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Old 09-09-2004, 02:02 AM   #1  
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Default De-bulking muscular thighs?

Can it be done? I've been exercising so much that my thighs have become very muscular...so much so that they're bulky. There's still fat on them so it's like I have two giant melons as thighs!
Are there any exercises that can de-bulk them? My common sense tells me that it's not possible. Well, I'd like to de-bulk them in a healthy way...and not by not eating so my body eats up my muscle.
Suggestions?
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Old 09-09-2004, 01:07 PM   #2  
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My personal suggestion would be to live with it until you lose the fat. There's really no healthy way to force your body to lose muscle, and there is NO way to force it to lose muscle in a particular area. Just think of all the positive aspects of those strong thighs ... the increased muscle mass keeps your metabolism revved ... they enable you to do more than when you had less muscular thighs ... they represent the hard work you've put in. The muscles in your thighs and butt are the largest muscles in the body, and they are your prime calorie-burners.

One thing you CAN do is increase your weight training for upper body. By adding a little heft to your shoulders, back, & chest, you provide visual balance for your body.
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Old 09-15-2004, 02:37 PM   #3  
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Hey MissyK

Actually I have the T-Tapp workout, and I stopped using it because I have been lazy BUT it is supposed to do exactly what you are looking for - debulk the muscles and I have heard of people to did in fact have success with it. If you want a more detailed explanation on how it exactly works, pick around the t-tapp forum board at www.t-tapp.com!
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Old 09-15-2004, 07:54 PM   #4  
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You'll probably find that underneath the fat your thighs are not all that "bulked up". It's extremely difficult and usually impossible for women to bulk up, we just dont have the hormones necessary for that to happen.

I used to have "bulked up" thighs myself...courtesy of years of soccer, athletics, softball, general running etc. When i was doing all that it didnt matter since there was no fat over the top, but once i stopped i gained a layer of padding lol.

Since losing that weight my thighs have thinned out a lot, but they are STILL heavily muscled. You can just see the muscle now lol.

I'm 5'6 and 120 pounds (actually 5 pounds under my goal weight). The extra weight has come off due to toning exercises and weight training. Bulking up...ironically the thing you want to do the opposite too to lose weight lol. I would suggest shifting your focus from the scales and putting it on how your clothes fit and/or measurements. Because toning can increase your weight but slim you down A LOT. Oh, and I'd actually increased my food intake and still lost that extra 5 pounds...so you probably dont need to cut your calorie intake tooo much more to lose it. Just keep working up, build the lean msucle mass and your metabolism should rev itself up. The body fat decreases as a consequence

I guess the main thing is to be patient. I know, it's a hard virtue to learn in a world where we are all taught that we MUST have instant results...yesterday preferably. hehe

Livi
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Old 09-17-2004, 12:16 AM   #5  
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Livi's got a great point there... generally speaking, it's not 'too much muscle' so much as it's the layer of FAT on top of the muscle!

I invite you to stop by the Ladies who Lift forum here at 3FC - we have a lot of VERY knowledgeable people including certified fitness trainers and at least one actual competitive bodybuilder and lots of good advice about training...

Also, I'd like to direct your attention to Krista Scott Dixon's website at http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html - it's unique in that it focuses on women and weights. On her "Crap List" she refutes the myth that women can get 'too big' from weight training as follows:

Quote:
You can get too big from weight training. Sorry, I thought we were all over that idiocy by now, but the Globe and Mail's style section for July 28, 2001 tells me that to wear the new fashions I have to have a nice back. Okay, I can dig that. But then they give me my workout tips for it: doing some kind of row with a 2 to 5 pound weight, working my way up to 12-15 reps. Don't use any more weight, the article cautions, otherwise you'll add unwanted bulk. FOR THE LAST F***ING TIME, YOU CANNOT GET TOO BIG FROM LIFTING WEIGHTS! A NON-DRUG-USING MALE TRAINEE WOULD HAPPILY CRAWL ON HIS LIPS THROUGH A FIELD OF LEECHES TO ADD FIFTEEN CRUMMY LITTLE POUNDS OF MUSCLE A YEAR! DO YOU THINK THAT YOU ARE SOMEHOW SO SPECIAL THAT YOU WILL DEFY THE LAWS OF PHYSIOLOGY AND SUDDENLY BECOME HUGE ONE DAY? WAKE UP AND SMELL THE GO****MNED TESTOSTERONE, HONEY! WHAT'S THAT? YOU CAN'T? OH, PERHAPS THAT IS BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU BULK UP???? RAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHHH KRISTA SMASH!!

