Hi Cathe!! Question about thigh size

[wiggie]

I read an article that said if your thighs measure more than 20 inches you should wait until they slim down to do weight work & depend on cardio to work them. What do you think?

[Stebby]

Hi wiggie - I'm not Cathe but can give you my personal experience. My thighs used to be 26" in circumference when I was doing only cardio. When I started lifting heavy weights they shrank to about 22". Whenever I ease up on the weights, within a month or so I have another inch back on. I love cardio and do it 5X per week - I think it helps keep the layer of fat down all over my body. But to really tighten up, I rely on weight training.

Stebby

[wiggie]

Thanks Stebby! I guess I should keep lifting & go heavier. My thighs are my problem area. How long did it take to shrink your thighs & how many times a week do you work them?

[Stebby]

I think it was about 3-4 months - after I got serious and started increasing my weights it wasn't immediate -it was at least 2 months before I started noticing any difference in the appearance of my legs, but then it came pretty quickly. I do legs twice a week and am pretty consistent - sometimes it's part of a full-body workout such as STS Total Body or Muscle Max or a non-Cathe workout, and sometimes it's legs only such as one of the STS lower body workouts, Gym Style Legs, Pyramid Lower Body or a legs premix from 4DS. I go reasonably heavy too - for example 40-60 lbs for squats (depending on the workout).

Everybody is different though - I've seen others on this forum who have gotten great results from lifting heavy, and others who do better with other styles of workouts where you work your legs almost every day with light weight or body weight. A lot of people have said they have really leaned out their legs through running too.

Stebby

[wiggie]

Thanks Stebby!! Lots of food for thought. Maybe I'll try all approaches & see what works best for me. Hey, trying them all will be a shock for my body which is always good. Thanks again for your response.

[ricklyk1]

Hi Wiggie!

I thought I would add my two cents as well. My lower body (legs/thighs) have always been a problem area for me. I started working out consistently with Cathe in October 2010 and from then until April 2011 I did lots of cardio/circuit rotations. I rarely, if ever, did a straight lower body workout but many of the workouts I did included lower body (circuits, full body, etc.) I steadily lost pounds, but did not notice a huge difference in my lower body.

Then, in April 2011, I started STS. You may be familiar with STS, but if not the program consists to two upper body and one lower body workouts per week (I added in 4 days of cardio as well, doubling up a cardio and STS workout on Sundays). The STS lower body workouts made a HUGE difference in my thighs! Even my DH and family have commented that they can tell a difference in my lower body - my legs are smaller and more defined. I still have a ways to go of course and, even though i've finished my first round of STS, i'm going to continue incorporating moderate to heavy leg training.

So, I guess my point is that I don't think you should shy away from lower body weight training. For me, the cardio helped of course but I didn't see any noticeable results until I incorporated moderate to heavy lower body work one day a week.

HTH!
Katie

[wiggie]

Hi Katie!! You sound like me, I've lost lots of weight but I'm very dissatisfied with my thighs. I've done STS twice when it was first released, but I wasn't watching my diet when I did it. I think I'll give heavy weights another try. I may just start STS next month. Thanks for your two cents, I appreciate it!!

[Cathe Friedrich]

Hi Wiggie! I disagree with that. I think that you need to do both always within a workout week. Cardio strengthens the heart and burns immediate calories at the time the exercise is performed. Weight training may not burn as many calories in a typical session the way cardio does, however, weight training builds lean muscle mass at a much higher rate than cardio does. Lean muscle mass kicks your metabolism up all day long and therefore burns calories even while at rest. Not only that but the weight training will help with bone density (to help prevent osteoporosis) and will strengthen your bones, ligaments, joints and tendons so that you are stronger to go longer in your cardio workouts and everyday life activities. Weight training also helps improve posture and helps prevent injuries due to lack of muscle tone.

So do both cardio and weights and you will see within 3 months you will feel firmer and leaner everywhere. Keep in mind this kind of activity makes you a lot hungrier. So be prepared, with healthy foods on hand, to refuel your body with the nutrients it needs rather than empty calories it doesn't need.

Originally Posted by wiggie

I read an article that said if your thighs measure more than 20 inches you should wait until they slim down to do weight work & depend on cardio to work them. What do you think?

[kikster]

Hey Wiggie!

Idk if you have GS Legs, but that thang did WONDERS for my big ol thighs, let me tell you, lol. I did it consistently for about 1-2 months (lifting heavy), and saw the most dramatic results in my legs. I do think that STS will do the same if you A)lift heavy and B)watch your eats. The first couple of times I did STS, I just didn't take the leg w/o's serious enough (as I did w/the upper body w/o's). I pretty much just grabbed whatever weight I wanted (scared to "bulk" if I went too heavy) and did the w/o. It would get my heart rate up, but I did not get the body recomposition that I'd gotten w/GS Legs, or that my upper body rec'd from STS.

When I sat down to think on why this would be, I realized that I was never really hitting my legs hard/heavy anymore. Before, I used to do one heavy and one light leg w/o each week. But once I was satisfied w/my legs, I started to slack. Because I felt like my legs would bulk too easily, I became suddenly fearful of going heavy anymore. Everything became more cardio/endurance based as far as my leg w/o's were concerned. This especially came into play during M3 of STS because I still used the lighter weights while doing Plyo Legs. This once again gave me the cardio/Hiit factor (which I LOVE about Plyo Legs) but it didn't give me the changes in my legs that I wanted to match the AWESOME changes I got in my upper body. So I've decided that in order to get back to when I was loving my legs, I need to go back to using heavier weights. I also bit the bullet and bought Squat Rack Legs (which I refused to buy at first, thinking I'd never need it w/my big legs) and will be using it AND Plyo Legs when I start my next round of STS (in Oct).

[wiggie]

Thank you Cathe for responding, I've always been afraid to go heavy with my leg workouts because I didn't want my thighs to get any bigger. My legs are pretty strong, & I never actually reach failure. I was thinking about starting STS next month, or should I do 3 total body weight workouts each week? I need to lose about 15 more pounds. I consider you to be a rock star of fitness & I am really thrilled to speak with you. I love the look of your new series, can't wait to get it!!