As a male VFer, can I talk about reducing my inner thighs so I can get bikini ready??
Umm, yeah...you read that right. I'm a male VFer, who hardly ever posts, but I'm here to talk about reducing my inner thighs. Hey, a girl has to look hot you know! :)
Ok, here's the deal. I'm a guy who's a pear. As it is, that's a horrible combo, cause let's face it...every guy wants that perfect "A" shape. V shapes are SO overrated! One thing I've learned in life is that every body is different. Whether pears, apples, oranges, kiwis, watermelons, etc., people's muscle and fat distribution will vary. In my case, I carry a little extra fat at the top of my inner thighs. My hamstrings, outer thighs and the middle and lower part of the inner thighs are fine. As you might expect, I'm not interested in reducing this area for the same reason women might. In my case, it's more functional. When I do races, that area rubs together. For short races, it's not a big deal but for distance races, it is. I wear compression shorts so the friction per se is mostly taken care of. The problem is that that area wears on the shorts. The upper inner thigh area rubbing together is also something that affects me when I walk regularly for anything more than a mile or so. I'd like it gone if possible. This past March, I was lucky enough to find a pair of 5 lb adjustable ankle weights at a charity fundraiser. Every year, a local church has a "fill a bag" sale. You walk into a big room full of items, kind of like a garage or tag sale as most items are used or on the older side. You're handed a plastic shopping bag and you can put any item in the room in it and fill it up for $4. I've gone a few years before and they had a huge stack of cds each time so I filled up the bag with like 100 cds, really getting my money's worth. The cds weren't there this year but I was lucky to find a pair of 5 lb adjustable ankle weights still in the box. Adding them to the bag was a no brainer and they were a very nice find. I figured even if I didn't end up using them, I could always donate or trade them. Ideally, I'm hoping to use them to help me with the inner thigh issue. I used to be over 80 pounds heavier and have come a long way. Having yo-yo'd with weight all my life tho, the skin isn't perfectly taught in my legs (at my heaviest, my legs were very big). I think a residual effect of the weight fluctuations, and in particular, a one time gain of over 110 pounds, really affected the elasticity of my leg's skin. I've done many workouts for the legs including kickboxing, stepping, gliding, squats and lunges, etc. The upper inner thigh area has been an area that's so far been impervious to the workouts. I'm starting to feel it might be a good idea to experiment with some specific workouts to trim my legs, mainly that inner thigh area. Does anyone have experience with floor work leg workouts, and in particular, using ankle weights with them? How effective were they and did you use the weights? Did using the weights help lean your legs or cause them to bulk? Granted, I still have big legs. I understand my legs will always be big, but at least now they're pretty much all muscle. If there was a way I could reduce the size of my entire legs, which would include a possible reduction of muscle as well as fat, I'd be up for it. Chances are, even if I do workouts designed to 'lean and shape' the legs, they still may remain big no matter what. If I could just reduce that upper inner thigh area and nothing else, that'd be fine with me. Of course, any suggestions for floor and/or standing workouts that can make my legs leaner/narrower, I'm open to try them. For those in a similar position, what's worked for you? Can I get some workout recs for these type of floor and/or standing leg workouts to try? I don't really care about when the workout was made. I have a feeling the workouts for this will end up being on the older side. All I care about is how effective they are for helping me with this issue. Thanks. |
Bob,
There will be lots of suggestions made for sure, but I would look at workouts like Cathe's Legs & Glutes (standing and floor weighted leg work), Butts & Guts, Pure Strength Legs (she uses a body bar but you can use leg weights), etc.... Cathe has many with floor leg work. Also there are workouts like the original Firm Volume 1... it is known for its floor work. I'll do some more thinking but those popped in my head first. When I have used leg weights I have seen better muscle definition and some slimming and tightening. I really like Legs & Glutes - I should use it more myself! |
Thanks Gibbee. I'm hope to get a nice list going of workout choices. Legs and Glutes will definitely be one of them.
