Get toned thighs with these easy exercises

Toning your thighs is not as difficult as you think. It does not always mean spending hours at the gym working on fitness equipment. Most of these thigh exercises can be performed at home. Fitness expert Marika Johansson lists a few simple exercise that targets the thighs.

Squats with or without Swiss Ball:  Toning your thighs can be done by adding squats to  your fitness routine. Squats can increase your lean muscle mass and burn down your calories. They are a compound exercise which engages many major muscle groups in one movement. The muscles of the thighs, quadriceps, hamstrings and hip abductors work together during squats shaping the legs and making them stronger.

Walking lunges holding water bottles: Walking lunges are excellent for strengthening and toning the legs. It can be performed at home or in the gym. When you first move your leg forward in this exercise, you target the muscles of the hamstrings and quadriceps. Each leg is alternately involved, making walking lunges an ideal workout for hips and thighs. Adding weights like water bottles increases the intensity of the exercise engaging the glutes of the leg as well.

Frog squats: It is a very effective workout for the lower body. It is great exercise for toning the thighs and increasing the muscle strength.

Lateral leg raises: Lateral leg raises also known as hip abduction offers numerous benefits. This exercise focuses on the hip flexor, core and abductor muscles. The hip flexor includes the area around the groin and the quadriceps. The core muscles cover the lower torso of the body.

Standing calf raises: Calf raises improve muscular strength in the calf. Gastrocnemius and soleus muscles are the two muscles in the calf that runs from the bottom of the thigh bone to Achilles’s tendon. Apart from strengthening the calf muscles, calf raises will also give definition to the lower legs improving their appearance. You can also use an ankle weight to increase the intensity of the workout.

You can burn a high amount of calories performing these exercises. The more calories you burn, the more fat you lose from your legs and the entire body.

Sets and repetitions: Do three sets of 20 repetitions of all exercises. Add walking stairs or running uphill to your fitness routine. Walk 15 -20 minutes for 4 -5 days a week to speed up the fat loss and tone the thighs.

Results: You will start seeing the results in two weeks if you do it consistently and dedicatedly. Since diet contributes to 80 % of the weight loss, it is important to eat right and maintain a balanced diet.  Eat 4-5 meals a day and drink a lot of water.

 

You may also read:

• Lunges to tone your thighs and hips
• Exercises to lose weight from your hips, thighs, legs and the rest of your lower body
• Get Toned Legs with Lying Leg Curls

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