What's the deal with thighs?
 

This one has intrigued me for awhile, and I figured this would be a good place to ask this.

Are the thigh muscles "looser" than other muscles? By that I mean, do they jiggle more? ;)

This is hard to explain..

When I was younger (through HS) I was on the swim team in the summer, and that built up my thighs, but the muscle isn't really defined, it's just "flabby."

When I flex my leg hard and shake (haha), it doesn't jiggle (it doesn't really flex, it just "hardens"), and I am wondering if that is muscle or fat?

It intrigues me because usually you can tell if you have musle mass or fat at a particular area by flexing.. The muscle usually tightens and "flexes."

With my thighs, it seems that testing method is thrown out the window. When they are dormant they seem fat-like and "jiggly," yet when flexed they won't jiggle anymore when shaken, yet they aren't really defined either.

Maybe some of you can relate to this.. Maybe not.

It's something I have wondered about for quite some time, but is also something you can't really bring up over dinner at a fine restaurant (hehe), so I am pleased to find a place where people can read this and possibly post their thoughts.

Thanks!

That's an interesting question. Another good question: How do you tone the inner thighs with no gym equipment??!

Got a basketball? Put it inbetween your knees and squeeze. That'll do the trick :)

Probably you have a little bit more fat stored on your thighs that on the muscles that you think are defined, probably your arms. I'm seeing some definition in my legs finally, but back in HS they were just.. big..

Odds are its fat. I'm the same way. My inner thighs aren't particularly strong, but the outer muscles on my thighs are somewhat stronger and larger than average. When you flex, the muscles tighten and bulge, which will pull the skin more towards the outside of your thigh, making things taught.

Edit: If you'd like to do firm up your thighs without hitting the gym, lay on your side and do leg raises. If you can't do them well at first with your leg extended, try bending it at the knee. Averett's idea with the basketball works well too, although some of those cheap bouncy balls you usually see in racks in the aisles at places like Wal Mart or Target work even better as you have a larger range of motion.

i been mountain biking seriously for about a year and that works pretty well for definition - no wobbling any more, I know what you mean though...

Look at sprinters on television. When they flex their muscles, they are rock solid, but while they're stretching out, they can shake them and they'll jiggle. These are cut guys and girls, with close to zero bodyfat, but whose thighs are as big around as their waists.

So jiggling will always be there, but the lack of definition, that can be fixed rather quickly by running.

It's because the muscle is long and large.

i think its because fat needs to be stored their so they can feed the muscles when you run for a long distance

Unfortunately, runners do not store up fat for long distance. Fat is the worst fuel for high intensity exercise and is not used for anything more than a jogging pace.

so does that mean you deplete other fuels first, and then fat gets metabolized slowly after the exercise, to restore the quicker-burning fuels?

Before I read this thread I was happy with my quads. Now I am sitting here staring at my jiggley enemy. :(