Female athletes/runners - muscular legs

Fithealthyforlife

Hey all-

This is not a typical first post! It's my intro disguised under the title of a topic I find interesting.

I'm a guy, 27, pretty much always been somewhat into fitness, but have gotten really into it in the past year. I'm currently focused on strength training and rebuilding muscle I lost due to not working out for a few years (what was I thinking?!), but have always looked halfway decently fit naturally (thin/ecto/meso body type). I have to work for the muscle, like most people, and it always takes a while for my body to get primed to build muscle...but once it gets going, it gets going. I also don't have to do tons of sets and reps like some people do, to see results.

Being a typical guy, I notice how fit women have aesthetic bodies, and have been taking notice of the thick, shapely legs and butts I see more often as more and more women work out as the years go on. First, I want to say to the women here: keep it up...not just for health...it looks really good too.

I went to a women's 5K recently, and was in awe by all the big, thick (compared to my own lower body as it is now), but oh so tight legs and bums of the female runners. I couldn't hardly believe how muscular some of the women were in their lower bodies, especially the girls in my age group (20-30). I happen to be attracted to that sort of thing, so it was really cool, and as a guy when I see this sort of thing, it always inspires me to get into better condition to match the level of these girls, because I see the things they can do, the strength and endurance they have, etc. (especially the Crossfit women) and it's always so inspring, and sexy, etc.

But there is a catch...I'm always wondering how the women athletes build such magnificant, strong lower bodies. Is it just that I'm looking at the endo/meso women who can gain any type of weight including muscle, easily? I'd like to hear from you if you have the answer. It's clearly muscle, and not just fat. And some of these girls can definitely squat and legpress more weight and/or reps (i.e. more strength/edurance/more muscle than I currently have)! I know a lot of the ladies here have this sort of body. It totally rocks, but how'd you get it, lol? Thanks and have a great night.

Fithealthyforlife

Btw...this site is way nicer than bodybuilding.com!

amybg1

My legs come from my dad's side...I don't have a tight *kitten* (yet) but I do have very big, muscular legs. As I'm recovering from an injury I sustained 13 months ago (practically recovered - just occasionally have tendinitis flare-ups) I'm a bit slower than I was but building my speed back up at a pretty good rate.

I'll tell you this - my legs were smaller a few years ago so how I built them is with a good lower-body workout in terms of weights, not just running. A downside to having plenty of muscle in your lower body is that all that muscle can be HEAVY - I currently have 15 inch calves and my thighs are more around 20-inch and there's no fat that shows on my calves when standing, when sitting there's a very small amount - you can still see definition. My thighs have a bit more fatty tissue but as I get fitter muscle will start showing there as well pretty eaisly

riccoismydog

Some of us just have an *kitten*. I know I have a butt at any weight, even when I'm underweight, the butt is there. A few squats, and there you go. Some girls have tits, some have *kitten*,,,,some have both. It is just how some girls are built.

greyoutside

I just build muscle like nothing else. I haven't worked out in ages (I mean, I walk several miles a day to get places, but I wouldn't count that) and I have huge leg muscles and muscles showing up on my sides (!!) that I didn't even know that I had. My *kitten*, on the other hand, is shapely (lol) but definitely not muscular. I only aspire to have a huge muscular *kitten*.

moarlunges

Plenty of squats and leg presses with decently heavy weights. I've been doing the kettlebell type squats and am just about ready to graduate to the squat rack. I hear sprinting builds killer *sses too!

Josee76

It took me a very long time to "embrace" what I always thought were thick legs. I hated the fact that my calves were 16", I have never bought a nice pair of long boots; they just don't fit and as a woman, thick legs are just not dainty!

It's only in recent years that I started to wear skirts and dresses because after spending a lot of time cycling I have come to realize that they wouldn't get any smaller. I had to accept it... and quite a few "damn, those legs" comments made me realize that they aren't that bad after all!

Fithealthyforlife

It took me a very long time to "embrace" what I always thought were thick legs. I hated the fact that my calves were 16", I have never bought a nice pair of long boots; they just don't fit and as a woman, thick legs are just not dainty!

It's only in recent years that I started to wear skirts and dresses because after spending a lot of time cycling I have come to realize that they wouldn't get any smaller. I had to accept it... and quite a few "damn, those legs" comments made me realize that they aren't that bad after all!

They definitely aren't "that bad", lol. They're awesome, imho. It's great that you learned to accept it.

acstansell

I've been walking and building to running slowly and I'm noticing my thighs are getting stronger but bigger - I have my dad's calves and my mother's thighs. Once they are toned, they will be big but lean. My butt is okay - I need to do squats more to keep my demensions even but I'm not allowed due to a hip issue.

I can't wait to have full on runners legs - so lean and powerful...

Fithealthyforlife

It sounds like there are tons of you here! I guess I wasn't hallucinating, and really was seeing physically goddess-like women with large, firm rears and muscular thighs, lol.

