Inner thighs are among the body areas that are hardest to train. Our body is genetically engineered to store excess fats at the thigh areas. Once the fats have accummulated, it can be difficult to get rid of them because our body burns thigh fats the last. Thigh fats are more common in women, especially those who experience significant lifestyle changes such as pregnancy. Other factors that affect thigh fats include genetics, age, and diet.
Fortunately, it is possible to tone the thigh muscles and achieve the appearance of slimmer thighs with a balanced combination of exercise and healthy eating.
Exercises for Slimmer Thighs
Lunge to Knee Drive
Muscle Group activated: Quadriceps, Hamstring, Calves, Glutes
Recommended Duration: 40 seconds per leg
How-to:
Start in a lunge position.
Press the front foot into the floor to engage your glutes and hamstrings.
While squeezing your glutes, bring your knee from the back foot up, so that the thigh is parralel to the floor.
The key to this exercise is the front leg. You will feel most of the force at your front leg's thigh when doing this set.
Squats
Muscle Group activated: Quadriceps, Hamstring, Calves, Glutes
Recommended Duration: 40 seconds per leg
How-to:
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.
Bend your knees 90-degree, as if you are sitting down.
Return to starting position.
As you squat, keep your head and chest up while pushing your knees out. Be mindful to keep your heels rooted to the ground because lifting the heel will shift your weight forward and add stress to your knees.
Swimming
Muscle Group activated: Abdominal, Back, Forearm, Shoulder and Glutes, Hamstring
Recommended Duration: 3 laps
It's nothing new that swimming is a great exercise for a holistic workout. But even within swimming, there are specific things you can do to achieve slimmer thighs.
The breast stroke, for example, requires you to do a frogkick in order to propel your body forward. This is great for slimming the thighs, especially if done correctly. Keeping your head slightly above the water can add on to drag and resistance, forcing your legs to push a little harder.
Cycling
Muscle Group activated: Quadriceps, Hamstring, Calves, Glutes
Recommended Duration: 20 minutes
Cycling is an exercise focusing on the legs. However, it is important to note that cycling does not directly translate to slimmer thighs. Cycling benefits us by burning calories so we lose weight generally. Losing fats in a specific body part is not possible, so cycling helps to tone the muscles in the thighs.
A good duration to get your heart rate up and break a sweat is a 20-minute ride, though some people may benefit more from a 30 to 40-minute ride. The key to cycling is to do it consistently. Start with a weekly schedule and avoid overdoing it - whether it's outdoor cycling or indoor spinning.
Conclusion
When it comes to achieving slimmer thighs with exercises, you need to remember that it is not possible to target specific body parts. Instead, you should look to have a healthy goal and build a list of workouts that match your objective. It may be dejecting to see little to no progress along your process. A good tip is to find likeminded friends to work on this together. A little motivation and friendly competition will bring you a lot further.