Squats make your thighs slim

emergencytennis

Just been reading another thread on this subject. To be fair, only one poster said that squats make your thighs slim, but I have read it A LOT.

I just want someone to tell me exactly how this works. Don't tell me it doesn't, don't talk about general weight loss.

How do squats make my thighs slim?

amira411419

turns them into mucles I guess.

HelloDan

Squats primarily develop muscle around the thighs, typically hamstrings, glutes and quads, depending on form.

That is all they do, no more, no less.
Perhaps having definition in the legs makes people think they look thinner, perhaps people have lost fat whilst doing squats.

emergencytennis

turns them into mucles I guess.

Damn. sometimes the obvios answer is the right answer.

1223345

Losing fat makes your thighs slim. Toning muscle will make them firm. If you are not a slim person you will not have slim thighs. I am 5'3". I have stocky legs even on a skinny day. I don't care how many squats I ever did, my thighs were never slim, toned yes, slim no.

tootoop224

I would say that if you have fat in your thighs, and are eating at a deficit while doing squats, you could lose the fat. Of course it would be attributable to the "eating at a deficit" part more than the squats, but that would explain the perception that squats slim your thighs.

JenMc14

turns them into mucles I guess.

Damn. sometimes the obvios answer is the right answer.

What, exactly, are you "turning into muscle" while doing squats? Squats will help you retain muscle while eating at a deficit. Squats will help to define the muscle in that area so once the layer of fat covering them is gone, your legs and butt look great. Squats, in and of themselves, by themselves, do not "slim your thighs".

ironanimal

Squats primarily develop muscle around the thighs, typically hamstrings, glutes and quads, depending on form.

That is all they do, no more, no less.
Perhaps having definition in the legs makes people think they look thinner, perhaps people have lost fat whilst doing squats.

This right here.

And fat doesn't turn into muscle. Unless you own a Unicorn.

gracielynn1011

My opinion on the topic is that squats build the muscle and since muscle is more compact than fat, if I build the muscle and eat at a deficit, my thighs will look slimmer. Of course this applies to the whole body and you can't just pick your thighs to work on, but eventually it happens.

If I had weighed just my legs, and weighed them again now, chances are they would weigh the same. But because I have built the muscle and lost the fat, they are 2.5" slimmer than they were.

emergencytennis

Squats primarily develop muscle around the thighs, typically hamstrings, glutes and quads, depending on form.

That is all they do, no more, no less.
Perhaps having definition in the legs makes people think they look thinner, perhaps people have lost fat whilst doing squats.

Yah, but I have been reading my MFP. I can grow muscle in a calorie excess. This will make my thighs thicker. Or, I can increase my muscle endurance, so they will become harder or more dense. They will not get smaller.

Squats could be exercise that contributes to a calorie deficit. So could zumba. Why squats, in particular?

Edit vocab

vstraughan

Thanks for bringing this up. IMO I already have way too much muscle in my thighs and really don't want anymore. Think I'll skip increasing the squats!

wonderbolt

You might find this article helpful (and fun!)

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/07/08/why-you-need-squats-in-your-workout-and-how-to-do-them-right/

ironanimal

Squats primarily develop muscle around the thighs, typically hamstrings, glutes and quads, depending on form.

That is all they do, no more, no less.
Perhaps having definition in the legs makes people think they look thinner, perhaps people have lost fat whilst doing squats.

Yah, but I have been reading my MFP. I can grow muscle in a calorie excess. This will make my thighs fatter. Or, I can increase my muscle endurance, so they will become harder or more dense. They will not get smaller.

Squats could be exercise that contributes to a calorie deficit. So could zumba. Why squats, in particlar?

There is no such thing as flabby or dense muscle. It's just muscle.

The muscle can grow under a calorie surplus, and you can store fat in such a state.

In a calorie deficit, in an ideal world you maintain the muscle size whilst losing fat but often you'll lose some muscle size as well.

Bodyfat is what makes your legs more or less defined.

Squats are simply the most effective exercise for leg development and strength vs. time invested.

RoseTears143

Squats primarily develop muscle around the thighs, typically hamstrings, glutes and quads, depending on form.

That is all they do, no more, no less.
Perhaps having definition in the legs makes people think they look thinner, perhaps people have lost fat whilst doing squats.

This right here.

And fat doesn't turn into muscle. Unless you own a Unicorn.

