another chick with thick thighs!
- Thread starter jazzy75
- Start date
naughtoj
Cathlete
RE: I'm not alone!!!
My thighs measure 21 inches, so I guess I am worthy of posting here.
I would like to say that rollerblading is also good for the lower body overall. I can do sit and stands with huge amounts of weight and barely feel it because of all my rollerblading training. (Atleast that is what I think it is from
But I do have to comment on running being the cure-all. Running is high intensity and therefore burns many calories. That is IT. It doesn't seem to provide superior toning benefits when compared to other activities, such as hiking and rollerblading. Also, Cathe cardio is very intense and personally, more intense than running for me. I ran 6 miles yesterday and then did IMAX at lunch (crazy, I know) and IMAX was not only harder because I had already run 6 miles, but it is just flat out HARDER for me cardiovascularly. All of her tapes are. Maybe cuz I run outside or something.
I know everyone is different but for the life of me I never understand when poeple would rather do 100 reps with 10 pounds than 30 with 60. I just don't get it. What a waste of time.
Like another poster here, I would say up your cardio. NOT to eat your muscle however!! Maybe try to fit in some easier cardio everyday as well as the harder stuff. Pay attention to your body and make sure you EAT right after each session. Yesterday after I ran I took in a fair amount of high glycemic carbs and protein right after and felt pretty good for IMAX 2. Ok, but there was for sure no third workout!!
Just my opinion ladies...
Janice
My thighs measure 21 inches, so I guess I am worthy of posting here.
I would like to say that rollerblading is also good for the lower body overall. I can do sit and stands with huge amounts of weight and barely feel it because of all my rollerblading training. (Atleast that is what I think it is from
But I do have to comment on running being the cure-all. Running is high intensity and therefore burns many calories. That is IT. It doesn't seem to provide superior toning benefits when compared to other activities, such as hiking and rollerblading. Also, Cathe cardio is very intense and personally, more intense than running for me. I ran 6 miles yesterday and then did IMAX at lunch (crazy, I know) and IMAX was not only harder because I had already run 6 miles, but it is just flat out HARDER for me cardiovascularly. All of her tapes are. Maybe cuz I run outside or something.
I know everyone is different but for the life of me I never understand when poeple would rather do 100 reps with 10 pounds than 30 with 60. I just don't get it. What a waste of time.
Like another poster here, I would say up your cardio. NOT to eat your muscle however!! Maybe try to fit in some easier cardio everyday as well as the harder stuff. Pay attention to your body and make sure you EAT right after each session. Yesterday after I ran I took in a fair amount of high glycemic carbs and protein right after and felt pretty good for IMAX 2. Ok, but there was for sure no third workout!!
Just my opinion ladies...
Janice
naughtoj
Cathlete
Also, if you have been working out that long and are that fit, you should be using way over 35 pounds for S&H. I really do believe that women grossly underestimate their lower body strength. If you are a believer in going heavy, then you need to really go heavy. Leaner Legs is fine with 35 pounds of course. You have been working out a long time! When people "swear by" different exercise methods, you don't know whether they were a beginner and started with Pilates and therefore had been doing NO weight training. Ok, well, then of course they will say it really helped them. But I would question going from heavy lifting to only Pilates. Sounds like you already have quite a bit of cross training and leg work going on. I mean are your legs just BIG or do they have like mounds of fat and cellulite hanging off of them??
By the way, I am 27 yrs old 5'1 and 131 pounds, so I am pretty much in your category too...my legs are "big", but definitly not "fat".....
Janice
By the way, I am 27 yrs old 5'1 and 131 pounds, so I am pretty much in your category too...my legs are "big", but definitly not "fat".....
Janice
JenniferAnn
Cathlete
I'm just like the rest of you. 5'1'' and 130 pounds and most of my fat is in my thighs. My frustration is with lifting heavy enough for lower body. I did S&H for the first time this week and was a bit conservative and used 40# for legs. I could definitely have gone heavier but I've never lifted more than 45# over my shoulders. I suspect that I could lift about 50-55# over my shoulder but it scares me because I live alone and I'm afraid that I might hurt myself. That's why I prefer Leaner Legs because I feel like I get a great workout with 35-40# and have no problem lifting that over my shoulder.
I've been tempted to incorporate some Pilates lower body tapes like Kari Anderson's ALCII and Winsor Pilates Bun and Thigh. But when I look at my thighs I see that the real problem is fat and I don't see how Pilates could 'spot reduce.' The muscle isn't bulky. The fat on the top of muscle is what makes my thighs look big. If I could only get my eating in order and lose 10 pounds, I think that would make all the difference.
I've been tempted to incorporate some Pilates lower body tapes like Kari Anderson's ALCII and Winsor Pilates Bun and Thigh. But when I look at my thighs I see that the real problem is fat and I don't see how Pilates could 'spot reduce.' The muscle isn't bulky. The fat on the top of muscle is what makes my thighs look big. If I could only get my eating in order and lose 10 pounds, I think that would make all the difference.
I also carry most of my weight in my hips, butt and thighs.
First of all, realize that after all your hard work, your bottom half is toned
but is concealed by that stubborn layer of fat. You said you were stuck
in the heavy weight mode but you might want to incorporate some
classic ballet moves to tone and stretch the legs.
Many fitness competitors seem to find no problem mixing hardcore weight
training with ballet and pilates so maybe there's the secret...why does it have
to be either/or. Even Cathe has a dance background.
I have the NYC Ballet workout, both Angles, Lines and Curves as well as
the Firm and Cathe's MIC, PUB and PUL workouts. I've also added some
of Mindy's Mylreas integrated strength training workouts and I'm getting
better results with the variety instead of just sticking to the traditional
weights and cardio aproach and I'm not really watching my diet.;-)
First of all, realize that after all your hard work, your bottom half is toned
but is concealed by that stubborn layer of fat. You said you were stuck
in the heavy weight mode but you might want to incorporate some
classic ballet moves to tone and stretch the legs.
Many fitness competitors seem to find no problem mixing hardcore weight
training with ballet and pilates so maybe there's the secret...why does it have
to be either/or. Even Cathe has a dance background.
I have the NYC Ballet workout, both Angles, Lines and Curves as well as
the Firm and Cathe's MIC, PUB and PUL workouts. I've also added some
of Mindy's Mylreas integrated strength training workouts and I'm getting
better results with the variety instead of just sticking to the traditional
weights and cardio aproach and I'm not really watching my diet.;-)
kristieschultz
Cathlete
I didn't mean to imply that running is the cure all for everyone. Because of course what works for one person may not work for another. But like I said, running twice a week for 40-55 minutes each time works wonders for me. When I started running a little over a year ago I was only running about 3 10 minute miles. Even though at that time I was in great shape and doing IMAX all the way through, running was new to me so it was hard at first. But now I've worked my way up to 5 miles in 40 minutes. It took a while. I'm 5'2, 118, with about 20 1/2 inch thighs.
If running doesn't do the trick you may have to stick to interval workouts at least twice a week. I think you already said you were doing this. I think that imax and bootcamp in one week would be great.
And of course there is always the dreaded diet. You said you eat clean so maybe there isn't much more you can do about that.
This is weird about spinning because see I would think that spinning would cause your legs to be more muscular. I would tend to think that it might even make your thighs a little bigger. I am probably wrong but that is just my impression.
I think the jury is definitely still out about lifting heavy as opposed to light and what it does to your thighs. Some people say it bulks them, others say it slims them. So I really think that it depends on the person. But I do not think you should omit weight work. If you feel like it bulks you, do the endurance workouts.
Good luck!!
If running doesn't do the trick you may have to stick to interval workouts at least twice a week. I think you already said you were doing this. I think that imax and bootcamp in one week would be great.
And of course there is always the dreaded diet. You said you eat clean so maybe there isn't much more you can do about that.
This is weird about spinning because see I would think that spinning would cause your legs to be more muscular. I would tend to think that it might even make your thighs a little bigger. I am probably wrong but that is just my impression.
I think the jury is definitely still out about lifting heavy as opposed to light and what it does to your thighs. Some people say it bulks them, others say it slims them. So I really think that it depends on the person. But I do not think you should omit weight work. If you feel like it bulks you, do the endurance workouts.
Good luck!!