Squats can be one of the best exercises to build muscular thighs, although performing squats does not necessarily lead to thigh muscles getting much larger. If you're after slender, toned thighs, squats can be an effective exercise is performed with the correct emphasis. Muscle enlargement requires high calories, so stick to a moderate calorie diet with proper nutrients when performing squats.
Squats
Squats are performed by bending at the knees and lowering your upper body until the crease in your thighs is lower than your knee. Squats can be performed with your bodyweight, while holding on to a support, while holding light weights such as dumbbells or with a heavy barbell on your back. It is important to keep your lower legs upright with your knees over your feet to avoid knee injuries.
Eccentric Exercise
Eccentric exercise is not an odd workout routine. The eccentric phase of the squat is when you are lowering yourself under weight, as opposed to the concentric phase where you are raising the weight. During this period, especially when using weights, damage occurs to muscle fibers that stimulates them to grow larger. Although there are other ways to avoid enlargement of your thigh muscles, switching to an exercise such as the deadlift, where you can de-emphasize the eccentric, will allow you to develop leg strength without risking bulky muscles.
Caloric Intake
In the words of kettlebell trainer Pavel Tsatsouline, big weights don't make big muscles, big calories make big muscles. You need to eat enough protein and calories to restore wear on your muscles after exercise, but a large caloric surplus can increase muscle and fat growth. Combining squats with cardiovascular activities such as running can help avoid large caloric surpluses as you are burning more calories.
Weight and Repetitions
The percentage of your maximum weight and the amount of repetitions you perform determine how your muscles will respond to exercise. According to Mel Siff, Ph.D., author of the book "Supertraining," sets of eight to 12 repetitions with a moderate weight biases your muscles toward an increase in size. To de-emphasize muscle growth, perform both sets of five to eight reps with a moderate to high weight for muscle strength without size, or do sets of 20 to 50 repetitions with body weight or very low weight for muscle endurance.
References
- "Supertraining"; Mel C. Siff, Ph.D.; 2003
- "The Russian Kettlebell Challenge"; Pavel Tsatsouline; 2001
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