Ladies: What exercise are you doing to tone your thighs?

[JMD]

Hi All,
I am a personal trainer as well as a group fitness instructor. I have to agree, you can't spot reduce. Cardio and diet will help rid your body of fat but you can firm and shape with strength training. Nothing will shape your thighs like walking lunges....Ouch!

Strength Training does not "shape" your muscles. Muscle shape in determined by genetics and cannot be altered through exercise. You can make a muscle bigger or smaller. You can lower your bodyfat to make them more visable. But you cannot change their shape.

 

[katerkat]

I agree - squats and lunges. I have a personal trainer and I do at least one set of each one every week. Of course, she's brutal, so I'm doing walking lunges with arm weight pushes, or lunges on a bench with knee lifts, or squats on a Bosu with a weight bar. (Do trainers go to torture school?)

It does make a difference, though. My thighs and butt are looking GOOD. Like, able to wear shorts for the first time in five years good. And I've only been working with her for two months.

 

[lilsweetpea]

Prevention Fitness

I love this website because they show pictures/videos of exercises.

 

[wezee]

Wow, I just checked out the prevention website, and it looks great. I hate to excercise.....but actually checked out a few video "how-tos" and started thinking....I could do that. Thanks again. I think I need to put together a few exercises for all over toning, but I really need to work on my inner thighs and abs. Also.....I have no but....yup flat and a bit saggy....which excercise would help give me a lift with a little poof?

 

[lilsweetpea]

Wow, I just checked out the prevention website, and it looks great. I hate to excercise.....but actually checked out a few video "how-tos" and started thinking....I could do that. Thanks again. I think I need to put together a few exercises for all over toning, but I really need to work on my inner thighs and abs. Also.....I have no but....yup flat and a bit saggy....which excercise would help give me a lift with a little poof?

Definitely squats. You can also do butt flies (I don't know what they are really called). Get down on your hands and knees and make your back flat like a table. Then lift one leg at a time, up to the side until it is parallel with the floor.* Hold for three seconds. Then bring it to the ground. Then lift the same leg back and up until your thigh is parallel to the floor.* Hold for three seconds and bring back down. Do as many reps as you can and then switch legs.

*Your leg should stay bent at a 90 degree angle the entire time.

I hope that makes sense.

 

[wezee]

Thanks...will it help my saggy flab on the inside of my upper thighs. Thats what happens when you lose 50+ lbs, I guess.

I also tend to hold extra back fat. I'm a size 6 in womens...but have flab...any suggestions??

 

[yoplit]

my friend and i like to call our thighs thunder thighs (warm and affectionate, i know) so we decided to take up some spinning classes at our local gym and we LOVE them. i HIGHLY suggest them to anyone of ANY physical shape. you can go at your own resistance, classes are usually 45 mins and you burn on average 500 calories in that time frame. i know you can't spot train, but i'm telling you, i have been doing it for 4 weeks now, and i can tell a difference in my thighs....please, just go for one class and you'll soon become addicted!

 

[saremca]

There is a DVD called Squeeze that has gotten my legs into the best shape they've ever been in. I carry my weight in my hips and thighs and those are always the most difficult places for me to tone up. Callanetics is another good DVD, and not as intense as Squeeze.

 

[Dr Pepsi]

Oh, god...walking lunges

That's what the coach would make us do in gym in middle school if we got a bad report card grade. It was an effective punnishment, too.