worried about bigger thighs from squats/lunges etc

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tashmeen
tashmeen Posts: 13
in Fitness and Exercise
this is my first post but i always lurk the boards haha. i see a lot of people talking about their legs getting bigger through these exercises.
see, i;m the type of girl that gains muscle/weight really easily. i'm a typical endomorph. my thighs were really really big.
when you do these exercises, you go through a stage where your thighs appear bigger, if you are someone that gains muscle quickly.
This happened to me - my personal trainer wisely told me to stick with it.
after a few months of dealing with slightly bigger lies - which let me tell you really upset me and was discouraging - i realised that it was only getting bigger because of the layer of fat that was covering it, whilst muscle growing underneath. after three months of VERY strict dieting, my thighs got so so much smaller. i was a pear shape and now i'm an hour glass shape. i'm also naturally an endomorph with a very slow metabolism - there IS hope for girls like us!! the metabolism part is very unfortunate, i should have it faster because i'm 18 which sucks. will post a photo when i figure out how lol

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  • tashmeen
    tashmeen Posts: 13
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    994051_554762044598921_949975980_n.jpg
  • Hauntinglyfit
    Hauntinglyfit Posts: 5,537 Member
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    You look good! Thighs may appear bigger when you first start lifting because of water retention in your muscle as well. I have been lifting for a while now and my thighs are only getting slimmer. That, combined with upper body stuff, pretty much made me go from pear shaped to hourglass as well.
  • tashmeen
    tashmeen Posts: 13
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    You look good! Thighs may appear bigger when you first start lifting because of water retention in your muscle as well. I have been lifting for a while now and my thighs are only getting slimmer. That, combined with upper body stuff, pretty much made me go from pear shaped to hourglass as well.

    thank you! yes yes i also forgot to add that in. if i can do it it really is possible for people to change the shape of their body.. i was a heavy pear shape!
  • jjefferies7
    jjefferies7 Posts: 120
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    Two things:

    1. I'm not sure how quickly you think its possible to gain muscle mass but its virtually impossible for you to accidentally get huge.
    2. endomorph is a term to describe bone structure and doesn't affect metabolism or the ability to gain or lose weight/muscle.
  • BeckyGee84
    BeckyGee84 Posts: 124 Member
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    I'd rather have big, toned thighs than smaller, flabby thighs.
  • RaggedyPond
    RaggedyPond Posts: 1,487 Member
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    My quads beg to differ.
  • David_AUS
    David_AUS Posts: 298 Member
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    Be careful that the eyes may deceive you - you will see muscle as you lose the layers of fat - this may give the appearance of looking bigger, use a tape measure and monitor changes I think you will find it is just better definition you are gaining, when the muscles are relaxed they will not be as pronounced. If your photo is recent your legs look great and sleak -they certainly do not have that body builder look. Yes muscles "gain" as you use them but unless you train very specifically to do so you will not look like a body builder, keep up the great work!
  • IVMarkIV
    IVMarkIV Posts: 116
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    Your thighs look quite proportioned to your physique. Vasodilation is quite gym/workout induced, especially high rep hack squats and lunges. It's mostly just shifts in water and blood perfusion that make them appear engorged. Try measuring your thighs regularly when not flexed over months and even years to see what little-to no progress non-enhanced weight lifters make.

    Yep, women need massive doses of anabolic steroids (compared to doses men need) to achieve that undesirable refrigerator-esque but muscular physique.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
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    Two things:

    1. I'm not sure how quickly you think its possible to gain muscle mass but its virtually impossible for you to accidentally get huge.
    2. endomorph is a term to describe bone structure and doesn't affect metabolism or the ability to gain or lose weight/muscle.
    Just to further on 1., women have about 1/16th the testosterone of a man, so unless you have some kind of hormonal disorder, it is not going to be easy for you to build muscle. You may see swelling easier than some, you may lose fat a little faster than others, but building muscle is **** hard for a female.
  • allysteven880
    allysteven880 Posts: 75
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    don't get worried. you can cover it. just try upto the last point. you will do easily. thank you.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    You look good! Thighs may appear bigger when you first start lifting because of water retention in your muscle as well. I have been lifting for a while now and my thighs are only getting slimmer. That, combined with upper body stuff, pretty much made me go from pear shaped to hourglass as well.

    thank you! yes yes i also forgot to add that in. if i can do it it really is possible for people to change the shape of their body.. i was a heavy pear shape!

    no you cannot. the "shape" you are describing comes from your bone structure.

