Thigh Exercises

When it comes to losing weight with exercise, thighs are considered as some of the most difficult areas to work on, specially for women. This is because a woman's body has tendency to store fat muscles in the lowers parts, like hips and thighs. Thus in overweight people, these parts look heavier as compared to other parts. Diet and exercise are two main keys to get rid of the excessive fat stored in these areas. Squats, lunges and their variations, are some of the most effective exercises for toning the thigh muscles, and given below are the steps to perform these exercises.

Best Thigh Workouts

Wall Squat
To perform this exercise, stand near a wall with your back against the wall. Keep a shoulder width apart distance between your feet and let your toes point slightly in the outward direction. Now, lean on the wall and keep your feet flat on the floor. Inhale the air and lower your body into a squat position by sliding your back on the wall. Lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor and knees bent at right angle. Then, exhale and gently straighten your legs and get back to the original position. Do 10-15 repetitions of the exercise. This exercise can also be performed by placing a Swiss ball between your back and the wall.

Seated Split Stretch
This exercise helps to tone the muscles of the inner thigh. First lie down on an exercise mat and stretch your legs towards your sides. Now, stretch your arms and lean towards your right side. Try to reach the toes of your right foot by your arms. Then, rest your palms on the ankle or the toes and hold the position for 30 counts. Repeat the same for the other side and do 5 more repetitions.

Butterfly Stretch
To perform this exercise, sit on an exercise mat and keep your back straight. Now, bring the soles of your feet together and try to pull them closer to your body. Hold your feet with your hands and then flap your thighs up and down. Perform 20 such repetitions. While flapping your thighs make sure you flap them in a comfortable manner.

Lateral Step-up
You will require two benches to perform this exercise. Align the two benches in a parallel manner and stand in an upright position between them. You can hang your arms towards your sides or keep them on your waist for support. Now, lift your left leg and step up on the left bench. Stand upright on the bench by straightening both the legs. Then step down and return to the original position. Repeat the same with the right leg and right bench and perform the exercise in alternating manner.

Dumbbell Front Squat
Dumbbell front squat is one of the most effective thigh exercises for men and women. To perform this exercise, hold a pair of dumbbell and rest the dumbbell on the shoulders, with your elbows pointing in forward direction. Keep your back straight and lower your upper body. While lowering your body, your knees and toes should point in same direction. Lower your body, until your thighs are just parallel to the floor. Then, slowly get back to original position and repeat the exercise for the required repetitions.

Barbell Hack Squat
Place the barbell just behind your legs and stand in front of it in an upright position. Keep your feet flat on the floor and gently squat down to grab the barbell. Grab the barbell from behind, with an overhand grip, lift the barbell and straighten your body completely. Then, gently lower the body again into the squat position and touch the barbell to the ground. While bending, the toes and knees should point in the same direction and place the barbell just behind the leg. Again lift the barbell and do 10 more repetitions.

The list of thigh exercises is quite long and aforementioned are some of the most useful ones. It is recommended that while performing these exercises with weights, make sure that you use light-weight equipment initially, and gradually increase the weight. So, include these exercises in your daily exercise routine and get nice skinny thighs. Good Luck!