinks I am nuts because I point it out to him (because I have never had that before).0
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Thanks for the reminder :happy:0
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I want hot legs like yours, Dizzle! Slowly but surely, I will get there!
I really love what lifting does to my entire body, but especially my lower half.
Must squat all the things, and eat the food! :drinker:
ETA: regarding legs getting bigger from squatting...mine have decreased in size, and YES I absolutely measure! I've lost about 4 inches from my thighs since July 2012.0 -
Great progress! I agree, squats will only help to make your legs look sexier!!0
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Squats didn't make my thighs bigger. The dimensions didn't change much cuz my legs were never big per se, but they were pretty much fat. Now they're strong and muscular and I actually like' em. Which for me, is huge.
BTW, love you Dizz
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Great post! I believe this too. Lifting heavy is where its at! Toned skinny is much sexier than frail skinny!
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love this reminds me of a conversation I had a work yesterday. A girl was complaining of all the "muscle" she gained on her thighs from running a mile everyday. 0
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I don't even use weight when I squat and I have noticed a huge difference. Much nicer, firmer, more defined musculature on my thighs! I use small weights when I squat and lunge doing 30 DS, so I am sure that is helping a great deal as well. I don't really care if they get smaller, as long as they get more toned, and jiggle less ;-)0
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love this reminds me of a conversation I had a work yesterday. A girl was complaining of all the "muscle" she gained on her thighs from running a mile everyday.
It is SO annoying when people complain about something fitness related and they have NO idea what they are talking about!!!!0 -
Your legs look great!! Thanks for posting. Makes me want to go home and squat on the Smith tonight :flowerforyou:0
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<<< Squats and lunges have done wonders for my thighs. They are not bigger.0
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Brilliant post and bloody true...I you! 0
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this!!!! 0
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made mine a lot bigger
Did you actually take measurements to verify this? Or did they appear bigger for the reasons the OP explained?
Love this OP! My legs are rocking thanks to squats. My muscles look bigger, but my legs are smaller. I know this because I've measured and I'm down another pant size since starting lifting (depsite not losing much weight).
yup were 19.5in and now 20in0 -
Thank god! A pro squats post! I do squats nearly every gym session and my legs have gotten smaller, harder, and sexier! I love what squats have done to my legs!0
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made mine a lot bigger
Special snowflake right here
Awesome post OP! You look great!0 -
Love this, love lifting, love making my legs stronger, love squatting, and I can't wait to have strong bad@*kitten* legs!! :bigsmile:0
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yup were 19.5in and now 20in
half an inch is "a lot"???0 -
made mine a lot bigger
Did you actually take measurements to verify this? Or did they appear bigger for the reasons the OP explained?
Love this OP! My legs are rocking thanks to squats. My muscles look bigger, but my legs are smaller. I know this because I've measured and I'm down another pant size since starting lifting (depsite not losing much weight).
yup were 19.5in and now 20in
.5 is a lot? If my math is right that's 2.5%0 -
made mine a lot bigger
Did you actually take measurements to verify this? Or did they appear bigger for the reasons the OP explained?
Love this OP! My legs are rocking thanks to squats. My muscles look bigger, but my legs are smaller. I know this because I've measured and I'm down another pant size since starting lifting (depsite not losing much weight).
yup were 19.5in and now 20in
Are you measuring in the exact same spot? That's often a problem when measuring thighs (so much ground to cover!)...even going just a wee bit north can add to your measurement due to the way our legs are shaped. Half an inch isn't much - especially if you have gained some muscle.
Tell me though - are your legs less jiggly? How's your diet? Squats alone don't make legs bigger...it's always a combination of things.
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made mine a lot bigger
Did you actually take measurements to verify this? Or did they appear bigger for the reasons the OP explained?
Love this OP! My legs are rocking thanks to squats. My muscles look bigger, but my legs are smaller. I know this because I've measured and I'm down another pant size since starting lifting (depsite not losing much weight).
yup were 19.5in and now 20in
.5 is a lot? If my math is right that's 2.5%
That's still in the margin of error too!0 -
made mine a lot bigger
Did you actually take measurements to verify this? Or did they appear bigger for the reasons the OP explained?
Love this OP! My legs are rocking thanks to squats. My muscles look bigger, but my legs are smaller. I know this because I've measured and I'm down another pant size since starting lifting (depsite not losing much weight).
yup were 19.5in and now 20in
.5 is a lot? If my math is right that's 2.5%
That's still in the margin of error too!
And when are you measuring? If you're doing it right after you exercise, your muscles are retaining fluid. That could account for the 0.5".0 -
Depends on how your body responds to exercise and what you want to look like. Not every woman wants heavily muscled thighs.0
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:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:0
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Depends on how your body responds to exercise and what you want to look like. Not every woman wants heavily muscled thighs.
No but they all seem to want them slimmer and are afraid squats will make them bigger. You don't have to squat to build muscle and have "heavily muscled thighs" - you can squat and still be on your quest for the elusive thigh gap. *rolls eyes*0 -
Depends on how your body responds to exercise and what you want to look like. Not every woman wants heavily muscled thighs.
I'm willing to bet that between "heavily muscled" and heavily flabby and cottage-cheese like thighs 99.999999% of women would choose the former.
Move along0 -
Depends on how your body responds to exercise and what you want to look like. Not every woman wants heavily muscled thighs.
I wouldn't call that heavily muscled thighs, I would say she looks like she has a fit lower body, it's extremely attractive!0
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