When we think of summer bodies we typically conjure up images of tight arms, baby abs, and…well-toned thighs. Your thighs make up some of the largest muscle groups in the body and are some of the most important (and prominent) muscles in the body.
However, achieving well-toned inner and outer thighs involves knowing the right exercises and how to effectively carry them out with resistance bands.
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Why You Should Exercise Your Thighs
1. It gives a beautiful-looking physique: Toned thighs are an important part of body sculpting and give your physique a balanced look. Therefore, if your main workout goal is to improve how your body looks, you should definitely make sure that you pay specific attention to your thigh muscles on leg day.
2. Your thigh muscles play an important part in many functional movements: Functional movements refer to motions that are based on real-world situations. This means that most physical tasks involve a combination of these movements.
The seven key functional movements include push, pull, lunge, squat, hinge, rotation, and gait. Most of these movements involve the thighs and well-exercised thigh muscles make you more efficient in executing these actions.
3. It improves your balance and posture: Though we don’t notice it, even when seemingly standing still our body constantly adjusts itself to maintain balance. The thigh muscles are important stabilizers of the lower limbs.
Therefore, if you aim to improve your balance and posture, consider adding inner and outer thigh workouts to your routine. Studies have shown how effective thigh-strengthening exercises are in preventing falls among the elderly.
4. It’s great for weight loss: The thigh muscles are a large muscle group and require a lot of energy to exercise. The energy would be generated from the breakdown of calories which are stored in various forms, including fat. Therefore, thigh exercises are a surprisingly effective way to lose weight.
5. Thigh exercises help build your endurance: Inner and outer thigh exercises don’t only make your legs look good, but they also build up your endurance. This is useful for athletes and professions which involve a lot of standing and walking around like healthcare workers, delivery, tour guides, construction workers, and so on.
6. It can help prevent injuries to your knee and hip: The thigh muscles help stabilize the thigh and knee joint. They are especially important for the knee joint because thigh-strengthening exercises have been found to help prevent the occurrence or re-occurrence of knee injuries.
Six Power Workouts For Getting Toned Thighs
Here are six inner and outer thigh workouts that you can perform with resistance bands or ankle weights to get your thighs toned.
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1. Squat – 45 Seconds
This is a great exercise for your glutes and hamstrings muscles. Remember to keep your upper body straight as you lower your body.
- Start in a standing position.
- Bend your knees and ankles into a squat position until your knees are at a right angle to the floor.
- Spread your legs against the resistance band while doing this and ensure you don’t lean your upper body forward as you do this.
- Return to the starting position.
- Repeat this exercise for 45 seconds.
2. Side Leg Raise – 45 Seconds
This is a great exercise for your inner and outer thigh muscles you can do with a resistance band.
- Start by lying on your left side with your legs together and the left hand placed under your head.
- With the resistance band around your thighs, lift your right leg as high as you comfortably can then return it to its initial position.
- Repeat this exercise for 45 seconds.
- Return to the starting position and perform this exercise on the opposite side.
You can use ankle weights as an alternative to resistance bands.
3. Fire Hydrant – 45 Seconds
This fun exercise is great for your glutes and outer thigh muscles.
- Start on all fours with your hands on the same line as your shoulder, and your knee with your thigh.
- Slowly extend your left leg out to the side until your thigh lies parallel to the floor.
- Hold this position for several seconds.
- Return to the starting position and perform the same steps on the opposite side.
- Repeat this exercise for 45 seconds.
4. Step Side-by-Side – 45 Seconds
This workout helps exercise the outer muscles of the thigh.
- Start in a standing position with your feet slightly apart.
- Move your left leg to the side while your right leg is bearing your body weight.
- Return to the starting position and perform the same steps on the opposite side.
- Repeat this exercise for 45 seconds.
5. Sumo Squat Pulses – 45 Seconds
This is a familiar exercise that works on your glutes and hamstring muscles. To increase the challenge of sumo squat pulses and engage the inner thighs more effectively, try incorporating kettlebells.
- Start in a standing position.
- Lower yourself into a squat with your hands stretched out, your legs slightly more than shoulder-width apart and your knees pointing outwards.
- Hold this position for several seconds.
- Return to the starting position.
- Repeat this exercise for 45 seconds.
6. Side Lunges (L+R) – 45 Seconds
This is an incredible exercise to work out your glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps.
- Start in a standing position with both legs together and your hands on your chest.
- Move your left leg into a lunge position.
- Return to the starting position and perform the same steps on the opposite side.
- Repeat this exercise for 45 seconds
To heighten the intensity of side lunges and engage the inner thighs more effectively, consider holding dumbbells or kettlebells at chest level.
How To Get the Best Out of Your Thigh Workout
Here are some useful tips you can use to get the best out of your ultimate thigh workout.
1. Always stretch before and after your workouts: This helps loosen up your muscles and reduces the risk of injury. Also stretching after workouts helps to reduce soreness, improve flexibility, increase circulation, and help your muscles relax.
2. Prioritize using proper form of exercise during your workouts: It might be fun to include some unorthodox variations into your routine, but for effective results and a lower risk of injury focus on maintaining proper form throughout each exercise.
This involves:
- Ensuring you move through the full range of motion for each exercise. Don’t hold your breath, inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Engage your core throughout the workout. Maintain proper alignment by keeping your spine neutral, and avoid arching your back, rounding your shoulders, or tilting your head.
- Listen to your body, a little burn is normal.
- Wear supportive workout shoes to maintain stability and reduce the risk of injury, especially during exercises like side lunges or leg raises.
3. Make sure you rest your thighs in-between workouts: This is to prevent soreness and reduce the risk of injury. Always listen to your body and know when to take a few days off.
4. Add some variety to your workout plan: The thighs are made up of a variety of smaller muscle groups. Therefore, using different types of exercises ensures that you can touch each muscle group.
5. Don’t forget to add some cardio: Cardio exercises aim to increase your stamina and heart rate. Increased heart rate implies increased blood supply to your muscles to reduce fatigue. Also, your body has higher than normal oxygen content during cardio that it needs to produce more energy during your exercise.
Be sure to check out this video workout by Madfit if you need more visual.
Frequently Asked Questions about Thigh Workouts
What are the best exercises for your inner thighs?
The best exercises for inner thighs include lunges, side lunges, and various variations of squats like the sumo squat, pile squat, and so on. Other exercises like the single leg deadlift and scissors legs plank are also impactful on the inner thighs and other parts of your lower limb.
What type of exercises are best for your outer thighs?
The best exercises for outer thighs include varieties of lunges, squats, and lifts. Other impactful outer thigh exercises include the fire hydrant, quick feet, skaters, and single-leg bridge.
Can you target both muscle groups together?
Yes, you can work on both your inner and outer thigh muscles with a workout routine. Exercises for inner and outer thigh muscles complement each other and can be done together.
What are some common mistakes people make when exercising their thighs?
Common mistakes people make while exercising their thighs include:
- not planting their heels firmly on the ground,
- locking their knees,
- raising your head during squats,
- allowing your knees to move inward in some manner.
How often should you work out your thighs?
It is recommended to exercise your thighs two or three times per week. However, ensure not to overwork your thigh muscles as too much exercise will not give the muscles enough time to repair their cells which can lead to injuries.
Conclusion
Inner and outer thigh workouts are an effective way to build great-looking legs. Not only do thigh exercises make your physique look good, they also have several health benefits like improving posture, preventing injury, increasing balance, and helping with weight loss.
