Hello, Thunder Thighs - Exercise & Fitness Message Board

nm80 · 07-31-2005, 09:49 AM

Alright, I've always had big thighs and I play soccer so they aren't all just fat. But I was wondering what I could do (lifting, or anything else) do "tone" them down? Whenever I do squats for a period of time the fat stays and I gain more muscle and jeans just are a little tight there! - perfect in the length and waist but tight on my thighs!! Anyways, is it better to do less weight on quads and mor reps, any other advice? thank you.

dreamer40 · 07-31-2005, 10:46 AM

sorry about your delimma first of all you maybe genetically detmined to be built the way you are and second you could be suffering from body dysmorphia (don't think I quite spelled that right) where you see fat thighs and yet you have normal size in proportion to your body, not being able to see you first hand I am only guessing.

woman are supposed to have fatter thighs then men, because that fat feeds offspring, via milk production etc, the receptors in our thighs respond to pregnancy hormones, and can't be burned off by exercise, maybe dieting but I don't recommend that, you will burn off more muscles than fat that way,

second by exercising you build up muscles in your thighs and naturally you will have heavier legs over all due to muscle building, you cannot spot reduce, but not being able to see you I can't advise any furthur.

RR

juicylicious · 07-31-2005, 11:27 AM

i dont have an answer for you, i just wanted to say that i empathize.

i tend to gain weight in my thighs and it is the last place to come off. it really bugs me b/c i feel that they are disproportionate to the rest of me. my measurements are 31"-23"-31" and my thighs are 21"! and trust me, they are not muscular at all! and if i lift weights, they get bigger and are almost the same size as my waist, which i think is weird. what can i say, life is not fair. the thigh is an uncelebrated area of fat deposit- lots of me claim to be 'boob' or 'booty' men, but i have yet to meet one that was really into thighs. i have read in a few books that you should try and avoid doing heavy weights with your legs if you have this problem. long distance running seems to help out my situation a bit too. if you find any answers, please let me know!

BettyRides · 07-31-2005, 02:00 PM

I don't have an answer for you either, but I can relate. I play soccer, snowboard, and run, which result in very muscular thighs. I have an athletic build, but I'm still a rather small person. So, you're not alone. I hate mine too. But I guess it could be a lot worse.

And I have yet to find the perfect pair of jeans. I'm starting to think there is no such thing. It's like searching for the Holy Grail.

annieBo · 08-03-2005, 07:20 AM

I've got some experience in this area. My daughter plays soccer and inherited my propensity for sizable thighs. Hers were getting bigger every year. But she's been doing squats and power cleans in the gym and her new coach has done away with this practice. (I agree completely; now they concentrate on core and use soccer for the leg development)

For me, who only weight trains for health and vanity, my own personal trainer recommends lunges lunges lunges. And I guess anything that mimics this movement, like one-legged step-back lunges, running and cycling. And anything in volume. At my best shape, I did 4-6 sets of step back lunges on the Smith machine with 3 sets each of Quad extensions and hamstring curls all at 20 repetitions. Don't be afraid of heavy weight, just push the reps to where they are really hard for the last two.

And on the other "leg" day of the week, I did 500-600 walking lunges. Change it up with dumbells sometimes, like pyramid up the weight for 300 lunges each and then pyramid back down for 300 lunges.

This one leg a time thing works. It builds the front and back of the leg muscles (not to mention lifting the butt) and makes the legs look slimmer.

Big builders are at an advantage when we eat high protein medium carb diet. We have more muscle (like men) and burn more calories at rest.

And finding jeans? find a great tailor and buy big sizes and cut them down.