How to get rid of these "thick" legs?????

3. I never saw a ballet dancer nor gymnast with clumpy legs - maybe there is a clue there to the type of exercises you should be doing.

Or a clue as to what kind of body type is most successful in ballet or gymnastics?

I have the same problem. I am 5'3" and at 124. I exercise daily and hike on the weekends. I have thick thighs and exercising my legs haven't made them smaller, just more muscular. My upper body is small however, and my stomach is flat. It's hard to buy dress pants because if they fit in my thighs they are too big in the waist. I buy pants with wider legs or wear belt. Skinny jeans are definitely out.

I think it's just my body type. I got down do 112 pounds a couple of years ago and they were definitely smaller, but they are never going to be in proportion to my upper body. I alternate yoga and pilates with my other workouts and I think that helps. I just know that I will never have skinny thighs. It's okay though, because my legs are strong and although not as skinny as I would like, they are firm.

I don't have an answer but I share your pain!

I'm not sure if you are saying that you have thick-muscular legs or thick-fat legs..

If its thick muscular, start doing long distance running!!! Look up the difference between long distance runners legs and sprinters...... Thin legs on long distance runners, bulky muscular ones on the sprinters. Its probably the only way to "spot reduce" but its not the fat... Its the muscle and not really reduction, it is the way and type of muscle fiber that you are building... I wouldn't say stop the squats and lunges and blah even though you are just building muscle, which makes them look bigger... but um cut back and run and run and run. It is the only way (that I know of) to get thinner legs, besides.. well, starving.

Just look into it and I'm sure you will find that I am right. Have you ever seen a long distance runner with thick legs? Didn't think so.

It will take time, but don't give up if you want results! :]

Noooooo... please not the "elongation"! :explode: Yoga and pilates will not elongate anything. Once you have stopped growing, your bones are a fixed length, and your muscles are a fixed length.

er... stretching kinda elongates

I have the same problem. Squads, lounges etc will definitely tone your legs and it will make them look better. Recently I discovered that running and jumping (all kinds: rope, sideways, on the box) helps me loose more inches from my tights. I haven't yet found any solution for calves ;(

Edit: If you're not on a budget you could try some beauty salon treatments.

So for those of you in my same position - how have you/are you targeting your legs? I workout at least 4-5 days a week. Lately, I've been adding more squats, lunges, leg presses, stair stepping, and running.

Also, please, please, please - DON'T respond with "you can't target certain areas" - I've heard this several times as well.

You may not like to hear it, because you've heard it several times before... but the reason why you've heard it several times before is because it's TRUE. You should know, as a functioning adult, that asking the same question over and over again won't inevitably result in that answer changing any. It's not like the people of MFP can change scientific fact for you.

That said, here is what I would do if I were you (I, for one, have the same body type. Smaller up top, tree-trunk legs... but I love my proportions, if not my weight. Once I'm through with fat loss, my legs are gonna be bangin'.):

-Do plenty of strength training exercises for your upper body and core, to build up your upper torso, thereby balancing out your proportions somewhat, creating more of an hourglass figure. Make sure to consume protein (I'd say at least 20 grams. Get some whey protein concentrate or isolate, if nothing else is portable) within an hour of strength training. Continue to eat a high protein diet (about 1g per pound of lean mass. Go get your body composition tested, if you do not know those stats). The workouts are one half of the equation. Your body can't build muscle without enough protein.

-Don't stop the squats, lunges, etc, as building those muscles will keep your legs shapely (instead of them turning into undefined, shlubby-looking stovepipes, like I've seen on some young women). I would throw in some deadlifts to build up your hamstrings and glutes, too. They're great for building a nice, round, firm bum. Do keep in mind, however, that these will generally only increase the size of the muscles, and will never spot reduce. If you're working on a calorie deficit, these will help you lose body fat overall... but no better than any other calorie-burning activity, regardless of what limbs you employ to perform it.

-Work on reducing your body fat percentage, overall. As I am currently obese, I am able to drop body fat while still gaining muscle. As you are not obese, from what I have read by other lifters, you will probably have to work to build muscle (called a "bulk", wherein you do not work at a calorie deficit, focusing on building muscle without losing weight), and reduce body fat (called a "cut", wherein you focus on losing body fat, without being able to build... even losing some of muscle mass), doing these two phases separately. This doesn't mean you will turn into some burly she-hulk; you can apply the same techniques that bodybuilders use, on a smaller scale, to get the figure you want. I would direct you to Google these terms, even dare to venture over to www.bodybuilding.com, to get a better idea of how this works, as I myself have not reached the point of doing either, specifically. Look for tips on how to do it naturally. There are a lot of articles out there, and some lifters use things like Hydroxycut, etc, that venture into iffy diet pill territory... which I don't condone.

-Stop listening to your friends' critiques of your body. Your friends clearly don't know jack. Our society has had its view of a healthy body distorted from so many people being overweight; a healthy weight ends up looking worrisomely thin, to a lot of the now "average" people. If YOU know you are still in a healthy range (and at a BMI of 22.5, you most definitely are), then the only person whose business it is to be happy with your body is YOU.

I have the same problem and wish there was some way of them going away. I dont see that you can do anything other than surgery - Drastic i know.

i wish someone had the answer i would love to hear it.

So for those of you in my same position - how have you/are you targeting your legs? I workout at least 4-5 days a week. Lately, I've been adding more squats, lunges, leg presses, stair stepping, and running.

Also, please, please, please - DON'T respond with "you can't target certain areas" - I've heard this several times as well.

You may not like to hear it, because you've heard it several times before... but the reason why you've heard it several times before is because it's TRUE. You should know, as a functioning adult, that asking the same question over and over again won't inevitably result in that answer changing any. It's not like the people of MFP can change scientific fact for you.

