Want To Gain Muscles In Thighs
arabianhorselover
Posts: 1,488 Member
I have been lifting for quite a while, since before losing weight. I am now at the point of trying to maintain, but really want to gain muscle in my thighs to fill in some of the space where the fat used to be. I hate the flabbiness! I don't know how much I can do at my age, but I have to try!
I do squats, deadlifts, and lunges, but not sure I'm doing them right as far as number of reps, weight, etc. Is it true that for the legs more reps are better?
I do squats, deadlifts, and lunges, but not sure I'm doing them right as far as number of reps, weight, etc. Is it true that for the legs more reps are better?
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Replies
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You should be pretty spent by around 8 to 12 reps. The last rep should be very difficult to complete.
How many leg sets do you do per workout, and how often do you to them?0 -
What is your current rep scheme? What weight are you moving? How long have you been doing this particular program?
How much protein have you been eating? Are you still eating at a deficit or have you increased your calories?0 -
arabianhorselover wrote: »I have been lifting for quite a while, since before losing weight. I am now at the point of trying to maintain, but really want to gain muscle in my thighs to fill in some of the space where the fat used to be. I hate the flabbiness! I don't know how much I can do at my age, but I have to try!
I do squats, deadlifts, and lunges, but not sure I'm doing them right as far as number of reps, weight, etc. Is it true that for the legs more reps are better?
high weight low reps. builds bulk.
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Cycling ... get out there and ride lots.
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I agree with biking with clips on your pedals or cages-both engage thighs on upstroke Besides that it is fun!0
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Walking! Its amazing for those thighs and jogging.0
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Thighs? Start running! Bam!0
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I agree with the cycling recommendation. Deadlifts and squats as well. While deadlifts and squats build significant muscle, cycling will fill in the gaps. Especially interval training. An example, go as hard as you can for 30 sec, spin out at a lower effort for 45 sec. Do that ten times 3x a week and you'll put in muscle. Also you will build great endurance. Then go for a distance ride once a week if you can. I've pushed mine up to 45 sec sprints and seen great gains.0
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Well, I've been doing Stronglifts for at least a year and a half. I did gain a lot of strength. I was eating at a deficit up until July of last year when I had lost all I wanted to lose. At this point I have regained a few pounds which I want to get back off. I was doing 3 x 5 with up to 135 pounds of weight, but had to back off the weight some since I strained my back on a deadlift at 135. Just recently I have started doing more reps of squats with less weight because I read that for the lower body it is better to do more reps to gain muscle. So hard to know what to believe. I also have been doing lunges, which I hope are a good thing to be doing.
About the biking.........The only way I can bike is at the gym, which I really don't have time for. I prefer to do 1/2 hour walks during the day on weekdays rather than spending more time at the gym at night. I also try to do one hour walks both days on the weekends. I live in a very Wintry area, so the roads are just clearing off now.0 -
Does your gym have a spinning class? I'm scared of riding my bike on the road now because one of my co-workers was killed by a driver a few years ago. I do spinning three times a week and it's built up my quads, thighs, and butt. Plus, it's HIIT. I feel like I'm in as good shape cardio wise as I was when I was running several days a week.
And I agree with clipping in, even in spinning.0 -
If you are currently eating at deficit, all the lunges thrusts and dl's in the world ain't gonna build much. Start eating a more and increase the loads.0
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arabianhorselover wrote: »About the biking.........The only way I can bike is at the gym, which I really don't have time for.
Then do you really want the legs? Sorry, had to ask.
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heavy squats build up my quads really quickly. Kinda worried about becoming a T-Rex0
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Pretty sure weight lifting is more effective at building muscle than bike riding (it is cardio afterall). I'd look into a hypertrophy program, and think about starting to eat at a slight surplus.0
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AllanMisner wrote: »arabianhorselover wrote: »About the biking.........The only way I can bike is at the gym, which I really don't have time for.
Then do you really want the legs? Sorry, had to ask.
She should probably skip the biking if she really wants the legs.0 -
a_stronger_me13 wrote: »AllanMisner wrote: »arabianhorselover wrote: »About the biking.........The only way I can bike is at the gym, which I really don't have time for.
Then do you really want the legs? Sorry, had to ask.
She should probably skip the biking if she really wants the legs.
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Trechechus wrote: »a_stronger_me13 wrote: »AllanMisner wrote: »arabianhorselover wrote: »About the biking.........The only way I can bike is at the gym, which I really don't have time for.
Then do you really want the legs? Sorry, had to ask.
She should probably skip the biking if she really wants the legs.
this
I don't know. I've gotten great results biking. Ever see the legs of a pro biker?
Anyway, I was more perplexed by the not having time comment.
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If I lay off running for a while, the first thing I notice when my body starts to whip back into shape is my quads.0
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nakedraygun wrote: »If you are currently eating at deficit, all the lunges thrusts and dl's in the world ain't gonna build much. Start eating a more and increase the loads.
Afraid to eat more, since I've gained a few pounds back as it is. Do need to eat less junk, and more real food, though.
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nakedraygun wrote: »If you are currently eating at deficit, all the lunges thrusts and dl's in the world ain't gonna build much. Start eating a more and increase the loads.
Yes.
Eat at a surplus, or you're wasting your time. 100-250 calories over maintenance should do it.
And lift - might want to look into a leg-targeted body building program since that's your interest. I'm assuming such a thing exists.0 -
AllanMisner wrote: »arabianhorselover wrote: »About the biking.........The only way I can bike is at the gym, which I really don't have time for.
Then do you really want the legs? Sorry, had to ask.
