Hi,
I've been cycling everywhere since I got a bike six months ago - and the front of my thighs has gotten hard and ... bigger.
I don't want huge thighs.
Will they keep growing?
Thanks!
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Hi,
I've been cycling everywhere since I got a bike six months ago - and the front of my thighs has gotten hard and ... bigger.
I don't want huge thighs.
Will they keep growing?
Thanks!
I guess it's a matter of what you like. It's a fact that biking will give you strong legs. I am very proud of my muscular legs and cycling has given me what some might consider "big" thighs/glutes. They get me up tough hills, and allow me to ride hard & long.
2 things will determine your ultimate thigh size. One is whether you're a masher or a spinner. Spinners will look more lean like a runner. Mashing with lots of power at low cadence is closer to weight lifting. The other, and this is the biggie, is your genetics. As a female you'll never be huge. But some people tend toward big bulky muscles and some tend toward long and stringy. Can't do anything about that but love your new strong and hard legs.
Don't worry as a woman unless you take male hormones, your legs will never get really huge. And even they have to get down to a low level of body fat to get all ripped. They may get bigger then they were before but not by much. I think most of us would rather have slightly bigger legs that are full of well conditioned muscle, then legs that are mostly fat. Yes even thin women that don't work out such as cycling have more fat in their legs then they would have. Remember thin does not always mean little fat and fit. Or big mean out of shape and fat.
I mean my thighs are still 20.5 inches. and you can see most of the muscles move as I ride, sign of low body fat in that area.
Be proud of your motors....
From what I've seen in folks in the bike club, your thighs won't get that much different than their natural shape. Bulking up just doesn't happen as much for women.
On the other hand, it's not as if I care in the least. I am a little concerned about general flexibility.
the mashing vs spin argument aside, there's something to be said for what you get dealt in the thigh genes departemnt. Even when I was a practically no body fat body builder, my thighs has the same basic shape they do now, which is not thin. My genetic tendency is to have muscular quads if I work out at all... as she said.. love your motors...
irulan
Agreed, it's tough to fight genetics. I am spinner but my thighs are really muscular. I am really lean all over with the exception of these "thunder" thighs which I am insanely proud of.
Gotta agree with alipinerabbit on this one. Whatever you might think is unattractive about more muscular thighs will be insignificant when you exude the confidence and good attitude that often accompanies a fit and healthy body and mind.Quote:
Originally Posted by alpinerabbit
/s
I'm still spinning the excess body fat off my motors, but I'm DAMN proud of my legs. My calves are WONDERFUL and I won't be able to tell if my thighs are actually BIGGER because they were so heavy with fat before, I can tell they are MUCH more IN SHAPE now.
I feel like they've hauled this 254 pound body [down from nearer 290 earlier this summer] around for nearly 2000 road/city trail miles and 2318 total miles since the end of July I'm going to wear the fruit of my labors like a badge of HONOR!!
I'm beginning to look a bit more like an athlete and I'm healthier physically and psychologically. :D
Mary, Congrats on the weight loss, you go girl. And the milage is sweet too.
Ditto on what everybody else has said.
You might consider walking/jogging/running to build your hamstrings. It is important to have equal strength in your legs.
And muscle makes everything tighten up. So, even though the dimensions might be the same, they look smaller because they're tighter. Wait until shorts season girl - you're gonna be buff!
I have big thighs. Always have. But, I don't know anyone who can fill out jeans like I do OR shorts like I do (other than other women cyclists, of course ;) ). My legs are two of my most prized posessions, even though I am *very* self conscious on how big they are. As far as spinning versus mashing, it doesn't matter for me. For me, it's just the way I'm built.
Agreed on the jeans! I fit into jeans well everywhere with the exception of my thighs. I used to be self-conscious and wear only loose fit or no shorts at all but now I wear pretty tight jeans to show them off. I'm proud of my ripped thighs!!! YA!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by nicolezoie
yup... genetic here too! My thighs were big BEFORE I cycled... now they're big but very muscular! I have been fortunate to find more and more jeans cut for what they term "curvy" women... bless them for the term curvy as opposed to what they COULD call it... LOL! :D
What I like about what cycling does for my thighs:
When I was not cycling regularly, jeans were tight across the upper thigh and seat, where my bigness was. When I do cycle regularly, jeans are looser there and tighter across the front mid-thigh region.
This pleases me. Given that I am extremely long-waisted, full in the hips and thighs, and pants are ALWAYS at least two to four inches too large in the waist if they fit in the hips, I like a bit more definition to my saddle bags. :D
(BTW this is why I have fallen flat in love with Pearl Izumi shorts. If you check the sizing charts, you can see that of all the makes, they have the greatest difference between the hip and waist measurements.)
they will keep growing but once you get to a stage in your cycling they sort of level out and stop 'bulging'
just don't use big gears all the time and no weights, lol
plus big thighs are kind of cute
The first time I saw a photo of these girls (attached), I thought "WOW! Now those are some strong, tough women!"
(I assume you all know who they are???)
I'd much rather be strong and tough than not...but then I fall into big-quads-genetically category, so I have to be happy with them!
Actually not, though I might well recognize the names. I don't watch TV, so I never recognize anyone's photo.Quote:
Originally Posted by yellow
I don't watch TV either but do read women's sports publications, which is where I first saw a photo of Serena and thought "Now SHE has a hard time finding pants that fit in the legs!".
Venus on the L and Serena on the R. The Righteous Williams Sisters!
And that beautiful skin really shows off the definition, I think. Better than freckly, Irish skin like me!
Yeah, but those of us with freckly skin can get some nice tan lines!! (Mine is English, and my freckles don't go _totally_ crazy.)
