Female athletes/runners - muscular legs

Fithealthyforlife · April 2013

Btw, thanks, Meg! :-)

SerenityRabit · April 2013

I'm surprised to hear a guy loves that
I hate my thick theys, they are completely muscular which means it's nearly impossible to make them thin. I can squat about 250lbs, so it's not completely genetics BUT I know for a fact it is partially genetic as I'm a pear shape.
So to be honest, I think most of the girls you are see are the meso types and bottom heavy girls

mego07 · April 2013

you betcha!

also walking at a ridiculous incline at a decent pace for 30 minutes will get you intense legs. days that i don't want to run or elliptical i'll do that.

lithezebra · April 2013

I think that I started out with thicker muscles in my lower body. I've never done any body building, just strength training.

CoderGal · April 2013

I don't understand the question. If you are wondering why these women have bigger/ stronger legs than you, the answer is because you don't lift legs enough. :flowerforyou:

Also, the whole somatotype thing is pretty much a myth.

Yep. That and it takes time...and if there's a layer of fat it takes time to get off.

As for women having unusually powerful legs lifting wise...I know a few trainers and they often bring it up. The topic is usually 'new to gym girls putting up unusual amounts of weights via legs'. I guess many women carry much of their muscle mass in their legs? I can't put up much but I have shots of joint pain before I get a chance to fatigue my muscles.

Fithealthyforlife · April 2013

I'm surprised to hear a guy loves that
I hate my thick theys, they are completely muscular which means it's nearly impossible to make them thin. I can squat about 250lbs, so it's not completely genetics BUT I know for a fact it is partially genetic as I'm a pear shape.
So to be honest, I think most of the girls you are see are the meso types and bottom heavy girls

You are? Lol!
No, don't hate...accept! :-) 250 lbs squat is great. I don't know how much I can do fpr reps with a bar on my shoulders at this point, because I haven't been squatting, but I know it's under 200 for sure. Mostly using machines as I get aclimated to leg training. (I know! I will start doing squats soon!)
I think you're right. And I think pear-shaped girls do tend to have strong butts when you get into good shape!

I love bottom heavy, fit women! One of my memorable fitness moments: a smoking hot women I had a little crush on unsurreptitiously flexed her glutes standing 4 feet away with her backside to me, lol! Her cheek went up on its own accord....and then it went down...and then again...etc. I pretended not to notice! I think she was doing some sort of exercise to stay limber! Never underestimate the benefit of a limber *kitten*!

Fithealthyforlife · April 2013

I ended up getting my muscular thick legs from playing soccer as a young kid and into high school. We did lots of squats, lunges, leg press, and of course sprints, running, and even ball touches/drills worked all of it. Nice thing is the muscle memory in my legs are quick to bounce back after I pick it up again. .. which is happening now.

The booty I was just blessed with.

I think it's great that quite a few of you had success from hard exercise when you were a kid.

Yep. That and it takes time...and if there's a layer of fat it takes time to get off.

As for women having unusually powerful legs lifting wise...I know a few trainers and they often bring it up. The topic is usually 'new to gym girls putting up unusual amounts of weights via legs'. I guess many women carry much of their muscle mass in their legs? I can't put up much but I have shots of joint pain before I get a chance to fatigue my muscles.

It definitely takes time. Interesting what the trainers have brought up. That's probably not the norm, I'd say.

Fithealthyforlife · May 2013

Oh, I just thought of one more thing...

I haven't really ever done much with squats. Are they better at building leg strength and mass than leg press, leg extension, and leg curl? I've been using mostly machines for legs. I doubt I can squat much at this time, as it's a totally different exercise and I'd have to start from scratch.

For a guy like me, where might I start--with the 45-lb barbell and doing 2 sets of 10 reps initially for a guy like me with squats? Bodyweight squats probably won't do much...I've done those before. What about hte machines...should I stop them when I start squats initially so I don't overdo it? And where do lunges fit into the mix? Like many guys, I'm not a super duper expert on leg training...yet.

Hadabetter · May 2013

Katzedernacht · July 2015

It depends, I had no butt whatsoever,none, it was an inward curve thing.
After some heavy squatting and what not, there ya go lil As$, small but nice and firm haha,the legs have always been okish,now with heavier lifting I am starting to be like WOW them quads,i guess you just need to work it and well i know it has a limit,i wanna find out mine

Pittleydink · July 2015

These women you are noticing may look really muscular and strong but it's just an illusion. Mostly because they have a short, squatty build that makes them look really thick but they really aren't. It's like looking at a muscular gymnast. On TV they look SO built but if you see them in real life they are just tiny.
And as far as them being stronger than you, it's likely not true. An average guy could out muscle most women who lift heavy weights regularly, even in lower body strength.

lithezebra · July 2015

My legs are naturally muscular and curvy. I just have big muscles there. I used to hate it. I even thought about trying to lose muscle mass (bad idea). Then I decided that if they were going to be big, they ought to be strong too. I did a lot of sports when I was a kid, and Irish stepdancing. I don't think that exercise as a kid would have a permanent effect, but I have total Irish dancer calves, and my sister, who wasn't as sporty, is quite willowy.

Female athletes/runners - muscular legs

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