Thunder thighs, tree trunks, jiggle… and not the sexy kind, like the song by Young Leek.
Those are all names that come to my mind when I think about my own thighs… or accidentally see them in the mirror. Let’s face it, you can’t get a bikini body by not working on the thighs… and I plan on doing both by the time summer is in full swing.
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My goal is to be more Beyonce-licious like this…
And waaaaaayyyy less like this…
(Note: watch all the way to the end, very impressive!)
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A true challenge to getting a bikini beach body is getting the thigh situation under control. I had an (*ahem*) uncomfortable experience at the gym the other day involving that region. It was a mixture of chafing and a wedgie.
Glamorous, I know…
I’m not sure about all of you other gym rats out there… but I wear spandex-y shorts UNDER baggier exercise shorts. Under normal circumstances, this is great because it seems to combat the inner-thigh ride up action. However, my inner thighs are sooo out of control that even the extra spandex doesn’t help. And when things go wrong… they go VERY wrong. Throughout my run on the treadmill, I was fighting to keep things in place.
Picture if you will…
I was running on the treadmill closest to the mirror, so I was a first-hand witness to my workout nightmare. During the two minute run, I was trying to think happy thoughts while I felt the chafing begin… and during the one minute walking part, I was trying to find a good position for the spandex. No such luck.
Obviously, the only solution is to reduce the amount of wiggle and jiggle there.
I did a little exploring around the gym to see if there was anything that would work just my thighs… then I saw it. I found the medieval torture chamber exercise machine at my gym that I think is in my future.
There are a lot of levers and I think hope there is a place for my knees, but I’m not even sure how to get into it yet. It wasn’t very inviting, to say the least. I sat, then hoisted my leg (yes, just one) over the bar, then chickened out and removed said leg. Workout over.
Any one use the device pictured above? Vouch for its effectiveness? Recommend it for interrogation?
Is anyone else in the same “situation” that I’m in *Or!* have you solved your problem!?!?
Talk to me here, ladies…
Previous Post:
Bikini Nightmare is an Understatement
Hey Roxy!
Couple of tips for ya:
1) Wardrobe: As Courtney indicated, try pants instead of shorts – it’s a lot harder for three feet of fabric to ride up. Or even cropped leggings that go just past the knee – very flattering look I might add.
2) Inquisition-style weigh machines: Avoid them unless you are a true gym rat and have proper training. If you’re trying to lose fat, cardio is the way to go (again, Courtney hit the nail on the head). Building muscle is good in the big picture because a) it increases your resting metabolism so when you’re NOT working out, you burn at a higher rate, and b) it promotes bone density. If you’re going to do some resistance training, you get WAY more bang for your buck working your largest muscle groups: glutes, back, chest, and quads. Some of the best work outs for those are squats, push ups, and pull-ups – all pretty old school, frankly, and those smaller muscles, like inner thighs or biceps or obliques, will be engaged as helpers and stabilizers.
Here’s a move to try: Jump squats
-requires zero equipment and uses gravity and your body weight as resistance
-keeping your back straight, feet a bit wider than shoulder distance, squat down like you are sitting in a chair. Try to get your thighs parallel to the floor… kind of like they would be if you were sitting in a chair.
-you can let your drop down to the floor as you squat. From the squat position, jump as high as you can. You can swing your arms up and reach for the ceiling.
-when you land, immediately resume the squat position for the next jump.
-Do three sets of ten jumps. Shena’s point about using rest time between sets to work another muscle group is a great one – so do ten push-ups between your jump squat sets :)
Tell me if your inner thighs aren’t burning the next day ;)
You may not like this idea, but, rather than sitting in an awkward position in between sets, you could rest your inner thigh muscles while you work other muscles (with another machine that confuses & intimidates you to no end…) :)
I used to only run when it was warm outside, but then I moved to a part of the country where it’s only warm outside for like a week and a half out of the year. So around the time that I would have normally started running outside, it snowed. I got a gym membership that afternoon. The gym was having a promotion – 2 free personal training sessions with a new membership. So I finally went for my first session last week. The treadmill interval thingy is definitely the way to go for cardio. I wish it wasn’t because I friggin hate it, but I’ll deal with it until I get completely annoyed. She also has me doing stuff on a bunch of machines, and I work my abs & arms while my legs rest in between sets. I’m only starting with 2 sets of 15, so I’m not so sore that I can’t go back the next day. I just started, so I don’t see any results yet, but I’ll keep you posted!
Hi Lynne! I don’t want to know how “your little birdie” discovered the deoderant trick, but now I have two remedies for my runs :)
I think you’re right… gotta get into the “no one is watching me or caring about my sweaty ass” zone and just get on that crazy contraption.
Tonight will be the 30-min interval run then…the machine.
wish me luck girls!! ;)
Helloooo OK,
SO! I am a skiier, and as such have had a similar problem with the chaffing situation, HOWEVER it occurs on my shins and calfs from the rubbing of my ski boot against my sock against my skin – let me tell you, ouch.
anyway, I was talking to a little birdie who told me that she has the same problem and as a remedy, she rubs a layer of deoderant along the area. it provides a nice layer on the skin and allows a nice amount of slippage. (plus youll smell ivory fresh!)
Marathon Runners also use this method (think scene from Juno of her boytoy preparing for his morning run). There are things you can buy that are special for that too, youd probably have to go to a store specific to runners for that tho.
and as for the fun thigh contraption. I hear wonderful things about it. I learned how to use it a few weeks ago from a friend who swears her thighs dont touch anymore because of it – hence my urge to join the contraption club. I was taught to do 3 sets of 15 and then switch to the other contraption that works your outter thighs. but i totally agree that while resting between sets, you are in a very awkward, gyno-esque, kinda position.
My advice to getting over the awkwardness is to remember that people know that, that is what the machine is for and therefore dont care that youre sitting there spread eagle. And also my advice for this and all workout machine situations: you gotta phsyche yourself up for it. Rock it! Tell yourself, ‘yea my legs are wide open, what of it?!’ If you act like you know what youre doing and dont care what people think, people will do the same.
(side note: it does help to know what youre doing tho, more or less)
anyway thats my take on the sitch, and keep up the good work, im right there with ya!
Hi Courtney! Good call with doing the “push legs out” way with that machine… I’ve almost talked my way into doing it, I think I gotta get over the whole “not-attractive-postition-in-public” phobia. you know?
right now doing the intervals like you said… and be on the look out for my next post about a class. Wow, not good.
BABY POWDER!!! I never would have thought of that! Gonna get a bottle tonight ;)
I use that machine at the gym all the time, it’s not bad… for inner thighs, you should use the opposite one (where you push your legs in instead of out)…
the best thing you can do is cardio, though. intervals on the treadmill always help me (run 1-2min, walk 1-2min, alternate)… and spin classes.
I am a victim of the “pear” shape… majorly. It’s not as out of control as you describe here, working out actually is easy, but there are wardrobe complications at times. Best bet is a pair of lycra workout pants that fit more like flares or women’s workout wear because it sits where it’s supposed instead of mens, which hit you below the “chub rub” spots.
good luck! oh, and use baby powder… chafing sucks.