THIGHS!! (sigh...)

Okay...so I'm pretty satisfied with my body (5' 8.5" and 126 lbs) but I just want my thighs to be a little slimmer and less flabby!

If I use weight machines at the gym that target the muscles in my thigh area, will I be able to get them any smaller, or will it just turn into muscle? How do I slim down my thighs??? (an age-old question if there ever was one )

Thanks in advance! 

Hey there Jelllybones.

By "weight machines at the gym that target the muscles in my thigh area" I take you mean the Hip Abductor Machines? I personally stay away from them (and any type of weight machine in general) since how can you expect to work your but and thighs if you're sitting on them. 

I spend about x3 days a week working on legs alone since they tend to be a problem spot for me as well. I stick to doing free weights for everything. Mostly barbell squats, deadlifts and lunges. To vary it up I also toss in some iso exercises like side squats and single leg deadlifts on a BOSU ball. Hope this helps! Best of luck.

squats and sprints jellybones!  Its that simple! about 3 times a week at least.  Eating the right foods and correct calories is a given.  Look into an HIIT sprinting program and do full body core excercises.

I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM!!! :(...BUT THEY wENT AWAY A LITTLE WHEN I STARTED WALKING DAILY...FOR AN HOUR.

Me too! I am the same height and weight as you and i feel that my thighs are still huge! I'm afriad to lose any more weight because I'm starting to look really skinny up top...kinda yucky naked...

but my bottom half still looks too big to me...

I'd be interested to know what to do as welll. I love Pilates, but I'm not sure it's slimming them any..

thanks everyone! I will definately take the squat suggestion into account.  i also do pilates, but i think that i will add the squats in as well since its easy to do at home. 

I was under the impression squats actually made thighs bulkier due to muscles being worked.. that's why I've never done them.. 

hi jellybones,

 i also have the same problem with you . whenever i buy shorts/ pants , it is always the thighs part that give me alot of problem . 

i do have a suggestion : - you can start jogging / running to slim down the thighs. but this exercise will take a rather long time before u can see a result

 

You should read my journal entry I posted like.....30 seconds ago. I want my thighs pretty!

I have rotten knees, so squats are not an option for me. Try bike riding and stair climbing...great for your thighs.

squats are good for everything...everyone should do them.

but i guess i am in the minority...i don't like slim thighs! i think full thighs are very feminine.  

haven't you ever seen that episode of "red dwarf" when rimmer tells lister that what he really wants to cure his hangover is a girl with thighs the size of tree trunks?

Original Post by sunkissedbliss:

I was under the impression squats actually made thighs bulkier due to muscles being worked.. that's why I've never done them..

 yeah this is exactly what i thought.  i really don't want muscley thighs, just slimmer ones! hehe sort of a catch22 i guess.  

Original Post by missreporter:

but i guess i am in the minority...i don't like slim thighs! i think full thighs are very feminine.  

definitely! beyonce style. her thighs are like rocks. they're not muscular, but they're not flabby. just firm.

maybe one day........

Original Post by jelllybones:

Original Post by sunkissedbliss:

I was under the impression squats actually made thighs bulkier due to muscles being worked.. that's why I've never done them..

yeah this is exactly what i thought. i really don't want muscley thighs, just slimmer ones! hehe sort of a catch22 i guess.

Ladies, repeat after me. "WORKING OUT WILL NOT CAUSE ME TO BULK UP. DOING SQUATS WILL NOT CAUSE ME TO BULK UIP. LIFTING WEIGHTS WILL NOT CAUSE ME TO BULK UP!"

So, that being said, squats, deadlifts, and lunges are really good ways to slim your thighs. You will decrease fat and increase muscle tone, but you won't get bulky. You just get firm, which seems to be what you want. The stair-climber is also a good way to incorporate cardio if you want to focus on your butt and thighs. 

ainedb is right...your thighs will actually look smaller with lunges and other muscle toning exercises as firm always looks leaner than loose and you would have to do some serious weight lifting on purpose to develop the bulky muscles your concerned about.

Original Post by nicowalls3:

Original Post by missreporter:

but i guess i am in the minority...i don't like slim thighs! i think full thighs are very feminine.

definitely! beyonce style. her thighs are like rocks. they're not muscular, but they're not flabby. just firm.

maybe one day........

beyonce is exactly the comparison i would make! i love her body, she would be my body idol if i thought i could ever achieve it, but i have pretty narrow hips compared to her.

i really don't think women, except bodybuilders, can have "muscular" thighs, per se...i'm sure beyonce does a LOT of thighwork in the gym and that her thighs are VERY muscular, they just don't bulge...i don't know that we are capable of that without REALLY trying. 

There are workout videos that do target toning specifically on the thighs. I used to do one from Crunch fitness called "lean legs" and another called "thighs of steel" (i think it was by the same company as buns of steel lol). These could give you some pointers on the kind of workouts that will give you the results you want. I remember one of those videos I mentioned had a lot of exercises inspired by dancers, who definitely have thighs I envy-- not bulky but lean and toned.

 

yay thank you.  that makes sense too...