Since the workouts will probably be on the older side, I should be able to trade for them more easily. I just hope to find ones that work. |
I'm assuming that barre workouts would work the same for you as it would for a woman. Callanetics slimmed my inner thighs. Also the mat work in Ballet Beautiful. For reference I'm pretty muscular and my inner thighs can rub even if there is nothing to pinch. Barre, those 2 workouts in particular, even if I'm lifting shrinks my inner thighs.
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I saw some benefit in that area from Brazil Butt Lift High & Tight. I used up to 5 lb ankle weights with that one. :)
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Hi Bob -
How about Terri Walsh's ART Prescriptives for inner thighs?http://artprescriptives.com/ It's a downloadable workout with 2 parts. The first part is 25 minutes for one leg and you repeat it on the other side. The second part is 30 minutes. I did the first workout once this week and I highly recommend it. Good to see you posting! And thanks for sharing your story. I admire your accomplishments. Nat |
The Firm has Standing Legs (ugh, it's a killer) and also the Floor Legs which I think is also called Lie Down and Workout.
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Jane Fonda really focused on the lower half mostly. There's Complete Workout with standing a and floor work. The second half of lower body solution is all floor work. The Firms really focused in floor work, volume 1 is killer and 5 is lower body focused. For newer Sin6 has floor work that nearly made me cry:D.
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Spinning will get your legs in shape like nothing else.
Sue |
Bob...didn't you start a controversy before about your bikini body? ;)
I have found Callanetics Evolution and T-Tapp to both work great for the thighs. In the Callanetics Evolution workout, the standing outer thigh work trims the whole thigh (to the extent that I avoid it because I like a bit of a curve on my outer quad.) The leg work is a timeless classic for shrinking the inner thigh. In T-Tapp, I think holding the T-Tapp stance really does it for the thighs. (And will leave them *baked*!) Also, If you are having trouble with loose skin, you might want to look into dry skin brushing. (I learned about it from T-Tapp.) I have to admit, I don't like doing it as much in the summer, but at the very least, it really feels good in the cooler months. Having said that, you should know that the thigh gap might be some unattainable holy grail for some people...it might just be one of those things that some people got it and some people don't. Good luck. :) ETA: If you try Callanetics, or any other barre workout, don't skimp on the stretches. That is the key to slimming with barre. |
High & Tight from Brazil Butt Lift is great for thighs. Bum Bum is also good for your legs overall, thighs included. In fact, maybe you should do a full BBL rotation! I had some great results from this. I used a 2.5 lb ankle weight on each leg for High/Tight and it really slimmed me down (no bulking). I also made sure graduate to heavier bands as the workout got easier. I still do Bum Bum regularly just because it's a fun workout and I feel like it really tightens things up. I do it for maintenance at this point.
Ballet Beautiful is wonderful for thighs. I would also suggest Andrea Orbeck's Supermodel Butt & Thighs. I would think you would get some good results from doing that one a few times a week. |
Ready for retro? IMO, nothing beats sliding to firm the sides, in and out, of the thighs.
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Thanks for all the suggestions all! I've got some homework to do to decide on them all. The good news is, I already have BBL so High and Tight will be done shortly.
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Oh, one thing I forgot to ask in the op for others with this issue...
For workouts that include standing leg exercises, like squats and lunges, do you use weights or only bodyweight? I never know which to do. I would think weights would cause me to get even more muscle but so often in the videos, the instructor is using weights. Would using weights there burn more fat in the area or contribute to bulk? |
Hi!
Several years ago, I had nice results from doing a rotation of the Firm Classics Vols. 3-2-1. There's nothing quite like that floorwork in vol. 1. As for your question about weights above, I would think that's a very individual thing and you might have to experiment a bit to determine exactly what the right combination of weighted/unweighted work is for you. Good luck in your quest for slimmer thighs! Sandrine |
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Having said that, Callanetics/barre did things for my thighs I didn't think was possible. And in a short amount of time. So did T-Tapp, and even faster, but there was a learning curve...and the workouts are kind of spendy. |
Have you checked your alignment? Sometimes the way that we stand/walk moves our body in certain ways that either underutilizes the muscles or puts too much stress on them (making them either slack or too large). Check out some of Katy Bowman's blog posts about aligning the feet and legs. Proper alignment has made a difference in the shape of my legs and has given me tremendous relief from low back and foot pain.
