How I Got Rid of my Thigh Gap

poor, lonely thighs

Contrary to what the media would have you believe, there are some woman who don’t actually want a thigh gap.

There are even some who are actively trying to get rid of theirs!

As shocking as this sounds, I know it’s true because I’m one of those women.

Rather than it being an issue of self-esteem (I’m not even going to get into how damaging it is to measure your self-worth with a body part), I wanted to get rid of my thigh gap because it was a symptom of a larger problem. Namely that my legs and butt were the weakest muscles in my whole frame – and this was an issue because those are also the largest muscles in your body and if you’re not training your glutes and quads, you’re setting yourself up for problems further down the road.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, I’ve two words for you: Leg. Day.

My routine for the past few months has involved a lot of these:

• Standard squats
• Sumo squats
• Bulgarian split squats
• Deadlifts
• Kettlebell Swings
• Hip Thrusts
• Seated Band Abductions
• Weighted Hip Thrusts

And the most helpful resources in planning these workouts have been:

• Bret Contreras (“the glute guy”)
• Girls Gone Strong
• T Nation

I’m also a big fan of Fitness Blender‘s leg workouts. They’re free, they’ve a great selection and they always give me that can’t-even-sit-to-pee burn.

Best of all, no fancy, expensive equipment is needed. My ‘home gym’ set-up consists of a 40lb sandbag, two 15 lb dumbells, two 5 lb dumbells, a set of bands and a yoga mat.

Over the past few months I’ve seen my thighs and butt get more shapely (and, yes, bigger!), more toned and definitely stronger. That gap may not entirely go (these things are anatomical/genetic), but it has narrowed significantly and I look and feel better for it. 

If you do want to start an exercise programme, it’s important to do your research, start small and ensure your form is perfect before moving on to heavier weights and, if possible, get a gym buddy to keep you motivated.

One final note though – thigh gaps are not inherently ‘bad’ things. Don’t attach value to something that’s just a part of your body. If you’re cool with it, then that’s awesome. Love that gap! If not, get training and have fun watching those legs grow!

Amen to that!