Do you all think tending toward endo/meso body type is something that you have in common, and that helps women gain muscle mass easier? I was thinking maybe I'm just noticing all the endo/meso girls at the races. You know, like selective attention!

Being ecto-meso as a guy is ok, but pure meso would be better! I don't gain mass as readily as pure meso men do (or even as readily as some women, apparently). Then again, Arnold was ecto/meso, too, and he was huge at one point. btw, I'll try to eventually get some body pics up myself...though I won't show my full face online due to privacy considerations.

Keep the replies/experience/theories coming! You ladies are all beautiful!

riccoismydog

I'm ecto. And I don't put muscle on very well, but I tone nicely.

I can see serious lifting gains in the weight department, and not put on any discernable size.

I like it.

Fithealthyforlife

I'm ecto. And I don't put muscle on very well, but I tone nicely.

I can see serious lifting gains in the weight department, and not put on any discernable size.

I like it.

Do you mean ecto-meso mix? B/c you have some nice curves! Being a guy and a fellow ecto-ish type, I have naturally thin, but rugged/dense muscles that take forever to see change in definition/size compared to pure mesos (which aren't that common, but seem to gain size literally overnight). I'm not sure if I have more fast or slow twitch, but I'd guess fast, as my muscles fatigue quickly, and I am a pretty fast guy.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

I don't understand the question. If you are wondering why these women have bigger/ stronger legs than you, the answer is because you don't lift legs enough. :flowerforyou:

Also, the whole somatotype thing is pretty much a myth.

LauraJo08

I have crazy muscular legs. I used to hate them, but after the jealous looks from my friends at my cellulite-lacking thighs, and the trainers at my gym complimenting them, I have embraced them. They are 23" of pure muscle, and they come from 15 years of playing soccer as a kid, thousands of miles running, and recently, a lot of squats, lunges, and deadlifts. I am a mesomorph, so I naturally put muscle on pretty easily, but I guess the only advice I can give you is DON'T SKIP LEG DAY. Also, since you are an ectomorph, I would limit long bouts of steady-state cardio, instead lifting more often and maybe throwing in a couple days of HIIT workouts. Also, hit the protein. Isopur is what everyone at my gym uses.

Good luck!

michellekicks

Oh hai!

Well see I was a fat teenager haha... and someone showed me to the weight room because I obviously needed to work out. So I ate whatever I wanted, played soccer and lifted. I was still fat, but evidently I laid down quite a bit of muscle.

I currently have about 17lbs less lean mass than I did in high school thanks to dieting twice :grumble: But overall I think I'm pretty meso.

But here I am. I run a lot and enjoy hill repeats and hill sprints. I also started lifting in October to see if I can figure out how to add some muscle back on next fall after all my races this year.

Fithealthyforlife

I have crazy muscular legs. I used to hate them, but after the jealous looks from my friends at my cellulite-lacking thighs, and the trainers at my gym complimenting them, I have embraced them. They are 23" of pure muscle, and they come from 15 years of playing soccer as a kid, thousands of miles running, and recently, a lot of squats, lunges, and deadlifts. I am a mesomorph, so I naturally put muscle on pretty easily, but I guess the only advice I can give you is DON'T SKIP LEG DAY. Also, since you are an ectomorph, I would limit long bouts of steady-state cardio, instead lifting more often and maybe throwing in a couple days of HIIT workouts. Also, hit the protein. Isopur is what everyone at my gym uses.

Good luck!

Laura,

Thanks. Btw, you have the exact same body type as some of the girls I was talking about. (I love it, lol!) And some of the others I noticed (those with the bigger hips/butts) were definitely more endo-leaning, but still had the pronounced lower-body defiition that you do, but with seemingly even bigger quads/calves. That's the type I'm most curious about...

Busylady:

Yeah, I am indeed wondering why some of these women have bigger and stronger legs (AND BUTTS, lol) than me. I don't think all of them lift...some just run. That's why I thought maybe some of it was down to body type/weight/ease of gaining muscle...or even fat pushing out the muscle in some cases.

I'm 5'9, currently around 140 lbs, and 6-8% bodyfat...muscular, but only because I'm lean. I don't think i have have more muscle mass the average guy even though I might look like I do...I'm extremely lean, with a rectangular/rugged build (as opposed to skinny or husky), medium frame, somewhat broad shoulders. You can see my muscles, but they are not large at this point in time. My thighs are around 20 inches in the middle, and calves 13-14 inches. My legs have definite shape to them. I'm kind of easing into the leg traning. I think women really appreciate nice legs on guys far more than most guys think! Of course, I'm not doing it just for the ladies!

My legs may be smaller and not as strong as some of you ladies, but that is no big deal...I always felt women were supposed to have the larger lower body. All of you have very aesthetic lower halves.

mego07

I ended up getting my muscular thick legs from playing soccer as a young kid and into high school. We did lots of squats, lunges, leg press, and of course sprints, running, and even ball touches/drills worked all of it. Nice thing is the muscle memory in my legs are quick to bounce back after I pick it up again. .. which is happening now.

