We all have fat deposited in various parts of our bodies. However, most of us do not like where these fat deposits, especially if it is in the belly, arms, or thighs. Like belly fat, thigh fat too bugs most people.
Although thigh fat is common in both males and females, the latter tend to struggle the most with it. Women, especially those who are pear-shaped, may have extensive fat around their thighs and hips (6), and they tend to be uncomfortable with exposing their legs.
Therefore, they may be quite determined to lose fat in these regions. This may explain why the search for thigh-slimming exercises is on the rise in today’s society. Let us evaluate if it’s possible to trim this fat, as well as the best exercises to lose thigh fat.
Is It Possible To Eliminate Thigh Fat Through Exercise?
Yes, it is possible. However, there are key pointers one has to take note of if they are considering toning their thighs. The first pointer is that you cannot lose thigh fat alone. When you start exercising and eating healthily, you automatically trim fat in an all-rounded manner. It means you will notice fat loss in your belly, arms, back, and thighs.
Secondly, you need to know that exercise cannot give you slim thighs in a day. Getting slim thighs is a progressive process that requires persistence and exercise consistency. Therefore, don’t give up in your quest to get your dream thighs even if you don’t see the results immediately.
The last pointer about getting slim thighs involves a healthy diet. Besides focusing on your exercise regime, you also need to pay attention to what you eat. Ensure you not only eat balanced diets but also calorie deficit ones.
Most people, especially women, have thigh issues. Thigh fat has made most people quite insecure and, therefore, dedicated to losing it through exercise. However, the problem is that the same people do not know what exercise is suitable to lose this fat.
Before even identifying what thigh sculpting exercises to do, it is crucial to consult your doctor (5). Some exercises may take a toll on your knees and hamstrings. As a result, you may be vulnerable to conditions such as severe knee pains, cartilage tears, arthritis, or ligament issues.
Similarly, it is crucial to determine what exercise best suits you. Some thigh and calf slimming exercises may require strength training using the equipment. Others may be exercises that one can do from the comfort of their home. Therefore, decide on what works best for you, based on accessibility to equipment, your fitness level, and workout goals.
The question of how to lose weight in legs keeps coming up. Consequently, numerous individuals have gone on the quest of searching for the most effective ways of losing thigh fat.
The circuit below contains five of the most effective and easy inner and outer thigh slimming exercises. Again, ensure you start the circuit only after taking the precautions stated earlier. The circuit comprises of the following exercises:
Squats are among the most effective workouts if you want to work on your thighs, butt, hamstrings, and quads (13). Here’s the thing, squats are not only good for trimming your thigh fat. They are also vital in building muscles and mass muscle improvement.
There are various variations of the squats that you can do to reap the most out of this exercise. They are as follows:
The Basic Squat
As the name suggests, this exercise requires you to bend a little bit as if you are squatting. It is the foundation of the squat variations; therefore, one has to master it before proceeding to do other squat variations.
However, this is easier said than done for some. Many people, especially beginners, do not do the basic squat right. Therefore, you might find most of them complaining about no results or increased knee pains.
With that said, let us look at the proper form for doing a basic squat.
How To Do A Basic Squat?
To ensure you benefit enormously from this exercise with no injuries, follow this step-by-step procedure:
Place your feet hip-width apart with your toes slightly out.
Slowly begin to lower down as if you are sitting on an imaginary chair. Push your hips back as you bend your knees. Also, raise your arms right in front of you as you do this. Keep your head up and engage your core as a squat (7).
Hold on to that position for some seconds, and then use your heels to stand to the initial position.
Repeat this ten times or until you achieve your desired or instructed reps.
The Sumo Squat
These squat variations are quite familiar to the basic ones. However, the difference lies in the feet positioning. Unlike the basic squat where the feet are hip-width apart, here, the feet are wider than the shoulders and hips.
How To Do The Sumo Squat Correctly?
All you have to do to nail this exercise is this:
Place your feet shoulder-width apart. Always ensure your feet are past your shoulder-width to make this a sumo and not a basic squat. Your toes must be pointing out.
Ensure your back is straight before proceeding to lower down as if you are sitting on a chair. Ensure you lower to the point your thighs are parallel to the ground. Stay in this position for some seconds before using your heels to push to the initial standing position.
