The phrase 'thigh gap' has entered our consciousness at some point, whether it was on social media in 2012 when the term exploded into common vernacular, on Instagram, or perhaps you stumbled across the 40,000,000 results 'thigh gap' throws up on Google, or, awfully, you found yourself in the YouTube black hole of unscientific 'thigh gap exercises' videos. Much like the hip dips phenomenon of recent years, the world came up with a name for something we really probably (read: definitely) should have left out of the dictionary.
The quest for a thigh gap has become a popular aesthetic trend, fueled by social media and celebrity culture. A thigh gap refers to there being a space (a 'gap') between the upper thighs when someone is stood with their feet together and touching. However, this bodily feature has become a cause célèbre in recent years with social media and celebrities championing it as a marker of health and attractiveness. It's become the Holy Grail for some people. They believe they need it or feel inadequate if they don't have it. But is it a realistic or even healthy goal? This article delves into the truth about thigh gaps, offering insights into genetics, exercise, diet, and body positivity.
What is a Thigh Gap?
A thigh gap is a noticeable space that appears between the inner thighs when standing with knees straight and feet close together. It has been championed in recent years with social media and celebrities championing it as a marker of health and attractiveness. However, this bodily feature is a mix of genetic predispositions (where your body naturally stores fat), your current body composition and body fat percentage and your bone structure. Whether you do or do not have a thigh gap does not make you less or more healthy, strong or worthy. Each of our bodies is different, each of our lives is different.
Can Everyone Achieve a Thigh Gap?
Short story: No. And for good reason - we're all different. The presence or absence of a thigh gap is a physical feature that depends primarily on genetics and bone structure.
'Even typically slim people may not have a natural thigh gap,' says GP, Dr Ross Perry, medical director of Cosmedics. 'If they have higher sitting adductors [the group of muscles on the inside of your thigh] and an alternative pelvic bone shape.' Predominantly, it will be down to genetics, bone structure and amount of body fat on the person. Attempting to lose body fat to the point of having a thigh gap can be downright dangerous, especially if your body isn't naturally predisposed to have one. 'For everyone to have a thigh gap, most would have to starve themselves down to such a low body fat that it would be dangerously unhealthy,' says PT Abi Hardy, founder of Girls Who Lift.
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For some people, a thigh gap is a natural part of their bone structure and genetics,' says Dr Rekha Tailor, GP, cosmetic doctor and medical director at Health & Aesthetics. 'For the majority of people, however, genetics mean that their hips are set too close together to exhibit a thigh gap. This, plus the normal fat distribution on the female body, means that women can carry additional fat around their thighs in spite of a healthy diet and exercising.'
If your hips are set close together, it's less likely you'll have a thigh gap. Understand that a thigh gap isn’t physically possible for most people. While you might see supermodels with a wide thigh gap, their type of build isn’t the norm. In fact, a lot of photos of models and celebrities are digitally altered with unrealistic proportions.
The Dangers of Obsessing Over a Thigh Gap
Don't let a thigh gap become your obsession. Getting a thigh gap has become the Holy Grail for some people. They believe they need it or feel inadequate if they don't have it. In serious cases, people focus on it so much that they begin to lose perspective about other important things in life, like health or maintaining social relationships. A troubling number of teens and young girls are treating a thigh gap in an unhealthy way, fasting and possibly developing eating disorders.
If you are after a thigh gap, but the only way you feel you can get it is by starving your body of the nutrients it needs to stay healthy, please ask for help. Especially during your teen years, not getting enough food can have serious health consequences. If you feel very negatively about one physical feature, you may have body dysmorphic disorder, which can cause you to be extremely critical of your appearance. Instead of telling yourself, “I’m not pretty or attractive without a thigh gap,” positively reframe your comment and say something like, “I am so grateful that my legs help me walk, jog, and dance. Ask for help if you think that your quest for a thigh gap is unhealthy.
Effective Exercises for Thigh Toning
Also, please don't drink the snake oil of believing there's such a thing as 'thigh gap exercises'. There isn't. Thigh gaps are a result of the reasons Dr Perry's laid out. Not doing hundreds of lunges or clamshells, or any other inner thigh exercises or thigh exercises for that matter.
Instead, get to grips with basic strength training exercises like these lower-body compound exercises that build muscle and help to keep your bones and nervous system healthy.
Here are some effective exercises to target this area:
- Sumo Squat: Set your feet out wide, turning toes out to about the 10:00 and 2:00 positions. Hold a dumbbell for added resistance. Keep your chest up high as you bend your knees, keeping knees pointed out over toes. As you come up out of the sumo squat, squeeze your abs, glutes, and inner thighs. Do 2 sets of 12-15 reps.
- Side Lunge: Stand tall with your feet together. Hold a dumbbell at your chest for added resistance. Step out with your right leg and begin sending your hips back as you bend your right knee. During the descent, your knee should not move more than about 2 inches beyond your toes and you should keep your knee aligned between your second and third toe. Push off with your right leg to return to a standing position. Repeat on the left leg to complete 1 rep. Do 2 sets of 12-15 reps.
