running = thighs?

muffinsandcakes
muffinsandcakes Posts: 333 Member
edited November 26 in Fitness and Exercise
Is running good for slimming thighs without losing much muscles?
How many minutes a day? and how fast?? :)
And thanks for replying!

Replies

  • yesimpson
    yesimpson Posts: 1,372 Member
    Running will help your thighs shrink, but only if it's part of an overall calorific deficit. It can 'earn' you some more calories, allowing you to eat more whilst losing or to boost the deficit, but running alone is not a magic route to losing weight. It's very easy to eat back what you burnt off.
    You're best placed to combine running with some form of resistance training too to maintain muscle and get the legs you're after.
    If you're not a runner now, make sure to start slow, and not increase speed or duration too quickly.
  • fi_b
    fi_b Posts: 121 Member
    Hey :)

    Ok, first of all - you can't spot reduce. Sad news I know, I wish you could! But if you're losing body fat in general then your thighs will slim down too. Often HIIT training is recommended to assist with fat loss, I myself use HIIT because it's basically the only way you'll get me doing cardio hahahaha. Ignore the scary domain name, there is great information and workouts here :)
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ask-the-ripped-dude-hiit.html


    As far as not losing muscle the biggest thing is to keep up your protein! 1g per pound of body weight is a good starting point.

    The other thing, why specifically thin thighs?
    http://www.viralthread.com/8reasons-girls-thick-thighs-are-hot-as-hell/
    ...just sayin' ;)
  • yesimpson
    yesimpson Posts: 1,372 Member
    fi_b wrote: »
    The other thing, why specifically thin thighs?
    http://www.viralthread.com/8reasons-girls-thick-thighs-are-hot-as-hell/
    ...just sayin' ;)

    You make an excellent point.
    No problem with big thighs necessarily.
    Running has helped to make my legs more defined (alongside weighted exercises like squats and lunges, and watching my food intake so I could lose weight) but it won't change the proportions of your body, unless you have a lot of weight to lose.
  • muffinsandcakes
    muffinsandcakes Posts: 333 Member
    ok thank you so much :D:D
  • lifeandleaves
    lifeandleaves Posts: 97 Member
    muffinsandcakes wrote: »
    Is running good for slimming thighs without losing much muscles?
    How many minutes a day? and how fast?? :)
    And thanks for replying!

    Whilst it is not possible to "spot reduce," you can definitely shape your body through exercise.

    If you want smaller thighs, running will give you that compared to doing say muscle training like squats and thrusts.

    I trained for a half marathon and ran, did elliptical and some lower-body weight training for 2+ hours a day (this was a limited-time only athletic training and I did take rest days, so this may be a bit intense for some and I don't recommend anyone obsess over the gym). In doing so, my thighs were very slim runners' thighs.

    Now that I do circuits and weight training, my thighs are considerably bulkier.

    If you have a lot of excess baggage on your thighs, then any fat loss will likely lead to some slimming over time.
  • beemerphile1
    beemerphile1 Posts: 1,710 Member
    Running can help you burn more calories and have a deficit,
    a calorie deficit will reduce fat,
    so yes, running can reduce the size of thighs.

    On the other hand, exercising a muscle will result in that muscle getting larger. Some people are disappointed to find that exercising got rid of fat but did not reduce size.
  • hamlet1222
    hamlet1222 Posts: 459 Member
    I built some awesome legs only from running a 3 mile hilly off-road circuit near my home in around 20 minutes, several times a week. I actually built muscle. I think you only lose muscle if you do long distance and don't get enough calories.

  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
    I walk on a pretty good incline on my treadmill and all I have to say is once all the flabby fat is gone, I'll have some killer thighs.

    I've been using it since March of this year almost daily, so no, you cannot spot reduce your thigh fat.
  • muffinsandcakes
    muffinsandcakes Posts: 333 Member
    okkkkkk thanks all :D
  • antennachick
    antennachick Posts: 464 Member
    I found lifting wieghts while squaring and doing lounges helped my thighs the most. I didn't notice a difference as much when I was running although I lost wieght
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