The booty I was just blessed with.

vjohn04

I was a soccer player and also did a lot of squatting in college.

mmddwechanged

I think you have selective attention like you mentioned. Btw, as you probably also know, posts like this are a great way to make the kind of friends you seem to like so much;)

Fithealthyforlife

I think you have selective attention like you mentioned. Btw, as you probably also know, posts like this are a great way to make the kind of friends you seem to like so much;)

Thanks! Support is really important when it comes to fitness. I don't know who would friend me yet, though...Unfortunately, I probably look like a lurker/newbie/creeper without any pics up. So many smart, friendly, enthusiastic, experienced, fit, and beautiful people here! I said it before...this site is so much better than bodybuilding.com!

bombedpop

lol, so much earnestness up in this place. /head. hits. desk.

Fithealthyforlife

Btw, thanks, Meg! :-)

SerenityRabit

I'm surprised to hear a guy loves that
I hate my thick theys, they are completely muscular which means it's nearly impossible to make them thin. I can squat about 250lbs, so it's not completely genetics BUT I know for a fact it is partially genetic as I'm a pear shape.
So to be honest, I think most of the girls you are see are the meso types and bottom heavy girls

mego07

you betcha!

also walking at a ridiculous incline at a decent pace for 30 minutes will get you intense legs. days that i don't want to run or elliptical i'll do that.

lithezebra

I think that I started out with thicker muscles in my lower body. I've never done any body building, just strength training.

CoderGal

I don't understand the question. If you are wondering why these women have bigger/ stronger legs than you, the answer is because you don't lift legs enough. :flowerforyou:

Also, the whole somatotype thing is pretty much a myth.

Yep. That and it takes time...and if there's a layer of fat it takes time to get off.

As for women having unusually powerful legs lifting wise...I know a few trainers and they often bring it up. The topic is usually 'new to gym girls putting up unusual amounts of weights via legs'. I guess many women carry much of their muscle mass in their legs? I can't put up much but I have shots of joint pain before I get a chance to fatigue my muscles.

Fithealthyforlife

I'm surprised to hear a guy loves that
I hate my thick theys, they are completely muscular which means it's nearly impossible to make them thin. I can squat about 250lbs, so it's not completely genetics BUT I know for a fact it is partially genetic as I'm a pear shape.
So to be honest, I think most of the girls you are see are the meso types and bottom heavy girls

You are? Lol!
No, don't hate...accept! :-) 250 lbs squat is great. I don't know how much I can do fpr reps with a bar on my shoulders at this point, because I haven't been squatting, but I know it's under 200 for sure. Mostly using machines as I get aclimated to leg training. (I know! I will start doing squats soon!)
I think you're right. And I think pear-shaped girls do tend to have strong butts when you get into good shape!

I love bottom heavy, fit women! One of my memorable fitness moments: a smoking hot women I had a little crush on unsurreptitiously flexed her glutes standing 4 feet away with her backside to me, lol! Her cheek went up on its own accord....and then it went down...and then again...etc. I pretended not to notice! I think she was doing some sort of exercise to stay limber! Never underestimate the benefit of a limber *kitten*!

Fithealthyforlife

I ended up getting my muscular thick legs from playing soccer as a young kid and into high school. We did lots of squats, lunges, leg press, and of course sprints, running, and even ball touches/drills worked all of it. Nice thing is the muscle memory in my legs are quick to bounce back after I pick it up again. .. which is happening now.

The booty I was just blessed with.

I think it's great that quite a few of you had success from hard exercise when you were a kid.

Yep. That and it takes time...and if there's a layer of fat it takes time to get off.

As for women having unusually powerful legs lifting wise...I know a few trainers and they often bring it up. The topic is usually 'new to gym girls putting up unusual amounts of weights via legs'. I guess many women carry much of their muscle mass in their legs? I can't put up much but I have shots of joint pain before I get a chance to fatigue my muscles.

It definitely takes time. Interesting what the trainers have brought up. That's probably not the norm, I'd say.

Fithealthyforlife

Oh, I just thought of one more thing...

I haven't really ever done much with squats. Are they better at building leg strength and mass than leg press, leg extension, and leg curl? I've been using mostly machines for legs. I doubt I can squat much at this time, as it's a totally different exercise and I'd have to start from scratch.

For a guy like me, where might I start--with the 45-lb barbell and doing 2 sets of 10 reps initially for a guy like me with squats? Bodyweight squats probably won't do much...I've done those before. What about hte machines...should I stop them when I start squats initially so I don't overdo it? And where do lunges fit into the mix? Like many guys, I'm not a super duper expert on leg training...yet.

Hadabetter

Katzedernacht

It depends, I had no butt whatsoever,none, it was an inward curve thing.
After some heavy squatting and what not, there ya go lil As$, small but nice and firm haha,the legs have always been okish,now with heavier lifting I am starting to be like WOW them quads,i guess you just need to work it and well i know it has a limit,i wanna find out mine