^^ I agree with all of that.

But needed to add - you need glitter to toss in the air while riding on your Unicorn to the end of a rainbow as well to make fat turn into muscle.

emergencytennis

Losing fat makes your thighs slim. Toning muscle will make them firm. If you are not a slim person you will not have slim thighs. I am 5'3". I have stocky legs even on a skinny day. I don't care how many squats I ever did, my thighs were never slim, toned yes, slim no.

You and I are on the same page.

JenMc14

The last thing I'm gonna say about squats is this: before them, decent booty. After them (and I'm talking heavy squats), I have a pretty amazing *kitten*, even if I do say so myself. I could still stand to lose some fat from that area, but the squats have definitely made it firm and rounder. My legs are nice and strong, and I think that helps my running. Squats aren't some magical answer to nice legs, but they have amazing benefits when part of an overall fitness plan and good diet.

Your fat-to-muscle Unicorn should also be purple. Those pink ones are lazy, and the job ends up half a$$ed. And don't forget the glitter.

RoseTears143

The last thing I'm gonna say about squats is this: before them, decent booty. After them (and I'm talking heavy squats), I have a pretty amazing *kitten*, even if I do say so myself. I could still stand to lose some fat from that area, but the squats have definitely made it firm and rounder. My legs are nice and strong, and I think that helps my running. Squats aren't some magical answer to nice legs, but they have amazing benefits when part of an overall fitness plan and good diet.

Your fat-to-muscle Unicorn should also be purple. Those pink ones are lazy, and the job ends up half a$$ed. And don't forget the glitter.

I didn't know the pink ones were lazy. No wonder I haven't seen any progress!!! smh.....jeeezzzzz. I was totally conned! :drinker:

emergencytennis

Thanks for bringing this up. IMO I already have way too much muscle in my thighs and really don't want anymore. Think I'll skip increasing the squats!

I am not dissing squats. I have a squat track that I squat to (Big Shot by Straylight Run). I love my thigh muscles.

Squatting will not make your thighs bigger if you are in a calorie deficit.

I don't think it will make them smaller, either.

ndj1979

turns them into mucles I guess.

Damn. sometimes the obvios answer is the right answer.

What, exactly, are you "turning into muscle" while doing squats? Squats will help you retain muscle while eating at a deficit. Squats will help to define the muscle in that area so once the layer of fat covering them is gone, your legs and butt look great. Squats, in and of themselves, by themselves, do not "slim your thighs".

didn't you know that squats are the magic formula for converting fat into muscle? Dugh....!

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

My thighs got slimmer. I'm pretty sure it was strength training while at maintenance and on a deficit that did it. I lost 2 inches on each of them when I started to shed the body fat.

Muscle takes up less space, so when I started developing strength in my legs, and maybe added 2-4 pounds of muscle in the past 6 months, but I lost 4-5 pounds of fat. Result: I'm smaller, stronger and weigh almost exactly the same. This equals smaller thighs.

JessHealthKick

turns them into mucles I guess.

Damn. sometimes the obvios answer is the right answer.

What, exactly, are you "turning into muscle" while doing squats? Squats will help you retain muscle while eating at a deficit. Squats will help to define the muscle in that area so once the layer of fat covering them is gone, your legs and butt look great. Squats, in and of themselves, by themselves, do not "slim your thighs".

didn't you know that squats are the magic formula for converting fat into muscle? Dugh....!

You can definitely gain muscle whilst losing weight/fat. I have gone from 150lb to 140lb and am now leg-pressing on a 30ish degree angle 160+lbs (i.e. comfortably over my own body weight).

My weight loss has stalled, but this is because I am now gaining muscle whilst losing fat (muscle weighs more than fat) and not eating at a ridiculous deficit.

I am proud to say my *kitten* is really defying gravity more than ever, and I attribute this to squatting, lunges, running uphill (I am talking, the 15% highest setting on the treadmill) and some hiking.

As for making legs skinnier? Well if you are gaining muscle, you will require more calories to maintain that... so even whilst eating the same you naturally burn a little more and can get an overall fat loss from that. Ontop of it, if you're doing weights PROPERLY and killing yourself by the 10-12th rep then it is almost like cardio anyway. My heart gets up to 160s (I usually get to 180 whilst jogging with 55 resting, no I don't need to see a Dr) so it's an awesome workout.

YAY FOR SQUATS!