I’m Working Out, Why are my Thighs Getting Bigger?

I’m Working Out, Why are my Thighs Getting Bigger?

First of all, don’t panic and don’t stop working out.

It’s completely normal for your body to get “bigger” when you start excising. It happens to everyone.

A mistake most women make is to panic, stops working out to try and solve this problem.

The same thing happened to me.

My jeans were not fitting and I started questioning all those squats and lunges I had done.

Well, if you want to get smaller, you’ll get bigger first.

 

Why are My Thighs Getting Bigger?

Long story short – This is because when you start working out you don’t have much muscle mass.

As you start work out, you gain more and more muscle that will replace your fat.

To put it simply, you started working out because you want to get rid of fat. As you workout, you are building muscle.

There will be a period of time where your body has this newly formed muscle AND still has fat.

This is basically like a transition period. Hence, your thighs are a little bigger.

Now you have two options.

1. The first and often tempting option is to stop working out and go back to where you started.

2. The second option (Hint: Choose this option!) is to continue working out and eventually you will get to the point where you just have muscle and the fat will be gone, your thighs will end up being smaller than when you started working out.

Since you still have some fat from before you started working out, as you build more muscle the fat will go away and you’ll get super sexy toned legs.

 

The fast track to slim sexy legs

There is an important building block to fast track your way to tone your thighs and legs.

The secret is protein.

Protein is extremely important for building and maintaining lean muscle growth!

If you want to get those muscles smaller you’ll need to feed them lots of protein to get the job done.

 

Tip: My favorite protein shake after I workout is Field Work Nutrition I find it helps me get the protein I need and tastes great AND it is loaded with nutrients!

 

When I started working out my heart sank as my skinny jeans started to feel snugger.

This scared the crap out of me!

I thought that I had spent all that time and energy trying to lose weight for nothing.

I also started to blame my strength training and only do cardio.

This was a HUGE mistake.

At one point I even stopped working out altogether!

When you find your jeans feeling tighter around you thighs think of it as a good sign that you are building lean muscle.

Muscle takes more energy for your body to maintain. This means when you have muscle your body is burning more calories 24/7.

Resistance training is good for you, and your thighs!

Most women avoid weights and strength training like the plague.

At the gym, you’ll often see guys on weights and girls on cardio machines.

The biggest mistake made when trying to slim down is avoiding resistance training for the fear that you’ll “bulk up”.

I promise: You will not look like a bodybuilder if you strength train!!

What will happen is that you’ll build lean muscle which will help you burn more calories!

Read: Girls Can Lift Weighs without Bulking Up.

So you notice your thighs getting bigger, but it won’t stay this way for long!

After you start putting on a little muscle and continue to stick with your training, you’ll lose that layer of fat from your thighs!

Losing this layer of fat will reveal nice shaped muscle! Your skinny jeans will make you feel skinny again!

I can’t tell you how often I hear the following:

“I think I might,” (choose one): “stop/ease up/workout less/take a break from weight lifting/bootcamp/crossfit/strength training because I’m starting to get bigger. I don’t like getting bigger/the way my clothes are feeling.”

Workout Recommendation: Check out the Bikini Body Workout or Lift Like A Girl Fitness programs for lean, toned muscles.

 

You ARE Getting Bigger and there are a few reasons why. 

Women with little to no muscle will typically increase their muscularity rather quickly after they start working out.

This is the normal amount of muscle mass you need to stay healthy, you won’t end up looking like a bodybuilder.

“According to Zatsiorsky and Kreamer in Science and Practice of Strength Training, women need to train with heavy weights not only to strengthen the muscles but also to cause positive adaptations in the bones and connective tissues.” –via www.crossfittt.com

The problem is that women get quickly scared.

When they start lifting weights and strength training because they quickly build muscle before they start to lose the fat surrounding the muscle.

When this happens their first instinct is to stop doing whatever they think is making them bigger.

I know a lot of women who have stopped working out because they think they’re getting bigger. 

The reality is this: it’s REALLY hard for women to get big and bulky without doing hormonal treatments. Women who lift get smaller.

If you notice your thighs getting bigger this is a sign that your body is in a state of transition.

You might even notice the number on the scale going up.

Women will gain weight after they start training their muscles.

This is GOOD.

What happens next is that your new muscle will start helping you burn even more fat.

It not uncommon to gain 10 pounds of muscle and then go on to lose 30 pounds of fat.

The key is to give your body enough time to adjust.

STICK WITH IT

Don’t give up on yourself.

You are not giving your body enough time to transition.

If you continue to be consistent with your efforts you will see this reversed and you’ll notice your body getting smaller and getting rid of fat.

If you want a smaller, stronger, and toned-looking body then don’t give up!

Add strength and resistance training to your workout. 

Check out the Bikini Body Workout or Lift Like A Girl Fitness programs for lean, toned muscles.

So relax, and continue to put in that work.

Consistency and patience are what will ultimately get you that body and confidence you so desperately deserve!

Thoughts? Questions? Comment below!