But remember to warm up before starting these lower body exercises! You should never ignore that, and here we also tell you why.
What Causes Saggy Inner Thighs?
Valeria Dolbel , CHN, CNT, says, “Sagging of the inner thighs results from different factors such as weight loss, muscle loss, and aging. As we age, our muscle tone decreases unless we’re active in maintaining it by doing specialized exercises.” She adds, “In my expertise, I say that legs can look flabby due to excess fat and lack of muscle tone. However, self-consciousness will be over if you go from flabby to thin, toned legs through aerobic exercise, following a healthy diet, and toning muscle through strength training exercises.”
Warm Up
It is extremely important that you warm up before starting strength training for thighs or doing these thigh toning exercises. This will prepare your body and mind for the exercises. A warm up will increase blood flow to your muscles, improve the flexibility of your muscles and bones, activate the central nervous system, and reduce the risk of sore muscles and injury. Now that your body is prepared, you can start doing thigh toning exercises right away. Here are 15 exercises that will help you get rid of cellulite and make your thighs shapely.
15 Effective Exercises To Tone Your Thighs
1. Squat – Exercise For The Thighs And Hips
Target
Squats target the quads, hamstrings, glutes, lower back, and calves.
Starting Position
Stand straight with your feet slightly apart (more than shoulder-width distance). Keep your core engaged and shoulders relaxed. Extend your arms in front of you. Flex them and bring them in front of your chest as you squat.
Duration
2 mins
Steps To Do
Repetitions
Start with 10 reps. You can go on to do 2 sets of 10 reps, 3 sets of 10 reps, or 1 set of 20 reps.
Variation
Keep your knees shoulder-width apart and squat. Another variation is the Chair pose or “utkatasana,” which is an effective yoga for toned thighs.
Precaution
If your knees hurt, you are not doing it right. Make sure you follow the video or have an instructor oversee you when you are doing butt exercises like squatting. Also, do not overtrain as you might injure your knee. This is similar to doing a leg press, but with less force and no equipment. A blogger, who took up a 30-day challenge of doing 100 squats a day, shares the experience on their blog as follows: “This experience proved to me that a simple daily exercise habit can produce dramatic changes over time. I’m thrilled to finally have the lean, toned legs I’ve always wanted – all thanks to a month of daily squats! (i).”
2. Jumping Squat – Exercise For The Thighs, Hips, And Calves
Target
Quads, hamstrings, calves, adductors, and glutes.
Starting Position
Place your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your knees straight and slightly flexed forward, core engaged, and shoulders relaxed. Keep your hands to your side so that you can use them to propel yourself up when you jump.
Duration
30 sec
Steps To Do
Repetitions
2 sets of 10 reps
Variation
You can bring your legs together as you jump or put your hands behind your head when you jump to make the workout more difficult.
Precaution
Slow down as you land.
3. Outer And Inner Thigh Kick – Exercise For The Thighs And Hips
Target
Quads, adductors, and glutes.
Starting Position
Stand behind a chair. Hold the back of the chair. Relax your shoulders and keep your abs engaged.
Duration
15 seconds on each leg
Steps To Do
Repetitions
2 sets of 10 reps
Variation
None
Precaution
Make sure to keep your knees straight.
4. Single Leg Circles
Target
Quads and adductors.
Starting Position
Stand straight. Relax your shoulders and keep your core engaged. Put your right foot forward, with the toes pointing out.
Duration
15 seconds on each leg
Steps To Do
Repetitions
2 sets of 10 reps
Variation
You can hold a wall or a chair when you do this exercise.
Precaution
Do not bend your knees or bend to the side while doing this exercise.
5. Plie – Exercise For The Thighs And Calves
Target
Quads, adductors, calves, and glutes.
Starting Position
Keep your legs a little wider than hip-width apart. Keep your toes pointed out at 45 degrees, core engaged, and shoulders relaxed.
Duration
1 min
Steps To Do
Repetitions
1 set of 10 reps
Variation
Lift your ankles and balance on your toes. Hold in that position. You can also pulsate by going up and down.