Phew, I feel better now. Must have been a steroid-induced rage ahahahahaaaa!!
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Old 09-17-2004, 09:40 PM   #6  
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Use lighter weights. Heavy weights with small sets builds muscle. Light weights and plenty of reps tones.
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Old 09-17-2004, 11:05 PM   #7  
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Default Thigh/Butt Workouts

I used to use the (Old) Denise Austin Hips thighs and buttocks video to workout and learned a bunch of floor exercises that have worked for me.

Good Luck!
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Old 09-18-2004, 07:18 AM   #8  
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I used to HATE my very muscular legs and calves, they were big and bulky. Then I went to have a body assessment (while I was in really good shape) and the trainer was in awe of the shape of my legs. So I learned to look at my big muscular legs as an asset rather than a liability. Sure my thighs will always touch, but quads, glutes and hams and calves are big which means lots of muscle burn. I also enjoy the added strength I have there. We're going to use our legs all our life, so it's good to have an excellent base for when we get older.

Cheers!

Ali
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Old 09-18-2004, 11:01 AM   #9  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by praytherosary822
Use lighter weights. Heavy weights with small sets builds muscle. Light weights and plenty of reps tones.
Well...at the Ladies who Lift forum, we have a gal who does BB comps who posts there - Luv2Lift. She's got a bod to die for...but she lifts HEAVY.

This comes up a lot in our forum. Check this thread out!

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45955

And L2L's response...

Quote:
Originally Posted by luv2lift
My girlfriend and I joined a gym. I knew very little about what all this strange equipment was for and was quite intimidated. I met with someone at the gym who consulted with me about what my goals were. I wanted to be toned and firm and have a flat tummy, like all women..But I did not want big muscles!
He explained (I'll shorten this) that basically muscle is hard, fat is soft and that well....shocker! being 'toned' means having muscle. Just to a lesser degree than say.. a professioanl BodyBuilder or whatever.
He decided to put me on a weight training program. I was very concerned about getting big muscles and looking like a man to which he gently assured me "Don't you think if it was easy to get too muscular, that it would be even easier to just get toned? So why isn't everyone at least toned if it is so easy to get too muscular?" OK...I thought. Good Point.


I went on to say that I married this wonderful man and we have been married 10 years now with 2 lovely children. I have been lifting for some time now I consider myself to be relatively strong. I sqaut 250, leg press 540, I do seated rowes with 140, I curl 35# DB's or a 70# BB etc...
I say this not to brag but to REASSURE. It really is not about how much you lift. It is about taxing the muscle. I use what it requires to tax the muscle and over time it has taken more and more. There are very few women (some but not many) that have the capacity to get big without the use of illegal pharmacuetical aids. Honestly, my waist is smaller than the day I walked into that gym despite the fact I have had 2 children since then. Granted, I am genetically pretty strong anyway, but a lot of women would automatically assume that a person lifting that would have to be burly. I am very feminine and by most people standards, a small person (5' 5" 35,25,35 Size 2) and that is with a lot of er...cheating and missing at the gym. When I am actually eating clean and being consistant, I am 115 and a size 1. But the muscle I have earned 'takes care of me' even if I have some 'not so disciplined' times. I am not suggesting that I could miss half the time and eat like crap and stay toned, but I can most certainly get away with a **** of a lot more than my pre-muscle days.
Goodness, forgive me, this is obviously an issue with me. All I can say is I use to feel the same way. Rest assured, EVERY fear I ever had about being too big is long ago SQUASHED. It takes a **** of a lot of hard work just to get Firm and Toned, let alone big!! I would love to have more pretty shape (read: muscle) and I am working very, very hard to try and make that happen. So I almost have to laugh when a new gal says "Now I don't want to start looking like a man..." while I'm over there squatting 250 to beat all **** trying to get a rounder butt and more shape in my legs.
Muscle, pound for pound is smaller than fat. It's really true. Where is that dern picture???
OK Rant over with...
XOXO
L2L
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Old 09-18-2004, 07:02 PM   #10  
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Hehehe

I remember walking into the gym and quoting the same fears at the instructor who suggested I do weight training for toning as well. He pulled a picture of an Australian champion pole volter and asked me if I thought she was "built like a man". She most obviously wasnt lol, and he went on to say that being an athlete at that level meant she had to have incredible muscular strength and it hadnt bulked her up to the point of looking like man.

I had to see the point lol.

I train with heavier weights myself and it's done a wonderful job! But I guess it's horses for courses.

Livi
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