    You weren't a pear before- you were just carrying extra fat- You have always been hour glass. You can change the appearance of that be building muscle more in certain places- like you can create MORE of an upper V- by building your shoulders wider- but you cannot change if you have a lean bone structure.

    End point- It's hard to bulk and put on size. It's REALLY hard. it doesn't happen by accident. It takes months and months of hard work and dedicated diet attention awareness.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    You look good! Thighs may appear bigger when you first start lifting because of water retention in your muscle as well. I have been lifting for a while now and my thighs are only getting slimmer. That, combined with upper body stuff, pretty much made me go from pear shaped to hourglass as well.

    thank you! yes yes i also forgot to add that in. if i can do it it really is possible for people to change the shape of their body.. i was a heavy pear shape!

    no you cannot. the "shape" you are describing comes from your bone structure.

    You weren't a pear before- you were just carrying extra fat- You have always been hour glass. You can change the appearance of that be building muscle more in certain places- like you can create MORE of an upper V- by building your shoulders wider- but you cannot change if you have a lean bone structure.

    End point- It's hard to bulk and put on size. It's REALLY hard. it doesn't happen by accident. It takes months and months of hard work and dedicated diet attention awareness.

    I'd disagree with this. I think the whole "pear" or "apple" shaped is defined both by bone structure AND where you store fat. A woman who is carrying excess fat and stores it in your belly is "apple", where as if she lost the fat she'd appear to be a "ruler", same with a pear shaped woman with little fat might be a "hour glass". The hip structure doesn't change but the fat storage does.

    But anyway, I also don't think any women really truly "gain muscle easily". I am also "pear shaped". I have been doing heavy squats and deadlifts for 2.5 years. The only time my thigh measurement actually increased was when I was eating 3000+ calories a day during my bulk phase.
  • tashmeen
    tashmeen Posts: 13
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    maybe not as quickly as males but I do get results in the muscle department quicker then most ladies. and yes it was also the water retention - all I'm saying is don't lose hope if they look bigger at first because now mine have gotten a LOT smaller!
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    You look good! Thighs may appear bigger when you first start lifting because of water retention in your muscle as well. I have been lifting for a while now and my thighs are only getting slimmer. That, combined with upper body stuff, pretty much made me go from pear shaped to hourglass as well.

    thank you! yes yes i also forgot to add that in. if i can do it it really is possible for people to change the shape of their body.. i was a heavy pear shape!

    no you cannot. the "shape" you are describing comes from your bone structure.

    You weren't a pear before- you were just carrying extra fat- You have always been hour glass. You can change the appearance of that be building muscle more in certain places- like you can create MORE of an upper V- by building your shoulders wider- but you cannot change if you have a lean bone structure.

    End point- It's hard to bulk and put on size. It's REALLY hard. it doesn't happen by accident. It takes months and months of hard work and dedicated diet attention awareness.

    I'd disagree with this. I think the whole "pear" or "apple" shaped is defined both by bone structure AND where you store fat. A woman who is carrying excess fat and stores it in your belly is "apple", where as if she lost the fat she'd appear to be a "ruler", same with a pear shaped woman with little fat might be a "hour glass". The hip structure doesn't change but the fat storage does.

    But anyway, I also don't think any women really truly "gain muscle easily". I am also "pear shaped". I have been doing heavy squats and deadlifts for 2.5 years. The only time my thigh measurement actually increased was when I was eating 3000+ calories a day during my bulk phase.

    I think there is a difference between where you carry your fat and how your frame is built.

    yes- you can be pear shaped because of where you are carrying your fat-and it is something worth noting- because... well shopping but that doesn't mean your underlying structure is pear shaped. You can't really do that outside of extreme surgery.
  • tashmeen
    tashmeen Posts: 13
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    Two things:

    1. I'm not sure how quickly you think its possible to gain muscle mass but its virtually impossible for you to accidentally get huge.
    2. endomorph is a term to describe bone structure and doesn't affect metabolism or the ability to gain or lose weight/muscle.

    I'm talking about the women that complain about gaining a small amount of size and thinking that they're not getting anywhere.
    And that is your opinion. My opinion is different, i believe that body types CAN affect metabolism and the ability to gain.
  • jjefferies7
    jjefferies7 Posts: 120
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    It's not my "opinion" its a fact.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
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    994051_554762044598921_949975980_n.jpg

    Your thighs are tiny………..

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