Thicker Thighs: How to Get Them Using Strength-Building Exercises

 Thicker Thighs: How to Get Them Using Strength-Building Exercises 

Understanding Thigh Size: It's More Than Just Genetics

First things first: the truth bomb. Everyone's body is different, and no one's thighs are going to be just like someone else's. Genetics will play a huge role in the size of your thighs, but that doesn't mean you can't shape them or build strength in those muscles. Whether you want to enhance athleticism or you simply want to make a change aesthetically, thicker thighs can be achieved with the right approach.

What Determines Thigh Size?

A person's thigh size is determined by one's bone, muscles, and body fat distribution. These attributes are quite dominated by genetics; hence, some people have thick thighs, and others do not. Your thigh is composed of the following:

Femur (thigh bone)

Muscles, which include quadriceps, hamstrings, and adductors

Connective tissues such as fascia, ligaments, and tendons

Stored fat

Arteries, veins, and nerves

Individuals who have a gynoid body type store more fat and muscle in their thighs and buttocks, while individuals with an android body type store fat around the abdomen. You will have no control over where your body stores fat; however, you can build up muscle mass within your thighs to give the appearance of thicker thighs.

Can Certain Foods Give You Larger Thighs?

What if one wants to beef up one's thighs? Would one be able to have a diet that can help with this? Well, the answer is yes, but with a catch. Eating in a calorie surplus simply means taking in more calories than are burnt, and it usually promotes weight gain, which, of course, would increase the size of your thighs. The thing is, one cannot fully control where the fat goes.

The only way to get super muscular thighs is by developing your thigh muscles. A diet with more intake of proteins, having 0.6-0.9 grams of protein per pound of body weight in a day, plus strength training exercises, focusing on thigh muscles, will help gain the muscle mass towards thicker thighs.

Muscles Worked in the Thighs

The muscles in your thighs are among the largest in your body, playing an important role in basic movements such as walking, running, and jumping. Now, in simplified language. 

Front Thighs (Quadriceps): The anterior part of the thighs presents a certain group of muscles that includes vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, and rectus femoris. These muscles are responsible for knee extension and are considerably involved when performing exercises such as squats and lunges.

Back Thighs (Hamstrings): This group comprises the biceps femoris, semimembranosus, and semitendinosus. They give rise to a great amount of knee flexion.

Other important muscles: include the sartorius, pectineus, gracilis, adductor longus, and iliopsoas. These are responsible for aiding in adduction movements along with knee flexion, hip flexion.

Strength training can be useful for developing thigh thickness, and that would be achieved by addressing these muscles.

Does Strength Training Improve Thigh Size?

Of course, strength training will be most effective for building muscle and developing the size of your thighs. You can work specific parts of your muscles, including your quadriceps and hamstrings, 2-3 times a week. Yes, much of the changes depend on genetics, but some people gain this muscle more quickly than others. Stick to it, and you'll see improvement.

7 Exercises to Bulk Up Your Thighs

Here are seven exercises that can help you develop thicker, more muscular thighs.

Squats

Muscle Involved: Quads, hamstrings, glutes, lower back, abs, calves

How to Perform: Stand with feet slightly wider than hip-width apart; lower into a squat then rise back up. Note that a person may begin with bodyweight squats and then progress adding resistance as he sees fit.

Lunges

Muscle Involved: Quads, hamstrings, glutes, abs, calves

How to Perform: Step forward into a lunge, then push back to starting position. Add weights as you get stronger.

Romanian Deadlift with Dumbbells

Focus: Hamstrings, glutes, lower back, abs, upper back

How to do: Slightly bend your knees and hinge at the hips to lower dumbbells, then straighten back up to standing. Pay extra attention to 

form to avoid injury.

Leg Press

Focus: Quads, hamstrings, glutes

How to do: Sit down in a leg press machine and push the footplate away from you until your legs are extended, then return slowly to the starting position. Start with a light weight and progressively overload.

Leg Extension

Focus: Quadriceps

How-To: Lie on a leg extension machine and extend the legs, then bend them slowly back. Do not hyperextend to save your knees.

Lateral Lunge

Muscle Worked: Quads, adductors, glutes, hamstrings, calves

How-To: Step to the side into a lunge, keeping one leg straight. Push back to start. This move also improves functional strength.

Bulgarian Split Squat

Muscle Worked: Quads, adductors, glutes

How-To: Stand a few feet in front of a bench, pick one foot up onto it behind your body, and lower your other leg down into a squat position. It's great for balance and unilateral strength.

Conclusion: 

Your thighs are more than a nice sight-they are the basis of movement and performance in athleticism. As much as genetics may dictate or narrow it down to size, one can always do something about developing strength through thickening by building up muscles. The key elements, therefore, are strength training and a diet high in protein; enjoy the process while you're at it. After all, strong thighs are functional thighs, and that's something worth striving for.