slimming thighs

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  • Jovan0609
    Jovan0609 Posts: 233 Member
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    Have you ever tried any pilates or ballet (pure Barre) exercises?

    I second this. Pilates is amazing for lengthing you rmuscles which will slim them out. I have the same dilemna. I tried pilates for a month and lost an inch off of both thighs.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    Your body is amazingly adaptable. to slim legs do long distance running/elliptical. anyone seen a single female distance runner with heavily muscled legs?? strong /cut legs yes but big legs?

    Because they have lost all the fat on their legs. And sometimes they lose some muscle mass due to their sport. But it's not because running makes their muscles have a different shape.

    Well yes sort of your body will adapt the muscle to more efficiently do whatever you do...run long distance your leg muscles do lean out in appearance just just body fat% and yes this change is not rapid but it does happen. ask any sprinter that has switched to distance running both have low body fat% but they will get measurably smaller legs with the distance running- may take a year or more.

    Okay, I see your point. But that example is also of highly trained athletes who spend years perfecting their abilities vs someone who wants smaller thighs. Big difference in input and outcomes.
  • kwatkin
    kwatkin Posts: 81 Member
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    Also, I read on your profile that one of your goals is to not have your thighs touch any more. That might not be possible at a healthy weight, depending on the structure of your skeleton.

    Yes, keep in mind that a gap between your thighs doesn't equate being thin. It's mostly related to your hip and thigh bone structure. Ain't no gap in my thighs!

    This makes me feel better, thank you! I always hoped that if I lost more weight, I'd finally have that "gap"... but I have literally NO hips so this probably would explain it, and helps me make my goals more realistic
    I can't beleive I never thought of that! Thanks to both of you. :flowerforyou:

    And as an added bonus for you, very few men care about a thigh gap. A lot of them don't even understand what one is.

    Haha, unfortunately my bf does know about thigh gaps, but it's true, he could care less... he moreso cares/loves the fact that I have crazy LONG legs!
  • FabMrFox
    FabMrFox Posts: 259 Member
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    Your body is amazingly adaptable. to slim legs do long distance running/elliptical. anyone seen a single female distance runner with heavily muscled legs?? strong /cut legs yes but big legs?

    Because they have lost all the fat on their legs. And sometimes they lose some muscle mass due to their sport. But it's not because running makes their muscles have a different shape.

    Well yes sort of your body will adapt the muscle to more effitiently do what ever you do...run long distance your leg muscles do lean out in appearance just just body fat% and yes this change is not rapid but it does happen. ask any sprinter that has switched to distance running both have low body fat% but they will get measurably smaller legs with the distance running- may take a year or more

    The skinny legs are from muscular atrophy after years of distance running causing the body to eat away at glycogen stores in muscle tissue, I'm not sure that's what the OP is going for.

    perhaps but perhaps it is. once you reach your desired bodyfat% you can still change your shape is all i'm saying. If heavyly muscled legs are killing your self esteem ....counseling or distance running :)
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    Have you ever tried any pilates or ballet (pure Barre) exercises?

    I second this. Pilates is amazing for lengthing you rmuscles which will slim them out. I have the same dilemna. I tried pilates for a month and lost an inch off of both thighs.

    Pilates is an awesome workout....but it doesn't "lengthen" your muscles. Once again, you lost fat. That's why you lost an inch. Not because your muscles got longer.
  • professorRAT
    professorRAT Posts: 690 Member
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    Your body is amazingly adaptable. to slim legs do long distance running/elliptical. anyone seen a single female distance runner with heavily muscled legs?? strong /cut legs yes but big legs?

    Correlation vs. causation. Maybe that muscular structure (which is genetic) is best for long distance running?
  • FemininGuns
    FemininGuns Posts: 605 Member
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    Like others said: lose body fat... However, I used to do squats in the "cage" 10X10 with 45seconds rest in between (increasing weight each time to the point the it always has to be difficult to do the last 2 in the set... NOTE: have a spotter) and it was a fat buster for me on my legs... In my pic - that was the result of doing them once a week for 3 months... But I did lose weight everywhere...
  • FabMrFox
    FabMrFox Posts: 259 Member
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    Your body is amazingly adaptable. to slim legs do long distance running/elliptical. anyone seen a single female distance runner with heavily muscled legs?? strong /cut legs yes but big legs?

    Correlation vs. causation. Maybe that muscular structure (which is genetic) is best for long distance running?

    Don't break out the big words on me :) Genetic muscle structure is a base. You can alter that structure +or- to a degree or % not sure on the numbers but this is based on my own experience and could be completely wrong.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    Your body is amazingly adaptable. to slim legs do long distance running/elliptical. anyone seen a single female distance runner with heavily muscled legs?? strong /cut legs yes but big legs?

    Correlation vs. causation.
    How DARE you??? When I do exercise A, B happens. Thus A = B. End of story.
  • FabMrFox
    FabMrFox Posts: 259 Member
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    Your body is amazingly adaptable. to slim legs do long distance running/elliptical. anyone seen a single female distance runner with heavily muscled legs?? strong /cut legs yes but big legs?

    Because they have lost all the fat on their legs. And sometimes they lose some muscle mass due to their sport. But it's not because running makes their muscles have a different shape.

    Well yes sort of your body will adapt the muscle to more efficiently do whatever you do...run long distance your leg muscles do lean out in appearance just just body fat% and yes this change is not rapid but it does happen. ask any sprinter that has switched to distance running both have low body fat% but they will get measurably smaller legs with the distance running- may take a year or more.