That said, here is what I would do if I were you (I, for one, have the same body type. Smaller up top, tree-trunk legs... but I love my proportions, if not my weight. Once I'm through with fat loss, my legs are gonna be bangin'.):

-Do plenty of strength training exercises for your upper body and core, to build up your upper torso, thereby balancing out your proportions somewhat, creating more of an hourglass figure. Make sure to consume protein (I'd say at least 20 grams. Get some whey protein concentrate or isolate, if nothing else is portable) within an hour of strength training. Continue to eat a high protein diet (about 1g per pound of lean mass. Go get your body composition tested, if you do not know those stats). The workouts are one half of the equation. Your body can't build muscle without enough protein.

-Don't stop the squats, lunges, etc, as building those muscles will keep your legs shapely (instead of them turning into undefined, shlubby-looking stovepipes, like I've seen on some young women). I would throw in some deadlifts to build up your hamstrings and glutes, too. They're great for building a nice, round, firm bum. Do keep in mind, however, that these will generally only increase the size of the muscles, and will never spot reduce. If you're working on a calorie deficit, these will help you lose body fat overall... but no better than any other calorie-burning activity, regardless of what limbs you employ to perform it.

-Work on reducing your body fat percentage, overall. As I am currently obese, I am able to drop body fat while still gaining muscle. As you are not obese, from what I have read by other lifters, you will probably have to work to build muscle (called a "bulk", wherein you do not work at a calorie deficit, focusing on building muscle without losing weight), and reduce body fat (called a "cut", wherein you focus on losing body fat, without being able to build... even losing some of muscle mass), doing these two phases separately. This doesn't mean you will turn into some burly she-hulk; you can apply the same techniques that bodybuilders use, on a smaller scale, to get the figure you want. I would direct you to Google these terms, even dare to venture over to www.bodybuilding.com, to get a better idea of how this works, as I myself have not reached the point of doing either, specifically. Look for tips on how to do it naturally. There are a lot of articles out there, and some lifters use things like Hydroxycut, etc, that venture into iffy diet pill territory... which I don't condone.

-Stop listening to your friends' critiques of your body. Your friends clearly don't know jack. Our society has had its view of a healthy body distorted from so many people being overweight; a healthy weight ends up looking worrisomely thin, to a lot of the now "average" people. If YOU know you are still in a healthy range (and at a BMI of 22.5, you most definitely are), then the only person whose business it is to be happy with your body is YOU.

Great post ^^^

I can help!!! I RELATE 100%!! I have been a BIG leggeded girl all my life and mine was due to muscles (and fat), gotta love genetics plus overeating. This is the first time in my life I've really gotten my legs down along with the rest of me. That said, my upper body is still "thinner" than my legs but I'm balanced and proportioned. I went from a size 16 pant to size 6 jeans comfortably and my upper body is a size 6. What did it for me?

1) Weights!!! Lifting heavy (for me)! I was always one of those girls who said she wouldn't lift weights because she'd bulk. WRONG!! This is the smallest I've been since I was in the 6th grade.

Mon and Wed:
Legs--squats and goblin squats. 30lbs in the beginning, now up to 40lbs. 15reps. 3 sets.
Arms/shoulders/back--15lbs each arm. Bicep curl into shoulder press and tricep extensions (while doing goblin squats), bent over rows. 10reps. 3 sets.

Tues and Thurs:
Legs--Lunges and Romanian deadlifts. 30lbs in the beginning, now up to 40lbs. 15reps. 3 sets.
Arms/shoulders/back--15lbs each arm. Lateral raises and side lateral raises (while doing goblin squats), bent over lateral raises. 10reps. 3 sets.

Fri:
Just legs--squats, goblin squats, Romanian deadlifts and lunges. 30lbs in the beginning, now up to 40lbs. 15reps. 3 sets.

I don't go superheavy because I need flexibility and agility for dancing.

3) Cardio. When I do weights, I do them as HIIT. Meaning: I'll do 30 seconds hard rope jumping, then one set of movement, like 15reps of squats. Then 30 secs hard rope jumping, then 10 reps of arm weights. 30 secs hard rope jumping, then 15reps goblin squats. I do this until I hit all the reps and sets. I jump rope to keep my heart rate up and burn cals while I'm doing weights.

Every day, I jog 2-5 miles a day. Usually, 2 miles in the am, with the dog, then do HIIT/weights. Then 2 miles in the pm, after work. In the summer, I swam 45 mins -1 1/2 hrs 3 or 4 times a week. Or I do the elliptical. I clock at least 1 1/2 hr workout every day and then about 3-4 hrs Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

But, I really believe that it's the running combined with the weights that have gotten my thighs, hips, and butt down. I had a boyfriend who was a biathlete and he told me that running distance over time (rather than fast sprints) break down the muscle fibers and rebuilds them longer and thinner and he said something about the pounding tears the muscle fibers so when they rebuild you want to build them longer, thus running over times (I think of marathon runners, lean thighs). It made sense. So I run for time...at least 20-30 minutes a stretch twice a day.

I still have thighs, but they're not huge and I'm complimented on my legs all the time I hope this helps. It took about 4 months to see really definitive results...and that's working hard EVERY day.

I'm am an example of a woman who changed her body type...I've always been "thick"...I'm not anymore. My body looks VERY different. Also, if you look at my profile pics, the black/white dress and the green skirtini were taken when I was a size 8. I'm now a size 6, so even smaller (not even trying to lose anymore)...

WOW I'm very admirative of your motivation and dedication! It makes me feel lame :bigsmile: