A woman’s thighs tend to
start to get skinny at a body fat percentage of approximately 18%.
However, for your thighs to become slim, tight and toned you first need
to know what type of thighs you have, otherwise you may inadvertently
make your thighs bigger.
Do you feel you have fat
thighs, muscular thighs or just aren’t sure? To successfully slim down
thighs take the test below. The result will help you determine whether
you need to lose fat from thighs or need to slim down muscular thighs.
SLIM THIGH TEST
Before you set about trying to slim down your thighs, you need to
establish whether you have big thigh muscles or a lot of thigh fat.
- Straighten your leg
- Tighten your thigh muscles
- Pinch the top layer of fat and skin of the thigh
If there is much to pinch, then fat is making your thighs big and you’ll also probably suffer with cellulite. (read more about fat thighs)
If there is little to pinch, you have large thigh muscles and little fat and will have little cellulite, if any. (read more about muscular thighs) |
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HOW TO SLIM THIGHS
1. Avoid exercises such as squats
Avoid exercises such as squats, lunges,
leg curls, stiff-legged deadlifts, leg extensions and calf raises,
especially with heavy weights for now. They DO NOT slim thighs. A piece
of cardio machinery you would do well to avoid is the Stairmaster/ step machine. Although these exercise are often promoted to make thighs smaller,
they actually target thigh muscles and can make them bigger. Weight
training make muscle fibers larger. You can do these exercises once you
have striped fat from your thighs and have a clearer idea of how
muscular your thighs are.
2. Cardiovascular exercise to slim thighs
This is the main tool in your arsenal.
Your cardio goal should be to burn fat without gaining much muscle mass
in the thighs. To achieve this you need to avoid working the thigh
muscles more than necessary. If you are working out on cardio equipment,
you need to keep the resistance low (e.g. elliptical trainer, stationary bike) or the incline low (treadmill). However, aim for a moderately high intensity (how hard you are exercising) for maximum effectiveness. Use the heart rate calculator. If you are exercising outside avoid hilly terrain.
3. Long-duration cardio to burn fat without bulking up
This will avoid targeting the type of muscle fiber that makes muscle get big and bulky. Instead, long-duration cardio (e.g.
long-distance running) will target a smaller muscle fiber that has very
limited capacity for growth. The result is that you build stronger
muscle without building big thigh muscles, while burning fat. On the other hand, avoid short intense bouts of cardio (e.g. sprinting, HIIT).
Although this can be a great fat burner, it may also increase the size
of your thigh muscles. Endurance running is one of the most effective
exercise to get defined, slim thighs and legs. Endurance runners tend to
have very slim legs, especially in compared with sprinters who have
highly developed and very large thigh muscles.
4. Running to slim thighs and reshape legs
Endurance running is
especially effective in those who have big thigh muscles, as it may
decrease the size of the muscles and reduce fat around the muscle to
make the thighs smaller. It will completely transform the size and
make-up of your thighs and your calves. Therefore, to slim down thighs
do endurance running with little or no incline. If you find it too
difficult to run or are unable to run, try the elliptical trainer with little or no resistance. Posture on the elliptical trainer is
critical. Correct posture will target your butt, outer thigh and
hamstring muscles (back of thighs) and lessen the strain on your
quadriceps (front of thighs), avoiding you from inadvertently building big thighs.
5. Resistance training
When you have lost some fat from your thighs you can think about resistance training.
If you need to increase muscle mass in order to increase the shape and
definition of your thighs you can implement resistance exercises. In
order to have fantastic legs you need muscle. Therefore, if you lack
shape having lost weight, a program of resistance training targeting the
legs will help to shape and firm them. Be sure to keep the weights
moderately light (up to 70% of your one-lift maximum), so that your
thigh muscles become harder, stronger and more defined, but not
significantly larger. In other words, focus on completing more
repetitions, with less resistance. Those who have the type of muscle (mesomorphs)
that responds quickly and gets big need to be particularly vigilant and
may not choose not to do any such exercises, since their thigh muscles
are already well toned.
6. Patience
You need to be patient and focused on
what you want to achieve. You cannot burn body fat in specific areas,
especially inner thigh fat. You cannot spot reduce. Body fat is lost
from the entire body during weight loss. The inner thighs will be one of
the last areas of the body in a woman to be slim and firm. Just
remember to be realistic and to take your body shape, genetics and current level of body fat into consideration when setting goals. You can get slim thighs, but you need time to get there.
7. Targeted workout program
Check out Visual Impact for Women (there’s also Visual Impact for Men).
If you need to reduce inches – fat or muscle – or feel you are overly
muscular this program is certainly is worth investigating. The author
tackles the issue of wanting to get fit and lean without getting big or
bulky head on. The program specifically addresses the problem of being
overly muscular and takes it seriously; offering a comprehensive
strategy that encompasses diet, cardiovascular exercise and resistance
training aimed at reducing – not gaining – inches. In chapter 1 the
author has this to say:
“Sick of hearing that it impossible for you to gain too much
muscle because you don’t have enough testosterone? I will discuss that
and other myths told to women on a consistent basis.”
Visual Impact for Women also has
solutions on how to decrease muscle mass, if you feel you are too bulky.
Here’s a description from one of the chapters of Visual Impact for Women:
“Legions of women have muscular thighs and calves that they would like to make slim and defined.
This is common especially with women who have been given poor training
advice. Despite this being a taboo subject, I’m going to give you a
strategy that works.“
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