Thigh Exercises

The thigh is composed of some of the longest, largest muscles in the human body, and these muscles react to exercise fairly quickly. Thigh exercises are easy to do and show rapid results. With regular workouts you should see a change within six weeks and a more noticeable change within 12 weeks. All you have to do is keep at it.

If you are looking for some great thigh exercises because you think your thighs are too fat or (if you are a man) too thin, ask yourself a few basic questions first.

For example, if you are a woman, are your expectations realistic? Any woman can see improvement in her thighs through regular exercise and proper diet, but if all the women in your family are pear-shaped and what you want is a lean super model’s body, you might have to learn to love a lean pear-shaped body even after you train.

Heredity has a lot to do with a woman’s body shape and size, so don’t set yourself up for self-recrimination by expecting the impossible. Exercise is always worth it, but it won’t turn you into someone else.

Men and women should also ask themselves if they have attained a normal body weight. Exercise is beneficial even when you are overweight, but thighs (like most parts of the body) can’t be spot-reduced if excess weight isn’t addressed at the same time.

The best thigh exercises are resistance exercises. You can use the weight of your own body by doing squats or deep knee bends. Lower your body as slowly and as deeply as you can, then slowly come back up to a standing position. You will feel the burn in your thighs and buttocks.

For extra resistance, you can also do squats while holding a free weight in each hand with your arms straight at your sides. To build muscle, increase the amount of weight. To firm muscle, increase the repetitions.

If you decide to use resistance training to tighten and/or build your thigh muscles, work on your calves and your stomach as well. In fact, resistance training works best when all the major muscle groups of the body are worked, not just a single set of muscles. Always take a day’s rest between workouts, or work your upper body one day, and your lower body the next. That gives your muscles a chance to become stronger instead of just wearing them down.

If resistance training isn’t your cup of tea, you can devote yourself to a form of aerobic exercise that naturally firms and strengthens thigh muscles instead. Some of the best natural thigh exercises are biking, swimming, yoga, step aerobics, and climbing and hiking. Running will trim your thighs too if you do it faithfully, day in, day out.

Finally, consider joining a gym. Most gyms have experienced trainers on staff who can show you how to perform resistance exercises correctly (so as not to injure yourself and so as to get the most benefit from them), and they also have specialized equipment (like elliptical trainers) that target certain muscle groups and work them super hard and super fast.