    Okay, I see your point. But that example is also of highly trained athletes who spend years perfecting their abilities vs someone who wants smaller thighs. Big difference in input and outcomes.

    /agreed depends how pationate about working out you are and how much you want to look a certain way.
  • midnight333
    midnight333 Posts: 149
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    Bump
    I'm 5'2" also and this is a very interesting subject.
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
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    I'm willing to bet, that while you may have a fair amount of muscle on your legs, that there is more fat than you think. It doesn't always show. I can gain weight (half of it being fat) and my legs will be noticeably bigger, yet they're still pretty solid. I know I've gained fat there but it doesn't show that way very much.
    Also, I once heard, think of it like a steak or piece of meat. When it has extra fat, it doesn't just cover the top layer so it's really easy to cut off. It often has little bits of fat in the middle of the meat (marbling I think it's called??) Basically, it's like that way with humans and muscle too, so it's not always so obvious you've gained fat. But it's there and it will make your legs larger.

    One last thing, the elliptical will not bulk you up, especially while you're in a calorie deficit.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Have you ever tried any pilates or ballet (pure Barre) exercises?

    I second this. Pilates is amazing for lengthing you rmuscles which will slim them out. I have the same dilemna. I tried pilates for a month and lost an inch off of both thighs.
    Um, no. You cannot "lengthen" your muscles, unless you have them surgically detached from the bones and reattached somewhere else. You lost body fat.
  • missprincessgina
    missprincessgina Posts: 446 Member
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    I have the same problem. My thighs are large compared to my hips and waist. Dresses, skirts, and pants are so tight around my thighs yet gap at the waist! If you find a solution, please post!

    I don't think my legs are "fat" either. I asked my plastic surgeon about liposuction or anything that could reduce the size of my thighs when I went in for a breast augmentation 2 years ago and he said there were no fat deposits to be taken out. My thigh muscles are just large from years of athletics.
  • anemoneprose
    anemoneprose Posts: 1,805 Member
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    I think some women are inclined to bigger/faster muscle development, but often the 'stocky' look is because of where the muscles attach to the bone (& obviously that can't be changed). Eg, my calf muscles attach a bit low, so they maybe look a bit 'chunkier' than someone with a higher placement.

    After that, it's size of the muscle - and it doesn't matter what the nature of the exercise is, they either are challenged (& fed) and grow, or they aren't, and don't. Yoga and Pilates and ballet do not make muscles 'long and lean'.

    And then the fat on top of that is what finally creates the look of bulk, and it's tough for women to get rid of it for hormonal reasons. And women who've increased the number of their fat cells obviously have a harder time too (not saying it's impossible to shrink them, obviously not).

    I've read in a number of places that when the quads are OVER-developed on women (vs 'developed), it can lean to a more 'masculine' look. And that working on hamstrings and glutes can make for a more 'shapely', 'feminine' appearance. (Exercises for that: deadlifts, hip thrusts, high step-ups, reverse lunges - not so much regular lunges, or squats.) So if you're liking curvy, strong legs, but the quads bother you, maybe include more exercises that work the back half of your legs and glutes.
  • FabMrFox
    FabMrFox Posts: 259 Member
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    I think some women are inclined to bigger/faster muscle development, but often the 'stocky' look is because of where the muscles attach to the bone (& obviously that can't be changed). Eg, my calf muscles attach a bit low, so they maybe look a bit 'chunkier' than someone with a higher placement.

    After that, it's size of the muscle - and it doesn't matter what the nature of the exercise is, they either are challenged (& fed) and grow, or they aren't, and don't. Yoga and Pilates and ballet do not make muscles 'long and lean'.

    And then the fat on top of that is what finally creates the look of bulk, and it's tough for women to get rid of it for hormonal reasons. And women who've increased the number of their fat cells obviously have a harder time too (not saying it's impossible to shrink them, obviously not).

    I've read in a number of places that when the quads are OVER-developed on women (vs 'developed), it can lean to a more 'masculine' look. And that working on hamstrings and glutes can make for a more 'shapely', 'feminine' appearance. (Exercises for that: deadlifts, hip thrusts, high step-ups, reverse lunges - not so much regular lunges, or squats.) So if you're liking curvy, strong legs, but the quads bother you, maybe include more exercises that work the back half of your legs and glutes.

    thread killer!
  • canelly
    canelly Posts: 731 Member
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    I been doing the eleptical and the fat on my legs it's just melting! Now their is space between them and getting toned I love my legs now!!

    3A04A0CF-00B9-4F7C-97DC-B383A691A877-2285-000001A79EEF96AC.jpg

    This pics are maybe 5 months apart. I do the eleptical maybe 3 to 5 days a week and also do some kickbox some p90x and Jillian michaels DVDs. I really need to start lifting weights so I can add some muscle. ; )

    An thanks everyone for your kind words ya rock!!
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
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    I have big muscular thighs too. The rest of me is thin, I just have thick thighs. I run and do ballet twice a week among other exercises and they are definitely more toned, but not smaller. Oh well! Learn to embrace!
  • anemoneprose
    anemoneprose Posts: 1,805 Member
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    thread killer!

    Haha, I totally am, too much of the time!
  • tasiamere
    tasiamere Posts: 233
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    I've always had the same issue. What has worked for me is general weight loss and more cardio training. I try to focus any weight training away from my thighs while still targeting my butt. I've lost about 4-6inches off of my thighs over the past 7 months. Good lucj.

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