Heavy thighs are the bane of many women. We walk, jog, run, swim and still they look heavy. All of us want shapely, toned thighs. Getting them is a two-step process.
The first step is to lose weight. Face it, if you're carrying around an extra 30 pounds, chances are you aren't going to get thin, shapely thighs no matter how much you exercise. Why? Because exercise alone doesn't result in weight loss. You have to adjust your diet and combine it with exercise to achieve the results you seek. So, the first stage is losing the extra weight. We should mention that no diet--regardless of their claims--can cause you to lose weight on a specific part of your body. You will lose weight all over with the fastest weight loss taking place on the most recently gained areas.
The second step, which can be started while you are losing weight, is to do targeted exercise. Exercise focused on your thighs will tone the muscle and create denser, stronger muscles in your legs. The result is firm, shapely legs.
Some suggested exercises for toning your legs:
- Stiff leg deadlift - Stand upright with your feet slightly apart and your legs straight. Bend over at the waist until your back is parallel to the floor. Grasp the weights (barbell, dumbbells, milk jugs full of water) firmly in your hands and carefully, slowly rise to a straight, standing position. Be sure to exhale as you rise. Slowly lower the weights to the floor, bending at the waist, until your back is once again parallel to the floor. Repeat this 10 times. Note: Although this is an excellent exercise for your lower back, hamstrings (backs of your thighs), and your bottom, lower back injury can result if this exercise is performed improperly. Be sure not to strain your back muscles when lifting the weight. If you feel pain. Stop. Do not perform this exercise if you have lower back pain or problems without talking to your physician first.
- Lunges - Standing upright, step one leg forward 2-3 feet. Keeping your upper body erect, and not moving forward during the lunge, dip your upper body down, bending your rear leg at the knee. Dip down until your rear knee almost touches the floor. Hold the tension for a count of 10, then slowly rise back up. Repeat several times before switching legs. Note: This is an excellent exercise for the hamstrings, bottom, and muscles around your hips. However, use caution not to stress your knees. If you feel pain in your knees, reduce the depth of the lunge. If you have knee problems, talk to your doctor before doing lunges.
- Standing calf raises - Stand with your toes and balls of your feet on a step, stair, thick book, or block. Stand straight with your knees locked or nearly locked. Slowly lower your heel toward the floor using your calf muscles to balance. Lower yourself until you feel your calf muscles pull--but not painfully. Hold that position for a count of 10. Now, using only your calf muscles, rise back to a level position. Repeat this 10 times. Note: If you feel too great a strain on your heel, foot, or leg muscles, don't push it. A little tension is what you are seeking, not pain. Use a handrail or chair for extra balance if you feel unsteady. As you get stronger, you can try using a barbell with weights over your shoulders to add to the exercise. You should also increase repetitions as you gain strength. If you have knee, foot, or heel problems, talk to your doctor before beginning this exercise.
- Hamstring Stretch - Stand erect with legs crossed, outsides of feet together. Bend over with rear knee straight. Reach toward feet or bring torso toward legs. Hold stretch. Repeat with opposite leg. This is an excellent stretching exercise for warming up before intensive leg workouts or for cooling down following your workout. Be sure to keep your rear knee straight!
- Inner Thigh Toner - Lie flat on the floor with your stomach up and back on the ground. While keeping both legs straight, raise one of your legs about 6" off the floor. Make a circular motion with the leg, keeping your toes pointed. Make 16 circles, then lower your leg back to the floor. Repeat with the other leg. Try to do it daily! This exercise is brought to you by A.D. We tried it. It's harder than you might think--we could feel the burn!
- Leg Lifts - Lie flat on your back with your feet and legs together, hands and arms at your sides. Lift both legs 4-6 inches off the ground and hold them for a count of 2. Spread both legs apart like a "V" and hold for a count of 2. Bring both legs back together and hold for a count of 2. DO NOT LET YOUR LEGS TOUCH THE GROUND! . With your legs still up, raise them until they are about 2 feet off the ground. When both legs are up, hold for a count of 2. Spread and hold for a count of 2. Bring them back together and hold for another count of 2. Bring them both back to 4-6 inches off the groun and hold for a count of 2. Bring them both to the floor. Then, start again! This thigh and bottom toner were provided by Zip who tells us, "This exercise is difficult and the first time you try it, you probably will only be able to perform the first few steps. You work your way up to 3 sets of 10. Add a step every dy until you are doing 3 sets of 10 with the firmer bottom and thighs to prove it!"
UPDATE: In response to an inquiry from K.R. of Memphis, TN, we went in search of more information about conditioning leg muscles. Here's what the USMC has to say about building and conditioning leg muscles:
"The frontal thigh is comprised of several different muscle groups, most notably the quadriceps and adductors. The quadricep is a four-headed muscle where stress can be altered by knee flexion (bending the knee) or hip extension (straightening the torso from a seated position).
As a rule, in any exercise where you bend and straighten your knees without any hip involvement, you will maximally target the three vastus muscles (medialis, lateralis, and intermedius). For instance, leg extensions primarily work these muscles.
On the other hand, any exercise that utilizes movement only at the hip (such as weighted front kick) will direct more stress to the upper portion of the quadriceps (rectus femoris).
Movements that bring the thigh across the body (such as cable or machine adductor pulls) will provide greater impact to the inner thigh.
Alternatively, when both the knees and the hips are involved in an activity, stress is distributed throughout the entire muscle complex. Thus, compound movements like squats, lunges, and leg presses are overall thigh developers that can be excellent choices for adding shape to the upper thigh."
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