24 Inch Thighs: How Big Are They?

Having 24 inch thighs means that you have a slightly above average thigh circumference.

Although the average measurement is around 22 inches, there are plenty of perfectly healthy men and women who have 24 inch legs.

Now, if you’re pretty short, then your 24″ thighs will look bigger than those of someone who’s really tall. This is simply because your muscle mass and fat tissue are distributed over a much smaller surface area.

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Are 24 inch thighs big for a woman?

There are many females who have 24 inch thighs. So if you’re one of them, then you’re far from abnormal.

But what causes a woman to have 24 inch legs in the first place?

Well, as you may know, women tend to store more body fat around their legs, whereas men tend to store more fat around their stomachs.

Some ladies also have genetically muscular legs, and others lift weights to build and tone their lower bodies.

So, as you can see, there are plenty of positive reasons why you might have a 24 inch thigh circumference. It’s certainly nothing to be ashamed of, and some research suggests that larger thighs can even be beneficial for your health.

Are 24 inch quads big for a man?

While 24 inch quads aren’t exactly big for a man who trains his legs, your thighs can certainly look muscular and well developed at the 24 inch mark.

The exception to this is short lifters.

If you’re 5′5″ and under, then 24 inch quads can actually look pretty bulky—especially if you’re lean.

Of course, if you’re 6′3″ or taller, then you’re definitely going to need more mass to have the appearance of big legs.

The good news is that you’re in control of your quad size. More on that in a minute.

Should you slim your 24 inch thighs?

Considering that some research shows health benefits to having larger thighs, ^[1] most people likely don’t need to slim their legs unless their thigh size is indicative of other health problems.

On the other hand, some people, primarily women, want to reduce their thighs for aesthetic reasons.

In this case, a combination of cardiovascular exercise and light resistance training—and perhaps calorie reduction as well—is your best bet.

Cardiovascular exercise

While strength training is the best way to build your thighs, cardiovascular activity is one of the best ways to slim your thighs.

This isn’t because cardio makes you lose muscle; it’s because cardiovascular activity burns plenty of calories.

Burning more calories than your body requires to maintain its mass puts your body in an energy deficit, which in turn triggers weight loss.

Running for an hour at a moderate pace can burn around 500 calories while simultaneously working your thighs, glutes, and calves. ^[2]

If you don’t fancy pounding the pavement, then a simple 60-minute walk can torch over 300 calories while improving your mood and sleep quality in the process. ^[3]

Calorie reduction

A man and a woman eating salad at the beach

Some people can increase their exercise frequency and, as a result, lose weight without decreasing their calorie intake.

Others need to eat less and move more to trigger weight loss.

In this case, you’ll need to reduce your calorie intake so that your body is in an energy deficit.

Losing 1-2 lbs per week can improve your health and wellbeing while slimming your 24 inch thighs in the process. ^[4]

Of course, if you’re already quite slim and just want to tone your thighs, then you may only need to shed half a pound per week for a few months to see results.

Resistance training

Lifting weights might seem counterintuitive if you want to reduce your 24 inch or 24.5 inch thighs. Yet, besides strengthening your bones, resistance training can also improve the aesthetics of your lower body.

Squats will help to preserve your muscle mass during periods of fat loss and can give your legs a nice toned appearance that many women greatly desire.

Bodyweight movements, especially if they’re performed at a high intensity, are often enough to sculpt leaner thighs. However, if you want to make your thighs and glutes more muscular, then doing weighted squats and lunges can really help as well.

Should you bulk up your 24 inch legs?

Although many bodybuilders might consider 24 inch quads to be on the smaller side, they’re certainly bigger than those of the average man.

Still, if you want to grow your 24″ quads and make them truly huge, then make sure that you’re following these proven training tips.

Combine compound and isolation exercises

There’s no one magic rep range or exercise to rule them all.

You’ll see your best and fastest quad gains by combining low to moderate rep squats with high rep leg extensions.

You can, of course, substitute either one of those exercises for leg presses and hack squats (or do those two exercises as well—ideally on different days of the week—if your legs can handle the volume).

It’s recommended to stop a couple of reps short of failure on your compound leg exercises so that you don’t completely exhaust yourself before the workout is finished.

It’s much easier to train to failure on leg extensions than squats because quad extensions generate significantly less central fatigue.

Don’t neglect your hamstrings

A woman performing hamstring curls at the gym

It seems like lifters are obsessed with building their quads nowadays.

You could say that quads are basically the new abs at this point!

But what about the hamstrings?

They’re one of the biggest muscles in your body and have a ton of growth potential.

Beefing up the backs of your legs with hamstring curls and Romanian deadlifts can significantly increase your thigh size while giving you more hip extension strength to boot.

Always use a full range of motion

Although many lifters still have decent legs from doing half rep squats, that’s only because they’re performing crazy amounts of volume (or simply have great leg genetics).

You could get similar and likely much better development from doing half as much volume with better technique.

Additionally, shorter workouts will generate less central fatigue and thus promote faster recovery.

Using a full range of motion is nothing new; just make sure that you’re squatting below parallel and flexing your quads at the top of leg extensions.

Also, don’t put your feet too close together on the leg press platform because, if you do, then you won’t be able to bring the sled down as far.

Conclusion: Is it normal to have a 24 inch thigh circumference?

A man looking at his 24 inch thigh circumference

Yes, it’s normal to have a 24 inch thigh circumference regardless of whether you’re a man or a woman!

Some women, for example, store much of their body fat on their legs, while others tend to have genetically muscular legs.

Men don’t tend to store as much fat on their lower bodies as women, but some do have well-developed legs from playing sports and performing cardiovascular activities such as cycling and running.

You can, of course, grow and slim your 24 inch thighs using the above advice if you so desire.

References

Melore, C. (2022, January 6). Thick thighs save lives? People with larger thighs have lower risk of heart disease, high blood pressure. Study Finds. https://www.studyfinds.org/thick-thighs-save-lives-larger-thighs-lower-heart-disease-risk/
Exercise for weight loss: Calories burned in 1 hour. (2021, December 7). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/exercise/art-20050999?reDate=25012022
Mental Benefits of Walking. (2021, March 30). WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/mental-benefits-of-walking
Healthy Weight Loss. (2020, August 17). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/losing_weight/index.html