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Again, I really appreciate the recs. What I'm going to do is see if I can borrow some from the library. I live in a county that has an interloan system. If a dvd isn't at my local library, but is at another in the same county, they send it to mine so I can pick it up and bring it back there. It's a great thing. It'll hopefully allow me to see many or at least some of the above suggestions. |
Hi Bob,
you're in the best company here. Women who experience the discomfort of rubbing inner thighs. Mine rub, even when I've been at my lowest weight, which was hard to maintain, they still rubbed. I'm blessed with large muscles in my thighs, I guess! I noticed a difference when I started adding pilates leg work to my routine, and I've noticed some slimming since I added Mary Helen Bower's floor work more recently. Walking also helps. Keep posting. I always enjoy your sense of humor! :D |
Aww thanks Ruth! I've thought of pilates, too. I was also thinking of a ballet workout. I wonder how those would do.
Geez, this discussion totally makes me feel like I'm "one of the girls." haha What will my next post be... "Do these jeans make my butt look big??" :D |
Hi Bob - Quick Callanetics Legs and Quick Callanetics Hips & Behind. each are 20 minutes apiece, and you can buy all 3 QC's on 1 disc. (the 3rd workout is Stomach - useful for when you shift your focus to hip hugger abs:cool:).
& skipping rope. i never see professional boxers with pear bottoms! |
Hi Bob,
My mom has the same issue, she also wears the pants on that area because of the friction. And I have noticed that when I get some extra weight I have the same problem. I've had succes with differents approach in the past. First one: A lot of bicycle, 1 to 3 hours a day, at the time I was living by myself and was mostly doing outdoor bicycle because I was bored at home, as a result I lose all the extra weight and my leg looked amazing, I'd just stop at the park for some BW exercises: squats, lunges, push ups, dips and crunches 3 round of 15 reps each and that was it. Second one: Because of life changes and more responsabilities, I got some extra weight back. I also didn't have the time to ride bicycle as before, so I got some free weights and started to exercise at home. My best results were with split routines (Lower/Upper Body workouts) 4 times a week (two each). With some skipping rope at the end for cardio. For the lower body workout I'd go as heavy as I could with good form. I also was mostly doing online workouts, like these ones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4ZG...iL6KvzPiQlqCK5 http://www.lovingfit.com/exercises-w...-body-routine/ From the second link as she has upper/lower routines I'd pick the most appealing to me, they are very challenging, at around 30-45 minutes, and gave me great results. As a runner, maybe you'd like to try something like this: https://www.totalfitnessdvds.com/Str...son-p/2055.htm (I don't have this one myself, but I love Pilates and would like to get this one as it has several lower body focused workouts). I hope you'll find something that will work for you. Best of luck and please keep us posted! |
T-Tapp! I am a girl who's a pear, and Hoe Downs and Balance work wonders for the inner thighs! Just try this exercise my friend and see whether you feel it helps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0fXGGKH-PU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9phKV-j9SH0 |
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Karen Voight's Great Weighted Workout has a killer floor leg segment. It still gets me every time.
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Karen Voight's Pilates Ring workout has a lot of dedicated inner thigh work. It has been repackaged under a bunch of different names. I have it with two workouts on one DVD. Mary sells it as a single named Total Body Training
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I used to not believe in spot reducing - until I started working out with Tracy Anderson. My problem is my big butt, and everytime I do her Meta rotation she shrinks it like no other! Her workouts do not add more muscle - they have a slimming effect on me.
I'm not sure if you'd click with her (people either love her or hate her), but I'd be happy to lend you her Omni Meta system. I'm into Cathe at the moment, so I won't be needing it for several months. Pm me if you're interested - I'd be happy to loan it to you! :) |
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Bob--You've gotten a lot of great recommendations here, and I wish you luck.