If you had my schedule, you wouldn't ask that question. There is only one day during the week (if I'm lucky) that I'm not away from my house for almost 12 hours. I have a family and animals to take care of. My husband works in another state, and so I do not have help with some of the things I might have help with if he were home more. I am not getting enough sleep, and have very little time to myself. I really hesitate to add any more exercise time to my schedule than I am already doing.
I have not been eating at a deficit for quite a while. If I was, I would not have gained any weight back.
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arabianhorselover wrote: »AllanMisner wrote: »arabianhorselover wrote: »About the biking.........The only way I can bike is at the gym, which I really don't have time for.
Then do you really want the legs? Sorry, had to ask.
If you had my schedule, you wouldn't ask that question. There is only one day during the week (if I'm lucky) that I'm not away from my house for almost 12 hours. I have a family and animals to take care of. My husband works in another state, and so I do not have help with some of the things I might have help with if he were home more. I am not getting enough sleep, and have very little time to myself. I really hesitate to add any more exercise time to my schedule than I am already doing.
I have not been eating at a deficit for quite a while. If I was, I would not have gained any weight back.
Like stable animals? There are lots of body weight -type exercises that you could incorporate into your daily routine of feeding the horses, etc. Try to be creative with them and then do them consistently.0 -
arabianhorselover wrote: »AllanMisner wrote: »arabianhorselover wrote: »About the biking.........The only way I can bike is at the gym, which I really don't have time for.
Then do you really want the legs? Sorry, had to ask.
If you had my schedule, you wouldn't ask that question. There is only one day during the week (if I'm lucky) that I'm not away from my house for almost 12 hours. I have a family and animals to take care of. My husband works in another state, and so I do not have help with some of the things I might have help with if he were home more. I am not getting enough sleep, and have very little time to myself. I really hesitate to add any more exercise time to my schedule than I am already doing.
I have not been eating at a deficit for quite a while. If I was, I would not have gained any weight back.
Like stable animals? There are lots of body weight -type exercises that you could incorporate into your daily routine of feeding the horses, etc. Try to be creative with them and then do them consistently.
No. I have birds and guinea pigs.
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nakedraygun wrote: »If you are currently eating at deficit, all the lunges thrusts and dl's in the world ain't gonna build much. Start eating a more and increase the loads.
Yes.
Eat at a surplus, or you're wasting your time. 100-250 calories over maintenance should do it.
And lift - might want to look into a leg-targeted body building program since that's your interest. I'm assuming such a thing exists.
Are you suggesting eating at a surplus every day or only on workout days?
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arabianhorselover wrote: »Well, I've been doing Stronglifts for at least a year and a half. I did gain a lot of strength. I was eating at a deficit up until July of last year when I had lost all I wanted to lose. At this point I have regained a few pounds which I want to get back off. I was doing 3 x 5 with up to 135 pounds of weight, but had to back off the weight some since I strained my back on a deadlift at 135. Just recently I have started doing more reps of squats with less weight because I read that for the lower body it is better to do more reps to gain muscle. So hard to know what to believe. I also have been doing lunges, which I hope are a good thing to be doing.
I'm not an expert, but here are my thoughts based on my own research for myself. I hope others will correct or expand on points I've gotten wrong.
You can substitute some of the exercises you're doing. You can get results with single leg exercises with less weight than you could with double legged versions. The tradeoff with that is that single-legged exercises will call more on your core and back to stabilize you, so you would have to be more precise with form - keep your hips level, knees in the right place, all that.
Another way to go is to do more reps at a lower weight. As long as you do a sufficient volume and get close to failure, and as long as your diet's in check (enough calories and protein), you can increase mass and strength.
http://www.fitnessrxwomen.com/training/workout-tips-advice/do-light-weights-tone-heavy-weights-bulk/
So a couple of examples of single-legged substitutions:
Deadlift --> 1 legged Romanian Deadlift
Squat --> Single legged squat, pistol squat (bodyweight). (If you're at a gym, to increase the size of quads, you can also do the leg press.)
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Squat when you feed those guinea pigs and lunge when you feed the birds.
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AllanMisner wrote: »Trechechus wrote: »a_stronger_me13 wrote: »AllanMisner wrote: »arabianhorselover wrote: »About the biking.........The only way I can bike is at the gym, which I really don't have time for.
Then do you really want the legs? Sorry, had to ask.
She should probably skip the biking if she really wants the legs.
this
I don't know. I've gotten great results biking. Ever see the legs of a pro biker?
Anyway, I was more perplexed by the not having time comment.
Unless she's doing a lot of hill climbing then it's probably highly unlikely she will gain mass in her thighs. There are more effective ways of building muscle than that.0 -
a_stronger_me13 wrote: »AllanMisner wrote: »Trechechus wrote: »a_stronger_me13 wrote: »AllanMisner wrote: »arabianhorselover wrote: »About the biking.........The only way I can bike is at the gym, which I really don't have time for.
Then do you really want the legs? Sorry, had to ask.
She should probably skip the biking if she really wants the legs.
this
I don't know. I've gotten great results biking. Ever see the legs of a pro biker?
Anyway, I was more perplexed by the not having time comment.
Unless she's doing a lot of hill climbing then it's probably highly unlikely she will gain mass in her thighs. There are more effective ways of building muscle than that.
From what I've read about biking, I think you are right.
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I said I wasn't eating at a deficit. However, after thinking about it I realize that with all the "junk food" I eat I am definitely eating at a large deficit of things my body can actually use. Some days half of my calories are "useless". Can't expect to gain muscle on that, I guess.0
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