Precaution
Do not bend forward as you would in a normal squat.
6. Scissor Kicks – Exercise For The Thighs And Lower Abs
Target Hamstrings, quads, adductors, and lower abs.
Starting Position
Lie down flat on your back on a mat. Keep your hands straight, palms under your hips, and toes pointed out.
Duration
30 seconds
Steps To Do
Repetitions
2 sets of 15 reps
Variation
None
Precaution
Do not bend your knees.
6. Inner Thigh Circles – Exercise For The Thighs And Hips
Target
Adductors and glutes
Starting Position
Assume the cat position. Your palms must be flat on the ground, and toes pointing outwards.
Duration
1 min
Steps To Do
Repetitions
2 sets of 10 reps
Variation
You can flex your knees and keep your toes pointed backward if you are not comfortable keeping your legs straight for a long duration.
Precaution
While doing inner thigh exercises, make sure you keep your knees soft and comfortable.
7. Side Kick – Exercise For The Thighs And Hips
Quads, hamstrings, adductors, and glutes.
Starting Position
Lie on your right side on a mat. Keep your core engaged, head resting on your right hand, your left hand in front of you, and left palm resting flat on the floor to support your body. Your body should be aligned from the head to the tailbonei A small, triangular-shaped bone located at the end of the spine that helps hold up your weight when you sit. . Move both your legs out so that your lower body is at 45 degrees with your upper body.
Duration
1 min
Steps To Do
Repetitions
2 sets of 10 reps
Variation
When you kick your leg forward, you can pulsate it so work your inner thigh muscles and glutes.
Precaution
For thigh lift exercises make sure you lift your legs till your hips and not beyond that.
8. Lunges – Exercise For The Thighs And Hips
Target
Quads, hamstrings, and glutes.
Starting Position
Put your right leg forward, relax your shoulders. Keep your chest up, core engaged, and hands on the side. Make sure your legs are not directly in the same line as it would make lunging difficult.
Duration
15 seconds on each leg
Steps To Do
Repetitions
2 sets of 10 reps
Variation
You can do forward or backward lunges by putting your leg forward or backward and lunging. Another variation that can help with outer thigh exercises are split squats.
Precaution
Do not stretch the leg in the back; it should be perpendicular to the floor.
9. Lateral Lunge Side Kick
Target
Adductors, glutes, quads, and hamstrings.
Starting Position
Stand with your feet together, shoulders relaxed, and core engaged. Your hands should be close to your chest as if you are boxing.
Duration
30 secs
Steps To Do
Repetitions
1 set of 10 reps
Variation
You can hold 2-pound weights when you do this exercise.
Precaution
Make sure to maintain the rhythm of lunging and kicking to avoid falling and injuring yourself.
10. Standing Forward Bend – Exercise For The Thighs, Hips, And Calves
Target
Quads, hamstrings, and glutes.
Starting Position
Stand with your feet together, core engaged, shoulders relaxed, chest out, and hands on your waist.
Duration
2 mins
Steps To Do
Repetitions
1 set of 5 reps
Variation
None
Precaution
Keep your weight on the heels. If you have a balancing problem initially, you can keep your feet shoulder-width apart.
11. Downward Dog Split – Exercise For The Thighs And Hips
Target
Hamstrings, glutes, and quads.
Starting Position
Assume the Cat Pose. Keep your palms flat on the floor, and hands shoulder-width apart.
Duration
1 min
Steps To Do
Repetitions
1 set of 10 reps
Variation
When your leg is in the 2nd step, flex your knees and hold for a second.
Precaution
Make sure your heels are touching the floor while doing this leg extension exercise.
12. Flamingo Balance – Exercise For The Thighs, Hips, Abs, And Lower Back
Target
Hamstrings, glutes, quads, biceps, lower back, and abs.
Starting Position
Stand straight with your legs shoulder-width apart. Hold a 2-pound dumbbell in your right hand and keep your left hand on your waist.
Duration
1 min
Steps To Do
Repetitions
2 sets of 12 reps
Variation
You can also do this exercise without the dumbbells.