- Curtsy Lunge: Stand tall with your feet together. Step your right leg behind the left, bending both knees and pulling both knees slightly toward the midline to squeeze your inner thighs. As you stand to exit the curtsy lunge, you can either tap your right foot or lift the knee for a greater intensity and balance challenge. Repeat on the right side for 10-12 reps. Repeat on the left, and then do an additional set on each side.
- Skater: Stand with your feet together, knees slightly flexed, and abdominals engaged. Push off with your right leg to hop to your left, allowing yourself to leave the floor on the way. As you land on your left leg, cross your right leg slightly behind, in a small curtsy lunge, hinged forward at the hip. Return to the right side with a small hop to complete the first full rep. You can do these faster as more of a power move with a strong cardio effect or go slower with emphasis on range of motion. Either way, you’ll strengthen your inner thighs along with your glutes and abdominals.
- Side-Lying Adduction: Lie on the floor on one side with your top leg bent and dropped forward, supporting your top leg with a yoga block or a pillow for comfort if necessary. Extend your bottom leg long. Keep hips stacked as you lift your bottom leg, engaging your abdominals as you lift and lower your leg. Do 15-20 reps before switching to the other side and repeating. Do a total of 2 sets on each side.
Here are 6 lower body exercises to try instead of unsafe 'thigh gap exercises':
- Forward Lunge: Keeping your back straight, engage your core muscles and place your hands on your hips to stay balanced. Take a big step forward with your right foot and bend your knee until your right thigh is parallel to the floor. Allow your back heel to lift, but don’t let the knee touch the floor. Step back to the starting position, then repeat on the same or opposite leg. Just keep track of the number you're doing on each and aim for the same both sides.
- Squat: Standing with feet hip-width apart hinge at the knees to come into a squat position - making sure your knees track over your toes and don't extend past. With the weight in your heels push back up to standing, squeezing your glutes at the top. Repeat.
- Sumo Squat: Stand nice and wide with both toes pointing slightly outward. Bend your knees until your quads are parallel to the floor. Push through your heels, straighten your legs to return to a standing position.
- Dumbbell Step-Up: Keep your heel flat on the step, your knee should track slightly outwards. Step up, keeping your torso tall and proud. Brace your core and straighten your leg to bring yourself to standing on the step. Keeping your shoulders back and head up, lower your leg down slowly to the ground.
- Romanian Deadlift: Begin by standing with your feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent. Hold one dumbbell in each hand, and place them in front of hips with palms facing thighs. Keeping your spine in a neutral position and squeezing the shoulder blades, start sending the hips back. Lower dumbbells down so they are in front of your shins, keeping them close to the body. Once they pass the knees, do not allow the hips to sink further. Maintain a neutral spine and drive through heels to fully extend hips and knees, squeezing glutes at the top.
- Deadlift: Pick up a pair of dumbbells with an overhand grip and hold them by your sides. Stand with your knees slightly bent, and your feet hip-width apart. Hinge at the hips as you bend your knees, lowering your torso until it’s almost parallel with the floor, and your arms so that they hang in front of your knees and shins. Remember to keep your back neutral i.e. not rounded. Reverse the move by pushing your hips forward, squeezing your glutes, and pushing through the heels of your feet. That’s one rep.
Diet and Lifestyle Changes for Thigh Slimming
If you still want a thigh gap, stick to a healthy diet and exercise. Try to slowly chip away at any excess weight through a combination of diet and exercise until you hit your doctor-recommended BMI. If you still have not gotten a thigh gap, it may not be possible given your genes and bone structure. And that's okay; you're beautiful exactly as you are. Even with exercise, it's impossible to target just one area on your body, such as your thighs. This myth is called "spot training". Targeted training, such as in your thigh area, does work, because you take excess weight and turn it into muscle; you'll also be losing fat in other areas as well.
Losing fat typically involves a sustainable, nutritious eating plan along with regular exercise. Diet is very important. Studies show that by consuming healthy fats but less fat overall, you can shed body fat. This fat loss helps reveal the toned muscles that lie beneath.
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- Remove Junk Food: Instead of restricting your intake, try focusing on eating healthy items that fuel your body (rather than satisfying your sweet tooth).
- Avoid Trans Fats: These sneaky fats contribute to heart disease and high cholesterol, and are abundant in fast food, processed snack foods (such as potato chips), fried food, shortening , and margarine.
- Limit Sugar: Processed sugar packs many calories without offering much nutritional benefit. Avoid artificial sweeteners like sucralose, aspartame or saccharine in your beverages-recent studies have shown possible dangerous side effects of these products; for example, some artificial sweeteners found in diet drinks can increase your risk of a heart attack.
- Fill Up on Fiber: Not only is fiber good for you, it also takes a while to digest and fills up more space in your stomach, so you'll feel less hungry.
- Include Superfoods: “Superfoods” are foods that contain very low calorie counts and a high fiber content. Some say they you burn more calories digesting superfoods than the foods themselves contain. For example, you’ll burn 72 calories digesting celery, while a serving of celery is only 53 calories.