If it's any consolation, you are not alone. My husband isn't a pear---he's more of a block--but he has the same issue with his thighs. Invariably, his thigh "rub" wears out his expensive suit pants, leaving the blazers w/no matching bottoms. He is a runner, too (clydesdale), but has always been "husky." My many efforts to get him interested in weight training have been unsuccessful ("it hurts too much"). haha! :sun: Please let us know how things progress for you. Some sort of endurance training might help, as well. Long walks/hikes, if you have the time, or long bike rides. |
I'm not sure if anyone has recommended Tonique, but whenever I ask for workouts for my legs and esp. my thighs (i have stubborn inner thighs too), people always recommend Tonique. I think Tonique Premier is the one people recommend most for slimming the legs.
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PopSugar fitness posted this workout yesterday on Facebook:
18 moves to terrifically toned inner thighs: http://www.fitsugar.com/Inner-Thigh-...photo-26990667 They also have two videos that are just inner thigh: http://www.fitsugar.com/5-Inner-Thig...Video-31064553 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRS0Lvi1OPY |
you mention that you are a pear which indicates an element of too much estrogen. Maybe you should get your hormones tested? Also, it's important to eat organic / grass fed as much as possible. also organic fruits and veggies and grains because the pesticides are endocrine disruptors. wash everything really well.
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Again, I really appreciate all the recs. I kind of have a feeling this is just a part of me. This morning, I was lying in bed face up. My legs were out in front of me extended and flexed. I felt my outer thigh and top of my quads. Very solid. Then I felt my inner thigh area. A little mushy to the touch. I can't exactly say it's horrible cause it's not but the inner area just isn't firm like the outer area. Since my weight has tended to fluctuate, when I'm on the higher end, the thigh issue is much greater than at the low end. I think the important thing is to minimize, or even eliminate, the weight fluctuations. I use food for comfort but whenever I eat poorly and don't exercise, I feel worse overall. My body will never be perfect as I'm 44 and I've put it through a lot of ups and downs (umm, literally :)). The key is just keep doing the best I can. I'll experiment with the recs here and see how the inner thigh-specific workouts go.
Suzannaerin made a good point regarding her husband in that this happens even with non-pears. I've had the same issue with both my compression shorts and jeans wearing in the upper thigh area to the point of needing replacement. The lower my weight, the less likely the wear. I can use this as motivation to lessen the tendency to let my weight get too high when it fluctuates. A five pound range should be the max but just a few pounds would be even better. I would like to clarify...not sure I have any problems with estrogen/lack of testosterone. hehe I've been shaving since I was 12. I know what you mean tho but I think I'm safe in saying it doesn't apply to me, fortunately. |
Kettlebells! :love:
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This provides an alternate view. I'm winning!
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I second the vote for Karen Voight's Great Weighted Workout. It's good tough floor work. The instruction is very straightforward, and there are male participants in the class so the workout doesn't seem too "feminine" for a guy.
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If you wanted to try Pilates, I would try to get into a class or even a couple of private sessions to get the tips they have on how to correctly activate your core. I have been reading Brook Siler's The Pilates Body, and I think she has some good information in there too. She also has these visualization tips which are really helpful. But if you go any of these routes, don't just focus on your inner thigh, but work at developing your entire core. It's best to work them together since they are supposed to work together, and the weak muscles will catch up to the stronger ones. |
You can't spot reduce through exercise no matter how many inner thigh lifts you do. You will tighten up the muscle to a certain extent, but it's fat reduction through diet that will make a difference.
I'm a pear and find there's only so much I can do. My lower body will always be larger than my upper, unless I reduce my weight to unhealthy levels or have liposuction. Some of us just don't have the body type that's popular these days. |
i think if you lift your butt somehow, it will pull your inner thighs in more.
notice that when you were laying supine, legs pointing to the ceiling - if your thighs appeared thinner it's because gravity was making the tissue fall towards the floor. that's what makes myself think that a lifted butt will make the thigh appear narrower. it's my theory - not based on any actual scientific facts.;) |
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