Precaution
Do not use a dumbbell if you are not aware of the right way to do a bicep curl.
13. Straight Leg Lifts – Exercise For The Thighs And Hips
Target
Hamstrings, quads, and hip flexors.
Starting Position
Lie down flat on a mat. Keep your right leg straight, left knee flexed, left foot flat on the floor, and your arms on the side.
Duration
30 secs for each leg
Steps To Do
Repetitions
1 set of 12 reps
Variation
Lift both the legs together.
Precaution
Do not do this exercise if you have a knee injury.
14. Kick Back – Exercise For The Thighs And Hips
Target
Hamstrings, quads, and glutes
Starting Position
Assume cat pose with your knees and hands on the floor, palm flat on the floor, keep your back straight.
Duration
30 seconds for each leg
Steps To Do
Repetitions
2 sets of 10 reps
Variation
Another way to do these hamstring exercises is after you kick back, flex your knee and bring it close to your chest before kicking back again.
Precaution
Keep your toes pointed and core engaged and do not hunch down.
15. Curtsy Lunge – Exercise For The Thighs And Hips
Target
Hamstrings, quads, and glutes.
Starting Position
Stand straight with your feet together, abs engaged, and shoulders relaxed.
Duration
1 min
Steps To Do
Repetitions
2 sets of 10 reps
Variation
While changing the legs, you can jump to make the exercise more challenging.
Precaution
Lunging incorrectly can injure your knee, so make sure you follow the best method to lunge. These are some effective exercises that help tone your thighs. But what muscles do your thighs consist of? Scroll down to know more.
What Muscles Are In The Thighs?
The thighs contain several muscle groups that help facilitate different muscle movements.
Hamstrings: It is three posterior muscles – the bicep femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus – located at the back of the thigh and are responsible for bending the knees and stretching the hip joints. Quadriceps Femoris: It is the most voluminous muscle of the human body and is located at the front of the thigh. It is responsible for knee bending and has four parts: the rectus femoris, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, and vastus lateralis. Sartorius: This muscle is the longest one in the human body and plays an important role in the stabilization of the pelvis, especially in women.
Before you jump head first into these exercises, there are some common mistakes you should avoid making. These mistakes can affect your posture, performance, and even lead to injuries. Keep reading to learn more.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
Listen to your body and avoid overtraining. Warm up before and cool down after workouts. Get enough sleep to aid recovery. Consider dietary changes to support your fitness goals. Vary your exercises to target different muscle groups. Consider strength training to build muscle mass. Stay motivated by finding a workout buddy, keeping a fitness and meal tracker, or joining a fitness class. Combine cardio and strength training for optimal results.
How long does it take for thighs to tone? Check out the infographic below to know which are the easiest thigh-toning and cellulite-decreasing exercises.Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team You can begin seeing some results after two to four weeks of starting your leg workouts. However, it may take three to four months to notice any major difference. Does walking tone inner thighs? Yes. Walking helps tone your calves, glutes, hamstrings, and quads, thus toning your inner thighs. Valeria adds, “A 10-mile walk daily improves cardiovascular health and psychological well-being, trims some of the fat from your legs, and tones them in a month. Brisk walking 10 miles a day or approximately 3 hours will aim for leg muscles to tone.” Is walking or cycling better for toning thighs? Walking and cycling engage the same muscle groups, making them effective exercises for toning thighs. While cycling might burn more calories faster, walking increases fat metabolism more than cycling and is like cardio for thighs. Valeria says, “Daily aerobic exercise on a stationary bike provides additional help in toning your legs. It provides the same result as walking, with the bonus of putting less pressure on your joints. Cycling at a comfortable resistance for at least 30 minutes will help slim your legs. An increase in the resistance level will lead to the usage of more muscle strength, which tones your legs.”
Illustration: 15 Workouts To Get Rid Of Cellulite On Thighs Legs & Butt
Get ready to transform your thighs with this 10-minute leg workout. Check out this video to help make your legs strong, fit, and toned.