Here is everything you need to avoid to prevent knee and back injuries when doing squats:
Having Your Heels Up
When you squat with heels up, you deprive your glutes off of the squat results (1). Therefore, you might be doing this form of exercise for months and still see no results.
Ensure you press your heels to keep them on the ground when doing your squats. If this is difficult, then do some stretch exercises. They will help ensure your calves are not tight and that you can comfortably and firmly press your heels.
Neglecting Your Core
Although your core is not the focus in this exercise, it is as important as the glutes you are working on. Your core must be engaged when doing the squats to help you keep that straight posture that does not harm your back.
Moving Your Knees
Sometimes you might notice that you have wobbling knees when doing whatever squat variation. Such knee movement is dangerous as it stresses your hip joints, keens, and ankles.
Therefore, ensure there is no movement in your knees by keeping your toes pointed out. If your knees keep on shaking, then the problem might be with your glutes or hips. They may be in dire need of strengthening.
You can correct this by doing these exercises in their correct form. With time, you will notice that your knees are no longer wobbly.
Leading The Squat With The Knees
Some people may use their knees as the leading point to how they bend forward. In most cases, this will see you going off balance because you do not have the right center of gravity.
The correct way to lead a squat is assuming you are sitting on an invisible chair (2). The approach focuses more on sitting back instead of using the knees as your main support.
Ignoring The Hand Positioning
Just because the glutes and hamstrings shine in this exercise does not mean that the hands should be ignored. Ensure you always extend your arms when you are bending.
Such an approach will help you get momentum to keep you pushing through your reps of this inner thigh slimming exercise.
BetterMe app is a foolproof way to go from zero to a weight loss hero in a safe and sustainable way! What are you waiting for? Start transforming your body now!
Squats With Side Leg Raises
In this exercise, the basic squat is modified with the leg raise. Therefore, whenever you do the basic squat, you must proceed to do a lateral leg raise. It sounds so easy because it is. However, do not mistake its simplicity for effectiveness. This exercise is among the tremendous leg workouts.
Today, most people want workouts that they can comfortably do at home. These squats with lateral leg raises are excellent thigh slimming exercises you can do at home.
Guide On How To Correctly Do A Squat With A Leg Raise
If an exercise is not done correctly, it causes injuries. Follow these steps to avoid exercise-related injuries in this exercise:
Place your feet shoulder-width apart with your heels firmly resting on the ground. Tighten your core and proceed to squat as if you are going to sit on a chair.
As you stand up, extend your leg out as high as your hip. If you started with your right leg, then extend it out. It will work on your outer right thigh and hip.
Hold for some seconds, and then place your foot down to return to a standing position. Lower again to perform the basic squat, and as you get up to extend your leg once more.
Repeat this exercise at least ten times on each side (3).
Missteps To Look Out For When Doing This Exercise
The squat and leg raise exercise is an effective outer thigh slimming exercise. However, one compromises its effectiveness with the following missteps:
Doing The Squat Incorrectly
The proper squat entails having the heels firmly resting on the ground, toes pointing out, straight back, and tightened core. To ensure you do it correctly, practice the right form using a chair.
For a start, you can sit on the chair. However, you must get rid of the chair in the next trial. In this case, you must try to squat to the exact chair resting position.
Not Extending The Leg Raise
Some people may think extending the leg means slightly moving it up from the ground. However, this is not the case. When performing the leg raise, one must ensure they raise it as high as their hip.
The Side Leg Raise
Can I do thigh slimming exercises at home? Yes, you can, and one of the best of such exercises to try is the side leg raise. It is effective for the lower body as it targets the thigh and hip muscles. Therefore, if you are looking for waist and thigh slimming exercises, then add this one to your exercise program. It will work on both your inner thigh and waistline.
To perform a side leg raise, you must first lie on the floor on one side. You can use a yoga mat in this exercise in case your floor is uncomfortable (10). After that, you need to follow the following steps:
Keep your legs straight and stack together. After that, bend the bottom leg slightly behind you, automatically bringing the hips to close together.
Extend your outside hand forward and place the inside hand underneath your hand. The inside hand will ensure it supports your head while the outside hand offers you balance.
Ensure your toes are pointing straight, then slowly begin to lift your outside leg as high as you can. For example, if you were to lie on your left side, then you should be lifting the right leg. The left hand should be under your head while the right hand is extended forward for balance.