- Avoid Overeating: If you're eating a healthy diet, but still feel like you're not quite where you'd like to be, review what you're consuming every day. Keep a food diary. You can write it down the old-fashioned way and look up calories online, or use an app like MyFitnessPal or Spark People.
- Figure Out Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): This will tell you how many calories per day you burn simply by existing and allows you to calculate your daily calorie burn rate much more accurately. It is unhealthy to eat below your BMR, but you can try eating 1.2 times as many calories as your BMR.
- Cut Calories: Try cutting your calories intake by about 200 to 300 calories. Make sure to count accurately, as overlooking how much you're eating is the main failing point of most diets.
Cardio and HIIT
Cardio exercise is one of the top ways that you can tone up and slim down your legs. Taking a brisk walk is great. Running, whether slow or fast, can produce some lean muscle in the thigh area. Burst training and HIIT workouts or classes are excellent allies in burning inner thigh fat.
HIIT, or high intensity interval training, is one of the most effective tools for building strength, blasting fat, and revving up your metabolism. It not only burns abundant calories, but it actually influences your overall metabolism by positively altering your insulin response. To get the real metabolic benefits of HIIT, the high intensity intervals (which can last from 30 seconds to several minutes) need to be performed at 85-95% of your maximum effort. The benefits of HIIT are many, and the greatest benefit may be the enhanced metabolism it offers. If you legitimately push yourself during HIIT workouts at 90-95% intensity, you’ll keep burning fat and calories at a higher rate for at least 24 hours.
Alternative Approaches and Body Positivity
If you need a thigh gap by tonight for a swanky party or a hot date, your best option is to try on some thigh-slimming shapewear. Go for a good pair of tights with a control top and snug, Spandex-type materials that’ll shape your legs.
Purchase a brand that contains caffeine, which stimulates blood flow and may burn off cellulite. Since thigh fat tends to contain cellulite, consistently applying an anti-cellulite cream may improve the appearance of your legs. Purchase a specialized stiff bristled dry brush online or in a health and beauty section at a store. Brush your thighs in upward strokes-target all areas of your legs that you’d like to tone.
While self-tanner won’t magically give you a thigh gap, it’s a great option when you want to show off your legs. It’ll definitely reduce the appearance of cellulite. Spray your self-tanner or bronzer from the top of your hips to your ankles. If you want an elegant picture where you appear to have a thigh gap, you don't have to starve yourself and put your body through agony. By "faking" a thigh gap with some clever poses, you could get the look you are after with a whole lot less work.
Stand up tall and keep your legs straight. For a subtle but effective pose, maintain good posture and keep your feet about 1 in (2.5 cm) apart. Keep your camera faced at a downward angle, which is ideal when it comes to creating the illusion of a thigh gap.
Instead of aiming for a thigh gap, which may not be attainable or unhealthy for some, you should spend your energy on maintaining an active lifestyle, eating a balanced diet, and feeling comfortable with your body. It's crucial that your health routine empowers you, makes you feel strong and capable instead of being stressed out. Your fitness goals should enhance your well-being, including both the body and mind. Nurturing self-acceptance is the key to a healthy body image.
Healthy Goals to Aim For
Okay, so hopefully we've made it pretty clear that a thigh gap shouldn't be the pièce de résistance of your healthy lifestyle: There are so many other more worthwhile goals to chase instead. From increasing your strength to learning a new skill, finding the goal that keeps you trucking on (and feeling good in both mind and body) is super important.
- Learn Something New: Aim for measurable feats of success,' says Hardy, advising that learning a new skill could be just as rewarding as refining what you're already good at. 'Focus on a new skill such as learning to do a handstand,' she suggests. Just bought a load of home gym equipment? Dip a toe into resistance training or master the best dumbbell exercises.
- Build Your Strength: Setting a goal and surpassing it? Yeah, we like the sound of that. For Tig Hodson, co-founder of the female-only gym, StrongHer, it's about charting your progress with tangible markers like strength gains, whether through strength training or weightlifting. 'It's so much better mentally to think of the things your body can now do as a result of training. For example, on week one perhaps you squat with 25kg and a few weeks later you're squatting 35kg. This increase means your strength is improving, you're building lean muscle, you're physically and mentally becoming stronger.' Switch to thinking of how much you're capable of doing, instead,' says Hodson's co-founder Sam Prynn.
- Beat Your PB: If you've experienced the unrivalled feeling of achieving a goal, setting a new one could be the thing to get you going. For keen runner beans, perhaps look to beat your 5k PB, rather than just meeting your old one. If you love strength training, try deadlifting a heavier weight or build up to doing a pull-up. The world is your oyster, you just gotta work for it.
- Get the Basics Right: Dr Perry says that getting the basics right first is always a good goal to aim for: 'As a GP, we advise people to lead a healthy lifestyle, to drink plenty of water, eat a balanced diet and aim to take some kind of physical exercise every day,' he says. Getting these foundations right is a great goal to aim for - especially if you're someone who gets stuck in the cycle of everything-then-nothing as your motivation ebbs and flows.