I think nice strong quads are hot. I love how mine are developing from biking- much more than from horse-shoeing or running. Unfortunately, I have short little femurs. Oh well...
Nanci
proper stretching will not only improve your riding, but also lengthen muscles. I've noticed that since I've been doing pilates, my legs seem to be a leaner shape (and I'm just riding more, so it's all good). My core is stronger, too, which sure helps with the hills.
good news here. My fiance has very big thigh but after we've been riding a lot, his thigh became skinnier. For me, my jeans are tighter but if I don't ride for a while it comes back to normal.
so my analysis is that you'll definately lose some fat from your thigh and get some muscle because you are exercising. Some people may have skinny legs and might grow bigger because of the muscle but I don't think they'll get too bulky or look fatter.
I actually asked this very same thing from my spinning instructor just a couple of weeks ago after a girl who used to do spinning as well told me that she didn't want to do it anymore because she feared she would get big thighs. My instructor told me that in doing spinning you would not get big thighs in such but your thighs would eventually get a very nice shape.
I suppose I have no choice but to believe her since her thighs are very lean and not too big at all :)
For myself I have noticed that me thighs are starting to look pretty good and muscular. My true problem lies in the "love handles" or what ever the huge lumps of fat on your hips are called :D But I believe I'll get rid of them before summer though - or at least hope so :rolleyes:
Since I started cycling, I've noticed that my quads not only look better, but feel better-nice and tight! The one thing that has been bothering me though is that the left leg is nice and round on the front of the quad, but the right leg still seems flat. I am very right-legged, so this surprises me. I wonder if I could be that I baby that leg because of a knee problem? :confused: Anybody else notice a diff between leg muscle development?
I used to be very self conscious of my thighs - and still am to some extent (poor body image is a hard habit to break); all those girls with skinny pins seemed so much more attractive.
But then a strange thing started to happen, as I got more into cycling, and my legs grew stronger, I started to appreciate the fact they could power me along and get me up hills; I'd picture those skinny girls with their stick-thin legs and smile to myself because I knew their legs would never be so strong or as powerful.
My legs are my trophy, my motor, my pistons, my accelerator (and even sometimes, my turbo fuelled injection engine!).
Sometimes I sit on the couch and flex those babies and we engage in a little mutual appreciation session - I can see dips and hollows and muscles that never used to be there.
I've now got calves - I never had calves before in my life! :eek: I'm so excited! In the words of "The Incredibles" Edna Mode: That's a new feature!
It's all good!
Yes! I have the same issue: right leg dominant, cranky right knee, and a left quad that is 0.5 inch bigger than the right quad (and the muscles are more defined in the left leg). I asked the sports medicine doc about it and he kinda shrugged and pointed out that in spite of our believing it should be true, our bodies are not totally symmetrical.Quote:
Originally Posted by AuntieK
So I have one "shapley" quad and one "blah" quad. :p
And LauraPaura, let me know if you discover some magic secret to getting rid of those handles. I've been trying unsuccessfully for years! :rolleyes:
Hmmm...maybe it's a Utah thing.:rolleyes:
LauraPaura, ignore Yellow. It's all in her head. That 3.2 Utah beer is having weird effects on her. :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by yellow
geez Yellow - the only "handle" you have is your camelback. (picture a giant picking Sue up.)
I was told this morning, by someone who should know, that my thighs are getting smaller. Gee all this training IS good for something.
V.
Any one see anything extraneous on that little thing in the blue helmet? I wanna climb like her. Power thighs she can discuss. Love handles, no. I'll take her legs and hips any day.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...ack_widows.jpg
I think they both look good! That's a great picture.
The photo made my day. What happy, fit, gorgeous chicks---love those red tops, gals!
I'm of the big-by-birth quads category. I call 'em my speed skater thighs :D ! Where do those speed skaters buy pants, anyway? Do they just not wear jeans?
LOL! I've often believed I missed my calling as a speed skater. I was a mighty fast roller skater in my day (and that was waaaaaaaaaaay before the time of inline skates), always won the fun races. Fabulous wipeouts.Quote:
Originally Posted by fixedgeargirl
The speed skaters buy their jeans wherever Venus & Serena Williams buy theirs, I'm sure. Monster-Quads-R-Us? (Edit: oooh ooh! USA won the gold in the men's 5000m speed skating today!)
Oh, BTW, those are our BLACK WIDOW outfits in that picture. My name for them anyhow. SK may have another opinion.
Hey,
I've been mtbiking for years but I have been working out at the gym (elyptical) and mountain biking much more seriously these past 6 months and I have to say although I LOVE to MTB, and my friends that MTB with me are great, this thigh thing is soooo depressing! Not only have I gained like 7 or 8 lbs (it cannot all be muscle!?) but my thighs are huge! They DO get my up some pretty hard climbs and I love their strength, but hey I did not want way bigger legs! :eek: Frankly I am not ready to embrace the beauty of my big thighs because they really aren't attractive. Other than pilates (sp?) are there any other suggestions on elongating the leg muscles!!
thanks!
i am 5feet and 5 inch tall,have 106lbs,and ave a musclle tighs .i think it is pretty and i am proud of it.fat is much less attractive than huge musscle legs...in summer when i am wearing a shorts everyone looks at my legs.one thing more:they tell about how much i cycle and how i love it!
I love my BIG THIGHS and BOOTY. Can't have big thighs without that nice strong butt. They go hand and hand and they are SEXY!:D
I've lived with my big thighs for quite a long while and I'm pretty used to it. But, when I'm on the trainer, which is parked right next to a 'shiny '62 mercury, and notice my thighs pushing to get me through the work out in the reflection, I couldn't be more greatful and impressed! To see them flexed and doing their thing, I think it's pretty hot. I love my muscular thighs!:D