I have also heard that there's much less need to strength train the lower body if you run (or if you have a larger lower half to start with).

but you will never be that fast ^^^ !!

I run regularly (30-40 miles a week) and while my thighs have always been more muscular than average, running has actually really helped me grow to love the fact that they are so muscular. Sometimes I think it might be nice to have legs that were thinner, since my calves aren't big at all - I joke and say my legs look like chicken drumsticks - but all the muscle really helps make my long legs look shapelier. Besides, I totally agree on the fact that running does wonders for the butt - it totally helped tone my backside, and I always feel so accomplished when I've completed a good run.

Well said laellavita ! I have big thighs (from running) and a big butt (cycling) for my size, and while it makes buying clothes a pain (too tight in the butt, too loose in the waist), I wouldn't give up running/ cycling/ swimming for anything !

I have the same problem too - runningesq and laellavita. Whenever I buy clothes, if it fit my butt, it will be too lose for my waist!
I have bigger thighs compare to others with a similar build, but my thighs are defined instead of flabby. And I would not give up my exercise too!

Actually, I think running has made my thighs quite a bit larger. My legs in general are much more shapely, and I get complimented on them, but my quads are pretty serious. I'm not complaining though, and it definitely gets rid of jiggle.

My thighs always slim down when I run alot and become less jiggly. My calves also develops serious definition, which I totally LOVE!!! Hopefully my booty will develop some more as well .

I prefer bigger more toned legs than wiggly little sticks.

Your trying to lose weight and worrying about having muscular legs?

i used to run and bike and switched to focus on my yoga daily, since then my thighs have been shrinking... in my case, running did bulk me up compared to my body as a yogi

I think it really depends on your body type. Also, long slow runs would better better than short sprints. Look at elite sprinters - they DO have large thighs, but that's because of the weight training they do as well.

Running + yoga is the magic combination for me. Strengthening, cardio, toning and stretching. I love how my legs and butt look when I'm doing both regularly together. Lean and toned.

Of course, I'm now pregnant and *trying* to learn to love my increasing booty. I still don't get why my thighs are getting huge when the baby's in my belly!

I think it depends on your body type. But I've never heard of running causing bulky thighs. All of my friends who run have really nice lean legs, which is one of the reasons why I run.

the chirunning link doesn't work!

This is the lamest excuse not to exercise I've ever heard

for me running slimmed by thighs but bulked up by calves- i think everyone is going to have a unique reaction, but i think when it comes to exercise the important thing is to think about all the great benefits (losing weight amongst those!) and not to focus on where u will build muscle- as if that's a bad thing?!?!?!!

so this is a woman (I assume) who wants to be thin and muscle free. sigh. embrace fitness baby

running toned my thighs--I love them muscular and strong, who cares about bulkiness! Bulk = muscle, get over it!

Running is a great way to burn through calories, thereby reducing the jiggly thighs and firming them into slender beauties ! A good idea is to cross train - Jumping Rope is a GREAT way to burn calories in a short time!!

haha mamasita- well said! if u want to be thin and healthy you've gotta take the muscle along with it right, and isn't being toned and having muscles a good thing (and good for increasing resting metabolism also right?) . . .

Running has definitely made my thighs a little larger, but I had very skinny legs before I started running regularly, and the increased muscle didn't become noticeable until I started running longer distances (5 miles and up) on a regular basis. When I was running shorter distances, running actually made my thighs thinner. Bottom line, running will make you lose weight SO much faster than just walking, and the overall slimming and toning effect to your entire body will more than outweigh the minimal increase in thigh muscle.

Also, I should add that even if my legs are a little more "bulky" I would NEVER trade the fitness level I've achieved through running for anything! Since I've started running regularly, I have so much more energy, I can work at a desk from 7:30 am to 6:30 pm and still have energy to workout afterwards, I feel thinner and more toned, and I rarely get sick. So who cares if my pants are a little tight in the thigh?

jennifer aniston is an avid runner and she has perfect UNBULKY thighs!

But i share your concern in not wanting bulky thighs, i want them toned but not manly looking! I also run slower and longer distance (no sprinting, which works the larger muscles) and do some yoga, it works for me

Depends on your body type, why don't you just try running and see how it goes? If you feel its making you bulky then switch to something else. Personally running causes more injuries and does bulk up my legs moreso than other forms of fitness like stairs and bike. And if you do a mix of different things and not just run or walk then you'll be working lots of different muscles and be stronger overall.

Things like this are what make me weary to start running.

I think the reason why you see some runners with bulky legs is because they weight train to build muscle.

I think the article is too "this is what you want to hear" and agree with the other commenters. How muscular running makes you look partly depends on body type, and it doesn't give you skinny model legs. Nothing at all wrong with that; most of the runners I know look pretty spectacular!

I started running in January.

My thighs ARE larger.

But that's the way I am built - I have a disability with my feet that throws everything off course. As a result, my calves are spindly and weak (and can NEVER gain muscle) and my thighs are huge from doing all the work. It has been that way since I was born.

So running does make my thighs larger, while spinning makes them thinner. Either way though, they are only large because I am gaining muscle and not shedding enough fat.

If I lost all my horrible fat, then my legs would still be large, but toned and muscular and I don't mind that at all!

I have the opposite response to running.

My thighs have always been the biggest part of my body, and I was never able to wittle them down no matter how hard I trained, but when I started running they shrunk to skinny sticks. In a good way though.

I always ran slow and LONG though (never less than an hour). I just had NO fat on my body at all. Moving abroad made me stop and now I have knee fat and big thighs again. *Sigh*, I can't wait to run again.

Running shouldn't be causing more injuries than other activities. It is just that it encompasses the whole body without aid of any other objects like a bike or climbing stairs. also it is high impact. So because it encompasses the whole body you have to have a great gait so one muscle isn't working for another and setting you off balance. I have been struggling with this for a couple months because i tend to lock my knees when i run which is causing weak ankles. But it can happen anywhere in your body. But because of running causing me to fix my gait, posture and balance my fitness level has skyrocketed.

mamasitamalita, that's awfully judgmental. I too worry about getting bulky thighs because it's one of the places on my body that never seems to slim down. I already have a hard time finding jeans and pants and shorts that will fit because the thighs are always too tight - so I either end up with pants that are too large, or pants that look like sausage casing around my thighs if I don't buy widelegs or relaxed fit. So even though I love strength training, I force myself to do more cardio (which I don't really enjoy nearly as much) because I know that is one way to help keep them from getting too bulky.

Also, the chirunning link doesn't work. I would love to see what that's all about.

This is not true. Running will make your thighs more muscular and they may appear bulky. I have been running for 12 years and was a collegiate runner. Either way this is a poor excuse to not exercise.

if you only have 30 minutes to exercise, i would actually suggest weightlifting if you want to lose weight. building more muscle in addition to a clean diet will boost your metabolism and burn more fat than just running, which takes time to build up to be able to run long distances. lifting can also be a cardio workout too if you lift heavy enough, and no, you definitely will not get bulky if you eat cleanly.

i have never been much of a runner, but recently i have forced myself to do it more often in order to lose weight/tone up...after having run fairly regularly for a few weeks, my legs have toned up tremendously. my calf muscles are very noticeable and i have nice lines on the sides of my thighs. much better than fat!