Slowly return your leg to the resting position and repeat this at least eight times on each side. You can do this again to complete two sets each, with eight leg raises on each side (12).
Intense sweat sessions, working weight loss tips, lip-smacking recipes come in one package with the BetterMe app. And all of it is at your fingertips, start transforming your life now!
Mistakes To Watch Out For When Doing The Side Leg Raise
Even a simple side leg raise can be done incorrectly. Here are some mistakes you need to recognize and ensure you do not incorporate when doing this exercise:
Slightly Lifting The Leg
Since most people are so used to sitting down, it becomes quite challenging to lift the leg as high as possible. It is because the muscles are tight and contracted. Therefore, you might feel a burn on your hip when you raise your leg very high.
The burn means that you are doing something right. So, do not be tempted to just slightly raise your leg to escape this burn. Lift it as high as you can and continue extending the raise over time.
Holding Your Breathe
It is important to breathe normally when doing this exercise. Inhale when you are extending your leg and exhale when you are lowering it to the resting position.
Lunges
Lunges are winners when it comes to trimming thigh fat. They are quite similar to squats as they work significant lower body muscles. Here is a step by step procedure on how to do a perfect lunge:
Assume a standing position and then take a gigantic step forward. As you do this, ensure your back is straight, arms are on your hips. Again, do not overdo the step to avoid falling over on your side.
Bend the front knee to a 90-degree angle. Your weight ought to be on the back toes. Your back knee will also drop towards the floor. The knee must not touch the ground. Hold this position for some seconds before bringing your leg back to a standing position.
Step-ups are incredible thigh slimming exercises because they work both the front and back of your thighs. You can consider using the stairs for this particular exercise.
How To Do Step-Ups?
Step-ups are among the easiest exercises you can do to reduce thigh fat. All you have to do is:
Step on the first staircase using one foot. Ensure your weight is fully supported by the front leg. Similarly, ensure that the knee of your front leg is not bending over your toes (9).
Bring the other leg on the same staircase as you tap the toes of the back leg on the staircase.
Hold for some seconds and then slowly return to your initial position.
Repeat this process until at least eight times on one leg. After that, alternate and also do eight reps for the other leg.
You can take a break for a few minutes and then return to do another set.
Other Thigh Slimming Exercise Tips
Here are the final tips for any individual looking for slim, sleek thighs:
Always stretch after a workout. Stretching will help you avoid stiff lower body muscles. This will then help in reducing the rate at which your muscles transfer force as well as their contractions.
Exercise at least three times a week for faster results. Resting days are crucial as they help the muscles recover.
Drink plenty of water. It is significant in fat loss.
Is Resistance Band Good For Thigh Slimming Exercises?
Yes, they are (11)! They increase the workout intensity, hence burning a significant amount of fat. However, you must always consult with your doctor and fitness instructor before adding them to your workout program.
How Effective Are Thigh Slimming Exercises?
So, you want to know if thigh slimming workouts yield results? Here is the thing: these exercises are only effective if they are done correctly and when one eats in a caloric deficit. Otherwise, an improper diet and exercise program will yield no results. Instead, it might lead to further damage such as knee and back pains due to performing in the wrong form.
Similarly, the effectiveness of any exercise program lies in the consistency and patience of an individual. Doing these exercises once a week or month cannot yield results as soon as you may want. However, doing them consistently at least three or five times a week can bring you faster results.
You can also work out with friends. It increases your motivation to exercise. Similarly, it makes it hard to quit such an exercise regime (8).
Bottom Line
Whether you are male or female, it is possible to reduce thigh fat using thigh slimming exercises. The five most effective thigh slimming workouts include the squat, squat with leg raise, side leg raise, step-ups, and lunges.
All the exercises have been discussed with the correct forms on how to do them. Therefore, ensure you follow each step to the latter for faster and satisfying results.
DISCLAIMER:
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any medical conditions. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!
I love this app! I love that it has so many different workouts that I can choose from with all different durations that I can choose from in order to achieve my goals. I recommend this app to everyone and anyone.
Exercises are simple but effective
Oudeen H.
All the exercises were manageable and were effective. It's amazing how stretching is key way to exercise.
Being able to workout without the…
Jack P.
Being able to workout without the feeling of judgment. But also to feel freedom and flexibility at the same time was amazing.
