You can try certain exercises such as cycling and resistance training to help shape your thighs. These exercises can be beneficial in achieving the desired result.
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It is beneficial to shape, tone and strengthen your thigh muscles. When you have stronger thighs you will be able to run faster & jump higher and have better overall stability. Therefore, it is more effective to focus on strengthening your legs instead of solely striving for smaller thighs.
You cannot exercise to target only one particular area of your body but there are exercises that emphasize leg strength and endurance more than other parts of your body. Therefore, if you want to tone and strengthen your thighs and you should try some of these exercises.
Below are 10 activities that can aid in fortifying your thighs and boosting your general well-being on your path to fitness!
1. Go to an indoor cycling class
Indoor cycling classes can be identified as a workout that puts a significant emphasis on the usage of the thigh muscles. This workout is an optimal choice not only for improving cardiovascular health and losing weight but also for toning the legs.
A certain research conducted in 2010 revealed that 24 sessions of indoor cycling led to a cutting in body weight and fat mass among overweight women who were leading a sitting lifestyle.
2. Find a set of stairs
The energy expenditure for an individual weighing 154 pounds during a 30-minute running session is approximately 295 calories while an hour-long session burns approximately 590 calories. When including stairs into your running routine and the activation of your thigh muscles is heightened as each step necessitates lifting your body weight thus triggering your leg muscles to engage.
3. Take it to the sand
For those fortunate enough to reside in the vicinity of a shoreline, certified instructor Armen Ghazarians suggests walking on the beach as a means of fortifying your thigh muscles. Ghazarians asserts that the added resistance of sand-walking will aid in the toning and firming of your thighs.
Begin acclimating your body to exercising on sand by initiating with a 20-minute daily walking routine. Gradually extend the duration of your exercise as your body adapts to sand workouts.
4. Do ballet-style workouts
The fact that dancers possess robust and sturdy legs is widely known. According to Lyuda Bouzinova, an accredited trainer, dancing blends cardiovascular exercises with targeted muscle toning techniques that can greatly enhance the appearance of your legs.
This particular Pilates sequence featured in a YouTube workout is highly effective for elongating and firming the muscles in your thighs. According to Bouzinova, the sequence targets all the crucial thigh muscles in a specific pattern to promote leaner and more sculpted lines in your legs.
5. Pick up a sport
Ghazarians suggests that engaging in sports that involve sudden changes of direction can effectively tone your legs from various perspectives. Examples of such sports include those that require vigorous aerobic exercises for your thigh muscles, like:
- Swimming
- Golf
- Soccer
- Running
- Volleyball
- Cycling
- Dancing
6. Increase resistance training
Engaging in comprehensive muscle-building exercises twice a week can contribute to calorie expenditure, diminish body fat and enhance the robustness of your thighs. Ensure to incorporate lower-body workouts such as wall sits, lunges, inner/outer thigh lifts and step-ups utilizing your own body weight.
To enhance leg strength without causing an increase in muscle size, it’s recommended to maintain high repetitions during exercises (a minimum of 15 reps per set). Complete three sets of each movement with limited rest intervals in between.
Including upper-body motions into your lower-body workouts can offer a fantastic dual exercise for complete physical wellness. For instance, take hold of dumbbells and execute lunges with a bicep curl or squats with an overhead shoulder press.
7. Do bodyweight squats
Performing squats using your body weight as a resistance can help you to burn calories & enhance the strength of your leg muscles and tone your thighs. Additionally, these exercises can be done anytime and anywhere and making them highly suitable.
Ghazarians suggests performing 25 repetitions of bodyweight squats twice daily, totaling 50 squats. These squats can be incorporated into daily activities like watching TV or climbing stairs. For those seeking greater difficulty, there is the option of a 30-day challenge involving weighted squats.
8. Work your inner thighs
According to Bouzinova, toning the inner thighs can be challenging as the exercises that effectively target them can be a bit uncomfortable. As a result, some individuals may choose to forego these exercises altogether. However, if one feels self-conscious about performing them in a public setting and they can opt to do the workouts in the privacy of their own residence.
Check out the Mission Lean YouTube workout to learn about a beneficial exercise known as the “platypus walk” which can effectively tone your inner and outer thighs, as well as your glutes, resulting in a well-defined appearance.
9. Try some balance work
Bouzinova explains that performing balance exercises can help tone the smaller muscles in your legs and thighs, resulting in beautiful and lean legs.
According to her, including single leg dead lifts on a Bosu ball or performing your entire exercise routine on a sandy beach can effectively challenge your balance.
10. HIIT the cardio
Engaging in activities that enhance cardiovascular function not only aids in calorie expense but also strengthens the heart and leads to a decrease in overall body fat. Including both HIIT and steady-state cardio within your workout regimen can assist in the reduction of body fat and provide toning benefits for the thighs.
Including a metabolic conditioning session into your fitness routine could potentially amplify your workout and elevate your calorie burn.
Include a mixture of moderate-to-low and high-level intensity aerobic activities for a thorough physical fitness regimen.
